Local News Archives

The state of Michigan is receiving $4.5 million to fight homelessness in three counties, including Berrien. Bob Wheaton, with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, says the federal grant money will be used to expand an already-existing program in Detroit to both the Lansing area and hard-hit areas of Berrien. The agency will work with Emergency Shelter Services to identify homeless individuals, get them into housing, and then address root causes of their homelessness.. ...Read Full Story

The Allegan County Sheriff’s Department says a 93-year-old woman is dead after she was pulled from Lake Michigan by first responders Friday. It happened at a beach southwest of Fennville. Deputies arrived at the scene to learn Elizabeth Bennett lived in the area, and regularly would swim in the lake at that location. She was described as being in good physical shape, and witnesses said she always swam with a floatation device. Fire and ambulance personnel pulled Bennet from the water and attempted CPR, but were not successful. The sheriff’s department says an autopsy will determine the cause of death, which could have been the result of a medical condition.. ...Read Full Story

In this week’s WSJM Week in Review, for August 5, 2016, Berrien County Commissioners approve extra security at the courthouse, Benton Harbor celebrates 150 years, and more.. ...Read Full Story

A sculpture of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and University of Notre Dame President Theodore Hesburgh is planned for a downtown South Bend plaza. The bronze sculpture is being modeled after a photograph of King and Hesburgh joining hands during a 1964 civil rights rally in Chicago. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg says people will be able to hold hands with the King and Hesburgh figures as others did at the rally. The sculpture will be created by retired Indiana University South Bend art professor Tuck Langland. The project’s estimated $240,000 cost will be paid for by donations, including from Notre Dame, which Hesburgh led from 1952 until 1987. Officials plan to unveil the sculpture next June on a plaza near the St. Joseph County Courthouse.. ...Read Full Story

Off-road vehicle enthusiasts can ride free of charge on state-designated routes and trails for a limited time later this month. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has scheduled a free-ORV weekend for August 20-21. No ORV license or trail permit will be required on those two days, which officials say will save riders up to $36.25. The DNR designates two free-of-charge ORV weekends each year. Officials say the policy is meant to encourage riders to buy a license and trail permit for use during the rest of the year on the 3,800-mile ORV trail network. Fees collected from riders are used for trail expansion, maintenance and upgrades, as well as law enforcement and fixing damage from illegal use.. ...Read Full Story

An operational issue has caused BP’s large northern Indiana refinery near the southern shore of Lake Michigan to discharge about five times more industrial waste into the lake than allowed. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports that the refinery has been dealing with the problem at its wastewater treatment plant since Friday. The company told the Indiana Department of Environmental Management that it discharged more than 8,900 pounds of total suspended solids Monday. It’s allowed to discharge nearly 5,700 pounds per day.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan is expected to get nearly $3.4 million of a multi-state settlement with a pharmaceutical company. Attorney General Bill Schuette says in a statement Friday that the money ispart of a $125 million national settlement with Cephalon. Part of the money will go to Michigan consumers who bought the drug Provigil. The settlement ends a multistate investigation into conduct by Cephalon that delayed generic versions of Provigil from entering the market for years, causing consumers to pay higher prices. The company denied wrongdoing. The settlement is subject to court review.. ...Read Full Story

Two additional deputies will now serve as full-time guards at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph. The county board of commissioners approved the expenditure at a Thursday meeting in response to last month’s courthouse shootings. Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey says the department used to always have two deputies transfer inmates, but that had to be cut. He’s glad to get the old positions back.. ...Read Full Story

Two-thirds of young African-Americans and 4 in 10 Hispanics say that they or someone they know has experienced violence or harassment at the
hands of the police. That’s according to a new GenForward poll. The poll found about 2 in 10 in each group say that was a personal experience, including about 3 in 10 black men. GenForward is a survey of adults age 18 to 30 by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll follows several recent killings of young black men by police and the killing of police officers last month in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.. ...Read Full Story

Birthday cake, refreshments and local community leaders were on hand Thursday night as the Morton House Museum threw a party to commemorate Benton Harbor’s 150th birthday. Museum Board of Director Chuck Jager says the Morton House is the oldest house in Benton Harbor. And to celebrate…. ...Read Full Story

Time to register for the Rock the Boat Cardboard Boat Races is running out. The event organized by Whirlpool employees is set for August 27 at The Inn at Harbor Shores, and the registration deadline is next Monday. The Cardboard Boat Race will raise money for the United Way of Southwest Michigan. Everyone who takes part will get to make a small board out of cardboard and then see how long, or if, it floats. You can also sponsor a boat if you’d like to contribute. To find out more about signing up, go to UWSM.org/RockTheBoat .. ...Read Full Story

Starting this Friday is the 49th annual Coloma Glad-Peach Festival. The event celebrates the region’s peach growers, and gives everyone a chance to have a good time. Festival President Julie Pupedis says vendors open up around noon Friday and then the opening ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. Then, it’s on to the evening’s entertainment.. ...Read Full Story

Security policies are being reviewed at a courthouse in Michigan’s capital after a man on trial for sexual abuse tried to attack a prosecutor with a long piece of metal. Video of the incident was posted online by the Lansing State Journal. It shows Joshua Harding pulling something from his sleeve Tuesday, crossing the courtroom and lunging at prosecutor Jonathan Roth. Roth got out of the way at the last second while a Meridian Township police detective tackled Harding. Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth says the video, taken by a courtroom security camera, is “breathtaking.” The sheriff says he doesn’t know where Harding got the metal piece. Chief Judge Janelle Lawless says she’s in favor of having jail inmates pass through a metal detector before entering court.. ...Read Full Story

The benefits of breastfeeding are the inspiration for an event planned for Saturday on the bluff in downtown St. Joseph. “Breastfeeding on the Bluff” is set for 10 a.m. The event is being organized by the Berrien County Breastfeeding Coalition and the county health department, and will feature moms from all over the area. Health department spokesperson Gillian Conrad says it’s better for both the baby and the mom when a mother breastfeeds.. ...Read Full Story

A federal judge won’t stop the process of resentencing hundreds of Michigan prisoners who are serving no-parole sentences. Judge John Corbett O’Meara on Wednesday turned down a request for an injunction that would have affected so-called juvenile lifers, prisoners who were sentenced
to life for murder committed when they were under 18. In the months ahead, they’ll be resentenced because the U.S. Supreme Court says automatic no-parole sentences for teens are illegal. The punishment still is possible but only after a thorough hearing at which a judge would learn more about the defendant’s background. Lawyers for juvenile lifers claim a no-parole sentence still would be an unconstitutional punishment. But O’Meara says any challenge should first be made at the resentencing hearings in state court, not in federal court.. ...Read Full Story

State Senator John Proos is promoting a new federal pilot program that allows some prison inmates to to take courses through community colleges. He says the goal is to get them a skill and a degree by the time they’re released so they can find a job and not wind up re-offending.. ...Read Full Story

Another free pet adoption day is coming up at the Van Buren County Animal Control Shelter. The event is thanks to support from the Bissell Pet Foundation out of Grand Rapids, which will pick up the cost of taking a critter home. The animal shelter’s Kasey Murphy says everyone can stop by on Saturday, August 13.. ...Read Full Story

The LOGAN Autism Learning Center is preparing to move from the First Congregational Church in St. Joseph to the former Stump School in Benton Harbor, and it’s chief strategy officer will be running 50 kilometers this weekend to help raise money. Dr. Josh Diehl will start at the school around 4 a.m. Saturday and run to South Bend to the start of LOGAN’S Run on the Notre Dame campus. He says the rules have him only drinking tapwater on the run unless donations are made for specific things.. ...Read Full Story

Health officials are asking Michiganders to consider helping to save a life during the dog days of summer.. ...Read Full Story

The Detroit Economic Club says Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will speak in Detroit next Monday. Club members and their guests must purchase tickets. Club spokesman Matt Friedman says Trump’s midday speech at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center will be open to the news media but not the general public. Other presidential candidates have given speeches at the Economic Club, including Mitt Romney in 2012 and Trump’s rivals during the recent primary season. Trump won the Michigan Republican primary.. ...Read Full Story

A federal appeals court is hearing a dispute over Michigan’s emergency manager law. In 2014, a judge in Detroit swept aside most claims in a lawsuit by critics. But he allowed the case to go forward on whether the law violates the U.S. Constitution by having a disproportionate impact on communities with large black populations. The appeals court will hear arguments Thursday in Cincinnati. Emergency managers have exceptional power to run local governments and school districts, while elected officials typically are pushed aside for 18 months or more. Michigan voters overturned Governor Rick Snyder’s first emergency manager law in 2012. But he and fellow Republicans in the Legislature came back with another version. The state has had a law allowing for the takeover of local governments and schools in a financial emergency since Governor Jim Blanchard signed Public Act 101 in 1988 due to a fiscal emergency in Hamtramck. It was amended in 1990 and replaced in 2011 by Public Act 4, which itself has been replaced.. ...Read Full Story

One robbery suspect is at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor and another is in the Berrien County Jail after their victim turned the tables at Harbor Towers. Benton Harbor Public Safety says the robbery victim opened fire on the suspects after one of them hit him in the face with a weapon when he refused to give them cash. The suspect who had to be airlifted to Ann Arbor was shot in the face and is expected to survive. The other ran off and was later arrested, and Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis says that person has confessed. No names have been released yet. Exactly when the incident happened has not been made clear.. ...Read Full Story

Southwest Michigan boaters will have a chance to get their watercraft cleaned while learning about invasive species prevention this weekend. On Saturday, Michigan State University’s Mobile Boat Wash will be in Paw Paw and Watervliet. The boat wash is used to show boaters how they can properly clean off their boats, trailers and aquatic equipment to get rid of invasive species that might be clinging to them. Anyone who wants a free boat wash can take their craft to Maple Lake in Paw Paw from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. or to Paw Paw Lake in Watervliet from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 6.. ...Read Full Story

Business owners are being warned not to fall for an email being sent around that purports to be from the Michigan Attorney General’s office. AG spokesperson Andrea Bitely says e-mail is not how the agency contacts people.. ...Read Full Story

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is keeping up the pressure on the International Olympic Committee regarding the issue of doping and Russian athletes. Chair Congressman Fred Upton says members have been open with the Olympic organizers about their frustration.. ...Read Full Story

Commercial business owners across Michigan could improve their bottom lines, as well as residents’ health, by embracing energy efficiency and clean-energy investments outlined in the Clean Power Plan. That’s according to a report from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Public Policy. Dr. Marilyn Brown, with the institute, says one big step would be to require all buildings over 100,000 square feet to document and report their energy usage.. ...Read Full Story

A $160 million expansion for Lakeland Medical Center has been announced. The Lakeland Health Board of Directors this week voted to proceed with the new Lakeland Medical Center Pavilion at the facility on Napier Avenue in St. Joseph. The five-story pavilion will feature medical and surgical suites, a short stay unit, imaging centers, an intensive care unit, and education and community rooms. It will also include a new main entrance to the facility with a focus on amenities for visitors. Lakeland Health President Dr. Loren Hamel says the project comes from the organization’s long-term capital facility plan, and is intended to equip the hospital to continue providing for the needs of local patients into the future. A ground breaking ceremony for the pavilion will be held in October, and it’s expected to be completed in 2020. You can find out more at www.lakelandhealth.org/pavilion.. ...Read Full Story

Unofficial returns show professional wrestler “Rhyno” edging two other candidates in the Republican primary for a Michigan legislative seat.
Terrance Gerin of Dearborn led by just 54 votes out of more than 2,700 cast in Tuesday’s election. As the ballots were counted, Gerin, known as “Rhyno” or “Rhino,” was at a World Wrestling Entertainment event in Tennessee, according to the WWE website. The 40-year-old says on his campaign website that he attends Dearborn City Council meetings and is concerned about public pools closing. He wants local businesses to sponsor the pools so they stay open. Gerin faces an uphill climb in November’s general election against health care consultant Abdullah Hammoud because the district favors Democrats. Democratic Representtaive George Darany could not run again under term limits.. ...Read Full Story

Residents of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor get together with local law enforcement for an evening of food and fun. The thirty-third Annual National Night Out was held Tuesday, and law enforcement agencies from all over Berrien County celebrated with residents in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. St. Joseph has been observing National Night Out for at least thirty years, according to Rick Knapp of the St. Joseph Township Police Department.. ...Read Full Story

It’s a full week of music, entertainment and carnival rides on the waterfront as the city of Grand Haven presents their Coast Guard Festival. Marketing Director Annie Lengkeek says even though it’s all great fun, everyone remember the real purpose of the celebration.. ...Read Full Story

Republican voters have backed conservative outsiders to advance in Michigan’s open U.S. House primaries. Little-known retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jack Bergman upset two politically experienced candidates in northern Michigan’s Republican primary. He faces ex-state Democratic Party Chairman Lon Johnson in a competitive race in November. In the Thumb, victorious retired vocational school company CEO Paul Mitchell,
a Republican, will be favored in the fall general election over former Democratic state Rep. Frank Accavitti Jr. Mitchell spent millions of his own money to win the GOP primary that is open due to a retirement. In Detroit, Rep. John Conyers, the longest-serving member of the House, won
the primary in his heavily Democratic district.. ...Read Full Story

Pokemon Go players have been causing some issues nationwide including at a Novi cemetery. Police Chief David Malloy says they asked the game maker to remove Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens as a game site after people were showing up after hours to catch Pokemon. He says the game is still causing some other problems.. ...Read Full Story

The race for state House in the 79th District this November has now shaped up. Winning the Republican primary on Tuesday was Kim LaSata, who finished with a substantial lead over closest rival Ryan Arnt. She said she felt “numb.”. ...Read Full Story

Berrien County voters were feeling generous Tuesday.  They approved almost all of the ballot proposals before them in primary voting. The only things to go down were Southwest Michigan Regional Airport millages in Bridgman and Lake Township, but millages for the airport passed in the communities most closely surrounding it. Elsewhere, voters said yes to local ballot proposals in Bridgman, Eau Claire, New Buffalo, Watervliet, Coloma, New Buffalo Township, Royalton Township, Sodus Township, Watervliet Township, St. Joseph Township, and Baroda Township. As of late Tuesday, some results were still not yet available for some proposals in Buchanan Schools and Niles Township. . ...Read Full Story

Kim LaSata’s campaign is calling it a victory in the GOP primary for state House in the 79th District. With most Berrien County precincts reporting, LaSata has a healthy lead over closest primary rival Ryan Arnt. She says she now knows what it’s like to feel humbled by winning an election. LaSata added voters can expect her to represent them well if she makes it to Lansing in November.. ...Read Full Story

The race for state House in the 66th District is shaping up in Van Buren County following Tuesday’s primaries. Republicans picked Beth Griffin to run as their candidate in November to replace outgoing state Representative Aric Nesbitt. She beat out Matthew T. Nilson, and will face Democrat Annie Brown. The GOP primary for sheriff, meanwhile, resulted in a win for Daniel Abbot over closest challenger David Walker. A variety of ballot proposals also passed in Van Buren County Tuesday night. Voters countywide approved proposals for roads and for the Van Buren Conservation District. Locally, voters were in a mood to say yes in Arlington Township, Bloomingdale Township, Decatur Township, Porter Township, South Haven Township, Hamilton Township, Hartford Schools, and Lawrence Schools.. ...Read Full Story

Congress could approve funding to fight the Zika virus as soon as next month. Congressman Fred Upton says a previous House effort to approve about $600 million in spending while allowing another $385 million earmarked for other priorities to be reprogrammed was rejected by the Senate. He says the two chambers will be negotiating.. ...Read Full Story

Berrien County officials say a demand from the Federal Economic Development Administration to pay back more than $783,000 the county gave to Whirlpool in 2001 is unacceptable. A press release issued Tuesday says the county used $610,000 of EDA money to help Whirlpool move its technology center from Dayton to Benton Township, requiring Whirlpool to guarantee it would maintain its employment levels in the area for at least ten years. In 2011, after Whirlpool had met the loan’s terms, the loan was forgiven. Then, in a letter dated June 30 of this year, the county was ordered by the EDA to pay back the $610,000, plus interest. County officials say the EDA was told several times about the loan and its terms, and never objected. The county now says “it is unacceptable for EDA staff to demand repayment of these funds 15 years after this venture was initiated, nine years after the EDA was notified of the very loan structure to which it now objects, and 5 years after the terms of this loan were fully satisfied.” The press release goes on to say Berrien County “is not inclined to submit to the EDA’s recent demands” to pay the money back.. ...Read Full Story

Money has been raised to buy gifts for children in Berrien County’s foster care system, thanks to an event held Tuesday at Slumberland Furniture in Benton Township. “Christmas in August” featured games, a dunk tank, a bounce house, and food and refreshments. Heather Hoffman, with the Berrien County Department of Health and Human Services, says the money goes to its Operation Good Cheer program.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor’s 150th birthday is coming up, and a celebration is planned for this Thursday to mark the occasion. The Morton House Museum on Territorial Road will hold a party starting at 7 p.m. It’s to feature a birthday cake for the city, tours of the house, refreshments, and local speakers who will talk of their experiences in Benton Harbor since the 1950s. They’re set to include Mamie Yarbrough and Janet Dasse Frazier. There will also be an exhibit called “150 Years of Benton Harbor History,” featuring historic photos of the community, artifacts from as far back as 1866, and information on the House of David. Everyone is welcome to the party, and if you can’t make it, the Morton House notes that the exhibit on the city’s history will be up through October 29 every Saturday. You can find out more at www.facebook.com/MortonHouseMuseum.. ...Read Full Story

Lake Michigan College will ask voters for a new millage to pay for a variety of facility improvements come November. At a Tuesday meeting, the board of trustees approved moving forward with the ballot question. LMC President Dr. Bob Harrison says the roughly $4 million per year raised by the millage would make many things possible.. ...Read Full Story

U.S. auto sales were expected to drop slightly in July as unusually hot weather kept buyers indoors. Kelley Blue Book predicted a 1 percent decline from last July to about 1.5 million vehicles, while auto pricing site TrueCar.com expected sales to be flat for the month. TrueCar said some automakers offered big discounts to help beat the heat. General Motors’ sales fell 2% while Ford’s U.S. sales fell 3%. Both automakers reported declines in pickup truck sales, their best-sellers, but strong sales of big SUVs. Sales of the Ford Expedition more than doubled, while sales of the GMC Yukon were up 32%. Other automakers will report sales later Tuesday.. ...Read Full Story

Renovations to Benton Harbor City Hall have been approved by city commissioners. WSJM’s Andrew Green reports.. ...Read Full Story

AM General has been awarded a $356 million contract to make more than 1,600 Humvees for the Afghanistan national army and police at its factory in northern Indiana. The company said in a news release the work to make the 1,673 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles will be done at its plant in Mishawaka. The work is scheduled to begin this month and is expected to be completed in a year.. ...Read Full Story

A federal judge has ruled in favor of two former Michigan House aides who say they were illegally fired before a sex scandal broke in the Capitol. Judge Gordon Quist says Keith Allard and Ben Graham were engaged in protected activity under a whistleblower law when they reported wrongdoing by lawmakers Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat. Their lawsuit against the House can go forward. The aides were fired last July, shortly before an affair by Courser and Gamrat became public. Courser and Gamrat were accused of trying to cover up the affair. One quit the House, and the other was expelled. The Detroit News says the House had asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit. But Quist says Allard and Graham “spoke out on matters of public concern.”. ...Read Full Story

A northern Indiana museum that pays homage to the Studebaker Corp. is putting a spotlight on the outdoor laboratory where the one-time automaker tested its vehicles. The Studebaker National Museum is marking the Studebaker Proving Ground’s 90th anniversary with an exhibit titled “Proving the Product: Studebaker’s Proving Ground.”. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor City Manager Darwin Watson says the local parks conservancy will be looking into how to handle the issue of the restrooms at Union Park. Last week, vandalism at the recently-opened restroom facility was discovered, leading to its closure. Watson says it’s since reopened, and a plan is being considered for its maintenance.. ...Read Full Story

A new analysis shows Michigan’s top 1% of earners continue to see their incomes rise while everyone else is not. The findings from the Michigan League for Public Policy show that the state is 11th worst nationally for income inequality, which spans gender, race and ethnicity and educational level. Rachel Richards, with the Michigan League for Public Policy, says the organization will be diving deeper into these income inequality issues with a series of fact sheets.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor City Commissioners have approved a renovation project for city hall. At Monday’s meeting, they voted to proceed with most of the work planned, tabling only one of the contracts dealing with masonry and roof work, partly due to concerns enough wasn’t done to hire local minorities. Mayor Marcus Muhammad says he’s glad to see city hall’s facade getting a variety of improvements.. ...Read Full Story

Trampoline parks have quickly become popular attractions around the country, and that means a bounce in trampoline-related injuries. A new study finds emergency room visits due to trampoline park-related incidents have gone up from 600 per year four years ago to 7,000. Researcher Kathryn Kasmire.. ...Read Full Story

The new administrator for the Salvation Army of Benton Harbor is in place and ready to get to work with the community. Major David Womack comes to the area from South Dakota, with previous experience in Detroit, during his 28 years with the Salvation Army. He says he’s settling in and getting an idea of what programs he’d like to implement.. ...Read Full Story

Lakeland Health has been honored for the care it provides to stroke patients. It’s received the American Heart Association and Stroke Association’s “Get With The Guidelines” Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. In order to get the award, hospitals have to achieve 85% or higher adherence to all “Get With The Guidelines” indicators for two or more consecutive years. They also have to meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment. Lakeland Health Director of Patient Care Services Chris Fox says he’s proud of the team which he says provides exemplary care. You can find out about stroke warning signs and what to do at LakelandHealth.org/Stroke.. ...Read Full Story

It’s almost time once again for the annual Chalk the Block event in downtown St. Joseph. The 20th Chalk the Block kicks off this Friday when more than 30 artists from around the country will be welcomed to town, preparing to cover the sidewalks with chalk art. St. Joe Today’s Whitney Behnke says thousands come down to check out their work.. ...Read Full Story

A museum in Lansing has opened a first responders exhibit that highlights the work of police officers and firefighters over the years. The Lansing State Journal reports that the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum exhibit includes a shiny red 1938 Reo Speed Wagon as well as a Gold Crown fire
truck that sold for more than $1,300 back then and served the Bainbridge Fire Company in Pennsylvania until 1972. Museum director Bill Adcock says the exhibit is intended to show kids that emergency responders don’t hurt the public, they save the public. Adcock describes the exhibit, which opened in July, as a working and living display that’ll be added to over time. Adcock says the idea for the museum grew after the death of firefighter Dennis Rodeman, who was hit by a vehicle in 2015.. ...Read Full Story

With gasoline hovering closer to $2 per gallon these days, it seems like a no-brainer that SUVs are once again hot sellers. However, Ford Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks says SUVs are not the gas-guzzlers of old.. ...Read Full Story

Western Michigan University President John Dunn is stepping down after ten years on the job. Dunn announced Monday he will serve through June of 2017, and then become president emeritus for one year. He said he was announcing his retirement well ahead of time so the university trustees would have plenty of time to find his successor. After ten years on the job as WMU president, Dunn has awarded 50,000 degrees to the school’s graduates. Kenneth Miller, chairman of WMU’s governing board, says the Kalamazoo school is “markedly different and stronger” than when Dunn became president in 2007. Dunn previously had leadership roles at Southern Illinois University, the University of Utah, and Oregon State University.. ...Read Full Story

Two open U.S. House seats will be in the spotlight during Michigan’s primary election. The Republican winner of a Thumb-area contest should have a clear path to Congress, while the victors in the state’s expansive northern congressional district will face off in a competitive race in November. Tuesday’s primary also will set the stage for this fall’s battle for control of the state House, which Democrats are eager to win after years of GOP rule. Republican Congresswoman Candice Miller’s decision to step aside after 14 years representing the Thumb and northern Macomb County has sparked a five-way Republican primary. The winner will be favored in November. Republican Congressman Dan Benishek’s retirement after six years representing  northern Michigan has led to a three-man Republican primary and a two-man Democratic race.. ...Read Full Story

The Lake Michigan College Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting tomorrow morning to discuss putting a capital millage proposal on the November ballot. LMC has not gone to voters seeking a new millage in two decades. Lake Michigan College Foundation executive director Mary Klemm told WSJM News earlier this summer the money would be put toward modernizing and upgrading classrooms to today’s standards with new technology. The $40 million millage would also bankroll a new heating and air conditioning system. The board will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Mendel Center.. ...Read Full Story

(Detroit, MI – AP) – Scientists have found a significant presence of organic waste compounds in three Michigan rivers. The “Detroit Free Press” reports that the Rouge and Clinton rivers in southeastern Michigan and the St. Joseph River in southwestern Michigan have pollutants from car exhaust, smokestacks, herbicides and detergents. The U.S. Geological Survey sampled water throughout the Great Lakes region from 2010 through 2013. The “Free Press” says some organic waste compounds were 10 times higher than water-quality benchmarks.. ...Read Full Story