Former state Senator John Proos is ready to talk about what he’s doing next. Proos left office last year after 14 years in Michigan government. He told WSJM News on Monday he’s started a consulting firm intended to help businesses and other organizations solve government problems.. ...Read Full Story
Cornerstone Alliance is promoting some of the real estate prospects located within the Opportunity Zones in the city of Benton Harbor and Benton Township. Cornerstone tells us Opportunity Zones were created as part of the federal tax reform plan passed in 2017. Investment in a business or real estate within an Opportunity Zone can provide a temporary break on an individual’s capital gains tax. The idea was to spur economic development in low-income areas. Cornerstone Alliance helped establish the Opportunity Zones in the Benton Harbor area. They include Riverview Drive, downtown, and the Arts District in Benton Harbor, along with the Fairplain Plaza, Mall Drive, and industrial areas in Benton Township. It’s put up a new website touting those locations as prime for development. You can find it right here.. ...Read Full Story
The latest State of Auto Insurance report from The Zebra, a car insurance shopping site, finds Michigan remains number one in the nation when it comes to the cost of auto no-fault. It says the average auto insurance premium in Michigan is nearly $2,700, while the national average is under $1,500. According to the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, Michigan drivers pay more than double what those in neighboring states pay for car insurance. The Zebra’s report says Ohio drivers pay, on average, $1,032 for car insurance, which is the sixth lowest in the nation, followed by Wisconsin. The Insurance Alliance says the Michigan Legislature needs to crack down on fraud and abuse, stop medical providers from overcharging for medical procedures to treat people hurt in a car crash, and allow consumers a choice in their level of medical coverage. Michigan lawmakers have long talked about reforming the state’s auto insurance system, but have so far failed. You can find the report from The Zebra right here.. ...Read Full Story
Police say the driver involved in a fatal hit and run crash in Van Buren County last week has been identified. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells us the crash happened last Wednesday in the 61,000 block of County Road 378 in Bangor Township. At the time, the department reported a Dodge Journey had struck and killed a 55-year-old Bangor man and then left the scene. Police now say the Journey was located by a road sergeant on Friday evening in Bangor. Its 21-year-old driver admitted to being on the road the night of the hit and run. The vehicle was impounded and is being processed by the crime lab. The sheriff’s department has identified the hit and run victim as Brian Perry of Bangor. Once the investigation is complete, it will be sent to the Van Buren County Prosecutor for review.. ...Read Full Story
Governor Whitmer’s budget proposal will include a 45¢ per gallon increase in gas taxes, enacted in three phases. Her office is confirming that part of the proposal, which follows a plan floated by a bipartisan group of former Legislative leaders including former Republican Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema and former Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Cherry. Whitmer has been saying she wants those who use the roads to pay for them.. ...Read Full Story
The Benton Harbor man who admitted to authorities over the weekend that he stabbed and killed his roommate in an argument over money is now charged with that murder. Berrien County Prosecutor Mike Sepic says 60-year-old Jerry Lee Osler was arraigned Monday on a 1st degree murder charge along with concealing the death of an individual. Bond has been set at a quarter-million dollars and Osler is due back in court for a pre-exam conference on March 13. Benton Harbor Public Safety officers found 57-year-old Sylvester Booth in the basement of the home in the 100 block of Lake Street with a single stab wound to the chest just after 1 a.m. Saturday. Osler told police he had stabbed Booth four or five days earlier.. ...Read Full Story
The 28th refueling outage for Unit 1 of the Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman will start this week. Indiana Michigan Power says the unit was reduced to 50% power over the weekend to prepare for the refueling and maintenance work, which will start at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. I&M says nearly 18-hundred contractors are in the area to help the 11-hundred member staff. The outage will be extended to inspect and replace baffle bolts, which support the internal components of the reactor vessel. The length of the refueling outage, however, is not something utilities make public for competitive reasons. When it shuts down for refueling, Unit 1 will have operated for 463 straight days at 102.2% capacity. It is the second straight cycle that Cook Unit 1 consistently remained online between refueling outages, which is known as a breaker-to-breaker run.. ...Read Full Story
There is no official word as yet, but there are reports the Orchards Mall is about to lose its last anchor store. KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota is reporting JCPenney officials have confirmed to them that the Benton Harbor store will close in July. The retailer announced last week it would shut down 18 stores this year, but has not said where those are.. ...Read Full Story
Three people are facing charges following a drug bust in Dowagiac. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department raided a home on Bradley Street on Friday, arresting a 55-year-old man and 37-year-old woman for meth possession and a 32-year-old man for outstanding warrants. Heroin and meth were found in the home, and the 55-year-old suspect is also facing charges for absconding from parole. The investigation is ongoing.. ...Read Full Story
Berrien County is pursuing a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Waterways Grant to develop four public access points along the St. Joseph River in St. Joe and Benton Harbor. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved the move late last month. Cornerstone Alliance President Rob Cleveland tells WSJM News the idea is to spend about $350,000 on new infrastructure so the river can be used for travel by anyone.. ...Read Full Story
With tax season now well underway, the Michigan Department of Treasury has some tips for those looking to hire a tax preparer. Spokesperson Ron Leix reminds everyone that hiring the wrong person or service could harm you.. ...Read Full Story
Southwestern Michigan College is increasing its tuition for the 2019-2020 year. The SMC Board of Trustees approved the changes Monday night, saying state appropriations for the college are about the same as they were 17 years ago while property tax revenues are weak. Tuition at SMC will go up $2.25 per contact hour — that’s 1.9% — for in-district students, and $3.50 for in-state state students. There will also be a $1 registration fee and 50 cent technology fee adjustment. SMC Board of Trustees Chair Thomas Jerdon says the college “has always had a balanced budget despite historical financial challenges.” SMC also notes it needs to keep up with providing aid to students who might struggle to pay for an education. The board addresses tuition each year around this time to give certainty to students signing up for fall classes in March.. ...Read Full Story
A grant program at Cornerstone Alliance aims to help St. Joseph and Benton Harbor area businesses save energy and spruce up their facades. The Small Business Facade Grant program will provide funds for the repair, maintenance, or rehabilitation of exterior faces on commercial buildings. Additionally, Cornerstone tells us combining facade enhancements with I&M’s energy efficiency upgrades will ensure a “universal approach to business improvement.” By implementing energy saving proposals, businesses can then become eligible for up to $100,000 in rebates through I&M’s Prescriptive and Custom programs. The facade grants are targeted at downtown Benton Harbor, the Arts District, Niles Road between Napier Avenue and Hilltop Road in St. Joe, and the M-139 Corridor in Benton Township. Grant applications can be found on the website of Cornerstone Alliance.. ...Read Full Story
Indiana Michigan Power has announced two economic development grants for Berrien County. I&M spokesperson Tracy Warner tells us the first one is to expand access to broadband internet in the Niles area.. ...Read Full Story
A man is in custody following a fatal stabbing discovered by police in Benton Harbor on Saturday. The Benton Harbor Department of Public safety tells us officers responded to a call about a man down at a home at 182 Lake Street shortly after 1:20 a.m. They found the victim lying in the basement with an apparent stab wound to the chest. A suspect was immediately identified and taken into custody. Police were told the victim, 57-year-old Sylvester Booth, and the suspect, 60-year-old Jerry Lee Osler, had been roommates and had gotten into an argument about money. Officers say the suspect confessed and told them the incident had happened four or five days prior. Osler was taken to the Berrien County Jail. An autopsy on the victim was planned for Saturday.. ...Read Full Story
The United Way of Southwest Michigan aims to collect 5,000 books at 40 locations across Berrien and Cass counties with its Spring Into Reading book drive this month. The United Way tells us it’s teaming up with the Berrien County Great Start Collaborative and the Cass County Great Start Collaborative for the effort. They’re specifically hoping people will drop off new and gently used books for children and young adults. The books will be distributed through home-visiting programs, tri-county Head Start programs, area shelters, strategic businesses, and other agencies. Last year, the Spring into Reading Drive collected 10,000 books. The drive will run through March 21, and you can find a list of the drop-off locations right here.. ...Read Full Story
An event is planned for today in St. Joseph to help encourage and inform women interested in running for political office. Organized by Laura Goos, Amanda Hirsh, and Kim Jorgensen Gane, “Vote Her In, Why Not You?” will be a non-partisan program for women looking to run for office. Goos tells WSJM News they’ll discuss several aspects of managing a campaign.. ...Read Full Story
Berrien County Drain Commissioner Christopher Quattrin has received an award from the Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners for a recent New Buffalo area project. He went to Kalamazoo last month to pick up the 2019 Innovation and Excellence Award for work that was performed on the Lighthouse Creek Drain. The drain commissioner’s office tells us Lighthouse Creek Drain is a county drain that outlets into Lake Michigan from Water Street, south of downtown in New Buffalo. The project aimed to resolve long-term flooding issues within neighborhoods and at the water treatment plant. The Berrien County Drain Commissioner’s office secured easements and set up the natural watercourse as a county drain, and tells us the end result stabilized the situation. The project’s big challenge was protecting natural resources while solving the flooding problem. Quattrin says “the real thrill was seeing salmon return to the area,” calling it a legacy project.. ...Read Full Story
A Van Buren County state lawmaker is part of an effort to ensure e-cigarettes and other vaping products are kept out of the hands of minors in Michigan. State Representative Beth Griffin of Mattawan tells WSJM News vaping products are a legal gray area.. ...Read Full Story
The Berrien County Health Department says it will continue to provide water filters to residents of Benton Harbor as the city works to rid itself of lead issues. Health Department spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News they’ve given out nearly 1,700 of the filters over the past month, and will make the filters and their cartridges available in a variety of locations on a regular schedule moving forward.. ...Read Full Story
Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad says emergency funds from the city’s new income tax will be used to repair a sink hole that formed along Highland Avenue near Hall Park on Friday. The sink hole snagged a First Student school bus carrying Berrien RESA students during the afternoon. The mayor says no one was hurt. He writes on his Facebook page the bus was towed away, and that the sink hole was caused by a broken water main under the street that weakened the pavement. Muhammad writes the “street is blocked off and staff is working to restore water for residents impacted by this circumstance.”. ...Read Full Story
Around 30 students from the Benton Harbor Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates program headed to Lansing this week to meet with their state lawmakers. The third annual JMG Legislative Day was Thursday, says program deputy director Mollie Waller.. ...Read Full Story
The U.S. House of Representatives Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee held a hearing Thursday on the consequences of the United States pulling out of the Paris Climate Change Accord. Meanwhile, Michigan climate activists say they are forging ahead despite federal inaction. Extreme weather events like the polar vortex, mega-fires in California, flooding in Houston, and the hurricane in Puerto Rico already have brought urgency to the climate-change debate. Kate Madigan with the Michigan Climate Action Network says the effects also are being felt in the Great Lakes State.. ...Read Full Story
More than a dozen new apartments and over 3,000 square feet of retail space are coming to downtown Benton Harbor. Cornerstone Alliance has secured a tentative commitment from Cressy Commercial Real Estate to redevelop the iconic Harbor Center Building at the corner of Pipestone and Main streets, which dates to 1882. The building was purchased by Cornerstone Alliance in October 2017, and officials spent over a year discussing the possibilities for the property with developers both locally and nationwide before reaching a deal with Cressy. Soon to be known as Harbor City Flats, the apartment development hinges on support from both the city of Benton Harbor and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Cornerstone Alliance is anticipating construction getting underway as soon as June.. ...Read Full Story
South Haven once again has a finance director. The city has hired Kari Bennett to take over the Finance Department following the firing earlier this year of Wendy Hochstedler after an audit turned up a variety of issues. Bennett comes to South Haven from the Berrien County Road Department, where she had been their finance director. She is a licensed CPA with a decade of experience working directly with government agencies with a public accounting firm. Her first day will be Monday.. ...Read Full Story
As leaders at Benton Harbor Area Schools grapple with difficult financial decisions, another matter that needs to be resolved is the question of who’s in charge. Right now, it’s still CEO Robert Herrera under the cooperative agreement. However, with that likely to change July 1, Board of Education President Steven Mitchell read a request from the board to Herrera at Thursday’s meeting:. ...Read Full Story
Legislation from state Senator Aric Nesbitt is designed to increase access to broadband internet in rural areas. His office tells us his bill would create a tax exemption for new broadband equipment installed in places where it’s lacking. Nesbitt says many educational and job opportunities these days depend on fast internet, adding homes without access to good internet are less desirable and harder to sell, which in turn lowers their value. Nesbitt says, “I think we owe it to residents in rural areas to get this done.” The plan is currently before the Senate Committee on Finance.. ...Read Full Story
Benton Harbor Area Schools may be facing more than $18 million in debt, but that isn’t necessarily the district’s biggest problem. The biggest problem is declining enrollment. That’s the message from Michigan Department of Treasury Office of School Review Director Shelbi Frayer. She spoke to the board of education Thursday, laying out the district’s financial situation.. ...Read Full Story
More than 500,000 elderly Americans experience abuse each year, and that’s why Michigan State Police are reminding everyone of the warning signs. MSP Trooper Holly Higgs of the Niles post tells WSJM News the abuse isn’t always physical, as she once saw with a case in Niles.. ...Read Full Story
A former member of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners has been honored by having a conference room at the county administration building named for him. Kenneth Wendzel served on the county commission from 1969 to 1998 with nearly 20 years of that spent as chair of the finance committee. At a Thursday dedication ceremony, speakers including Berrien County Judge Dennis Wiley talked of their time working with Wendzel, remembering his fiscal conservatism and ability to get along with anyone. Commission Chair Mac Elliot served with Wendzel from 1985 to 1998.. ...Read Full Story
Police are investigating a fatal hit and run crash in Van Buren County. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells us it happened in the 61,000 block of County Road 378 in Bangor Township around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Deputies arrived at the scene on a report of a car-pedestrian crash, and learned the vehicle had left. The pedestrian, a 55-year-old Bangor man, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the driver is believed to have been in a Dodge Journey, model year between 2010 and 2019. The vehicle is described as light-colored, possibly silver or light blue. The vehicle would have driver’s side front end damage. The sheriff’s department asks anyone with information on the vehicle or the crash to contact them.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Michigan State University says its more than seven-year fundraising campaign brought in about $1.83 billion.
The Lansing State Journal reports more than 250,000 donors contributed to the Empower Extraordinary campaign, which in 2017 had already reached its $1.5 billion goal. The fundraising campaign started quietly in 2011 and was publicly launched in 2014 to help support building projects, scholarships and new endowed faculty positions. It wrapped up in December. The East Lansing school says money raised
for scholarships will assist an additional 3,500 undergraduates annually.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan House Republicans have launched a new website dedicated to car insurance reform. State Representative Brad Paquette of Niles tells us ReduceMiRatesNow.com is designed to keep people informed about auto insurance action in the House while giving drivers a way to provide input. He says virtually all members of the Legislature want to see the problem addressed this term.. ...Read Full Story
This will be a busy weekend in downtown St. Joseph as St. Joe Today looks to inspire some spring fever. Director Amy Zapal tells WSJM News the brand new March Mannequins will be held Saturday. It replaces the old Live Mannequins that would be held in the winter.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — A judge has cleared the way for the release of a 74-year-old man who is the oldest Michigan prisoner serving a life sentence for murder as a teen. Sheldry Topp has been in prison since 1962. But he was resentenced Tuesday to a minimum of 40 years. Attorney Deborah LaBelle says the new sentence means Topp should immediately be eligible for freedom. Michigan and other states were forced to change the way they sentence teens after the U.S. Supreme Court said minors can’t automatically be given life prison terms. No-parole sentences still are possible. That’s what prosecutor Jessica Cooper wanted for Topp. But Oakland County Judge James Alexander says Topp has been rehabilitated. Topp was convicted of fatally stabbing a man during a robbery. He was 17 at the time of the death.. ...Read Full Story
Legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. State Representative Thomas Albert of Lowell tells us e-cigarette sales are a gray area of the law.. ...Read Full Story
Set for Saturday is the annual Lake Michigan College Winner’s Circle Benefit Auction. Lake Michigan College Foundation Director Mary Klemm tells WSJM News the event has been held each year since 1988.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Officials say samples taken at 64 water systems around Michigan last year had measurable levels of a class of long-lasting toxic chemicals. The Department of Environmental Quality released findings Monday from a 2018 initiative to test Michigan’s public water sources for the substances known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, or PFAS. The compounds are used in a wide variety of consumer products including non-stick cookware and water-resistant fabrics. The DEQ sampled 1,114 municipal water systems, along with hundreds of schools, child-care facilities and tribal systems. Michigan requires cleanups if PFAS levels exceed 70 parts per trillion. The only systems that did so were the city of Parchment and Robinson Elementary School near Grand Haven. An additional 62 systems had levels of 10 to 70 parts per trillion.. ...Read Full Story
State Senator Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids has reintroduced a bill that would eliminate the so-called “tampon tax” in Michigan and make feminine hygiene products exempt from sales and use taxes. She has tried and failed before to get the bill passed in the state House and this is her first attempt in the Senate. She says it’s an unfair tax on women just for being women.. ...Read Full Story
A program that had some police officers in Berrien County and four others in Michigan asking drivers to allow a swab of their mouth to determine if they’ve been using drugs is being expanded statewide. Michigan State Police say it’s part of an effort to cut down on so-called drugged driving. The initial one-year pilot program started in late 2017 in Berrien, Delta, Kent, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties. Police officers who are trained as drug recognition experts collected oral fluid if they suspected a driver is impaired by drugs. During the initial pilot program, it was used on 92 drivers. State police say the roadside test correlated well with lab test and blood test results. Officials say it will take a few months before it’s launched statewide.. ...Read Full Story
March 29 is the deadline for demolition of an eyesore in St. Joseph. The home at the corner of Niles and Hoyt has become unofficially known as the “Tarp House,” due to the covering on the roof, and owner Dennis Knuth lost his latest appeal of the city’s demolition order. St. Joseph city attorney Laurie Schmidt talked about the timeline at this week’s city commission meeting, saying Knuth has 45 days from the date of the Michigan Court of Appeals ruling “to demolish the house, and if that doesn’t happen, the city will have to take action.”. ...Read Full Story
An event is planned for this weekend in St. Joseph to help encourage and inform women interested in running for political office. Organized by Laura Goos, Amanda Hirsh, and Kim Jorgensen Gane, “Vote Her In, Why Not You?” will be a non-partisan program for women looking to run for office. Goos tells WSJM News they’ll discuss several aspects of managing a campaign.. ...Read Full Story
Southwestern Michigan College is increasing its tuition for the 2019-2020 year. The SMC Board of Trustees approved the changes Monday night, saying state appropriations for the college are about the same as they were 17 years ago while property tax revenues are weak. Tuition at SMC will go up $2.25 per contact hour — that’s 1.9% — for in-district students, and $3.50 for in-state state students. There will also be a $1 registration fee and 50 cent technology fee adjustment. SMC Board of Trustees Chair Thomas Jerdon says the college “has always had a balanced budget despite historical financial challenges.” SMC also notes it needs to keep up with providing aid to students who might struggle to pay for an education. The board addresses tuition each year around this time to give certainty to students signing up for fall classes in March.. ...Read Full Story
A St. Joseph woman has been named the United States Coast Guard District 9 Spouse of the Year by Armed Forces Insurance, putting her in line to be named the national Military Spouse of the Year. Valerie Gehrke works in healthcare, and her husband, Jeff, is stationed with the Coast Guard in St. Joe. She tells WSJM News her family has been in the area for about four years now.. ...Read Full Story
Congressman Fred Upton is among the members of the U.S. House to vote for a resolution to end President’s Trump’s emergency declaration for a border wall with Mexico. Upton told us previously the idea of the president spending billions of dollars for such a project without the authorization of Congress didn’t sit well with him. He was one of the House Republicans to join Democrats to approve the resolution Tuesday. His office issued a statement in which Upton said “declaring a national emergency and reprogramming already appropriated funds without the approval of Congress is a violation of the Constitution.” He added he hopes the House and Senate will work together to find an appropriate solution to the question of border security.. ...Read Full Story
Everything is back to normal for part of a CSX railroad line in St. Joseph that had to be shut down on Monday due to some track damage. CSX tells us one of its engineering teams spotted the problem with the track near the West Basin Marina. They closed the track so repairs could be made. A section of the structure was saturated with water, likely the result of the recent weather. Rocks and other materials were poured into the side of the track to stabilize the road bed. CSX traffic resumed through the area Monday night after having been shut down for about six hours. CSX tells us “safety is our number one priority.”. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — The city of Detroit’s incentives for Fiat Chrysler to build a new assembly plant include $12 million in tax abatements over a dozen years and 200 acres of land. Mayor Mike Duggan’s office said Tuesday that the city will work with the state
on other incentives for the automaker’s $1.6 billion investment to convert its Mack Avenue Engine Complex into a new facility. Detroit has 60 days to get the land, 170 acres (68 hectares) of which is owned by the city, a power utility, a public water authority and a family of prominent wealthy businessmen. Duggan said the city has limited funds and hopes to primarily use land swaps to acquire the properties. Environmental reviews of the land also are required. No residents are expected to be displaced by the project.. ...Read Full Story
The United Way of Southwest Michigan aims to collect 5,000 books at 40 locations across Berrien and Cass counties with its Spring Into Reading book drive next month. The United Way tells us it’s teaming up with the Berrien County Great Start Collaborative and the Cass County Great Start Collaborative for the effort. They’re specifically hoping people will drop off new and gently used books for children and young adults. The books will be distributed through home-visiting programs, tri-county Head Start programs, area shelters, strategic businesses, and other agencies. Last year, the Spring into Reading Drive collected 10,000 books. The drive will run from March 1 through March 21, and you can find a list of the drop-off locations right here.. ...Read Full Story
A bit of a transformation is in the works for the Whirlpool Centennial Park in St. Joseph. The city will apply for a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for just over $286,000 of the $409,000 project. Greg Grothous is the city’s deputy director of parks and grounds and explained the upgrades including replacing dune grass with artificial turf and adding more benches and sidewalks.. ...Read Full Story
The case of the 2014 death of a man who had the freedom to come and go as he pleased from the Eau Claire Adult Foster Care home will be up to a jury to decide. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled last week that a jury should hear the case brought against the facility by the family of 59-year-old Michael Wrenn. He died when he was hit by a truck driven by a 22-year-old Benton Harbor man on Christmas Eve 2014 while walking along M-140 in Pipestone Township by himself. Staff at the facility say they were required to follow his treatment plan and give him the freedom to leave when he wanted, while family contends they should not have let him take a walk on a cold and rainy afternoon.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History is planning to reopen to the public in April in its new building. The Ann Arbor school says new exhibits will be on display in the museum, which combines natural history with scientific research. The museum , which is part of the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, closed in December 2017 . It moved from its previous home in the Ruthven Building to its current location in the new $261 million Biological Sciences Building. The public opening date is set for April 14. Some of the museum’s newest features include a Quetzalcoatlus pterosaur in the Biological Sciences Building atrium; a planetarium and dome theater; and a lab where visitors can see how fossils are prepared for study and display.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield has made it clear that there will be no action taken by lawmakers under his watch to expand the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include specific protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. To that end, it remains up to local communities to enact ordinances, and the city of St. Joseph is moving toward that.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Three Michigan universities are teaming up with Spectrum Health to tackle the state’s opioid crisis through physician training. The University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University are working with the Grand Rapids-based health system on training more physicians as addiction medicine specialists. Officials say there aren’t enough specially trained doctors to meet demand – fewer than 200 statewide and only one in the Upper Peninsula – as the number of opioid-related deaths has
reached an all-time high. Program organizers say they will help physicians fulfill the requirements through online courses, clinical experiences and leadership opportunities. The doctors also will receive training to treat other addictions, including methamphetamines and alcohol. The program has received a two-year, $1.5 million grant from federal and state sources.. ...Read Full Story
Plans for an Arby’s restaurant in Benton Township are moving forward. The Benton Township Planning Commission on Monday approved the preliminary site plan for the Arby’s to be located on the southwest corner of M-139 and Napier Avenue. Ken Knuckles with DMG Management group of Nashville, Tennessee tells WSJM News things could be moving soon.. ...Read Full Story
The Krasl Art Center has announced it’s naming the East Garden of its new Sculpting Community after a local supporter. The East Garden on the Krasl grounds is to be named for the late Maria “Lupe” Hopp due to her commitment to the community, education, and the arts. Krasl tells us Hopp and her husband Dan served as Honorary Sculpting Community Chairs for the center’s outdoor redevelopment, saying their early feedback ensured elements of universal design were incorporated into the site plan. The East Garden will host alternating sculptures intended to inspire a sense of play, wonder, and reflection, says the Krasl. The first sculpture installation and signs celebrating Hopp’s legacy will arrive this spring. Krasl tells us Hopp passed away after a battle with cancer in 2017, just three days before her 70th birthday. ...Read Full Story
With tax season now well underway, the Michigan Department of Treasury has some tips for those looking to hire a tax preparer. Spokesperson Ron Leix reminds everyone that hiring the wrong person or service could harm you.. ...Read Full Story
Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski has an advisory for anyone who still owes their 2017 property taxes. He tells WSJM News the deadline to pay is soon, and a fee could hit some of those who owe.. ...Read Full Story
A Van Buren County man will spend 7 to 15 years in prison for shooting and killing his ex-wife’s new boyfriend during a heated argument last year. Troy Taylor pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in December after a mistrial had been declared in his trial when the jury couldn’t reach a verdict. He shot and killed Timothy Henley at the home of his ex near Gobles in June after his daughter caught Henley and her mother having sex in a nearby vehicle. The two men got into an argument, and Taylor opened fire after Henley punched out a window in his BMW. He claimed self defense, but said he did not want to put his children through another trial when he agreed to plead guilty.. ...Read Full Story
If you liked getting your cider and donuts from Jollay Market in Coloma, you need to find somewhere new. The family-owned market is shutting down, with the announcement being made on Facebook Monday morning thanking customers for “a great 9 years.” The post goes on to say the business “must take pause and see what life brings us,” leaving a possible return open-ended. When contacted by WSJM News, the response received was “We are looking forward to a fantastic U Pick season at Jollay Orchards.”. ...Read Full Story
