What do you think of the roads in Michigan? Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer pledged to fix the roads during her campaign, but she’ll be working with a Republican controlled House and Senate. Republican Lee Chatfield is the new Speaker of the House come January. He spoke with Michigan News Network about road issues.. ...Read Full Story
This holiday shopping season is expected to be a good one for retailers. Meagan Holland of the Michigan Retailers Association tells Michigan News Network the organization does a monthly survey in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago, and it has some telling signs.. ...Read Full Story
The United Way of Southwest Michigan is gearing up for another Bid United online auction. To be held next week, Bid United is a totally online auction with a wide variety of items and services up for grabs, all donated by local businesses. United Way spokesperson Ryan Cheevers spoke with WSJM News about the auction.. ...Read Full Story
A $1 million grant to prevent sexual assault on college campuses has been announced by the Michigan Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program. Included in that allocation is $6,500 for Lake Michigan College. Michigan First Lady Sue Snyder launched the Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program in 2015, and so far it’s given out more than $2.5 million to colleges. this latest $1 million is the highest amount at one time yet. The First Lady says the money will be used by colleges and universities to “develop innovative, evidence-based campaigns and strategies to help make our campuses safer-for students and survivors.” The program is administered by the Michigan State Police and aims to change the overall culture of sexual assault among the college-age population.. ...Read Full Story
By Doug Cunningham. ...Read Full Story
An amendment to the short-term rental ordinance in South Haven was approved this week by the city council. The vote was four to two to update the rules that govern homes that are rented out to vacationers by their owners. City Manager Brian Dissette tells WSJM News the new amended ordinance establishes two types of short term rentals. The first is personal STRs.. ...Read Full Story
Now that Michigan voters have decided to decriminalize marijuana for those over 21, the Berrien County Health Department is expecting to step up its educational activities. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News the health department likely won’t have to inspect marijuana food facilities, but it will have to make sure everyone knows the rules. First of all, it will still be illegal for those under 21, and Conrad says that’s for a good reason.. ...Read Full Story
There are extra Michigan State Police troopers out and about on the state’s roads through the rest of Thanksgiving weekend. MSP Special First Lieutenant Jim Flegel tells WSJM News the Thanksgiving period is a dangerous time to be driving.. ...Read Full Story
The Van Buren Conservation District and the Southwest by Southwest CISMA are telling southwest Michigan residents how to spot invasive vines that could be choking out native plants. The CISMA says there are four invasive vines that have been found in the area. They are lack swallow-wort, Chinese yam, Kudzu, and Oriental Bittersweet. The CISMA’s Eleanor Serocki tells us those vines are obvious throughout the year, meaning even now is a good time to keep an eye out. We have pictures of all of them at WSJM.com. Serocki says native vines are important in our forests for a lot of reasons, from soil stabilization to pollinator habitat, but the invasive ones typically take over and damage trees, shrubs, and fences. Anyone looking for more information should call the Van Buren Conservation District.. ...Read Full Story
When the madness of Black Friday is over, there’s still Small Business Saturday to consider. St. Joseph Today tells us some downtown shops began offering deals as part of Black Friday with plans to continue the next day. According to the Civic Economic Study in Grand Rapids, MI when someone spends $100 at a local business, approximately $68 stays in the local community. St. Joe Today’s Amy Zapal tells us there’s something for everyone in downtown St. Joseph. In addition to special sales, shoppers in downtown St. Joseph can also take in free horse-drawn trolley rides from noon to 3 p.m. weather permitting. For a list of all the participating Small Business Saturday shops, go to St.JoeToday.com.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — A Michigan judge’s office fielded angry phone calls after callers mistook him for a federal judge who restored CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s access to the White House. Bay County District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly was out of the office November 16
when U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly in the District of Columbia granted Acosta a two-week injunction to return to work. The White House had initially revoked Acosta’s credentials after he and Trump tangled verbally during a November 7 press conference. MLive.com reports that judge Kelly’s Bay City, Michigan, office received a half-dozen phone calls complaining about the other Timothy J. Kelly’s ruling. Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Bay County says he thinks the callers “would at east do your homework” before calling someone to complain.. ...Read Full Story
The city of Benton Harbor has released the results of the first batch of lead tests done on homes around the community after eight homes were found to have elevated levels last month. According to results from the first 159 homes that have been posted on the city’s website, 27 additional homes have tested for lead levels at or above the federal action level for lead, which is 15 parts per billion. Another 38 homes tested for more than five parts per billion, which is a stricter state standard. The city has posted information for residents on its website. City Manager Darwin Watson told The Herald Palladium the city is giving bottled water for drinking and cooking to the residents of homes where the lead level has been found to be high. He also said a contractor will be brought in to determine the cause of the lead levels.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press– Crews have wrapped up removal of a roughly 90-year-old dam in southwestern Michigan as part of an effort to help restore habitat for native fish. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced this month that the work was completed to remove the Alcott Street dam in Kalamazoo. The dam, which impounded Bryant Mill Pond on Portage Creek, was built in 1927
but no longer had a function. Instead, it prevented fish migration and held contaminated sediment in place. The project was funded by $2 million from the Kalamazoo River Natural Resource Damage Trustees. The DEQ says it provided about $3.1 million in additional funding for the project to conduct a feasibility study and to excavate and properly dispose of contaminated soils and sediments.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — The U.S. Supreme Court won’t decide until next year whether to consider arguments from residents of Chief Justice John Roberts’ Indiana hometown over ownership of the Lake Michigan community’s shoreline. The court is giving the state attorney general’s office an extra two months for a response to the request from Don and Bobbie Gunderson of Long Beach for the Supreme Court review. The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the response is now due January 11. The couple wants to appeal an Indiana Supreme Court decision setting the ordinary high water mark as the boundary between state-owned land under Lake Michigan and private property. The Gundersons maintain their lakefront property extends to the water’s edge. Roberts lived as a child in Long Beach from the 1960s until leaving for Harvard in 1973.. ...Read Full Story
The area housing market remains strong. The latest report from the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors shows prices are still going up and the year-to-date total dollar volume through October is the highest since 2006, right before the market collapsed. The number of homes sold in October fell from 354 to 324 compared to last year, an 8% decline. Year-to-date, the number of homes sold has fallen by 4%. The average selling price rose 3% from last year in October, while the median price was up 10% at $171,000. That’s the price at which 50% of the homes were above and 50% were below. The inventory is also shrinking, down 5% from last year with 1,737 houses on the market.. ...Read Full Story
John Sinclair is a Michigan born artist, author, activist and cultural revolutionary who famously went to prison on a ten year sentence for two marijuana joints in the 1970’s. So we asked John for his thoughts on Michigan voters finally fully legalizing recreational marijuana – a cause Sinclair spent decades advocating. John Lennon joined a movement to free Sinclair from prison, wrote a song for him and performed at an Ann Arbor rally to free John. Days later the Michigan Supreme Court set him free. Michigan marijuana laws were changed. He says he’s happy about the legalization of pot but it wasn’t what he would have ordered. He wants to totally “free the weed” and says we should have a universal human right to legally use whatever drugs we choose.. ...Read Full Story
A new Wrong Way Alert System is being unveiled by the Michigan Department of Transportation. Jackson Transportation Service Center Manager Kelby Wallace told Michigan News Network this week the system is being installed at the eastbound I-94 exit ramp to Sargent Road east of Jackson.. ...Read Full Story
Now that Michigan voters have decided to decriminalize marijuana for those over 21, the Berrien County Health Department is expecting to step up its educational activities. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News the health department likely won’t have to inspect marijuana food facilities, but it will have to make sure everyone knows the rules. First of all, it will still be illegal for those under 21, and Conrad says that’s for a good reason.. ...Read Full Story
A $1 million grant to prevent sexual assault on college campuses has been announced by the Michigan Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program. Included in that allocation is $6,500 for Lake Michigan College. Michigan First Lady Sue Snyder launched the Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program in 2015, and so far it’s given out more than $2.5 million to colleges. this latest $1 million is the highest amount at one time yet. The First Lady says the money will be used by colleges and universities to “develop innovative, evidence-based campaigns and strategies to help make our campuses safer-for students and survivors.” The program is administered by the Michigan State Police and aims to change the overall culture of sexual assault among the college-age population.. ...Read Full Story
The United Way of Southwest Michigan is gearing up for another Bid United online auction. To be held next week, Bid United is a totally online auction with a wide variety of items and services up for grabs, all donated by local businesses. United Way spokesperson Ryan Cheevers spoke with WSJM News about the auction.. ...Read Full Story
Identity thieves and other scammers are ready and waiting to ruin the holiday season. However, Michiganders can reduce the chances to become a scam victim. With shoppers distracted by their to-do lists and opening their wallets frequently, Mark Hornbeck with the AARP of Michigan says thieves are ready to pounce. He explains online shoppers need to watch out for fraudulent websites when making purchases.. ...Read Full Story
Andrews University in Berrien Springs has announced a successful United Way campaign for 2018. It tells us the employees were able to beat their campaign goal of $20,000 and raise more than $22,000 in gifts and pledges. At the start of the campaign, President Andrea Luxton and Provost Christon Arthur committed to compete in a rodeo if the campus reached their giving goal.They made good on their commitment this week at the Andrews University Farm.. ...Read Full Story
Entry to Michigan state parks will be free on Friday. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources tells us it could be a new Black Friday tradition — heading to the great outdoors. The Opt Outside movement started in 2015 as a way to encourage healthy activities for the day after Thanksgiving. The DNR says it’s waiving the regular Recreation Passport entrance fee that permits vehicle access to Michigan state parks, trails, and boating access sites, although other permit and license fees still apply. You can check out Michigan.gov/DNR to learn more about camping, fishing, hunting, and other outdoor opportunities in your area.. ...Read Full Story
The Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan is gearing up for another Mustachio Bashio early next month. The third annual Mustachio Bashio will be Saturday, December 1 starting at 5:30 p.m. at North Pier Brewing Company in Benton Harbor. The Humane Society tells us the event is a chance for anyone with a mustache to come and compete with other mustachioed individuals for the title of greatest mustache. There will be prizes awarded in several categories, and it’s a chance to help raise money for the Humane Society.. ...Read Full Story
It’s an earlier than usual start for ski resorts in Michigan as many are open because there have been colder temperatures and snow. Mickey MacWilliams, the executive director of the Michigan Snow Sports Industry Association, spoke with Michigan News Network this week.. ...Read Full Story
Thanksgiving is the top day for home cooking fires, and Michigan State Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer is reminding everyone of some safety tips. First of all, he says those who use portable deep fryers to cook turkeys should know the dangers involved and consider an oil-less fryer which is a safer alternative. Sehlmeyer says you should never use a portable deep fryer in a garage, on or under a deck, on a porch, or inside any building. That means your house. He adds you should make sure your turkey is completely thawed and dry the turkey prior to putting it in the fryer, and also only place the fryer on a flat surface. Sehlmeyer tells us unattended cooking is the leading cause of residential fires, especially on Thanksgiving when busy cooks can be distracted. He reminds all cooks to never leave cooking unattended, even for a second. He recommends keeping children out of the kitchen when preparing Thanksgiving dinner, and making sure all of the smoke detectors are in good working order. You can find more fire safety tips right here.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is seeking a final $372 million budget bill before he leaves office, proposing to spend more on addressing water contamination and hiring 246 additional children’s protective services caseworkers following a scathing audit. The state budget office made its request public late Tuesday, about a week after it was sent to lawmakers. The Snyder administration says tax collections are up due to the economy. The proposal would factor in deals reached as part of the budget Snyder signed in June, but it also would include new spending. The outgoing Republican governor wants the GOP-controlled Legislature to allocate $160 million for savings, $43 million to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have tainted drinking water and $31 million to improve child protection – among other things.. ...Read Full Story
There are extra Michigan State Police troopers out and about on the state’s roads as Thanksgiving approaches. MSP Special First Lieutenant Jim Flegel tells WSJM News Thanksgiving is a dangerous time to be driving.. ...Read Full Story
The Four Winds Casino has donated 1,200 food baskets to those in need for this Thanksgiving. Casino Vice President of Government Affairs Scott Brewer tells WSJM News the employees asked the casino to purchase the items, and then they packed them up and sent them out Tuesday.. ...Read Full Story
The Cass County Sheriff’s Department says a Dowagiac man is facing charges after hitting a police vehicle while possibly driving drunk. The department tells us a sheriff’s deputy had pulled over a vehicle that had been reported stolen out of Hartford on Saturday night. The stop was initiated around 10:30 p.m. on M51 near Van Buren Street in Wayne Township. While the sheriff’s deputy was conducting an investigation of the pulled-over driver, another vehicle came along and struck the driver’s side door of the deputy’s patrol vehicle, missing the deputy by inches. Pokagon Tribal Police, who were assisting Cass County deputies, stopped the vehicle that had just hit the cruiser. Its driver, 47-year-old Spencer Mourning, was arrested for suspicion of operating under the influence, possession of an open container, possession of marijuana, and leaving the scene of an accident. The driver of the stolen vehicle, 31-year-old Patrick McMeeken of Dowagiac, was also arrested. He’s facing charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of meth, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.. ...Read Full Story
