Local News Archives

National Parks in Michigan and around the nation could get some TLC if Congress Acts. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is promoting bipartisan legislation that would address the $12 billion maintenance backlog at parks across the country. Yaron Miller with the Pew Charitable Trusts Restore America’s Parks campaign says many of the problems at the parks impact access and safety.. ...Read Full Story

Some southwest Michigan wineries have come out on top in a statewide competition. Held in Lansing on August 9 was the 2018 Michigan Wine Competition. Out of 415 wines entered, wineries of the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail were awarded 125 medals, including three in the Best of Class category. Among them were St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw, which took home the top honors in the categories of Dessert Wine and Fruit Wine. Winning in the Semi-Dry Red Wine category was Lawton Ridge Winery out of Kalamazoo. The Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail is a collaboration of 20 member wineries all located in Southwest Michigan. You can find out more about them at MIWineTrail.com.. ...Read Full Story

This is the time of year to keep an eye out for Japanese knotweed. The Berrien County Conservation District’s Jared Harmon tells WSJM News the invasive plant just started sprouting its most distinctive feature last week.. ...Read Full Story

The Van Buren County Road Commission is going to try again. After a ballot proposal asking the public for a millage increase to improve the roads was shot down last week, Road Commission Engineer Manager Larry Hummel says they’re now going to put it on the November ballot. He told The Herald Palladium trying again in November will allow more time to promote the millage proposal. The goal is 3 mills over 12 years, generating about $10 million per year. The ballot language will be revised to better explain how the money will be shared with local governments. The millage proposal was rejected last week with about 44% voting in favor. The Van Buren County Road Commission tells us it needs extra money in order to get the county’s roads in better shape. Hummel says about 67% of them are in poor condition.. ...Read Full Story

An Elkhart, Indiana man has been found guilty of murder in Cass County. The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office tells us 33-year-old Joseph Craigo’s trial wrapped up Friday after about a half hour of deliberations. The trial included testimony from 19 witnesses about the night in March of last year when Craigo’s father was killed. The prosecution said a methamphetamine-addicted Craigo went to his parent’s house with the intention of taking what he wanted and then killing his father. It tells us Craigo used a homemade knife to try to slit his father’s throat before plunging it into his neck. Criago’s 66-year old-mother testified he threatened to kill her as he fled the scene. Craigo had claimed self-defense, and later, that we was covering for his mother, who he said actually committed the murder. In court, though, he admitted to the stabbing. Craigo will be sentenced on September 14. The penalty for murder in the first degree is mandatory life in prison without parole.. ...Read Full Story

Deputies with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department will now be carrying anti-overdose drug Naloxone as part of their regular equipment. Naloxone is a simple nasal spray that can get a person breathing again when they experience an opioid overdose. The sheriff’s department tells us a grant helped to buy enough doses for all of its divisions to keep on hand. The Grand Rapids Red Project came to Allegan and Saugatuck to provide Naloxone training to staff of the sheriff’s department. The drug has become a common piece of standard police equipment in southwest Michigan as the opioid epidemic continues to cause overdose deaths.. ...Read Full Story

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department has completed a project to protect one of its K9s from excessive heat. Last fall, the Bow Wow Bakery and Bath in Dowagiac started the “Keep Nellie Cool” campaign, aiming to raise money for a heat sensor in the patrol car used by K9 Nellie and her handler, Deputy T.K. Grave. The sensor could alert Grave when the car gets too hot so she can respond to protect Nellie. The sheriff’s department says last year there were seven Police K9s killed nationwide from overheated vehicles. A total of $12,000 was raised by the Keep Nellie Cool campaign, and a used Tahoe was purchased with it and to be outfitted for proper use with Nellie. The car that was being used by the Nellie, a bloodhound, and her handler was scheduled to be taken out of service. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department thanks everyone who chipped in to the campaign.. ...Read Full Story

Even without much rain in northern Michigan lately, the CEO of one vineyard says they’re doing just fine so far. Maria Dalese is the CEO of Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula and told Michigan News Network the grapes are doing well.. ...Read Full Story

The future of the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac will be the topic of two hearings in Traverse City, one Saturday, and the other on Monday. Liz Kirkwood, executive director of the group For Love of Water, tells us Line 5 has surpassed its lifetime in terms of safety. Her group believes it risks the health of the Great Lakes every day that it continues to carry oil.. ...Read Full Story

In case you’re wondering if Wallace Avenue in St. Joseph will be back open in time for next Friday’s season opening football game at St. Joseph High School, part of it will be. St. Joe City Engineer Tim Zebell tells us the city is well aware of the upcoming football action, and crews will have traffic open on Wallace between South State Street and Stadium for the game, making access to the school from the east possible on Wallace. Access from the west will have to be on Kingsley. The road surface will still be rough as the reconstruction project on Wallace is still weeks away from being finished, but it will be available for game traffic next Friday. Otherwise, Zebell says the plan is to have the paving done and Wallace back open in time for the start of school. You can follow all of the latest on the Wallace Reconstruction project at the city’s website. You can find it right here.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is going to work with New Buffalo Area Schools on security. At this week’s meeting, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved an arrangement that will have a sheriff’s deputy stationed at the schools. Sheriff Paul Bailey spoke with WSJM News about the arrangement.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Authorities have positively identified a couple whose remains were recovered from the wreckage of a small plane that crashed more than 20 years ago in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Mackinac County Sheriff Scott Strait said Thursday the remains have been positively identified as those of missing couple Mark and Janet Davies. The single-engine Piper PA-28 that 45-year-old Mark Davies was piloting took off Sept. 14, 1997, from Drummond Island in Lake Huron and was headed to Howell, about 300 miles (480 kilometers) to the south. A four-day search at the time failed to find the remains of the couple or the plane. The wreckage was discovered July 11 in the Hiawatha National Forest near St. Ignace. Strait says the National Transportation Safety Board has completed its on-site investigation.. ...Read Full Story

A work requirement for able-bodied adults with no dependents who are receiving food assistance will go into effect across Michigan in October. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Bob Wheaton tells WSJM News those affected will have to work an average of 20 hours per week to continue getting food aid.. ...Read Full Story

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is appealing a decision that allowed Ibrahim Parlak to stay in the United States. Last month, an immigration judge approved Parlak’s application for deferral of deportation under the Convention Against Torture. Homeland Security has asked the decision to be reconsidered, meaning the fight for Parlak now goes to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Congressman Fred Upton spoke with WSJM News on Thursday about the issue.. ...Read Full Story

The upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend will have a lot of us on the road for a final summer trip. As has been the case for years, extra police patrols will also be out there. Berrien County Undersheriff Chuck Heit says multiple agencies around the county are taking part in another Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over campaign.. ...Read Full Story

No direct answer from Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Schuette to a question on the future of Governor Snyder’s Healthy Michigan program if he’s elected. The Medicaid expansion provides health insurance for 680,000 people in the state. At the Oakland County Republican Party headquarters Wednesday, Schuette gave a rambling answer to a yes or no question, saying he prefers a private-sector focus on healthcare instead of expanding Medicaid. He also said children should be able to stay on their parents’ plan until the age of 26 and he favors keeping pre-existing conditions covered.. ...Read Full Story

How many prisons does the state need? The Michigan Department of Corrections and state lawmakers say not as many as we currently have, and the announcement was made this week that the Ojibway Correctional Facility in the far western Upper Peninsula will close in December. Senator John Proos of St. Joseph says it makes sense to close down facilities rather than keep them open and pay for empty beds.. ...Read Full Story

The music world has lost an icon. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has died at her home in Detroit at the age of 76 from pancreatic cancer. Franklin has been in hospice care for much of the past week at her home on the Detroit River. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Barbara and C.L. Franklin, a Baptist minister. After moving to Detroit, she became active musically and recorded her debut album at the age of 14 in 1956. Franklin won 18 Grammy awards and was the first female solo artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She performed at two presidential inaugurations: 1993 for Bill Clinton and 2009 for Barack Obama. Along with her storied music career, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 from President George W. Bush and Yale University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Music in 2010.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is pushing for an increased vaccination rate in the state. Spokesperson Angela Minicuci tells WSJM News this is the time of year to do that.. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton has announced a $180,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant for the Allegan Conservation District. It’s specifically for the Allegan Conservation District Project, intended to encourage the implementation of best management practices to reduce sediment runoff in the Gun River Watershed. The Great Lakes Commission says the program protects the lakes by helping communities reduce the sediment and nutrient runoff. Upton’s office says every year, tons of pollutants enter the Great Lakes Basin, causing economic and environmental losses, along with contributing to the formation of Algal Blooms and dead zones. The GLC aims to fight that by working with local organizations like the Allegan Conservation District. The grant funding is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under an agreement between the GLC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.. ...Read Full Story

Some southwest Michigan wineries have come out on top in a statewide contest. Held in Lansing on August 9 was the 2018 Michigan Wine Competition. Kathy Sturm with the Lake Michigan Wine Trail tells WSJM News out of 415 wines entered, wineries of the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail received a good deal of medals.. ...Read Full Story

The Allegan Area Educational Service Agency is being sued by the U.S. Justice Department for failing to protect two female teachers who were subjected to sexual harassment by a supervisor. The department says the suit, filed Wednesday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleges the Allegan Area Educational Service Agency discriminated against the two teachers when they were repeatedly subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace by a former principal at the school where they worked. The principal was later convicted of criminal assault of the teachers. The Justice Department lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for the teachers, and also a requirement that AAESA develop and implement policies that would prevent sex discrimination and harassment in the future.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Michigan’s unemployment rate fell by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.3 percent in July.
Figures released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget show Michigan’s jobless rate was four-tenths of a percentage point higher than the national rate of 3.9 percent last month and two-tenths of a percentage point higher than the state’s July 2017 rate of 4.5 percent. The agency says total employment in Michigan increased by 6,000 during the month while the number of unemployed fell by 7,000. Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives Director Jason Palmer says Michigan’s July jobless rate was the lowest since 2000, but total employment remains about 250,000 below the level achieved then.. ...Read Full Story

If you’re a resident of Bangor or thinking of moving to Bangor, you’re invited to the End of Summer Bash and Fire Prevention Fun Day on Wednesday, starting at five at the Bangor High School and Middle School lot. Hot dogs, burgers, and chips will be available for free. Backpacks and school supplies will be given to the first 100 kids. Police will display how the Jaws of Life work, and firefighters will be on hand. The event is sponsored by the Bangor Community Fire Department, Bangor Police Department, and Bangor Public Schools. The school district will have informational booths for those families interested in attending Bangor Public Schools.. ...Read Full Story

Court proceedings in a Dowagiac murder trial are being pushed back to next month. Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz says the preliminary exam for Rolandis Russell has been rescheduled from tomorrow until September 10. Russell is facing eight charges for the shooting death of Fabian Wesaw outside the Beeson Street Bar on July 29. He’s accused of getting an AK-47 out of his car and firing at a man with whom he was arguing, but missed the intended target. Wesaw was part of a group that followed the men outside and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police had been sent to the bar for the fight, and say they heard the gunshots while they were en route.. ...Read Full Story

One ticket is complete in the governor’s race, as Republican Bill Schuette has named Kent County Clerk and Register of Deeds Lisa Posthumus Lyons as his running mate. He said several factors went into the choice.. ...Read Full Story

The state of Michigan will begin collecting sales taxes on online purchases from out of state sellers next month. The Michigan Department of Treasury tells us a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has prompted it to change the state’s sales tax administration. Shoppers were previously required to track and annually self-report uncollected taxes from mail order and online retailers physically located outside of Michigan. Treasury says this week’s announcement allows for the more efficient collection of the sales tax by collecting from businesses rather than individuals. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a more than 30-year precedent allowing the Michigan Department of Treasury to collect sales tax from retailers physically located outside the state if the retailer exceeds $100,000 in sales or 200 or more transactions in Michigan within the previous calendar year. The state Treasury Department estimates more than $200 million in additional state revenue will be collected each year under the new sales tax rule.. ...Read Full Story

Now in full swing in Berrien Springs is the 2018 Berrien County Youth Fair. The rides opened up Monday evening, just in time for Kids Day on Tuesday. That’s when the kids through high school age got in for free. Tuesday also featured a corndog eating contest between 98.3 the Coast’s Jonny and The Herald Palladium’s Tony Witkowski. They attempted to eat five corndogs in five minutes. For Johnny, it wasn’t easy going.. ...Read Full Story

The Ojibway Correctional Facility in the western Upper Peninsula will close in December. The Michigan Department of Corrections announced the closure today as the prisoner population continues to decline statewide. State Representative Scott Dianda, who represents the western Upper Peninsula, tells Michigan News Network it’s bad news.. ...Read Full Story

It was last year when the Equifax data breach affected almost 147 million people, but most people did not take action to protect themselves even with the risk of identity theft. Floria Schaub, researcher at the University of Michigan, told Michigan News Network this is called “optimism bias.”. ...Read Full Story

Democratic candidate for Congress Matt Longjohn is calling for six debates with Congressman Fred Upton between now and November’s election. On Tuesday, Lohnjohn’s campaign posted a Facebook video in which he said he accepts an Upton challenge for debates.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — A Michigan chief judge says a colleague who sentenced former sports doctor Larry Nassar to prison for molesting women and girls will remain on the case. Ingham County Circuit Judge Richard Garcia ruled Tuesday in defense of Judge Rosemarie Aquilina’s status on Nassar’s case. Nassar’s appellate lawyers, accuse her of bias during a seven-day hearing in January when roughly 150 victims spoke and say he deserves another hearing. At sentencing , Aquilina said Nassar deserved cruel punishment if the Constitution would allow it. Garcia says Aquilina’s statements “do not constitute impermissible bias.” He added that Nassar apparently wants to be resentenced by a judge “who is ambivalent about the suffering of his victims,” and that “standard would disqualify any judge with a pulse.” This month, Aquilina said she wouldn’t disqualify herself.. ...Read Full Story

National Parks in Michigan and around the nation could get some TLC if Congress Acts. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is promoting bipartisan legislation that would address the $12 billion maintenance backlog at parks across the country. Yaron Miller with the Pew Charitable Trusts Restore America’s Parks campaign says many of the problems at the parks impact access and safety.. ...Read Full Story

The Bangor Historical Society is looking to purchase its museum Museum on West Monroe Street. The society tells us it’s had a generous landlord for years, but now, the landlord would like to sell the building in the next year. So, that means the museum will have to purchase the building or move. Bob Emmert, president of the museum, spoke with WSJM News about the issue.. ...Read Full Story

If you’re planning to watch the University of Michigan marching band perform at Al Stockman Stadium at Lakeshore High School on September 1, you need to get there a little earlier. The time has changed and is now 12:30 pm for the performance of the pregame and halftime performances, which had originally been scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Michigan is stopping by Lakeshore on the way to the opening game of the season at Notre Dame that night. Michigan State also performed at Lakeshore a few years ago while en route to South Bend for their last game against the Fighting Irish.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — A new program at Eastern Michigan University allows prospective students willing to commit to paying for their first two years of tuition to get their final two years paid for by the university. The Ann Arbor News reports the 4WARD Graduation Scholarship concept is scheduled to begin for students entering college in fall 2019. Eligible students
pay for the their first two consecutive years of tuition at a locked-in rate that’s expected to be a little more than $13,000 a year for 30 credits. The school’s Vice President for Enrollment Management Kevin Kucera says students will live in an on-campus community for each of their four years at a locked-in room-and-board rate. Participants would get two consecutive years of
education of 30 credits per year paid for by the school.. ...Read Full Story

There will not be any public art on the sidewalks in the city of St. Joseph next year. The program is being paused for a year, partly due to the retirement of communications director Susan Solon, and partly because she says it’s been successful in bringing people and families downtown and helping to fill storefronts that had been empty when it began as an economic development tool 15 years go.. ...Read Full Story

Anyone interested in learning more about police work will soon have a chance to take part in a Michigan State Police Citizens Academy. Trooper Alan Fitzpatrick of the Paw Paw post tells WSJM News the next academy will start September 24, and they’re taking registrations now. He says each Monday session looks at different aspects of the work state police do.. ...Read Full Story

Antwan “Tank” Mims is back in southwest Michigan after spending some time on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list this summer for a double murder at a party on March 25. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday on two charges of open murder for the deaths of 22-year-old Cortez Miller and 29-year-old Michael Johnson. Benton Harbor Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis talked to our partners at WNDU NewsCenter 16 after Mims was taken off a plane and sent to the Berrien County Jail Monday afternoon.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — A medical marijuana business plans to build a headquarters for its state operations in southern Michigan. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports Michigan Pure Med plans to break ground this fall on a growing and processing center in Marshall that in five years is expected to employ about 400 people. Joe Jarvis, chief operations officer of Pure Med, says the company also plans research and development at the facility. He says the company is “taking a pharmaceutical approach to the market and bringing high-quality, low-cost product and making that available to Michigan patients.” Pure Med had previously received approval for a smaller site. The newspaper says the company will have 10 retail locations or provisioning centers in Michigan. Michigan voters approved marijuana use in 2008 for some chronic medical condition.. ...Read Full Story

School districts around Berrien County have seen their revenues jump dramatically since the closure of a property tax loophole last year. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News legislation from state Representatives Dave Pagel and Kim LaSata made it possible to revoke the homestead exemptions of property owners making that claim on more than one property. Since the crackdown, Witkowski says nearly a million dollars more has been collected for Berrien County schools.. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton has announced a couple of grants for Berrien and Van Buren counties. His office tells us the first USDA Rural Development grant in Berrien is $95,000 for the village of Baroda. It will be used to build a road through the industrial park. The park has 14 lots, 12 of which are sold to businesses looking to construct facilities. However, there isn’t road access to all of the sites. The grant will change that. It’s expected to lead to the creation of 20 jobs. The other grant is for $41,000 for Van Buren County to conduct a comprehensive countywide economic development plan. It will focus on three areas — transportation, workforce housing, and internet connectivity. Congressman Upton says the two USDA Rural Development grants will “directly help boost our local economy and create local jobs.”. ...Read Full Story

Cornerstone Alliance is looking at all options to help Benton Township replace the Target store in the Fairplain Plaza, which closed earlier this year. To that end, they’ve hired an organization called The Retail Coach to study the market. The company’s Will Kline talked about the work with 98.3 The Coast.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan’s OK2Say student safety tip line continues to receive a large number of calls and texts, even though it’s the summer. The Michigan Attorney General’s office tells us OK2Say received 510 tips in July. The most common types of tips are about suicide, followed by cyberbullying, self-harm, and threats. Attorney General Bill Schuette says the tip line, launched in 2014, has proven to be a success. The AG’s office increased its promotions of OK2Say following the school massacre in Parkland, Florida this year. The office notes it regularly holds assemblies regarding OK2Say at schools around the state. Presentations are currently scheduled in 162 schools in 26 counties for the upcoming school year. OK2Say has received more than 15,000 tips total since launching. You can find out more at Michigan.gov/OK2Say.. ...Read Full Story

Applications are now being accepted by the Cass County Treasurer Appointment Committee for that post. It became open with the death of Treasurer Linda Pruett in late July. Probate Judge Susan Dobrich, County Clerk Monica McMichael and Prosecutor Victor Fitz make up the committee authorized by state law to find someone to serve the remainder of Pruett’s term, which ends December 31, 2020. Prospective candidates need to be at least 18, be registered to vote in Cass County or able to move there if appointed, have an accounting background, experience managing a small staff and be familiar with real estate matters. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on August 31. The person selected will be eligible to run for a full term in 2020.. ...Read Full Story

Applications to open a medical marijuana business in Benton Harbor will become available on September 1. That’s following a meeting this past week of the city commission. The commission previously had set the application date about a month later, but a shift in state rules prompted bumping the local dates up. Commissioner Mary Alice Adams on Monday pushed for an even earlier date, but Mayor Marcus Muhammad didn’t want to overwhelm city staff.. ...Read Full Story

An ongoing study on the future development of the riverfront in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor will result in some workshops to seek public input next month. At this week’s Benton Harbor City Commission meeting, commissioners heard from Don Carpenter, a consultant working on the Twin Cities Harbor Visioning Charrette. It’s a grant-funded effort to plan for riverfront development in a sustainable way.. ...Read Full Story

Cornerstone Alliance is making an aggressive push to bring more retailers to Benton Township. Cornerstone President Rob Cleveland tells WSJM News the group has hired The Retail Coach, a national retail recruitment and development firm, hoping to get some spaces filled along M-139 between I-94 and Napier Avenue.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan State Police post in Niles and the Niles Police Department are the first law enforcement agencies in Berrien County to be picked for a statewide program to help identify vulnerable adults or impaired children. MSP Lieutenant Melinda Logan tells WSJM News the VIP program was created by legislation to protect those individuals.. ...Read Full Story

A new 14 by 12 foot mural has been painted on the outside brick wall of the St. Joseph Welcome Center downtown. St. Joseph Today’s Amy Zapal tells WSJM News the organization hired Houston-based artist Anat Ronen to spruce up the alley wall that faces Main Street. The mural was finished late last week.. ...Read Full Story

With the failure this week of a road millage in Van Buren County, it’s back to the drawing board for the road commission. The body had asked voters for an additional three mills for 12 years to fix up the county’s roads. That would have generated more than $10 million per year. Van Buren County Road Commission Engineer-Manager Larry Hummel tells WSJM News the talks now begin on what to do next.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Transportation has updated its Drive website to be more user friendly. Spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells WSJM News MDOT recently discontinued the MI Drive phone app, and redesigned the website to work better with mobile devices.. ...Read Full Story

A couple of new principals have been hired at Niles Community Schools. Superintendent Dan Applegate tells us the district has hired Jeron Blood as the new Ballard Elementary principal and Jennifer Shabazz as the principal of Northside Child Development Center. Blood has previously served as the assistant principal and associate principal at Edison Middle School in the Unit 4 School District of Champaign, Illinois. Shabazz joins the Niles Community Schools from the South Bend Community School Corporation where was the assistant principal at Brown Intermediate Center. Blood says he looks forward to working collaboratively with the Ballard Elementary teachers and staff, and contributing to a positive learning environment. Shabazz says she wants to support the needs of teachers, staff, and families. Applegate says the district is excited to welcome both.. ...Read Full Story

A medical marijuana producer out of Colorado could soon own the vacant Alreco Industrial property in Benton Harbor. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells us NoBo Partners recently came to the Berrien County Land Bank with an offer of $450,000 for the 11-acre site. That’s after the same offer had been made by the Harvest Group, another medical marijuana producer, earlier this spring. At a Thursday meeting, the land bank voted to tell the two prospective buyers each had ten days to come up with a $20,000 deposit and a letter of support from the city. Whichever could do it first would be able to buy the property.. ...Read Full Story

The local response to the PFAS contamination in Parchment and Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County is getting high marks from Congressman Fred Upton. He tells WSJM News when the harmful chemical was detected at high levels in the water there, the locals acted quickly to solve several problems.. ...Read Full Story

A new report looks at the effects immigrant entrepreneurs have on Michigan’s economy. The Michigan League for Public Policy report says immigrants account for 12% of business owners in the state, and 20% of Main Street business owners. These are smaller-sized, local-oriented stores and services. Report author Victoria Crouse tells us these businesses are important to the fabric of Michigan.. ...Read Full Story

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission is hoping to attract public interest in its efforts to improve the Ox Creek Watershed. It tells us a new website has been launched specifically for the Ox Creek Watershed Improvement Plan, which outlines steps being taken to improve the water quality, a vision for development of the area, resources, and contact information. The Ox Creek Watershed is in Benton Township around the general area of the Orchards Mall. It flows into the Paw Paw River, and is part of the far west section of the larger St. Joseph River Watershed. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission tells us its plan focuses on a revitalized Orchards Mall with mixed use developments and public gathering spaces. The plan is intended to deal with pollution. You can find out more at the new project website, SustainOxCreek.org.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan’s Longest Garage Sale is underway this weekend. Taking place through Sunday, the US-12 Heritage Trail Garage Sale is a series of sales taking place all the way from New Buffalo to Detroit. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission’s Kris Martin helps to organize the event and spoke with WSJM News about it.. ...Read Full Story

The number of concussions suffered by high school athletes in Michigan continues to fall. In its third annual report, the Michigan High School Athletic Association says concussions were down 10% in the most recent school year compared to the one prior, and they were down 19.6% from the first year of the study. Football had the most per 1,000 athletes, but the MHSAA notes girls reported three-times more concussions than boys in the same sport. Boys, though accounted for two-thirds of all the head injuries due to playing more contact sports. Varsity athletes suffered 56% of the concussions, and the MHSAA says the majority happened during games.. ...Read Full Story