Local News Archives

For the first time, cannabis users in southwest Michigan will be able to legally consume the product at a public business.. ...Read Full Story

The Blossomtime Festival announced it will hold the annual Youth Parade on Saturday, May 6 at noon along Lake Boulevard downtown St. Joseph.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan’s average gas price is up 10¢ a gallon in the past week. Triple-A Michigan says the average is now $3.62, down 34¢ from last year. A 15-gallon fill up costs $54 in the state. The most expensive gas is in Marquette at $3.70, while metro Detroit has the lowest price at $3.58.. ...Read Full Story

With Lansing lawmakers set to return to work this week, movement is expected on extreme risk protection order gun legislation. It’s adoption would allow a firearm to be taken from an individual, at least temporarily, if a court finds that they are an immediate risk or threat to themselves or others.. ...Read Full Story

The city of South Haven has lifted its boil water advisory for part of the city. It went into effect after crews accidentally broke an 8-inch pipe when replacing a fire hydrant at Broadway and Huron on Friday. It was for the area from Broadway Street to Blue Star Highway and Erie Street south to South Haven Place. The broken pipe resulted in a low water pressure situation.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan Works has announced round two of two application periods is now open for the Going PRO Talent Fund. It’s a state grant program that provides employers with funds to train their workers. Berrien County Business Solutions Manager Michael Mompremier tells us Michigan Works last year helped secure $2.5 million in Going Pro funds for local businesses.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor City Commissioners have approved a $595,000 contract for the resurfacing of Paw Paw Avenue. At a meeting this past week, commissioners hired LE Barber, Incorporated for the work that will involve milling and resurfacing along with curb and sidewalk ramp replacements on Paw Paw Avenue from Main Street to the Paw Paw River. The commission’s resolution says the work will start “as soon as possible” and be finished by August 4. The city has received a $346,000 state grant for the work, while the rest will be paid for with local income tax revenue.. ...Read Full Story

Berrien RESA is hard at work planning this year’s HEARTwork celebration. HEARTwork was started last year as a way for school personnel to be honored for their efforts on behalf of the community. RESA Superintendent Eric Hoppstock tells us the event at Lake Michigan College attracted hundreds of people and was a resounding success.. ...Read Full Story

(NEW YORK) — Several hot-button legal inquiries loom over former President Donald Trump — everything from election interference and misuse of classified documents to defamation of a writer after an alleged rape.. ...Read Full Story

The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is working on a comprehensive summer enforcement plan to reduce violent crime. Director Dan McGinnis told city commissioners this past week he’ll soon be presenting to them a renewed effort to keep the community safe.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Health Department is spending April educating young people about the dangers of underage drinking. Prevention specialist Lisa Peeples Hurst tells us the message is often about how alcohol can harm a young person’s brain.. ...Read Full Story

An Earth Day celebration is planned at Weko Beach in Bridgman, set to feature a beach cleanup activity in conjunction with the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Adopt-a-Beach program. The Bridgman Shoreline Resiliency Committee says everyone is welcome to come and help on April 22 from 1 to 3 p.m. They’ll have refreshments and everyone will have a chance to learn about Michigan State University’s first-of-its kind Citizen-Science Coastal Change Monitoring Program to protect beaches. MSU research technician Brendan Burchi will provide a slide show on how coastline monitoring measures a shoreline’s resiliency, and also how drones are used to collect data. Parking at Weko Beach will be free for the event. You can sign up for the beach cleanup right here.. ...Read Full Story

There’s a worker shortage in a critical healthcare profession. Brent Wirth is President and CEO of Easterseals MORC, a mental health service provider with locations in the Detroit area. He says only 50% of graduates in social work and mental health go on to hold positions in the field.. ...Read Full Story

Lake Michigan College will host two career fairs this month, one focused on manufacturing and the other on general careers. LMC Career Services Director Barbara Craig tells us a total of about 70 employers will be on hand and ready to speak with students for the events on April 18 and April 19.. ...Read Full Story

Indiana Michigan Power is seeking state permission to construct four new solar power plants. Spokesperson Tracy Warner tells us the plants, all to be located in Indiana, will help the company reach its goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045.. ...Read Full Story

The United Way of Southwest Michigan has been named one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For by The NonProfit Times. It came in 14th overall for 2023, and this is the fourth time the organization has made the publication’s list. Each year, The Non-Profit Times looks at practices, programs, and benefits while surveying employees for their perspective on the best non-profit employers. A few hundred data points are compiled and analyzed to find the best of the best. United Way of Southwest Michigan President Anna Murphey says the organization is “very proud of this accomplishment, because we do have a special internal work environment at UWSM, and we’re pleased to see it acknowledged in this high-profile way.”. ...Read Full Story

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing juvenile from Comstock Township in Kalamazoo County.. ...Read Full Story

Just after 4pm Friday afternoon, emergency personnel responded to an accident in the 56000 block of Red Arrow Highway between a truck and a motorcycle.. ...Read Full Story

On Monday, March 6, 2023, the Andrews University community gathered in the lobby of the Campus Center for a surprise event held to honor president Andrea Luxton, who is retiring in July. The highlight of the event was the unveiling of a seven-piece mural series titled “Stories Set in Stone.” Each of the granite images portrays a value important for the Andrews learning community— compassion, humility, integrity, justice, innovation, wellbeing and trust.. ...Read Full Story

A goal to provide broadband internet throughout Cass County came one step closer to fruition this week.. ...Read Full Story

An elderly woman and a baby were involved in a Volinia Township crash Friday morning.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 12th at the Benton Township Hall to discuss a planned road project to repair more than 4 miles of M-139 in Sodus and Benton Townships, and a section of the I-94 Business Loop in Benton Harbor.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor Public Safety responded to a structure fire near West Britain and 8th street at the River Terrace Housing complex this afternoon (Friday).. ...Read Full Story

A boil water advisory is in effect for a portion of South Haven. . ...Read Full Story

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced thousands of dollars in Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) grants are heading to Southwest Michigan in support of creating jobs and spurring private investment. Communities with businesses receiving the grants include South Haven, Niles, Cassopolis, and Allegan.. ...Read Full Story

Chasten Buttigieg will speak at the OutCenter’s second annual Harbor Country Hearts Party in Three Oaks on June 25. OutCenter Southwest Michigan executive director MaryJo Schnell says the author and husband of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will help them draw attention to area teachers “who are dedicated to the well being of LGBTQ+ youth.” The 2 p.m. event on June 25 at Froelich’s event space at 19 North Froelich in Three Oaks will help celebrate the work of teachers, educators, and administrators to safeguard and support LGBTQ students in southwest Michigan. Tickets are $100 and everyone who attends will receive a free copy of the new young adult version of Buttigieg’s New York Times bestselling memoir “I Have Something to Tell You,” and he will sign copies. The book was published in 2020 and recounts his journey to finding acceptance as a gay man. It received outstanding reviews and debuted at number 12 on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list. The OutCenter serves Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties.. ...Read Full Story

Stevensville resident and professional artist Cherie Okonski has ambitious plans following the release of her first children’s book, The Secret of Gumper the Rabbit.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Maritime Museum is set to conclude its Steamship Lecture series with a presentation called “Crossing the Inland Sea: Sailing from the Windy City to St. Joseph and South Haven.” Bob Myers from the Historical Society of Michigan will join the museum Wednesday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. for the presentation.. ...Read Full Story

A panel of experts across multiple fields joined together with honor students and faculty Thursday evening at Lake Michigan College to discuss the gun violence in schools and communities across the United States.. ...Read Full Story

Heavy storms have caused significant damage to a piece of infrastructure in Berrien County.. ...Read Full Story

A 49-year old Baroda man died in police custody Wednesday after allegedly running from law enforcement in the area of Pipestone Township north of Eau Claire. . ...Read Full Story

State Representative Joey Andrews is briefing local governments on what’s been happening lately in Lansing. Speaking to Benton Harbor City Commissioners this week, Andrews said it’s been a “marathon” couple of months in Lansing, with some of the bills approved by Democrats expected to have an effect on cities like Benton Harbor. For example, the restoration of a prevailing wage law in the state.. ...Read Full Story

Berrien County police are asking the public for help in identifying the suspect in an armed robbery committed Wednesday night at Dale’s Mini-Mart in Niles Township.. ...Read Full Story

Lake Michigan College will host two career fairs this month, one focused on manufacturing and the other on general careers. LMC Career Services Director Barbara Craig tells us a total of about 70 employers will be on hand and ready to speak with students for the events on April 18 and April 19.. ...Read Full Story

Sheriff Richard J. Behnke reports that on April 6, 2023 at approximately 0600 Hours, deputies of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to a single vehicle traffic crash on M-51. . ...Read Full Story

Flames have reduced what was the Quik Way Party Store at 105 South Fair Avenue in Benton Township to rubble. The business was closed when dispatch was called early in the morning Thursday. Gary Singh is the store’s manager and says the investigation is ongoing.. ...Read Full Story

Consumers Energy is pausing its plans to build a 20-mile long high-voltage power line in Van Buren County. The utility tells residents they are working to evaluate and explore their options in Lawrence after residents began voicing their concerns last month. Consumers says any trees within 80 feet of the line will be removed, with current plans to run that through residential properties.. ...Read Full Story

A fire is under investigation in Benton Township. Berrien County dispatchers say it was called in just before 5:30 this morning at the Quik Way Party Store at 105 South Fair Avenue. The business was closed at the time. Officials blocked off Fair Avenue as they battled the flames. It is not known if anyone was hurt.. ...Read Full Story

State Representative Pauline Wendzel is firing back at a special Berrien County GOP task force that is reviewing recent votes of elected officials and considering censuring her based on her support of expanding civil rights protections. . ...Read Full Story

Berrien RESA is hard at work planning this year’s HEARTwork celebration. HEARTwork was started last year as a way for school personnel to be honored for their efforts on behalf of the community. RESA Superintendent Eric Hoppstock tells us the event at Lake Michigan College attracted hundreds of people and was a resounding success.. ...Read Full Story

A 39-year-old Indiana man is dead after crashing into a tree in southwest Michigan on Tuesday.. ...Read Full Story

A request from NOBO in Benton Harbor for a special use permit in order to offer products to more customers is on hold after the Benton Harbor Planning Commission this week didn’t have enough members on hand for a vote. NOBO has dropped one of its medical marijuana licenses to get another recreational license. The company’s Cathy Pyle told planners this makes sense as marijuana, in general, is now legal in Michigan.. ...Read Full Story

Changes could soon be coming to a local marijuana ordinance.. ...Read Full Story

The Lake Michigan College Honors Program will host a Civil Discourse Forum on Gun Violence Thursday. LMC social sciences chair Amy Scrima tells us the college each fall surveys the student body to find out what issue they would like to discuss as part of the Civil Discourse held annually.. ...Read Full Story

Former NFL wide receiver, Super Bowl champion and Michigan State alum Andre Rison is set to headline a Sports Card and Memorabilia show Saturday, April 8 at the Watermark Brewing Solarium in Stevensville.. ...Read Full Story

Some hospitals around Michigan are easing their mask requirements, although that’s not the case in southwest Michigan with Corewell. Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor and Sparrow Health System in Lansing both announced last week visitors, patients, and caregivers will no longer be required to mask up in their facilities. The systems say the COVID transmission rate warrants the change, although masks will still be made available to anyone who wants one. However, Corewell Health tells us in a statement it has no plans to change its mask requirement. Whether it’s Corewell Health South in St. Joseph or any other Corewell facility, those age five and older must still wear a mask when in the premises. Corewell says you can find its mask rules at its website.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Wednesday repealing Michigan’s abortion ban from 1931 that made it a crime to assist in an abortion. The abortion ban, which fueled one of the largest ballot drives in state history, had been unenforceable after voters enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution last November. Whitmer and other Democratic leaders stressed that it was important to strike the law from the state’s books to ensure it could never be enforced again. Wednesday’s signing marked another victory for abortion rights supporters after voters in Wisconsin elected a Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge Tuesday to the state’s Supreme Court, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court with the fate of the state’s abortion ban on the line.. ...Read Full Story

As the threat of severe weather looms across Lower Michigan today, the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) is encouraging residents and visitors to stay aware of local forecasts and be prepared to act quickly if storm warnings are issued.. ...Read Full Story

The neighborhood of Bryant sits in Ann Arbor, between the hills and valleys that surround this city in eastern Michigan. Its 262 homes are perched across from the city’s largest landfill and stand on a floodplain, so residents grapple with mold, mildew, and water damage. Outdated infrastructure subjects them to high utility costs, and Interstate 94 long ago isolated the community, one of the city’s most densely populated, prompting decades of neglect.. ...Read Full Story

Tax Day is nearing. The deadline to file or ask for an extension is April 18 this year. According to the IRS, more than 165 million people filed returns last year, and many have already filed this year. How about those who haven’t filed yet? Tax Source Group founder Brian Harvey has some tips, especially for last minute business filers.. ...Read Full Story

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch for portions of northern Indiana, lower Michigan, and northwest Ohio. The watch is effective from 8:40am ET until 4:00pm ET. Full statement from the NWS below.. ...Read Full Story

All of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula is under a threat of tornadoes today as temperatures warm up ahead of a cold front sweeping through. Forecasters say the tornadoes could be strong and measure at least an EF2. The chances for a strong storm will drop into the evening with the cold front moving to the east and temperatures dropping. Large hail and damaging winds are also in the forecast for today.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reporting 5,263 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in the past week. That comes out to an average of 752 a day. There were 67 deaths from the coronavirus in the past week for a total of 42,523 since March 2020.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County GOP is considering censuring State Representative Pauline Wendzel (R-Watervliet) over her support for expanding civil rights protections, prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. . ...Read Full Story

How would you like to help build a railroad? The Michigan Flywheelers Museum in South Haven is offering everyone a chance to do just that as it prepares to construct a railroad of its own. Museum President Pat Ingalls tells us it’s possible thanks to a donation.. ...Read Full Story

Plans are already underway for the next Berrien Springs Pickle Festival. Village community coordinator Kelly Ewalt tells us the Pickle Festival was held back in the 1990s, but sort of fizzled out after reaching its peak. The village decided to bring it back in 2021, and it’s been well received.. ...Read Full Story