Local News Archives

A Gobles man has died in a motorcycle crash this week in Pine Grove Township. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells WSJM News the 52-year-old crashed around 9:20 Monday night in the 27-thousand block of 12th Avenue. The man was pronounced dead when Gobles-Pine Grove Fire and Life EMS arrived, and deputies say his motorcycle was badly damaged. It’s believed the man lost control going over a hill on 12th Avenue due to the speed at which he was traveling. Deputies have not said if the man was wearing a helmet. His name has not yet been released.. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton is encouraged by President Trump’s meeting this week with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. Upton tells WSJM News at least something is happening on the North Korea front.. ...Read Full Story

The American Red Cross has launched a new summer blood collection campaign aimed at drawing attention to the need for different blood types. Red Cross spokesperson Tod Kulman tells WSJM News the Missing Types campaign will partner the Red Cross with other organizations.. ...Read Full Story

From the Asscoiated Press — Rick Snyder’s proposal to better prepare Michigan’s workforce has passed the state Legislature.
The House on Tuesday voted 105-4 to fund the initiative with $100 million this upcoming fiscal year. The bills now go to Snyder. Most of the money, earmarked from the state’s Higher Education Student Loan Authority fund, would be funneled into scholarships and career-oriented programs within high school. The goal is to maintain a pipeline from high school graduation to a job in professional trades, information technology or another high-demand field. Snyder, an outgoing governor, is touting talent development as his final mission in office.. ...Read Full Story

There is no swimming being allowed in Lake Michigan at Lions Park Beach. The city of St. Joseph has closed the beach due to high levels of bacteria. Exactly what bacteria is elevated has not been revealed. More water samples need to be taken and analyzed before the beach reopens. The park, however, remains open. Lions Park Beach is just south of Silver Beach County Park.. ...Read Full Story

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education is pursuing legal action against former football coach Elliot Uzelac and former Superintendent Shelly Walker. At a Tuesday meeting, the board unanimously approved a resolution stating Uzelac has made false statements since stepping down last week, and that Walker has made statements in support of him. Trustee Margaret Gast read on.. ...Read Full Story

This Saturday, about 700 people are expected to gather at the University of Michigan in Flint for the annual Michigan Progressive Summit. The theme this year is “The Persistence of the Resistance: Voices, Values and Votes.” Organizer Denzel McCampbell with Engage Michigan says with attacks coming almost daily on health care, labor and consumer rights, the left is fired up to make some changes.. ...Read Full Story

Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski is seeing an increase in the amount of property taxes his office can collect since the closure of a loophole last year. Witkowski tells WSJM News the loophole closed by legislation from state Representatives Dave Pagel and Kim LaSata made it possible for out-of-state property owners to claim the homestead exemption on their properties in Michigan. Since the loophole was closed, Witkowski has seen a jump in tax dollars collected due to declined exemptions.. ...Read Full Story

Farmers in southwest Michigan are welcoming in people for U-Pick strawberry season. Steve Lecklider is the manager of Lehman’s Orchards in Niles and spoke to our partners at WNDU NewsCenter 16 about the start of the season, which opens Friday for them.. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton spoke on the U.S. House floor Tuesday as the chamber passed his legislation intended to fight the opioid epidemic. He tells WSJM News his bill in the legislative package focuses on developing alternatives to opioids for doctors to prescribe.. ...Read Full Story

The Coloma/St. Joseph KOA Campground is getting a boost from Hagar Township. The township board this week approved a Commercial Rehabilitation Exemption Certificate for upgrades at the campground. The move freezes the taxable value of the property for the next decade. New owners bought the campground in August 2017 and immediately launched into upgrades and improvements of the 40-acre property. The next phase will include upgrades to the plumbing, water, electric, and sewer infrastructure and the clubhouse, restrooms and pool will all be rehabbed. Campground owners worked with Cornerstone Alliance to obtain the exemption.. ...Read Full Story

Progress is being made in the battle by the city of St. Joseph against Japanese knotweed, but it’s slow. Public Works director Tom MacDonald says when he goes into the ravine at this time of year, he sees evidence the plants have been killed in some spots.. ...Read Full Story

Changes could be coming soon to auto insurance laws in Michigan. The state Senate last week approved a pair of bills, one of which would let people 65 and older opt out of getting a policy that includes lifetime catastrophic injury coverage. Senator John Proos says that’s due to a provision allowing for the coordination of benefits between Medicare and the insurance company.. ...Read Full Story

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education has responded to allegations made by former football coach Elliot Uzelac since his resignation last week. At a Monday hearing, three complaints from board members were read against Uzelac. Board President Marletta Seats took issue with claims Uzelac has made about her.. ...Read Full Story

Residents who live below the bluff in St. Joseph aren’t happy with how the summer has started out with tourists and events. Jack Sanderson of the Below-the-Bluff Neighborhood Association spoke to city commissioners Monday night about traffic and parking issues among other things.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — A Michigan man who was under the influence of drugs when he plowed into bicyclists, killing five, has been sentenced to at least 40 years in prison. Charles Pickett Jr. apologized Monday and said he would give his own life for
the people who were killed and injured. But a judge called his plea “woefully inadequate.” Pickett last month was convicted of second-degree murder. In 2016, he slammed into a pack of bicyclists on a rural road in Kalamazoo County’s Cooper Township,
about 140 miles (210 kilometers) west of Detroit. There’s no dispute that he had swallowed painkillers and other drugs before
driving his pickup truck. But his lawyers argued that murder charges were excessive. The 52-year-old Pickett will be eligible for parole after decades in prison.. ...Read Full Story

Ford Motor Company is buying a 105-year-old, unused train station in Detroit. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford sent out a message to employees Monday, saying the purchase of Michigan Central Train Station is a big move for the automaker.. ...Read Full Story

A southwest Michigan man is hoping to raise money and awareness in the fight against childhood cancer with a bike ride along the entire length of Route 66 this summer. Mark Linder of Paw Paw tells WSJM News he leaves this Friday from Chicago to ride to Santa Monica, California.. ...Read Full Story

This Saturday will bring the 100th anniversary celebration for the Rotary Club of St. Joseph-Benton Harbor. Local Rotarians will gather at the Mendel Center in Benton Township for a reception featuring Rotary International President Ian Riseley, who’s coming in all the way from Australia. Chapter President Rick Villa tells WSJM News the Rotary is all about serving the community.. ...Read Full Story

The wins are adding up for patrons of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Four Winds Casinos in southwest Michigan and South Bend. So far this year, the tribe tells us over $73.4 million in jackpots have been paid out. They don’t, however, say how much has been earned in revenue to pay out the winnings. The largest prize was a jackpot on a penny slot machine in South Bend on May 28 of just over $326,000 to someone from Granger. The largest jackpot paid so far this year in New Buffalo was won on March 17 for $101,250, while another patron won $101,121 at the New Buffalo casino on May 5.. ...Read Full Story

There are still some roads in Cass County that are closed due to this weekend’s flash flooding. The sheriff’s department tells WSJM News parts of the county got deluged with over six inches of rain in a short amount of time, and that caused road and culvert failures. They have closed five roads today in addition to three that were shut down over the weekend. There are also “Water over the Road” signs posted on four roadways. The sheriff’s department says with more rain in the forecast, they’re anticipating more flooding. Deputies had to rescue several people after their cars got too far into flooded roads over the weekend.. ...Read Full Story

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education has called a special meeting tonight at 6 p.m. with just one agenda item, “public complaint.” Presumably it’s to discuss the accusations in the resignation letter of former Benton Harbor High School football coach Elliot Uzelac, in which he blasted the school board and administration for failling the students. Uzelac noted as of May 17, there were 1,116 “F” grades recorded for the entire student body, which is almost an average of three failing grades per student. Uzelac said when he questioned her about it, interim superintendent Patricia Robinson was unaware of that, along with the school board and the guidance counselors. He discovered in checking on the academics of his football players that 71% of all students were in “credit recovery,” which means they failed a class and were working to make up the credit. He says that is unheard of, and adds there are far too few qualified teachers in the district. Robinson has issued a brief statement saying the board takes what the former coach has to say “very seriously” and his accusations will be investigated as soon as possible. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Benton Harbor High School.. ...Read Full Story

Elliot Uzelac has had enough with the turmoil in Benton Harbor schools. He resigned as head football coach Friday with a terse letter to the school board. Uzelac cited the forced resignation of athletic director Tray Crusciel, false accusations by board trustee Lisa Gulley about Crusciel and the football program at board meetings, and Gulley’s actions leading to the resignation of assistant football coach Jerry Diorio. There were also a slew of academic issues that he says have come to light.. ...Read Full Story

The Krasl Art Center has installed a new sculpture in Benton Harbor’s Arts District this week as part of the center’s Biennial Sculpture Invitational. Krasl Deputy Director Tami Miller tells WSJM News “Eve’s Awareness” by Terry Hewlett replaces “Eve and the Serpent,” a sculpture that’s being removed due to complaints. The new one is more family friendly.. ...Read Full Story

If you’re an amateur photographer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is inviting you to enter a photography contest it’s holding. Corps Ranger Michelle Briggs of the Detroit District tells WSJM News they’ll soon take entries for a photo contest showing off the Soo Locks, the Duluth Ship Canal, or from a Corps pier, breakwater, or federal harbor on the Great Lakes. She says they’ve held the contest each year since 2016.. ...Read Full Story

The focus of the operations of the Andrews University Farm is changing. The Board of Trustees voted this week to close down the farm’s dairy operations by the summer of 2019. Senior vice president for financial administration Lawrence Schalk tells us that due to low milk prices, the operation has been losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.. ...Read Full Story

City leaders in St. Joseph are hoping the north pier will be a little safer now that 12 life rings to help prevent drownings have been installed. City Manager John Hodgson tells WSJM News the rings come with throw bags and 90 foot ropes. A video explaining how to use the rings may be produced.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is the recipient of a couple of awards from Assisted Patrol, a company that makes police equipment. Chief Deputy Robert Boyce tells us the sheriff’s department submitted some ideas for a contest seeking new law enforcement investigative techniques.. ...Read Full Story

State Representative Mary Whiteford of Casco Township is pleased to learn a Michigan Senate committee has approved her legislation intended to help prevent sexual assaults by doctors following the Larry Nassar scandal. Whiteford tells WSJM News her bill requires that records of a variety of medical treatments be kept for 15 years.. ...Read Full Story

Tickets are now available for South Haven’s annual Cottage Walk. SHOUT for South Haven’s Sue Cunningham tells WSJM News the booster organization has held the walks on the last Saturday of every June for 23 years now. This year’s event will give walkers a chance to tour five homes in locations all over South Haven.. ...Read Full Story