Local News Archives

An AMBER Alert that was issued Thursday for a one-year-old Grand Rapids boy is over. Grand Rapids police say Miquis Jenkins has been found safe in Benton Harbor this afternoon after allegedly being taken by his 19-year-old babysitter yesterday. Officers are working on getting the child back to his family. GRPD says the babysitter, Iyesha Gibbs, has also been found in Benton Harbor and will be taken to Grand Rapids to be questioned.. ...Read Full Story

Defense attorney Anastase Markou is confident a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling regarding accused Kalamazoo mass murderer Jason Dalton is going to stand. The appeals court this week ruled Dalton’s statements to police are inadmissible at trial because officers repeatedly ignored his request for an attorney. Markou said the claim by police that they didn’t allow an attorney to be present due to a danger to the public and the fear there were other victims isn’t valid in this case.. ...Read Full Story

Democrats and at least one Republican are claiming the state’s highest law enforcement officer may have broken the law, and they have the email to prove it. The Detroit Free Press broke the latest angle to the story that Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley brought up in a debate this summer, and he’s using it to try to chip away at Attorney General Bill Schuette’s lead before next week’s primary. The emails show that the Attorney General asked over a dozen staff members to do political work on state time in 2015. Calley claims he has never seen anything like it.. ...Read Full Story

Police have issued an AMBER Alert for a one-year-old Grand Rapids boy taken by his babysitter, and Grand Rapids police say they may be in either that city or Benton Harbor. The young boy has been identified as Miquis Jenkins, who was last seen with 19-year-old babysitter Iyesha Gibbs at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Gibbs is believed to be driving a silver SUV with a broken passenger side window covered in plastic. Grand Rapids PD is working with Benton Harbor Public Safety to try to locate the two. Gibbs is 5’4″ with short black hair, and weighs around 250 pounds. Police say she often babysits Jenkins. Anyone with information is being urged to call Grand Rapids Police at (616) 456-3338, (616) 456-3422, or call 911.. ...Read Full Story

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department is warning the public about the latest phone scam. It tells us it has been hearing from residents who have been called by someone claiming to be working for the sheriff’s department. The caller tells the intended victim they owe money for warrants and will be arrested if they don’t pay up. The caller ID on the phone will show a true sheriff’s office number and the scammer will even tell the victim to check the internet for the number, but the sheriff’s department said it’s fake. The scammers are spoofing the number. Police advise the public not to fall for the scam and to just hang up.. ...Read Full Story

The victims in a deadly motel fire on Saturday have been honored with a vigil. Mourners gathered on Wednesday night at the Cosmo Extended Stay Motel on M-139 in Sodus Township where a fire killed 26-year-old Kiarre Curtis and five of her children. At the vigil, family of Kiarre Curtis remembered her as someone who was struggling the best she could for her family.. ...Read Full Story

You may be glad that the Coloma Glad-Peach Festival is here. The 51st annual event starts Thursday in downtown Coloma with the opening of the carnival. Festival Secretary Maureen Saltzman tells WSJM News things really get going Friday.. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton is hoping to hold hearings on the PFAS contamination found in the water system serving Parchment and Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County. He tells WSJM News making sure such a problem doesn’t happen again — or happen elsewhere — will depend on figuring out how the situation occurred. In the meantime…. ...Read Full Story

Andrews University will hold its summer graduation ceremonies this weekend. Graduation coordinator Dalary Payne tells WSJM News there will be 305 students receiving degrees. It’s a diverse bunch.. ...Read Full Story

With FBI fugitive Antwan “Tank” Mims now in custody, police have a whole lot of work still to do. Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis tells WSJM News catching Mims for two murders in the city on March 25 is just the first task. Now, he’s hoping more people will talk.. ...Read Full Story