Local News Archives

A warrant has been issued in a weekend shooting in Niles. The Niles Police Department says it’s looking for 21-year-old Dayshawn Lavell Smith of Niles. It says the shooting happened around 7:50 p.m. Saturday in the 600 block of Wayne Street. Arriving officers found a vehicle in the middle of the street and a 21-year-old man lying on the boulevard with muliple gunshot wounds. Police performed first aid until an ambulance arrived, and it took him to a local hospital where he was listed in stable condition. The investigation has determined at least two gunshots happened inside the vehicle, and that three suspects got out of the vehicle and ran. On Monday, a felony warrant for aggravated assault with intent to murder was issued for Smith. Police say they’re looking for two additional suspects. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Niles Police Department.. ...Read Full Story

The Chikaming Township Police Department is investigating a Friday armed robbery in Union Pier. It says officers were sent to the Whistle Stop Store on Red Arrow Highway just before 8 a.m. and learned a suspect had gone into the store, pointed a handgun at the clerk, and demanded money. The clerk complied, and the suspect ran out with cash. The suspect is described as a white male, very thin, with dark hair, standing between 5’8 and 5’11. He was wearing a mask over his jaw. He took off in a dark or navy blue Chrysler 300, model year between 2008 and 2010. Police ask anyone with information regarding the suspect to contact them. The Chikaming Township Police Department says the “armed robbery is being aggressively investigated by our staff.” Meanwhile, it also says it has arrested a suspect in a series of burglaries to unoccupied homes in the Harbert area. However, it has not released further details on that development.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan’s U.S. senators are seeking more federal funding to continue a wide-ranging Great Lakes cleanup program. Democrats Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters have announced bipartisan legislation to renew and expand the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.. ...Read Full Story

A good apple crop is expected in Michigan this year. Michigan Apple Committee executive director Diane Smith says 25.25 million bushels are expected in Michigan, a top apple producing state.. ...Read Full Story

State Senator Aric Nesbitt of Lawton is trying again to get a change made to how state Supreme Court justices are chosen in the event of a vacancy mid-term. As it stands now, the governor would appoint a new justice, and it’s not subject to a vote in the Senate. Nesbitt says that shouldn’t be.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is seeking some college students to serve on her office’s new Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force. The force is intended to make recommendations for improving voter engagement among college students. Benson tells WSJM News they want input before the 2020 elections.. ...Read Full Story

Berrien County property owners are being reminded their summer tax bills are due soon. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News all but two taxing units in the county have a due date of September 16 for summer taxes. He says there are always those who run into problems.. ...Read Full Story

A Berrien Springs apartment building has been destroyed by fire. It happened Saturday night at Park Manor Apartments on Rosehill Road. The entire building, consisting of 20 units, was wrecked. Our partners at WSBT report crews had to tear down what was left of the building. There were no reported injuries.. ...Read Full Story

The demand for lighthouse tours in St. Joseph has been up this year. In fact, the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center says there has been a record number of tours. The museum’s Kate Ulrey tells WSJM News there has been great demand from tourists and residents alike.. ...Read Full Story

Southwestern Michigan College needs a new president, and it’s going to start by looking within. At a meeting this past week of the SMC Board of Trustees, the vote was six to one to do an internal search for a new president. That’s as Dr. David Mathews plans to retire at the end of this year. Mathews has been SMC president since July of 2001. SMC Board of Trustees Chair Thomas Jerdon tells us he thinks they’ve already got some qualified candidates right there on campus, and the college knows them better than it could get to know anyone from a one hour interview. Also, he says SMC wants to be upwardly mobile. The board directed that the position of president be posted as soon as possible for internal candidates, with the application period closing in time for materials to be available to it by the September meeting. Jerdon also invited the public to come to the September 16 session to offer its input. Jerdon said hiring a firm to do a national search would be a good Plan B if the internal search doesn’t work out.. ...Read Full Story

A new campaign to educate the public about marijuana has been launched by the Berrien County Health Department. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News The Dirt on Weed features a new website, billboards, radio ads, social media activity, and presentations regarding how marijuana affects different groups. She says the campaign is possible thanks to a $45,000 state grant that became available when marijuana was legalized for adults in Michigan.. ...Read Full Story

A survey has been put online by Benton Harbor Area Schools asking the community for feedback regarding the state’s latest proposal to improve the district. This is following a presentation last week by the Michigan Department of Treasury to the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education. Treasury proposed that a Community Engagement and Advisory Committee consisting of various local stakeholders and education leaders be established to assess the school district and then draft a list of recommendations. The committee will have six months to put together its report. The board of education was asked to approve a resolution in support of the idea, perhaps at a meeting in September. In the meantime, the school district has put its survey and an electronic copy of the state proposal up at BHAS.org. The survey asks people for feedback and suggestions for improvement. The district asks everyone to have their input in by August 28.. ...Read Full Story

Set for September 7 is a 5K run in Benton Township to benefit two Berrien County non-profits. Marianne Groth with the SWMI RACERS tells WSJM News it’s the third annual Run for Hope and Recovery.. ...Read Full Story

Coming up on September 7 will be event for paddlers of all kinds to help fight invasive species in southwest Michigan. Michigan State University Extension Sea Grant educator Mary Bohling tells WSJM News kayakers and others are invited to come out to the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission office in Benton Harbor for a paddling session in the Paw Paw River.. ...Read Full Story

Preserve the Dunes and Chikaming Open Lands are inviting everyone who wants to learn about protecting the region’s environment to come out to a guided tour at Warren Dunes State Park next month. Set for September 14, the tour will feature information on protecting the dunes, says Preserve the Dunes President Marcy Hamilton, who spoke with WSJM News.. ...Read Full Story

A rare form of gonorrhea has shown up in southwest Michigan. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Lynn Sutfin tells WSJM News there have been four confirmed cases in Kalamazoo County, and one in St. Joseph County. It’s also investigating one possible case in Calhoun County. This form of the illness, commonly called DGI, is more serious than your standard gonorrhea.. ...Read Full Story

Whirlpool is celebrating the opening of a new child care facility at its Lakeview campus. Project leader Erin Schroeder tells WSJM News the Eddy, as it’s being called, will serve the families who work for the appliance maker.. ...Read Full Story

A joint meeting of the city of South Haven, South Haven Township, and the South Haven Housing Commission will be held next month as the three work on developing more affordable housing in the area. South Haven Assistant City Manager Kate Hosier tells WSJM News there is a need.. ...Read Full Story

Set for Tuesday is the Berrien County Health Department’s annual Back to School Bash. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News the event is a way for parents to take care of several of the things ahead of the new school year, all in one place.. ...Read Full Story

Western Michigan University is getting a $1.35 million federal grant to fight the opioid epidemic, and it’s partly thanks to the help of Congressman Fred Upton. He tells WSJM News the funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration will go to WMU’s Youth Prevention and Recovery from Opioid Youth Disorders program, or MY-PROUD.. ...Read Full Story

What some people thought might be an algae bloom spotted in Lake Michigan off St. Joseph this week has turned out to be a harmless mass of duck weed. The Berrien County Health Department was contacted this week about the green patch. It brought in the Michigan Department of the Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and samples were collected and tested. Health department spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells us all indications, once officials got a close look at the material, is that it’s the harmless water plant, duck weed. That usually grows in rivers or streams, but Conrad says recent high levels of runoff could have caused some of the duck weed to wind up in the lake.. ...Read Full Story

He’d rather talk about anything else, but the superintendent of a west Michigan school district says their new high school, now under construction, is designed to protect against an active shooter. Bob Szymoniak, superintendent of Fruitport Community Schools, told Michigan News Network this week the school will have curved hallways to reduce a gunman’s range.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — The Michigan Republican Party and other Republicans have filed a lawsuit challenging the formation of a redistricting commission to draw congressional and legislative lines. Thursday’s suit is the second one brought in under a month.
The party, chairwoman Laura Cox, former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and others say a 2018 ballot measure approved by voters violates the GOP’s fundamental right to associate or not associate. They fear people who do not represent Republicans’ interests will be selected as Republican commissioners. The constitutional amendment requires that a panel of four self-identified Democrats, four self-identified Republicans and five unaffiliated members draw political maps instead of the Legislature, starting in 2021.
Voters Not Politicians, which spearheaded the anti-gerrymandering change, says it is confident the law will withstand the latest challenge.. ...Read Full Story

State Representative Beth Griffin of Mattawan is relieved to see the results of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team’s PFAS testing around Michigan. MPART, as it’s commonly known, released its screening results late last week, showing 90% of water supplies in the state tested for no PFAS. However, that still leaves 10%. That’s why Griffin tells WSJM News she’s introducing legislation to extend MPART.. ...Read Full Story

Some asphalt resurfacing is coming to Napier Avenue in Berrien County. At this week’s meeting of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners, the work in two areas was approved. First will be Napier from the Bainbridge and Benton Township line east to Morgan Road, and the second part will be from 625 feet east of Blue Creek to the Bainbridge and Benton Township line. The county board signed off on the asphalt resurfacing, traffic controls, and related work to be done by the Berrien County Road Department Thursday. The total cost of the project will be $620,000, although the county’s share will only be $22,000. Federal funds will contribute to the project, which has the approval of the Michigan Department of Transportation.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Health Department is working with the Michigan Department of the Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to investigate a greenish patch that was reported on the surface of Lake Michigan off St. Joseph this week. Berrien County Health Department spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News while there were some concerns it could be an algae bloom, that’s not thought to be likely.. ...Read Full Story

The rising cost of prescription drug prices continues to make headlines, and Michiganders are encouraged to help find solutions. AARP Michigan is hosting two upcoming Prescription Drug Community Conversations next Monday. AARP Associate State Director for Communications Mark Hornbeck explains that the annual average cost of a brand-name drug has more than tripled over the past decade, outpacing inflation by roughly 400%.. ...Read Full Story

If you’ve ever wondered where the money you pay for a speeding ticket goes, Cass County Treasurer Hope Anderson has the answer. She says county treasurers distribute the money collected to public libraries. This year, her office has distributed nearly $200,000, up 32% from last year. Anderson says most of the money has gone to the Cass County Public Library. Penal fines going to libraries has been part of the Michigan Constitution since Michigan became a state in 1835.. ...Read Full Story

A Coloma priest is facing serious charges that would require him to be a registered sex offender if found guilty. Attorney General Dana Nessel is charging 57-year-old Father Brian Stanley with false imprisonment for allegedly holding a teenage boy against his will in the janitor’s room of St. Margaret’s Church in Otsego in 2013. The teen was wrapped in Saran wrap and masking tape, with the tape going over his eyes and mouth, and left alone in the room for more than an hour before the priest let him go. Nessel says the charge comes from information seized from all seven Michigan diocese last October, and says Archdiocese records indicate Stanley had a history of similar conduct for decades with binding materials. She says that conduct is a sexually motivated crime. Nessel says her team is going through millions of pages of documents seized last year, and expects to charge more clergy members.. ...Read Full Story

More than 800 backpacks filled with school supplies have been donated to schools around southwest Michigan and northern Indiana by the Pokagon Band of Pottawatomi. The Pokagons tell us employees at the Four Winds Casinos contributed to the giveaway with a voluntary payroll deduction, raising more than $6,000. The casinos then chipped in another $5,000. In total, they gave out 816 backpacks, each stuffed with pencils, markers, pens, crayons, notebooks, and scissors. Four Winds Casinos COO Frank Freedman says the employees have always risen to the occasion when it comes to helping the community.. ...Read Full Story