Set for today is one of the biggest events for lovers of the outdoors held in southwest Michigan each year. It’s the 23rd annual Dowagiac Conservation Club’s Hunter’s Rendezvous at the club grounds in Dowagiac. Club Vice President Craig Lyons tells us the event is a fundraiser for the youth programs the organization runs. Everyone is welcome to come and display trophies.. ...Read Full Story
Filing tax returns can be tricky, and community organizations across the state are working to ensure Michigan taxpayers don’t lose out on the refunds they may be due. Ross Yednock with the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan encourages anyone seeking assistance with their income tax returns to ensure their preparer is qualified. He explains that in Michigan, like many other states, there are no requirements or regulations for paid tax preparers.. ...Read Full Story
A plane crash into Lake Michigan nearly 70 years ago will be the subject of the Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown show this coming Wednesday. Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 disappeared somewhere over the lake on June 23, 1950. The Michigan Shipwreck Research Association’s Valerie van Heest tells WSJM News material from the crash started washing up from Benton Harbor to Glenn.. ...Read Full Story
Market Van Buren is looking at ways local officials can work together to help address some key needs of Van Buren County. Market Van Buren Director Zachary Morris tells WSJM News that’s why the group held its annual Local Unit of Government Summit Thursday. The guest speakers included former state budget director Al Pscholka, staff from the offices of state Senator Aric Nesbitt and state Representative Beth Griffin, and a representative of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan transportation officials are working to explain why Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s issuing of $3.5 billion in bonds to pay for road projects is a sensible option. On the latest episode of the MDOT podcast, Talking Transportation, MDOT finance director Patrick McCarthy said the projects being paid for with the bonds will last much longer than it will take to pay off the debt.. ...Read Full Story
With her proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget now in the hands of state lawmakers, Governor Gretchen Whitmer spent some of her Friday in Detroit, speaking to the Detroit Economic Club at the TCF Center. The nearly $62 billion budget proposal increases education spending, puts more money into making sure all Michigan residents have healthcare, and spends money on road fixes.. ...Read Full Story
A major figure in the Michigan Republican Party has suggested that political donations will diminish unless GOP lawmakers do something to help property owners being impacted by Lake Michigan erosion. Former Ambassador Peter Secchia sent a letter in November to Republican leaders in the Legislature noting a $6 million property loss in Ottawa County due to high lake levels. At the time, he said there seemed to be “little interest” among lawmakers and added donations would “diminish” as property values fall. He told “The Detroit News” that he isn’t threatening anybody. Secchia is a Grand Rapids businessman who has been a Republican donor and
activist for decades.. ...Read Full Story
One of her top promises that helped get her elected was the pledge to reduce how long people had to wait at Secretary of State branch offices to get done what they needed to do. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson visited every single branch during her first year to see first-hand what the problems were.. ...Read Full Story
Ford Motor Company is shaking up its management after a poor fourth-quarter financial performance and the botched launch of the Explorer SUV. The company says automotive President Joe Hinrichs will retire. Jim Farley, president of new business and strategy, will become chief operating officer in charge of global markets and automotive operations. In addition, product development chief Hau Thai-Tang will take on an expanded role for products, services and customer experiences. Ford’s full-year profit plunged by more than $3.6 billion last year, and it lost $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter. Quarterly revenue fell 5% to $39.7 billion.. ...Read Full Story
Bipartisan legislation to update the state’s commercial fishing laws and regulations is headed to the Michigan Senate. Representative Pauline Wendzel of Watervliet sponsored one of the bills in the package, and says this would be the first update in 60 years to the laws regarding commercial fishing operations. When the bills had a hearing in June before the House Natural Resources Committee, Wendzel testified they would create a list of all the species of fish available for commercial harvest.. ...Read Full Story
With the impeachment of President Trump now over, Congressman Fred Upton is hoping to get to work on issues the public cares about. He tells WSJM News he continues his tour with Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell talking about civility and bipartisanship. Last week, the two took part in a forum called “A More Perfect Union” hosted by The Hill. Upton says they have a message.. ...Read Full Story
It was a packed house Thursday morning as the Berrien County Board of Commissioners heard from residents both opposed to and in support of a resolution declaring Berrien a Second Amendment sanctuary county. The resolution was proposed by local gun rights advocates last month. At Thursday’s meeting, dozens of speakers appealed to the board. Jack Straszewski of Niles told WSJM News if the Second Amendment can prevent violence, then he favors respecting it.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Investigators in western Michigan might have discovered the remains of a teenager who’s been missing since 1989. Aundria Bowman’s adoptive father was recently charged in an unrelated 1980 homicide in Virginia. Authorities say skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave under cement Wednesday in Allegan County’s Monterey Township. It could take weeks to get an identification. Undersheriff Mike Larsen says the search for Aundria gained momentum after the November arrest of her adoptive father, Dennis Bowman. He’s charged with killing the wife of a U.S. Navy pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1980.. ...Read Full Story
The high water level of Lake Michigan has wiped out Lincoln Township Beach. The township has had to close the park off completely, as the beach has been washed away along with a good chunk of the parking lot. Township Supervisor Dick Stauffer talked to our newsgathering partners at WSBT-22 about the decision to lock up Lincoln Township Beach, maybe forever.. ...Read Full Story
Some of the funding cut from the popular Pure Michigan advertising campaign is being restored in Governor Whitmer’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2021. State Budget Director Chris Kolb made a brief mention of it at the end of his budget presentation to lawmakers Thursday.. ...Read Full Story
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott is up for the award of 2019 National Sheriff of the Year. That honor will be handed out by the National Sheriff’s Association at its winter conference in Tampa, Florida this weekend. Abbott says in order to be considered, nominees needed to demonstrate accomplishments both in office and with community involvement. He says adding an additional K9 team is one of those, along with bringing in Forgotten Man Ministries into the jail to give inmates skills to succeed once they’re released. Abbott says that program has been “very successful.”. ...Read Full Story
Renovations are complete on the Hanson Theatre on the Lake Michigan College campus in Benton Harbor. LMC will host a rededication ceremony next weekend at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 16 to celebrate. The Hanson Family Foundation and Merlin and Carolyn Hanson, for whom the theatre is named, helped to fund the over $600,000 in improvements to the facility. Those upgrades include new paint, carpet, seating and curtains along with a variety of acoustic and sound improvements. Work was also done to upgrade the theatre’s electrical and internet infrastructure, install new light and sound boards and new rigging and catwalks. LMC President Dr. Trevor Kubatzke and the LMC Board of Trustees will be joined by the Visual & Performing Arts Department to cut the ribbon on the newly-redone theatre. LMC’s acapella group, Soundwaves, will also perform.. ...Read Full Story
The Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal from Governor Whitmer is now in front of lawmakers. State Budget Director Chris Kolb laid out the governor’s spending plans before a joint session of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. The budget includes $40 million for grants to go for shoreline erosion protection efforts. It also has a new $25 million dollar program to reimburse teachers up to $250 a year for classroom supplies purchased themselves. Additionally, the governor is also asking lawmakers to put money into the improvements in Illinois to the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, seen as the last hope to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.. ...Read Full Story
Benton Harbor Area Schools is ending some of its service contracts with Berrien RESA. RESA has handled facilities and operations, accounts payable, and payroll for the district since 2014. At a Tuesday meeting, Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education President Joseph Taylor said that’s coming to an end.. ...Read Full Story
Lake Michigan College will hold a FAFSA Assistance Night this month. LMC staff will be available to answer questions and help students apply for financial aid. Students of all ages who plan to attend college in the next academic year are encouraged to attend, even if they’re undecided or planning to attend a school other than LMC. LMC Director of Admissions Jeremy Schaeffer tells WSJM News understanding assistance options is an important part of enrolling in college.. ...Read Full Story
Consumers Energy is now taking entries in its second annual Put Your Town on the Map competition. Spokesperson Brian Wheeler tells WSJM News the Consumers Energy Foundation is putting up $50,000 to be awarded to three small Michigan towns for projects aiming to promote themselves.. ...Read Full Story
The search for a new superintendent at Berrien RESA has been narrowed down to two. The RESA Board of Education says it will interview the candidates next week. They are Berrien RESA Assistant Superintendent Eric Hoppstock and Lapeer Community Schools Superintendent Matthew Wandrie. The next interviews with the candidates will be on Monday, February 10 at 1:30 p.m. following the regularly-scheduled RESA Board of Education meeting. The candidates will each present a proposal outlining their first 90 days in office. The interviews will be held at the Berrien RESA Administrative Conference Center in Oronoko Township. They will be open to the public.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Allies of Governor Gretchen Whitmer have launched $750,000 in TV ads to support her plan to borrow $3.5 billion to roughly double construction spending on state-owned roads and bridges over five years. The Road to Michigan’s Future, a social welfare nonprofit, began airing the ads across Michigan on Friday. The group doesn’t have to disclose its donors’ identities. A spokesman says the ads will educate the public about Whitmer’s plan and encourage lawmakers from both parties to tackle Michigan’s road-funding problem. Whitmer says Michigan can afford to issue bonds because payments on old debt will drop substantially in coming years.. ...Read Full Story
The call is going out again this week for southwest Michigan residents to become Partners in Hope with our radio stations and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. From 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 97.5 Y-Country will be broadcasting live from St. Joseph’s Silver Beach Center raising money in our annual radiothon for the Memphis, Tennessee hospital.. ...Read Full Story
With the final results of the Iowa Democratic caucuses from Monday still not official, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office says the same sort of problems can’t happen in the Great Lakes State. Communications director Jake Rollow is reminding voters Michigan uses traditional paper ballots and counting machines in all elections, does not hold caucuses, and especially does not entrust any votes to new and untested smartphone apps.. ...Read Full Story
The Bridgman case featured on the TV show “In Pursuit with John Walsh” has resulted in the capture of 53-year-old fugitive William Stanson in Mexico. Michigan State Police say Stanson was arrested yesterday and has already been brought back to the U.S. He will be returned to Berrien County to face charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, first degree criminal sexual conduct, and failure to appear for sentencing on his original charge from 2015 of accosting a minor. Stanson fled southwest Michigan in 2015 just prior to being sentenced, and was last known to have been in Arizona.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Michigan State University officials say its performing arts center has removed a gift shop display featuring dolls depicting prominent black figures that were hanging from a tree-like rack. School spokeswoman Emily Gerkin Guerrant issued a statement apologizing for the display, which was intended to mark Black History Month along with programming
at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. Black graduate student Krystal Rose Davis-Dunn tells the Lansing State Journal that the dolls recalled “lynching of black people from trees.” Guerrant says an internal investigation is underway. She added that officials will provide racial bias training for workers and volunteers.. ...Read Full Story
Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education President Joseph Taylor has fired back against statements made by former Trustee Patricia Rush in her resignation letter. In her letter dated January 14, Rush said she was stepping down from the board due to the way Taylor treated her. She said he accused her of trespassing on school property when she went to district offices to work with finance staff. At this week’s school board meeting, Taylor said he had Michigan Association of School Boards attorney Brad Banasik review the situation, and Banasik said, in fact, board members are members of the public when going to a school building.. ...Read Full Story
The organizers of a new anti-climate change lobbying group in St. Joseph are hoping to strike a chord with residents and attract a robust membership. On Saturday, the first advocacy training event was held for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. CCL organizer Sandy Walker tells WSJM News she watched the CCL chapter in Kalamazoo grow to more than 900 members over the past few years, and decided to bring the idea to Berrien County. She thinks the group’s message resonates with a lot of people.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — An immigrant who worked for the Roman Catholic Church in Kalamazoo has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for stealing fees from other immigrants. The government says Monica Mazei concealed the scheme by failing to open files for certain people and persuading them to give cash or blank checks. Mazei was ordered to pay $59,000 to her victims Monday, four months after pleading guilty to fraud. She worked in the Kalamazoo Diocese’s immigration assistance program. Mazei is a native of Ecuador who became a naturalized U.S. citizen.. ...Read Full Story
The Berrien County Health Department is working to assure local residents that it’s on top of the unfolding situation with novel coronavirus, and that there is no need to worry. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News as of this Tuesday morning, there were still no confirmed cases of the respiratory illness in Michigan.. ...Read Full Story
Spectrum Health Lakeland has a new staff member, but this one is a little different. Hiro is a two-year-old German shepherd from Slovakia who is the second K9 working at the hospital. He’s paired with handler Chris Aungst, who retired from the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department after nearly 30 years and joined the hospital’s security team.. ...Read Full Story
“There are a tremendous amount of people that are working hard but still not moving up the economic ladder. The EITC is extremely important as an anti-poverty measure, because it puts real cash in the pockets of people that truly need it.”. ...Read Full Story
The city of South Haven is looking at some expensive repairs that need to be addressed soon due to erosion from, and high water levels on, Lake Michigan. The city council heard several reports this week, and Assistant City Manager Kate Hosier says the most critical need is to address issues with the wastewater treatment plant caused by the high water level. She says the treated water is returned to the Black River through a gravity-fed system.. ...Read Full Story
From the Associated Press — Democrats are putting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on the national stage Tuesday to rebut President Donald Trump’s State of the Union message. By elevating a fresh face and casting an election-year spotlight on the Midwest, the party looks to win back states Trump narrowly captured. The 48-year-old’s ascendance comes as Democrats hope to solidify gains with female voters and as two men in their late 70s, former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, lead national primary polls. Whitmer’s selection has led to increased speculation that she could be a running mate pick, though she says she is not interested.. ...Read Full Story
The Benton Harbor City Commission has approved a tax abatement for a developer seeking to turn the building at the corner of Riverview Drive and Empire Avenue into an events center. The action at a Monday meeting granted a Commercial Rehabilitation District exemption to Chicago Industrial Real Estate, LLC, allowing owner Matt Rogatz to have the property taxes frozen at this year’s level while he invests an estimated $1.5 million into the former All Phase electric building. However, there’s a slight catch. The commission granted Rogatz the abatement for seven years instead of the requested ten. The idea was pitched by mayor Pro Tem Duane Seats.. ...Read Full Story
A citizens lobbying group to advocate for policies to reduce climate change has been formed in St. Joseph. Citizens’ Climate Lobby officially opened its St. Joe chapter on Saturday. CCL volunteers lobby Congress in support of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which would put a carbon tax on fossil fuels to be returned to the public in order to cushion higher energy costs as fossil fuels are phased out. CCL says fossil fuels are a major source of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. St. Joseph Mayor Pro-Tem Laura Goos, a member of the new CCL, says the signs of climate change are all around us here in southwest Michigan, pointing to coastal erosion and flooding along Main Street in Benton Harbor and at Riverview Park in St. Joseph. The CCL will hold meetings on the second Saturday of each month at the Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Lincoln Avenue. Each meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m. and run for two hours.. ...Read Full Story
State Representative Beth Griffin is hoping new legislation she’s introduced will give women more information about their options when they seek an abortion. Griffin tells WSJM News this bill would require that women taking what is known as an abortion pill be told about a reversal option.. ...Read Full Story
The Pokagon Fund has announced the hiring of its new director. Dan Petersen started on Monday. The 38-year-old Petersen was previously the president of EightCAP, Incorporated, a community action agency in Ionia County. WSJM News asked him what attracted him to the Pokagon Fund.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan State University advertising and public relations professors give the win for Super Bowl 54 ads to Cool Ranch Doritos. Robert Kolt leads the critique among his MSU peers every year.. ...Read Full Story
A Niles manufacturing company is celebrating the completion of an 85,000 square foot expansion. Niles Steel Tank has added that space for Alloy Works, which makes stainless steel products for several industries including hydronics, chemical and petrochemical, and dairy and food processing. In a statement, general manager Jeremy Waller calls Alloy Works “one more step in a journey that started in 1898, when Niles Steel Tank began offering America’s best tanks and pressure vessels.” He adds the industries they serve are constantly changing, and they also have to keep adapting and expanding to meet their customers’ changing needs.. ...Read Full Story
Trial will start in October for former Stamp Farms owner Michael Stamp. MLive reports he has withdrawn his guilty plea from April 2019 to charges of conspiracy to commit crop insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The plea was pulled after a federal judge rejected the sentencing agreement for Stamp on the day the Decatur farm owner was scheduled to be sentenced in late January to no more than five years in prison.. ...Read Full Story
The Berrien Community Foundation is now taking applications for this year’s scholarships. Program Director Susan Matheny tells WSJM News the Berrien Community Foundation administers 43 scholarships, all started by individuals or organizations that wanted to make a difference.. ...Read Full Story
Set for this month at the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven is a lecture about the St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouses. The museum’s Ashley Deming tells WSJM News they’ll have Heritage Museum and Cultural Center Community Engagement Coordinator Kate Ulrey lead the presentation.. ...Read Full Story
Congressman Fred Upton is urging leaders in Washington to discuss ways that wildfires can be prevented. He addressed a meeting of the House Energy Subcommittee this past week, telling members better forest management and electrical infrastructure improvements would prevent wildfires.. ...Read Full Story
The Disability Network of Southwest Michigan will continue its Winter Movie and Discussion series this month with a screening of a documentary called Far From the Tree. The network’s Miranda Grunwell tells WSJM News the film, based on a book, is all about families in which the parents and children have major differences.. ...Read Full Story
Anyone interested in learning something about their ancestry is invited to attend a workshop at the Van Buren District Library’s Decatur branch this month. Local History Clerk Karen Jenson tells WSJM News the library can let visitors use its Ancestry.com service for free. Normally, an Ancestry account could run you $24 to $50 per month. At her February 8 workshop, Jenson will show everyone how it works. For example, you can look through immigration records.. ...Read Full Story
Berrien RESA this week filed a waiver with the Michigan Department of Education to ask if school districts in the county may start their school years before Labor Day for the next few years. RESA Superintendent Kevin Ivers tells WSJM News they are not seeking a permanent change. The waiver would only be for three years. The reason has to do with when Labor Day will fall on the calendar for 2020 and 2021.. ...Read Full Story
An online auction starts today to raise money for Lakeshore Public Schools. Lakeshore Excellence Foundation Chair J.C. Anderson tells WSJM News up for bids will be items including Disney passes, high-end Whirlpool appliances, spa treatments, gym memberships, destination golf vacations, restaurant certificates, and more.. ...Read Full Story
State Representative Beth Griffin of Mattawan is working with other west Michigan lawmakers to help address shoreline erosion issues along Lake Michigan. She tells WSJM News she took part in a round table discussion last week with several members of the state House. Griffin wants to help make it easier for property owners to respond.. ...Read Full Story
The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission has received some recognition for a couple of websites it created to educate the public on local resources and how they can be protected. The Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals has honored the commission with a Gold Award for production of a website for BetterBeachesSWMI.org. It also gave the association a Gold Award for an animated video on the site. Southwest Michigan Planning Commission Senior Planner Marcy Hamilton tells WSJM News BetterBeachesSWMI.org was launched to educate the public about how runoff contaminates local beaches.. ...Read Full Story
The Greater South Haven Area Community Foundation has passed the $10,000 mark in its effort to raise funds for the new splash pad being constructed near South Beach in South Haven. Foundation board member Roger Beglin tells WSJM News the group has a fundraising goal of $25,000 that it will then match, bringing its total contribution to the splash pad up to $50,000. Beglin says the Greater South Haven Area Community Foundation supports the splash pad project because of what it will mean to young people.. ...Read Full Story
Millions of American will get together this weekend in front of their televisions to watch Super Bowl 54, and that means a lot of food will be consumed. An estimated 1.8 billion chicken wings will be eaten as football fans watch the Big Game. USDA spokesperson Janell Goodwin tells WSJM News you should follow four rules of food safety. They are clean, separate, cook, and chill. Let’s start with cook.. ...Read Full Story
Three finalists will be interviewed Tuesday for the job of Berrien RESA superintendent. Dr. Kevin Ivers is retiring at the end of this school year, and 11 candidates applied to succeed him. The Berrien RESA Board of Education will interview Lapeer Public Schools superintendent Matthew Wandrie, Berrien RESA assistant superintendent Eric Hoppstock, and Lakeview Public Schools superintendent Blake Prewitt on February 4. The interviews will be at the Berrien RESA Administrative Conference Center starting at 1 p.m. Board president Cathy Bair says they are planning to have Ivers’ successor hired by the middle of February “in order to provide a smooth transition of leadership for the new school year.”. ...Read Full Story
Berrien County Register of Deeds Lora Freehling will spend part of this year going around the county speaking at senior centers. She says her talks will focus on the role of the Register of Deeds and the importance of a properly-worded deed. Freehling says making sure your document is correct before filing it with the Register of Deeds can save a lot of time and money. She will first speak at the Buchanan Area Senior Center on March 4 at 11 a.m. After that, she’ll be at the Benton Harbor Senior Center on March 5 at 10:30, the North Berrien Senior Center on March 11 at 1, the Niles Senior Center on March 19 at 1, and the St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center on April 2 at 10 a.m. Anyone with questions can contact the Berrien County Register of Deeds.. ...Read Full Story
The United Way of Southwest Michigan is once again offering tax preparation help now that tax season has arrived. Program manager Vera Sebree tells WSJM News you can get your taxes filed for free if you make less than $56,000 a year and are not a business owner.. ...Read Full Story
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is planning several volunteer stewardship days at Warren Dunes State Park throughout February. It says you don’t need experience when it comes to helping remove invasive plants from the park. This Sunday, volunteers are invited out to Warren Dunes from 1 to 4 p.m. for a match up against invasives. There will also be volunteer days on February 9, 16, and 23. The volunteers get training beforehand, and on various days they’ll be removing common privet, Japanese barberry, non-native honeysuckle, and other misfit plants. You can find out more about the volunteer opportunities right here.. ...Read Full Story
The Michigan State Transportation Commission has already approved Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to issue $3.5 billion in bonding to pay for road repairs around the state. The governor announced the move in her State of the State address on Wednesday. State Representative Beth Griffin of Mattawan isn’t impressed.. ...Read Full Story
Coming up in February will be one of the biggest events for lovers of the outdoors held in southwest Michigan each year. It’s the 23rd annual Dowagiac Conservation Club’s Hunter’s Rendezvous on Saturday February 8 at the club grounds in Dowagiac. Club Vice President Craig Lyons tells us the event is a fundraiser for the youth programs the organization runs. Everyone is welcome to come and display trophies.. ...Read Full Story
