Local News Archives

Former Michigan State star football player Charles Rogers has died at the age of 38. Rogers played briefly in the NFL with the Detroit Lions before drug issues crippled his promising career. He played just 15 professional games after being drafted second overall by Detroit in 2003. No details have been released on the cause of death of the Saginaw native.. ...Read Full Story

Winter is coming.. ...Read Full Story

(Valparaiso, IN – AP) A northwestern Indiana jury has convicted a man of murder for fatally stabbing a female bartender at the tavern where he worked as a bouncer. The Porter County jury deliberated for about 10 hours before finding 53-year-old Christopher Dillard of Hobart guilty Wednesday night in the slaying of 23-year-old Nicole Gland. The Portage woman was stabbed more than 20 times before her body was found in her SUV behind the Upper Deck Lounge in Chesterton in April 2017.. ...Read Full Story

(Lansing, MI – AP) – A lawyer is warning that local governments in Michigan could face a financial calamity if forced to repay surplus cash from the sale of tax-foreclosed properties. The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday over a state law that allows treasurers to keep money left over after overdue property taxes are paid from a sale. Christina Martin, an attorney for two people in Oakland County, called it “stealing.”. ...Read Full Story

Affordable housing will be discussed in South Haven on Monday. The second in a series of joint meetings between the city of South Haven, South Haven Charter Township, and the South Haven Housing Commission will be held at 7 p.m. at South Haven High School. The series of meetings is aimed at finding solutions for the problem of a lack of affordable housing in the area. The officials will be joined by Ryan Kilpatrick of Housing Next, who will give an overview of the situation, look at the needs of the community, and discuss financial constraints to affordability. They’ll also talk about possible types of homes that could go up in the community for affordable options.. ...Read Full Story

The 2020 presidential primary field in Michigan is set. The Secretary of State’s office released the lists for both the Republican and Democratic tickets on Friday. There are four Republicans on the March 10 ballot, including President Trump. He’ll be challenged in Michigan by former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, and former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, all of whom have been loud critics of Trump in the past several months.. ...Read Full Story

With the election now decided, the St. Joseph City Commission will set its leadership structure for the next term. On Monday, the commission will hold a pair of meetings at 7:30 and 7:35 p.m. The first will be to choose the city’s mayor and mayor pro tem, slots currently held by Mike Garey and Laura Goos, respectively. The normal city commission meeting will follow. The sessions are starting later than the normal 6 p.m. meeting time due to how the city charter lays out the start of the commission term. Incumbent Commissioners Goos, Jeff Richards, and Lynn Todman were all re-elected on Tuesday.. ...Read Full Story

A new biking and walking trail is opening this weekend linking Mishawaka, South Bend, and Niles. The Trail Celebration and Grand Opening for the Indiana + Michigan River Valley Trail will be tomorrow at 9 a.m. in South Bend with two other ceremonies at 10:15 at the Fort and 3rd Streets Trailhead in Niles and the Niles Lakeland Trailhead on North St. Joseph Street at 11. The 34-mile trail has been decades in the making. The trail will have access to 16 parks, four universities, and five hospitals. Saturday’s ceremonies will happen rain, snow, or shine.. ...Read Full Story

A pileup on I-94 near Paw Paw this morning is the first of the winter driving season. No one was hurt according to Van Buren County dispatchers, but the crash kept all lanes in both directions closed until a little after 8, about 2 hours after the first crash. The last of the closed lanes opened up shortly after 12 p.m. Crashes involved jackknifed semis and cars that had gone off the highway.. ...Read Full Story

Has your body clock adjusted yet to the end of Daylight Saving Time over the weekend? A bill before a state House committee would help get rid of that. Republican Representative Michele Hoitenga of Manton, which is north of Cadillac, is sponsoring legislation to keep Michigan on our summertime time year round. The bill got the approval Thursday of the House Commerce and Tourism Committee and is now up for consideration by the Ways and Means Committee before getting a vote by the full House.. ...Read Full Story

Repairs are complete to the CSX rail crossing in Stevensville on St. Joseph Avenue. CSX tells WSJM News the street will reopen Friday morning. It’s been closed for several days to allow crews to make the repairs, and the asphalt was replaced on Thursday. CSX says it was done as part of their routine infrastructure maintenance program, which a spokesperson calls “critical to ensure the safety of both train operations and roadway traffic” in an email to our newsroom. The wooden railroad ties running parallel to the track at the crossing had been deteriorating, with big holes in at least one. CSX says it “appreciates the public’s patience while we complete this important work.”. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton and colleagues from Michigan are trying to convince the U.S. Army corps of Engineers to speed up the approval process for property owners seeking to install shoreline protections along the Great Lakes due to coastal erosion this year. Upton tells WSJM News the high water levels and recent storms have teamed up to cause drastic erosion, threatening homes and other property along Lake Michigan.. ...Read Full Story

The Offender Success program run by Michigan Works is getting a boost in the form of a $15,000 donation from Chemical Bank. Al Pscholka is the vice president of government affairs and public relations for Kinexus Group, which operates Michigan Works in the area and says more former inmates than ever before are trying to reenter society and need the help.. ...Read Full Story

A new mural in downtown St. Joseph will be permanent. St. Joseph Today executive director Amy Zapal says it’s on the Holt Bosse building on State Street and is the latest in a series of murals commissioned since last summer.. ...Read Full Story

Legislation which would make a change to allow the names of Berrien County Courthouse Security Supervisor Joseph Zangaro and Court Officer Ron Kienzle to be added to the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument is moving through the state Senate. The bill is sponsored by Senator Kim LaSata and would put the standard for the Michigan monument in line with that of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to include court and corrections officers killed in the line of duty. Zangaro and Kienzle were killed on July 11, 2016 by an inmate trying to escape following a hearing in the courtroom of Judge Charlie LaSata, the husband of the senator.. ...Read Full Story

By Doug Cunningham. ...Read Full Story

No layoffs of any Berrien County road patrol officers are in the cards at this time, even with funding for them having been taken out of the state budget by a line item veto by Governor Whitmer. Berrien County Administrator Bill Wolf says he remains hopeful the money will be restored by lawmakers and the governor, though those talks have soured this week over demands by Republican leaders that she sign a new law limiting her office’s ability to move around money in the budget. Sheriff Paul Bailey said at Thursday’s Board of Commissioners meeting that his office is losing about $400,000 from the veto. Wolf said the county has $1.5 million in the budget for contingencies and rarely has to dip into it, so even if the veto isn’t reversed, the county can absorb the financial hit in the current fiscal year.. ...Read Full Story

Biggby Coffee has announced the opening date for its first Benton Harbor location. Located in the same building as the Secretary of State branch office at 1990 Mall Place in Benton Township, the coffee shop will have a grand opening next Tuesday. It’s owned by Matt Lemmer, who also operates Biggby locations in Battle Creek and Michigan City, Indiana. It will be the area’s second Biggby Coffee location, joining the one in downtown St. Joseph. ...Read Full Story

The idea of establishing toll roads in Michigan to possibly use the money to fix the roads is getting another look by state lawmakers. The Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved legislation that calls for a feasibility study on putting tolls on certain highways. Senator John Bizon of Battle Creek spoke in support of the legislation in a committee hearing Wednesday.. ...Read Full Story

Legislation advancing in Michigan would lift the state’s ban on baiting and feeding deer in the Lower Peninsula and parts of the Upper Peninsula. The state House approved the bill 56-49 this week, sending it to the Senate for future consideration.. ...Read Full Story

A Lawton man is locked up in the Van Buren County Jail on several charges including kidnapping, sexual assault, and armed robbery. The sheriff’s office says deputies arrested Jimmy Mitchell Tuesday night after a woman says he asked for a ride home from Main Street Laundromat in Lawton. The young woman told police he held her at knifepoint once in the vehicle, forcing her to drive to a secluded cornfield nearby where he physically and sexually assaulted her. She was then forced by Mitchell to drive him to Paw Paw. Once there, she says he robbed her and got out of the vehicle. Mitchell was found near where he’d last been seen, with a Michigan State Police K9 tracking him down. The victim was treated and released from Bronson Lakeview Hospital.. ...Read Full Story

It might be a bit cheaper to heat your home this winter than last if you’re a Michigan Gas Utilities customer. The utility is projecting natural gas costs will remain around where they are now, which would translate to a 6% drop from last year.. ...Read Full Story

An employee of Fried Rice & Thangs in Benton Township is wanted by police on accusations of shooting a customer Wednesday afternoon. That victim is a 22-year-old Benton Harbor man who told police from his hospital bed at Spectrum Health Lakeland that he got into an argument with the employee around 1:30 pm and was pushed out the front door. At that point, he says the employee pulled out a gun and shot him one time in the right arm. The business had closed by the time officers arrived, and they’ve not been able to find either the suspect or the owner of the the restaurant. Anyone with information is asked to call the Benton Township Police Detective Bureau at (269) 925-1135  or Crime Stoppers at (574) 288-STOP.. ...Read Full Story

A new principal is in place for Benton Harbor High School. The school board voted unanimously to hire Reedell Holmes for the job. He’s considered a school turnaround specialist who most recently worked for the Grand Rapids Public Schools as a floating principal, assisting other administrators. Holmes also worked as the middle school principal in Muskegon Heights. The “Herald-Palladium” reports he told the school board at a work session Tuesday night that every school he’s worked for has improved during his tenure. He and his wife moved to Michigan from Mississippi 19 years ago.. ...Read Full Story

Honor Credit Union is teaming up with Berrien County Animal Control to help empty the shelter next weekend. Honor’s community assistant vice president Thomas Newnum tells WSJM News the idea came about from their motto of “see a need, fill a need,” and this is their first such pet adoption event.. ...Read Full Story

Marcus Muhammad has been reelected mayor of Benton Harbor. With results in from the Berrien County Clerk’s office, Muhammad beat challenger Ron Singleton Tuesday, 612 to 521. Muhammad spoke to the community via Facebook from his celebration.. ...Read Full Story

There will be no changes to the St. Joseph City Commission, as all three incumbents have earned another term. Voters on Tuesday gave the collective nod to Commissioners Laura Goos, Jeff Richards, and Lynn Todman. Turnout was just under 25%. Former city communications director Susan Solon came in fourth in the race, followed by former deputy public safety director and retired FBI agent Al DiBrito and then Shawn Hill.. ...Read Full Story

New legislation in the U.S. House aims to reduce labor shortages faced by farmers around the country. Congressman Fred Upton tells WSJM News not having enough workers costs southwest Michigan farmers year after year.. ...Read Full Story

A package of bills that supporters say will make Michigan a national leader in expungement policy is headed to the state Senate following overwhelming bipartisan approval in the House. Representative Pauline Wendzel of Watervliet sponsored one of the bills, with hers focused on wiping away minor traffic offenses.. ...Read Full Story

58 students from grades three through twelve have taken part in the first Southwestern Michigan College Innovation Expo, showing off their problem solving skills. SMC says the November 1 event welcomed student groups to help them develop science, technology, engineering, and math abilities with 21 projects on display. The judges named six winners based on presentation and display of inventions, similar to a science fair. SMC partnered with the WMU College of Engineering and Applied Sciences to bring the event to Dowagiac. Among the winners were two Marcellus seventh graders with their “Swamp Angel Trap.” The device, inspired by this fall’s Eastern Equine Encephalitis scare, goes in the ground and attracts and kills mosquitoes. Another prize went to Lake Michigan Catholic’s “Fold-a-tron,” a laundry basket that helps fold clothes. A third prize went to some Dowagiac middle schoolers for their backseat cup holder.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — A Michigan regulatory oversight board has temporarily paused state drinking water standards that would limit allowable levels of certain toxic industrial chemicals. MLive.com reports the committee voted Thursday to wait two weeks before deciding whether to delay or approve draft maximum contaminant levels for seven compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, called PFAS. The substances, widely used in firefighting foam, nonstick cookware and other products, have been dubbed “forever chemicals” because they persist so long in the environment. The Environmental Rules Review Committee is staffed with business and industry representatives selected by former Republican Governor Rick Snyder. The panel was created last year by the GOP-controlled Legislature. Republican lawmakers overrode Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s effort to eliminate the panel while she restructured the former Department of Environmental Quality.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor City Commissioners would like to sell the city owned property at 200 Paw Paw Avenue. The problem is they’re still waiting to receive a finalized sale agreement. At a Monday meeting, the finalization of the sale was on the agenda, but there was no actual resolution included in the packet. Commissioners have talked about selling the property and its unused building to medial marijuana outfit, Justice Grown, for $175,000 since June. At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Marcus Muhammad wanted to know why no actual resolution to do so was provided.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committing to put $8 million into the work on a barrier system at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois in an effort to stop Asian carp. The announcement Tuesday follows an announcement last week that environmental DNA from Asian carp was found in 76 of 414 water samples taken from waters connected to Lake Michigan. The DNR notes some of those were “well beyond Brandon Road Lock and Dam.” Although no live invasive carp were found in the recent sampling, the results showed far more invasive carp eDNA than had previously been discovered in these waters. The Brandon Road project, currently awaiting congressional approval, would install additional technologies to try to keep the carp out of Lake Michigan and beyond. Those include an electric barrier, underwater sound, an air bubble curtain and a flushing lock.. ...Read Full Story

The Chikaming Township Police Department helped to bust a murder suspect this week. The department says Berrien County Central Dispatch put out notice around 4 a.m. on Tuesday to be on the lookout for the suspect out of Van Buren Township, Michigan. That’s in Wayne County. Central Dispatch provided police with the suspect vehicle’s make, model, registration, direction of travel, and other information. Chikaming Township police officer David Wyman spotted the suspect vehicle driving westbound on I-94 near exit 12 not long after notice went out. He followed the vehicle, called for back-up, and stopped the vehicle near exit 6. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and sent to the Berrien County Jail. Assisting in the arrest were Michigan State Police, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, and the New Buffalo City Police Department.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan State Police are investigating a deadly crash over the weekend in Oronoko Township. A 39-year-old South Bend-area woman was headed north on US-31 shortly after noon on Sunday when she went off the road and over-corrected in an attempt to get back into the traffic lane. Her Kia rolled several times as a result, hitting a tree and throwing her from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and no one else was involved. Troopers say it doesn’t appear alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash. The woman’s name has not been released.. ...Read Full Story

The U.S. Attorney in Grand Rapids has announced $37,000 in funding for the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor to fight crime in a violent neighborhood. Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor Director of Operations Liji Hanny tells WSJM News the money will go into Project Learn.. ...Read Full Story

The new Benton Harbor Area Schools Community Engagement and Advisory Committee is hitting the ground running as it met again Monday night to establish its subcommittees and assign their areas of focus. The body proposed by the state and charged with drafting a turnaround plan for the school district will be divided into four subcommittees. Their areas are facilities, community engagement, academics, and finances. Each subcommittee will hold several meetings as they dig in. Deputy State Treasurer Joyce Parker tells WSJM News they’ll first assess the district.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — More than $54 million in grants have been awarded to community service agencies to help low-income Michigan residents who fall behind on home energy bills. Michigan Energy Assistance Program grant agencies help with payments that can be used to meet home heating and electricity costs on primary residences. The Michigan Public Service Commission says assistance can cover full or partial payment of one or more bills for electric, natural gas, propane, heating oil, or any other deliverable fuel used to provide heat. Grant agencies also provide weatherization improvements and other energy self-sufficiency services
to reduce energy waste.The grants are funded by a monthly surcharge assessed by participating utilities and through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. More than 65,000 households received grant assistance this past funding period.. ...Read Full Story

The next five year plan for the Berrien County Parks Department is complete in draft form, and the county is taking public comments. The Berrien County Parks Department must have multi-year plans approved for the parks system in order to qualify for state grants. The current document has been under discussion all year, and now input will be taken through December 2. The document covers developments planned at Rocky Gap, Silver Beach, Love Creek, Madeline Bertrand, Historic Courthouse Square, Paw Paw River, and Galien River County Parks. It’s posted online. Comments will be taken via email or mail sent to the county administration building.. ...Read Full Story

With winter approaching, Michigan State Police are reminding everyone of some basic things they can do to keep themselves prepared for emergencies. Spokesperson Dale George tells WSJM News it’s better safe than sorry.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — A Detroit suburb will make Michigan history Tuesday when it uses “ranked-choice voting” for two seats on the city council. Voters will be asked to rank four candidates, from first to fourth. The first choices are counted first, but second choices on the ballots also come into play. The winners in Eastpointe will be two people with slightly more than 33.3%  of the vote.
Eastpointe agreed to ranked-choice voting to settle a 2017 lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department. The government claimed white voters acting as a bloc had historically diluted the voting power of black residents in citywide council races. Blacks are estimated to make up more than 40 percent of Eastpointe, which has a population of 32,000. Only one member of the city council is black.. ...Read Full Story

The Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor is receiving a grant of $37,000 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Justice Department says the grant will be put toward Project Learn, which will provide youth development programming including mentoring, tutoring, computer technology programs and club activities to kids who live in one of Benton Harbor’s most violent neighborhoods. The program is for children between 6 and 14 years old and will be provided five days a week, 36 weeks a year, and includes transportation. The office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge does not specifically identify the neighborhood in making the announcement. In a statement, Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic says the hope is to help residents “achieve a greater sense of community,” adding that over time it “will reduce the significant gun violence that plagues this neighborhood.”. ...Read Full Story

An Edwardsburg couple is facing several charges including child abuse after a high-speed chase near Three Rivers with their kids in the car. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office says officers tried to pull over their vehicle for having a burned out headlight Friday night on US 131 north of Three Rivers. The driver took off, with speeds topping 100 miles an hour southbound through Fabius Township and the city of Three Rivers. The driver crashed into a ditch after stop sticks were used, but not until after getting away from officers. Police were later called to a home by residents who said the 24-year-old man and 25-year-old woman showed up with two kids, wet, and asking for help after going through a swamp. No names have yet been released. Other charges pending including fleeing and eluding and resisting and obstructing police.. ...Read Full Story

Tomorrow is Election Day for some in southwest Michigan. Benton Harbor voters will be choosing between Mayor Marcus Muhammad and City Commissioner Ron Singleton in the mayoral race. Three city commission seats are also on the ballot, but only one is contested. Commissioner Sharon Henderson is unopposed in Ward 1, while Jerry Edwards doesn’t have an opponent in Ward 2, as current Commissioner CF Jones is not on the ballot. Three candidates are vying for two at-large seats. They are incumbent Commissioners Mary Alice Adams and Edward Isom along with Jennifer Nesbitt.. ...Read Full Story

It continues to cost less to fill up around the state. While Triple-A Michigan’s weekly survey of stations finds a 10¢ drop over last week to $2.41 per gallon, you can find gas for a lot less than that in southwest Michigan. The auto club says the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph average is down to $2.36, but GasBuddy spotters put prices in South Haven at $2.02 at several stations.. ...Read Full Story

The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College has been awarded a grant of more than $8,100 from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. LMC says the Mendel Center will use the grant to support its presentation of the Winter Delights Festival on February 29. The Mendel Center is one of eight Berrien County arts organizations to be awarded funding by the MCACA. The grants must be matched. Mendel Center Director Grace Kelmer says they’re thrilled to get the grant for the Winter Delights Festival. She says the event will be a celebration of the performing, visual, and culinary arts that are important to the region.. ...Read Full Story

A Chikaming Township beach was closed this week due to erosion along the dunes off the coast of Lake Michigan. Chikaming Township Supervisor David Bunte tells WSJM News the stairs that enable people to get to the lake at Harbert Beach have been threatened by recent storms.. ...Read Full Story

With the U.S. Census coming up next year, Berrrien County officials are thinking about how they can help ensure as many county residents as possible are counted. At a meeting of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners last month, Commissioner Michael Majarek said most of the census will be done online next year, which creates a problem in a county where many residents don’t have access. He said perhaps the county could help them.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan League for Public Policy is applauding an announcement by the administration of Governor Gretchen Whitmer last month that it’s seeking to increase the threshold for overtime eligibility in Michigan. League policy analyst Peter Ruark tells WSJM News the current threshold for overtime is $35,500 per year, meaning if you make less than that, you qualify. The Whitmer administration announced it’s seeking to increase that to somewhere between $51,000 and $61,000.. ...Read Full Story

A public advisory was issued in the village of Eau Claire this week due to elevated lead levels detected in a recent water sample. Berrien County Health Department spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News there was one home that had a lead level exceeding the action level.. ...Read Full Story

A drug takeback day in Van Buren County has resulted in more than 19 pounds of unwanted medications being collected by police. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department says the event last Saturday meant 19.7 pounds of drugs going to the Drug Enforcement Agency to be destroyed. The sheriff’s department also reminds everyone it maintains 12 Red Med Boxes throughout Van Buren County that are available to the public. The sites for the Red Med boxes are listed VBCSheriff.com. Last year, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department received more than 1,800 pounds of medication through those boxes. This year, they’re already hit that level.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Gretchen Whitmer has ordered flags be lowered in the state Capitol complex and in public buildings and grounds across Michigan to honor the late John Conyers. Flags should be lowered to half-staff starting Monday, the day of his funeral, through the following Sunday. Hundreds came to pay their respects to Conyers during an open service on Saturday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The public viewing is expected to continue Sunday. Conyers, a Detroit Democrat, was one of the longest-serving members of Congress and used his influence to push for civil rights. He co-founded the Congressional
Black Caucus in 1969. Whitmer says Conyers’ impact “will not be forgotten.” She cites his work to spearhead criminal justice and voting rights changes.. ...Read Full Story

An effort is underway to get state approval for federal dollars to kick start an affordable housing development in Three Oaks. Three Oaks Village President David Grosse tells WSJM News a Chicago developer wants to put in affordable senior housing on the 36 acre Schwark drain site. Grosse says Berrien County, and especially Harbor Country, lack affordable housing.. ...Read Full Story

Police agencies around Michigan and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning are working to reduce vehicle-pedestrian crashes. Office of Highway Safety Planning spokesperson Jon Ross tells WSJM News more drivers and pedestrians alike need to be mindful of the rules.. ...Read Full Story

Taking place at Lake Michigan College’s Benton Township campus this month will be a series of events to mark International Education Week. LMC says International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education celebrated each year across the nation to acknowledge the benefits of exchange and understanding. Events will take place from November 18 through November 21. They’ll include guest speakers who will talk about their experiences as refugees. Below is more information.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services warned this week about increasing rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia around the nation and in the state. Berrien County Health Department spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News the same trend is happening in Berrien. She says 2018 brought troubling numbers.. ...Read Full Story