Local News Archives

Two broken legs and a broken arm are the result of a forestry accident in Bainbridge Township on Sunday. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department says a 55-year-old South Haven man was cutting down a large tree in a wooded area in the 58-hundred block of Meadowbrook Road when he was hit by a limb he had cut down. He was flown by Air-Care to Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo to be treated for two broken femur bones and the broken arm, but the injuries are not life threatening. Police say the man was using a harness and had to be freed from it after the accident. It happened around 3 Sunday afternoon.. ...Read Full Story

A 21-year-old Niles Township man is in the Berrien County Jail after an assault Friday that resulted in Merritt Elementary School being locked down. Police surrounded the suspect’s home in the 16-hundred block of Florence Avenue, only to find he had escaped by the time they burst inside. The man got into another disturbance at the home Sunday afternoon and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department responded a second time to a report the man had barricaded himself inside the home. This time, he was still there when deputies arrived and they negotiated his surrender after a second standoff. He will be charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, interfering with communications, and possession of a controlled substance when he makes his first court appearance, but that has not yet been set.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department has kicked off another holiday Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Chief Deputy Robert Boyce spoke with WSJM News and told us extra patrols started going out during specific times this past Thursday, and will run through December 31. Boyce says drunk driving arrests jump around the holidays with all of the people hitting up parties. However, he says there would be no need for that if everyone followed some simple advice before going out.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reaching out to those with a gambling problem to let them know help is available with the holidays here. Spokesperson Lynn Sutfin tells WSJM News the stress of the holidays can make someone seek a release, which is dangerous for those with a gambling problem. Her advice?. ...Read Full Story

There’s been plenty of negative reaction from conservation groups was swift to a Trump Administration proposal to remove federal clean-water protections from many smaller streams and wetlands. On Tuesday, the EPA announced a replacement for the Waters of the United States Rule. It would lift federal protections from water sources that are seasonal, and wetlands that are not connected by a stream to a larger body of water. Jenifer Collins with the law firm Earthjustice tells us the proposal ignores basic hydrology.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan State University Extension is working to answer the questions Michigan residents might have about PFAS, the water contaminant that rendered the water in Parchment undrinkable this past summer. MSU Extension water quality specialist Lois Wolfson tells WSJM News PFAS have been found in communities across Michigan this year, and MSU Extension has heard a lot of questions.. ...Read Full Story

Another Harvest Gathering food drive has wrapped up for the year. Michigan Secretary of State spokesperson Laura Lehman tells WSJM News branch offices collect items to be given to local food pantries each year.. ...Read Full Story

Once again, Benton Harbor and St. Joseph area residents can apply for the gift of a free turkey and holiday food basket thanks to the Holiday Food Sharing Program. It’s an effort of the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, the city of Benton Harbor, Whirlpool, and the PGA. Now in its third year, the Holiday Food Sharing Program is giving away around 400 turkeys and food baskets season. The turkeys will be given away on December 21, and applications for them are being taken now. The deadline is Monday, December 17. Applications can be picked up at several local agencies, including the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, the United Way, Benton Harbor City Hall, Michigan Works, and the Salvation Army. Below is a list of all the locations where applications can be picked up.. ...Read Full Story

Live Christmas tree or artificial this year? That’s a question many families ask. If you choose to purchase a real tree, South Haven Emergency Services Chief Ron Wise spoke with WSJM News and suggests not keeping that live tree in the house for long.. ...Read Full Story

$26 million in recreation grants have been announced for the year by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board. The board each year selects parks projects around Michigan to receive grants taken from interest earned on funds from state-owned minerals like oil and natural gas. Among the grants announced on Thursday are $56,000 for the city of Dowagiac to acquire an easement for the Elks Trail, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has been approved for a $534,000 grant for land acquisition at the Cornish State Game Area. The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund has resulted in more than $1 billion in grants going out to park, trail, and playground projects throughout the state in the past 40 years.. ...Read Full Story