Local News Archives

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has announced a new website that will track progress on the redistricting process in the state. She tells WSJM News her office is preparing to put out applications to serve on the new 13 member redistricting commission created by a ballot proposal last year. This commission will replace the old system of having state legislators set up voting districts. Benson says anyone interested can check RedistrictingMichigan.org.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — A new task force has been formed to help stop physical abuse, financial exploitation, emotional abuse and neglect of elderly people in Michigan. The state’s Attorney General Dana Nessel joined with Michigan Supreme Court Justices Richard Bernstein and Megan Cavanagh and others Monday to announce the formation of the Michigan Elder Abuse Task Force. More than 30 organizations including law enforcement, state agencies and advocacy groups have committed to being part of the effort. Michigan residents are urged to report signs or concerns about elder abuse to Nessel’s office, which has established an elder abuse hotline for anonymous tips, 800-24-ABUSE (800-242-2873) or online. Past state efforts to curb elder abuse included a 1998 Supreme Court Task
Force on Guardianships and Conservatorships and a 2007 Governor’s Task Force on Elder Abuse.. ...Read Full Story

Bigger, more frequent storms; more floods. Many millions in financial losses. Massive environmental shift. Climate change already is causing these issues in the Great Lakes region – and it’s expected to get worse, according to a new report.. ...Read Full Story

For craft beer lovers, today is nearly a holiday: Oberon Day, the release for the year of Kalamazoo County-based Bell’s Brewery’s popular wheat ale. Bars started tapping this year’s kegs at midnight on Monday to celebrate the official release. Bell’s founder Larry Bell says in most of the country, Oberon is only available during the warm months because it’s the type of beer that pairs well with sunshine and baseball games. But Bell’s operations director John Mallett says it has a different meaning for others.. ...Read Full Story

A new task force has been formed to help stop physical abuse, financial exploitation, emotional abuse and neglect of elderly people in Michigan. State Attorney General Dana Nessel joined with Michigan Supreme Court Justices Richard Bernstein and Megan Cavanagh and others Monday to announce the formation of the Michigan Elder Abuse Task Force. Nearly three dozen organizations including law enforcement, state agencies and advocacy groups have committed to being part of the effort. Michigan residents are urged to report signs or concerns about elder abuse to Nessel’s office, which has established an elder abuse hotline for anonymous tips, 800-24-ABUSE (844-242-2873) or online .. ...Read Full Story

The Great Lakes shipping season has opened with the first ship passing through the Soo Locks just after midnight Monday morning. Linda Hoath is the executive director of the Sault Ste. Marie Visitors and Convention Bureau, and was there to greet it.. ...Read Full Story

“We had to get to the bottom of it, and the conclusions had to take us to where we are today,” says Congressman Fred Upton on the release of the report by special counsel Robert Mueller into the Trump administration and Trump campaign. The St. Joseph Republican supported the investigation and told Michigan’s Big Show there are more documents that are yet to be released.. ...Read Full Story

Registrations are being taken for the next Lory’s Place Run, Walk, and Rock. This is the 15th year for the event, which raises money for Lory’s Pace, a St. Joseph-based program that helps people cope with grief. The Run, Walk, and Rock will be Saturday, May 18. The timed 5K run and walk course will take runners and walkers through St. Joseph’s Edgewater area and into Tiscornia Park. Meanwhile, rocking chairs will be available for spectators throughout the morning along the edge of the course. Individuals or groups can sponsor a rocker. That money goes to Lory’s Place, along with the registration fees paid by runners and walkers. You can find out more right here.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor is building forward. That was the message of Mayor Marcus Muhammad as he delivered his annual State of the City address this past week. Speaking at the Benton Harbor Public Library on Tuesday, Muhammad said the city has come a long way since being under state control, pointing to five years of positive fund balances.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Township police are reportedly looking for a suspect in a drive-by shooting in the parking lot of the Meijer store on Pipestone Road. A 34-year-old Benton Harbor man says he was walking in the grass between the store and a car wash when someone in a dark four-door sedan fired four shots at him out the window of the car. The man was not hurt in the incident, which happened around 4 p.m. Saturday.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Transportation has launched a new online dashboard to make information about the condition of bridges around the state known to the public. MDOT Deputy Chief Bridge Engineer Beckie Curtis tells WSJM News the site includes data on more than 11,000 bridges. It goes over the state of each.. ...Read Full Story

The United Way of Southwest Michigan has marked a record fundraising year. At its annual celebration at Lake Michigan College th9is month, the organization announced it raised more than $4.2 million with its 2018 campaign. United Way of Southwest Michigan President Anna Murphy tells WSJM News the region cares.. ...Read Full Story

An effort is underway in Benton Harbor to crack down on the illegal dumping of trash. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety tells us discarded tires, mattresses, and other junk have become a major problem. Word went out Thursday about a new tip line that has been set up for people to report the practice. Police say the situation has gotten so bad the city has spent more than $169,000 on extra dumpsters to remove the illegally dumped material over the past three years. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety has made four arrests as part of its illegal dumping investigation since last week. To report the illegal dumping of trash in Benton Harbor, call or text 269-944-7929.’. ...Read Full Story

A tax credit being floated by Cornerstone Alliance President Rob Cleveland is getting some attention statewide. Cleveland tells WSJM News he came up with the idea for the HUGE credit while brainstorming with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. It would give an income tax break to recent college graduates in Michigan.. ...Read Full Story

A tuition increase is coming for students at Lake Michigan College. At this week’s LMC Board of Trustees meeting, an increase of 1.5% for in-district students was approved. LMC President Trevor Kubatzke tells WSJM News the move is in response to increased operating costs.. ...Read Full Story

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a Saturday shooting in Mason Township. It says deputies were called out to a home on Starbrick Street near Tharp Lake Road shortly before 12:30 a.m. and learned a 57-year-old man had been shot through a window. He told deputies some unknown subjects had come to his home and demanded to speak with him. He said that when he refused to come outside, the subjects fired a gun through a window, injuring him. The man was taken to to Elkhart General Hospital in Elkhart Indiana, and police say he was listed in stable condition as of 11 a.m. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Department.. ...Read Full Story

Just a few weeks after it was dedicated, Congressman Fred Upton has paid a visit to the new robotics facility at St. Joseph High School. He stopped by the Edward J. Todd Innovation Center Monday. Upton tells WSJM News FIRST Robotics is a program that helps kids apply their science, technology, and math skills.. ...Read Full Story

There will be a town hall meeting on April 3 for the public to learn more about problems currently faced by Benton Harbor Area Schools. The board of education has scheduled the town hall for 6 p.m. at the high school cafeteria. There are several questions about the district’s future as declining enrollment is making its borrowing power go down. Meanwhile, the district’s cooperative agreement with the state is set to end on July 1, likely returning control of the schools back to the board of education. Everyone is welcome to attend the April 3 meeting.. ...Read Full Story

State health officials are responding to a measles outbreak in Oakland County. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Angela Minicuci tells WSJM News it all started with one person who got the measles while traveling. Since then, the total number of cases as a result of the one infection is up to eight. Minicuci says Michigan also had a high rate of measles last year.. ...Read Full Story

Affordable housing can be difficult to come by in South Haven, and that’s something the city council is hoping to address. Mayor Scott Smith tells WSJM News they want everyone to be able to make a home in town.. ...Read Full Story

Andrews University is rising up to fight abuse. Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Michael Nixon tells WSJM News the university hosted its first-ever Rise Up Against Abuse Rally last week, launching the Rise Up Against Abuse initiative. It’s to help people use awareness, intervention, and prevention to take action against all forms of abuse.. ...Read Full Story

A St. Joseph girl is turning a bit of personal heartbreak last summer into something positive. Seven-year-old Devyn Whitney has a prosthetic right leg and is missing some fingers due to being born with a condition called Fibular Hemimelia, but didn’t feel like she was different from anyone else until last summer at the Krasl Art Fair according to her mom, Stephanie Watkins. Devyn noticed people staring and whispering for the first time and became upset, with her mom taking her down to the Whirlpool Compass Fountain to get away.. ...Read Full Story

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deadly crash Thursday afternoon in Bloomingdale Township. A 57-year-old Paw Paw man was killed when his pickup went off the road on 24th Avenue west of M-40 and hit a tree. The crash happened just after noon. The driver was the only one in the truck, and he was not wearing a seat belt. The man’s name has not been released.. ...Read Full Story

State Senator Aric Nesbitt wants major changes to Michigan’s auto insurance system passed and on the desk of Governor Whitmer before lawmakers head out on their summer break at the end of June. He announced the self-imposed deadline this week in an effort to spur action after the House and Senate have tried for years to make changes. Lawmakers from both parties have said it was one of the top issues they heard about from voters during last year’s campaign, especially as more studies show Michigan’s insurance premiums are the highest in the country. To blame for that is the mandate that policies include lifetime health coverage for catastrophic injuries in crashes. Nesbitt says one of the biggest issues they’re looking at is giving drivers choices for the coverage levels they want, and adds everything is on the table. His Senate Bill 1 is pretty open-ended in order to make modifications.. ...Read Full Story

Michiganders plan to show their support for the right to clean drinking water with the 26th annual World Water Day on Friday. The event highlights the importance of clean drinking water across the globe. Grand Rapids Water Protectors chief Shannon Abbott tells us several battles over water are going on across Michigan, including fights against chemical contamination and keeping water affordable. Abbott notes low-income communities and people of color face the brunt of those battles.. ...Read Full Story

A new officer is about to start at the Lincoln Township Police Department. Echo is a 1-year-old Belgian Malinois recruited to be the department’s K9, and she just arrived in the United States from Poland last week. Lincoln Township Police Chief Gary Soper tells WSJM News the department collected $30,000 from the public to get the K9. That support came in from businesses and individuals.. ...Read Full Story

A student essay contest has been launched by Talons Out Honor Flight. The organization takes veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to their memorials in Washington, D.C. for free, and the two winners of the essay contest will get to go along on the June 1 trip. Talons Out Honor Flight President Bobbie Bradley tells WSJM News the essays should be about the experiences of a World War II or Korean War vet from the student’s community.. ...Read Full Story

An effort is underway in Benton Harbor to crack down on the illegal dumping of trash. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety tells us discarded tires, mattresses, and other junk have become a major problem. Word went out Thursday about a new tip line that has been set up for people to report the practice. Police say the situation has gotten so bad the city has spent more than $169,000 on extra dumpsters to remove the illegally dumped material over the past three years. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety has made four arrests as part of its illegal dumping investigation since last week. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is also assisting. To report the illegal dumping of trash in Benton Harbor, call or text 269-944-7929.. ...Read Full Story

While President Trump’s budget proposal includes cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, it’s unlikely they will be approved by Congress. So says Congressman Fred Upton, who tells WSJM News the final budget is always drafted by the legislative branch anyway.. ...Read Full Story

If you boat or fish in Michigan, some new laws go into effect today. Boaters are now required to take steps to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. That includes things like draining all water from any live wells and bilges and ensuring that the watercraft and trailer are free of all aquatic organisms, including plants.. ...Read Full Story

There will be something new this season at Comerica Park for Detroit Tigers game: mobile tickets. Tigers spokesman Ron Colangelo says you can still get paper tickets at the box office, but you’ll like using your own smart phone.. ...Read Full Story

You likely noticed a big jump in gas prices this week, going from $2.56 in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor on Monday to $2.71 now according to AAA Michigan. GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan says factors include crude prices being up, refineries doing spring maintenance and the turmoil in Venezuela, but the main reason is the end of the supply for relatively cheap winter blends.. ...Read Full Story

(Dearborn, MI – AP) – Ford is repackaging a previously announced manufacturing investment in the Detroit area and now says it will spend $900 million and create 900 new jobs over the next four years. Most of the new workers will build a new generation of electric vehicle at a Ford factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, south of Detroit. It will see an $850 million investment. The company also plans a $50 million autonomous vehicle manufacturing center at an undisclosed site near Detroit that will add hardware to existing vehicles.. ...Read Full Story

(East Lansing, MI – AP) – A lawyer for John Engler is accusing a prosecutor of misconduct and wants her removed before the former Michigan State University president speaks to investigators. The attorney general’s office and Engler’s attorney, Seth Waxman, are in a war of words over his willingness to speak to investigators about campus changes after the Larry Nasser scandal.. ...Read Full Story

A forum slated for this Thursday at Lake Michigan College will explore the relationship between transgender people and their families. Paula Camp with the OutCenter group the League of Extraordinary Genders tells WSJM News “Helping Families Support their LGBTQ Children” will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the LMC campus in Benton Township.. ...Read Full Story

A tuition increase is coming for students at Lake Michigan College. At this week’s LMC Board of Trustees meeting, an increase of 1.5% for in-district students was approved. LMC President Trevor Kubatzke tells WSJM News the move is in response to increased operating costs.. ...Read Full Story

A traffic stop in Dowagiac this week led to the arrest of a 34-year-old Granger, Indiana man on meth and other charges. The Dowagiac Police Department says an officer pulled over a vehicle Tuesday night for having an improper registration. There were three people in the vehicle, and one of them provided the officer with a false ID. A further check revealed the Granger man had a warrant out. Police say a K9 then searched the vehicle and found 22 grams of meth. The Granger man was arrested on multiple charges, and taken to the Cass County Jail.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Transportation has launched a new online dashboard to make information about the condition of bridges around the state known to the public. MDOT Deputy Chief Bridge Engineer Beckie Curtis tells WSJM News the site includes data on more than 11,000 bridges. It goes over the state of each.. ...Read Full Story

No one is hurt after a shot was fired during the robbery of the Check Into Cash store in Niles Wednesday. The Niles Police Department says a suspect walked into the store on South 11th Street shortly before 12:30 p.m. and flashed a gun. He fired off one shot, but police don’t know if it was accidental or on purpose. The suspect made off in a light-colored vehicle with an undisclosed amount of cash. Michigan State Police and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department helped in the search, but the suspect was not found. Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to contact police.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — In a sign of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Michigan Legislature is expected to honor the late Queen of Soul with a highway designation. The Michigan House voted 101-6 on Tuesday to designate a portion of M-10 in Detroit as the “Aretha L. Franklin Memorial Highway.” Franklin died in Detroit last year after battling pancreatic cancer. The legislation will next go to the state Senate.
Supporters say dedicating a portion of the highway is an appropriate way to honor the musical and cultural icon, who grew up in Detroit and learned the gospel fundamentals at New Bethel Baptist Church. The sponsor, Democratic Representative Leslie Love of Detroit, says Franklin was a “special lady” who fought for civil rights and “gave us all a soundtrack to our lives.”. ...Read Full Story

A Bangor man is facing a pair of felony charges for the drug overdose death of his 16-year-old son in 2017. Forty-eight-year-old Gary Birkhead was arraigned Wednesday in Van Buren County on a homicide-involuntary manslaughter charge and a count of second-degree child abuse connected to the death on August 13, 2017 of Cole Birkhead. The teen from Hartford died at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo of an overdose, though Michigan State Police and the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s office have not revealed which drug it was. Gary Birkhead was arrested on Tuesday following the lengthy investigation, which MSP says remains open.. ...Read Full Story

Two and a half years ago, Jacob Beckley raised over $20,000 for Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital with a solo rowboat trip across Lake Michigan from St. Joseph to Chicago, and he’s getting ready to do it again. This time, Beckley is teaming up with former Chicago Bears defensive back Charles “Peanut” Tillman for the effort, and they will both row the same route.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor is building forward. That was the message of Mayor Marcus Muhammad as he delivered his annual State of the City address Tuesday. Speaking at the Benton Harbor Public Library, Muhammad said the city has come a long way since being under state control, pointing to five years of positive fund balances.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor residents are being asked to speak up when they see someone illegally dumping trash in the city. At this week’s city commission meeting, Benton Harbor Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis said enforcement to crack down on the issue is increasing.. ...Read Full Story

The inclusion of $75 million for a new Soo Lock in President Trump’s budget proposal is a plus in the eyes of Congressman Fred Upton. He tells WSJM News a new lock to replace the Poe Lock, the largest of those shipping channels connecting Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes is needed in case the Poe Lock fails.. ...Read Full Story

Work is underway on the new pavilion for the Benton Harbor Farmers Market. The structure will be put into use when the market is held throughout the warmer months, says the Berrien County Health Department’s Gillian Conrad. The pavilion will be located at the corner of Sixth Street and Main Street at in Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park. ...Read Full Story

Preparations are being made for the grand opening of a new baseball museum in Three Oaks. The Biggest Little Baseball Museum will focus on local baseball teams throughout the decades, including town teams like the Three Oaks Greens, the New Troy Grays, and the Lakeside Aces, along with Little League teams. The museum will occupy the second floor of the Three Oaks Township Library. Its grand opening is set for noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. The grand opening will feature a special presentation at 1 on Civil War-era baseball by members of the House of David Echoes. Organizers of the Biggest Little Baseball Museum say the place will be “so big you can’t see it all in one visit, and so little you can’t get lost.” Everyone is welcome to go and check it out.. ...Read Full Story

Ground will be broken Sunday afternoon for a new First Church of God campus building and ministry center in Benton Heights. Lead Pastor David Colp tells WSJM News they’ve outgrown the current facility, and the new campus will be able to be used for basketball and volleyball leagues, after-school reading programs, community forums and much more.. ...Read Full Story

Damage to the electrical conduit serving South Haven’s Dyckman Bascule Bridge has knocked it out of service for the time being. Emergency repairs will get underway next week by Strain Electric out of suburban Grand Rapids, with the city authorizing spending $26,500 on the work. Ice damaged the conduit over the winter, but city officials say it will be back in service before the upcoming boating season. The bridge was refurbished in 2015 and dates to 1967. On average, 88-hundred vehicles cross the bridge daily according to BridgeReports.com, with that number coming from a study four years ago.. ...Read Full Story

Baroda residents will be able to receive free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms installed by the fire department this spring and summer. The department is partnering with the Michigan Bureau of Fire Services, State Fire Marshal and MI Prevention for the program.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Divers hope to locate and repair the arm of an underwater statue depicting a crucified Jesus in northern Michigan, which is part of a yearly event that draws hundreds to a frozen bay. The Petoskey News-Review reports that about 1,300 people gathered earlier this month to view the 11-foot tall, one-ton statue of Jesus Christ in Little Traverse Bay near the Petoskey shore. But many attendees questioned why the statue’s arm is missing. Event organizer Dennis Jessick says he believes compression forces from the ice caused the arm to break. He says event organizers and divers hope to locate the missing arm in the spring. The crucifix was brought to Petoskey in 1962 as a way to honor people who have died in bodies of water and moved to its current spot in 1986.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor City Commissioners have signed off on plans for an apartment development downtown. At a Monday meeting, the city commission approved the establishment of an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation District and a 12-year tax break for Cressy Commercial Real Estate to redevelop the Harbor Center building at Pipestone and Main Streets. The plan is to invest $2.5 to $3 million in turning the building into 14 apartments and two commercial spaces. Mayor Marcus Muhammad said the vacant building is currently dilapidated.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Two Democratic presidential candidates are campaigning in Michigan a year before the state’s primary. Beto O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, made three stops in the Detroit area Monday. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York scheduled events later in the day. Democrats are emphasizing Michigan early after Donald Trump in 2016 became the first Republican to win the state in decades. At a stop in Macomb County, a man asked O’Rourke how Democrats can win back blue-collar white workers who supported Trump. O’Rourke said Trump has successfully “exacerbated the divisions” among Americans, but Democrats must “transcend that” and “be above it” while still confronting economic inequalities and the “hard truths” of slavery and segregation. O’Rourke also visited a carpentry training school in Oakland County and a Detroit coffee shop.. ...Read Full Story

Registrations are being taken for the next Lory’s Place Run, Walk, and Rock. This is the 15th year for the event, which raises money for Lory’s Pace, a St. Joseph-based program that helps people cope with grief. The Run, Walk, and Rock will be Saturday, May 18. The timed 5K run and walk course will take runners and walkers through St. Joseph’s Edgewater area and into Tiscornia Park. Meanwhile, rocking chairs will be available for spectators throughout the morning along the edge of the course. Individuals or groups can sponsor a rocker. That money goes to Lory’s Place, along with the registration fees paid by runners and walkers. You can find out more right here.. ...Read Full Story

As Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates marks ten years, the program will hold its annual Career Development Conference in Lansing this week. Youth Solutions Director Kristin Harrington tells WSJM News JMG has grown to serve around 3,000 at-risk students across Michigan since it started in Benton Harbor a decade ago. Around 300 students will be at Thursday’s conference to take part in career skills competitions, showing off things they have learned.. ...Read Full Story

No plea deals are on the table for the couple accused of the murder of Army Sergeant Tyrone Hassel III. His wife, Kemia Hassel, and alleged gunman Jeremy Cuellar were both in court on Monday. They’re accused of using Snapchat to plan the killing, which happened New Year’s Eve at the home of Sergeant Hassel’s parents in St. Joseph Township. Defense attorneys for both and the Berrien County Prosecutor’s office have told the judge they all need more time to prepare their cases, meaning the scheduled April 30 start for the trial might be delayed. Authorities say Kemia Hassel and Cuellar were having an affair and she came up with the idea to kill her husband to get insurance money rather than file for divorce.. ...Read Full Story