Local News Archives

Volunteers are being invited to Warren Dunes State Park this weekend to help fight invasive species. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says they’ll be out there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday removing non-native tree saplings from the dune areas. The DNR says no experience is needed to help out as it will provide the volunteers with training on what to look out for. The volunteers are told to meet at the organizational campground parking area on Floral Road at 10 a.m. so they can caravan to the areas being treated.. ...Read Full Story

No one’s hurt, but Gast Manufacturing in Benton Township was evacuated Friday morning due to a threat. The Benton Township Police Department tells us officers were called out to the Gast facility about 9:20 a.m. An employee had found a handwritten note on a disposable paper toilet seat in a women’s restroom. It alluded to death and had racial undertones, although there was no specific means or individual mentioned. The place was evacuated, and a K9 was brought in to search for any possible explosives. Police say none were found. A suspect hasn’t yet been identified, and the incident remains under investigation.. ...Read Full Story

Actress and activist Jane Fonda is returning to Michigan for a get out the vote rally along with Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. They will be at the Benton Harbor Art and Cultural Center Saturday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to encourage voters to get to the polls. They are also going to be calling on state lawmakers to leave alone the One Fair Wage proposal that the House and Senate passed earlier this fall during the upcoming lame duck session. Fonda campaigned this summer in Kalamazoo with fellow actress Lily Tomlin in support of that proposal before Republican leaders in Lansing decided to vote on it and prevent it from going to the ballot. By doing so, making changes only requires a simple majority in the Legislature instead of a 75% majority vote if it was approved by voters.. ...Read Full Story

Since news this past weekend that the Trump administration is thinking about establishing a definition of gender for federal departments, people in the transgender community around southwest Michigan are concerned. Paula Camp is a facilitator for a support group at the OutCenter called the League of Extraordinary Genders. Camp told us how transgender Americans she has spoken to are feeling.. ...Read Full Story

Rep. Fred Upton comments on the possibly toxic Trump effect on the mid-term re-elections and the ongoing Mueller investigation.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has approved a contract for the sheriff’s department to provide a school resource officer at Benton Harbor High School. Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey tells WSJM News the department has been providing two deputies at the school for 25 days now. That’s since a rash of 17 fights happened to start out the school year. Bailey says they’ve had two or three since the deputies were placed at the high school.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor Area Schools have switched to only using bottled water at every building in the district after the announcement by the city this week that eight of 30 homes tested had high levels of lead in the tap water. The district’s food service is also using bottled water for food preparation until further notice. The district’s water is currently being tested, and until confirmation comes back that it’s safe, only bottled water will be available. The city is also offering free water testing for all customers of its municipal water system. The source of the lead hasn’t been determined, but is believed to be older galvanized and lead service lines connecting homes to the city’s water system. The eight families impacted are also being given bottled water by the city.. ...Read Full Story

Landmark opioids legislation has been signed into law by President Trump. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act was put together over about the past year with input from dozens of lawmakers, including Congressman Fred Upton. He tells us it passed the House and Senate with broad support. Upton told us about some of his contributions.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan State Police are warning everyone about a phone scam that’s been reported in southwest Michigan. Sergeant Ryan Schoonveld with the Niles post tells WSJM News this one is wide-spread.. ...Read Full Story

Four finalists are now in place to become the next superintendent of South Haven Public Schools. The job opened up when Robert Herrera moved on to be the CEO of Benton Harbor Area Schools this summer. The school board will interview the finalists next week on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Three finalists are from Michigan, with the other being Dr. Raymond Lechner, the current superintendent in Wilmette, Illinois. He will be the first to be interviewed Monday at 6 pm followed by Nathan Robrahn, a high school principal in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming at 7:30. On Tuesday, the board will hear from Watervliet Public Schools superintendent Kevin Schooley at 6, followed by Grant superintendent Jonathan Whan. The interviews are open to the public and will be conducted at South Haven High School. The board is working to have the new superintendent on the job at the start of January.. ...Read Full Story