Local News Archives

Newly-elected state Senator Aric Nesbitt and his staff will host an open house at his Lansing office on the first session day of the year tomorrow. Nesbitt will welcome constituents from the 26th District to the Binsfeld Senate Office Building near the Capitol starting at 10 a.m. We asked the former state representative if he was used to the new title of senator.. ...Read Full Story

A Gobles man is facing several charges after being caught not only driving while drunk with five kids in the car, but he and a passenger were also still drinking when police found them parked along 6th Avenue in Gobles near M-40. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department says they were called to a park on a report of two adult men who appeared to be drunk while five young children were running around. Deputies found the car about a half-mile away from the park and noticed the children, between the ages of two and seven, were not buckled up and were climbing all over the back seat. The driver was uncooperative and refused all sobriety tests at the scene and also refused to take a breath test after being sent to the jail. Investigators then got a warrant to take the man’s blood. He’s facing five counts of operating while intoxicated – child endangerment, felony resisting and obstructing, and driving with open intoxicants. No names have been released.. ...Read Full Story

A 33-year-old Coloma man has been killed while trying to cross I-94. Michigan State Police tell us the man was hit and killed around 6:15 Monday evening near mile marker 34 in Benton Township by a 38-year-old Delton woman. Investigators have not yet been able to figure out why the man was walking on the highway. The woman called 9-1-1 to say she thought she had just hit a person, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. There’s no word yet if she will face charges, but she did stay at the scene of the crash.. ...Read Full Story

Officials with the OutCenter in Benton Harbor are cheering Governor Whitmer’s latest executive directive regarding LGBT Michigan residents. Executive director Mary Jo Schnell called it a “stellar first move on all things LGBT,” and added it’s about more than just civil rights.. ...Read Full Story

South Haven officials will hold a special educational meeting on potential medical and recreational marijuana businesses next week. The purpose is to get the city council more information on all the legal aspects of both according to City Manager Brian Dissette, who tells us they will also bring in some outside experts.. ...Read Full Story

Local governments around the country are starting to feel the pinch from the partial shutdown of the federal government. Benton Harbor City Manager Darwin Watson told city commissioners Monday night that U.S. Housing and Urban Development funds are missing in action right now from Washington.. ...Read Full Story

Watervliet police are asking for help finding a missing teenage girl. Jaci Duncan is 14 and has not been seen since around 10 pm on Wednesday, January 2nd and is believed to have run away from home. In a Facebook post, police say they believe she may be with a Dowagiac man named Casey Carter, and add she has a history of running away. Duncan also took her dog with her when she left home. Anyone with information on where she and Carter might be is urged to call Watervliet police.. ...Read Full Story

There will be no varsity boys basketball game Tuesday for the South Haven Rams, as they are forfeiting the contest against Dowagiac. The move stems from the brawl that erupted during the Rams game on December 21 against Paw Paw, during which not only did the benches clear, but spectators also got involved. South Haven Public Schools superintendent Kevin Schooley has released a statement saying the players are being “disciplined consistent with MHSAA and local athletic code guidelines” and adds the team has met with the Paw Paw team to talk about how athletes need to support each other as part of healthy competition.. ...Read Full Story

A man charged with killing 6 people and injuring two other in and around Kalamazoo has pleaded guilty to murder charges. Uber driver Jason Dalton, charged with the shootings in between picking up Uber passengers in 2016, pleaded guilty to all charges in front of a Kalamazoo County judge on Monday, saying he’d wanted to enter the plea for “quite a while.”. ...Read Full Story

(Lansing, MI – AP) – Governor Whitmer has signed an executive directive to prohibit discrimination against LGBT people by state government, contractors and others, superseding an order that former Governor Rick Snyder signed just days before leaving office. Whitmer’s directive, like Snyder’s, requires all recipients of state contracts, grants and loans to extend protections to their employees. But hers does not provide an exemption for religious organizations. The Democrat signed the directive Monday at an LGBT community center in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale. It clarifies that employment protections cover all state employees and prohibits discrimination in state services, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. LGBT advocates and civil rights groups are applauding Whitmer’s move.. ...Read Full Story

The federal government shutdown has been a mixed impact on one national park in northern Michigan. Kerry Kelly of the Friends of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore says they are helping pick up trash and clear trails as much as they are allowed.. ...Read Full Story

A crash between a van and a horse and buggy in Van Buren County is resulting in charges for the van driver. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department said over the weekend that 69-year-old Robert Rawson of Bloomingdale Township was charged late last week for the September 11 crash. The horse was killed, and the driver of the buggy suffered critical injuries. Police say Rawson’s van crossed the center line and hit the buggy head-on near the intersection of 46th Street and County Road 388 in Bloomingdale.. ...Read Full Story

There’s word from South Haven Area Emergency Services that the search for a missing woman in the Black River this weekend was all for naught. SHAES officials tell WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids that Van Buren County Undersheriff Chad Hunt located the woman in the woods along the Kal-Haven Trail around 9 a.m. Saturday. After talking to the woman, who first said she was not the person they were looking for, they determined that she was, and she had never fallen into the river. Additionally, the woman hadn’t actually been missing.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Conservation District is taking registrations for a produce safety training session it’s offering for free to those who bring food from the farm to the consumer. This is the first such class it’s offered, and it’s designed to get those workers compliant with federal requirements. Conservation District Produce Safety Technician Victoria Toney tells WSJM News us a good number of people in Berrien County could use the training.. ...Read Full Story

This is the time of year when tax scams are on the rise. The Michigan Department of Treasury warns scammers are likely to hit at the beginning of the year — right before tax season — so they can get personal information, file fake income tax returns, and steal that money. Spokesperson Ron Leix told Michigan News Network more.. ...Read Full Story

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department is getting a bullet and stab protective vest for one of its K9s thanks to a donation. Vested Interest in K9s, a group that gives police dogs protective vests throughout the country, is helping to provide Kuno with the duds. The vest is sponsored by Jim and Stephanie Balch of Battle Creek, and will be embroidered with the phrase “This gift of protection provided by the Balch Family.” Kuno is expected to get the vest within ten weeks. Vested Interest in K9s has provided more than 3,200 protective vests to police dogs around the nation.. ...Read Full Story

A new year brings a new chief of police for Benton Township. With the retirement of former Chief Vince Fetke, Chief Brian Smit started this week. Smit tells WSJM News he’s excited to move up in the department from the role of detective-lieutenant. He’s been with the Benton Township Police Department since 1996, having previously been an officer in Benton Harbor for two years. He says he wants to engage the community so people know him.. ...Read Full Story

A new failed condition roads policy has been adopted by the Van Buren County Road Commission that has the agency pulverizing and turning into gravel roads that are found not fit to be patched. The road commission tells us it pulverized nine miles of road in 2018 at a cost of about $345,000. It says those were road segments that had failed beyond the point of maintenance. In 2019, seven of those newly-gravel roads will be examined to see if they can be repaved. The Van Buren County Road Commission Board last month adopted the failed road policy after discussing it with township governments. It lays out for staff how to identify a road as failed, and then how the locals affected will be engaged as a decision is made about it. The Van Buren County Road Commission says $1.2 million of its budget in 2017 was spent on fixing potholes. It’s hoping the new policy will help it to be more efficient.. ...Read Full Story

Kinexus has helped to secure a $1.9 million grant for southwest Michigan businesses to train workers. The money comes from the state’s Going Pro Talent Fund to help 43 local employers enhance their staff. Kinexus Director of Business Solutions Jeff Hannan tells WSJM News the money will supplement the cost for more than 1,600 workers to upgrade their skills in the manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality fields.. ...Read Full Story

Police are looking for a woman who reportedly fell into the Black River in South Haven Township early Saturday. South Haven Area Emergency Services tells us it scoured the water after getting a report that a female had fallen into the river along the Kal-Haven Trail near 73rd Street around 3:25 a.m. The incident was reported by a male companion. The South Haven Police Department and Van Buren County Sheriff Department also joined in the search. The incident remains under investigation.. ...Read Full Story

A property foreclosure lawsuit headed to the Michigan Supreme Court is being watched closely by county treasurers across the state. That includes Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski, who tells us the results in the Oakland County case could affect Berrien “big time.” The suit is from a Southfield man who lost a property due to an unpaid tax bill of less than $9. Oakland County took the property and then sold it for $24,000. The man says he should get the proceeds that go above the tax bill. Witkowski tells WSJM News he understands, but it’s that extra revenue from foreclosure sales that pay for demolitions of abandoned buildings.. ...Read Full Story

78th District Michigan Representative Brad Paquette is ready to get to work in Lansing. The Berrien Springs Republican was just elected in November, and tells us he looks forward to the start of the 100th Michigan Legislature on Wednesday. He wants residents in southern Berrien County to know his door and phone line are open.. ...Read Full Story

By Doug Cunningham. ...Read Full Story

A local credit union is offering a little help to members who are federal government employees affected by the shutdown. United Federal Credit Union tells us it’s offering those folks installment loan deferments and waiving the penalty for early withdrawals on share certificates, among other things. Chief Marketing Officer Erin Hennessy tells WSJM News they want those affected by the partial government shutdown to know something.. ...Read Full Story

The American Red Cross is asking everyone to make a New Year’s resolution to give blood. It’s scheduled several blood drives around southwest Michigan in the coming weeks. January is National Blood Donor Month, which the Red Cross says is appropriate because January is one of the slowest months of the year for blood donation. All those who come to donate by January 6 will get a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt while supplies last. You can schedule an appointment at RedCross.org or by using the Red Cross phone app. There’s also 1-800-RED CROSS.. ...Read Full Story

A man accused of murdering a child in Cass County in October of 2016 has been arrested and arraigned. The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office tells us 47-year-old Lance Aaron Reeves of St. Joseph has pleaded not guilty to a charge of open murder and three charges of child abuse in the death of Savannah Gardner in Silver Creek Township. Reeves was arrested Thursday at a home in Hartford by the Michigan State Police Fugitive Apprehension Team. The prosecutor says Reeves is accused of repeatedly shaking Gardner and breaking her back. Charges in the case were authorized on December 21. Bond was denied to Reeves during Friday’s arraignment.. ...Read Full Story

Comments from freshman Detroit Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib are not sitting well with other members of the Democratic Party in Washington. Tlaib said this to loud cheers Thursday night regarding President Trump: “When your son looks at you and says ‘momma, look, you won. Bullies don’t win.’ And I said ‘baby, they don’t.’ Because we’re gonna go in there, and we’re gonna impeach the motherf—er.” Tlaib received a large cheer from those gathered around her at that remark, and defended what she said in a Friday tweet saying she will “always speak truth to power.”. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton is breaking from President Trump and hardline Republicans who want to put up a wall along the Mexican border. He is among the GOP members of the House who joined Democrats to approve bills to end the partial federal government shutdown on Thursday. On Twitter, Upton put out a statement saying “enough” but adds “much work remains” to secure the border. The government shut down in late December over the impasse regarding funding for a border wall. President Trump has vowed to veto any measure that does not include $5 billion for a wall, while Democrats and a growing number of Republicans say that it’s time to get the government open again and find other solutions for border security that don’t involve a wall. The bills that passed the House, however, are likely dead-on-arrival in the Senate, where Republican leaders are on Trump’s side.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Conservation District is taking registrations for a produce safety training session it’s offering for free to those who bring food from the farm to the consumer. This is the first such class it’s offered, and it’s designed to get those workers compliant with federal requirements. Conservation District Produce Safety Technician Victoria Toney tells WSJM News us a good number of people in Berrien County could use the training.. ...Read Full Story

This is the time of year when tax scams are on the rise. The Michigan Department of Treasury warns scammers are likely to hit at the beginning of the year — right before tax season — so they can get personal information, file fake income tax returns, and steal that money. Spokesperson Ron Leix told Michigan News Network more.. ...Read Full Story

A new failed condition roads policy has been adopted by the Van Buren County Road Commission that has the agency pulverizing and turning into gravel roads that are found not fit to be patched. The road commission tells us it pulverized nine miles of road in 2018 at a cost of about $345,000. It says those were road segments that had failed beyond the point of maintenance. In 2019, seven of those newly-gravel roads will be examined to see if they can be repaved. The Van Buren County Road Commission Board last month adopted the failed road policy after discussing it with township governments. It lays out for staff how to identify a road as failed, and then how the locals affected will be engaged as a decision is made about it. The Van Buren County Road Commission says $1.2 million of its budget in 2017 was spent on fixing potholes. It’s hoping the new policy will help it to be more efficient.. ...Read Full Story

Kinexus has helped to secure a $1.9 million grant for southwest Michigan businesses to train workers. The money comes from the state’s Going Pro Talent Fund to help 43 local employers enhance their staff. Kinexus Director of Business Solutions Jeff Hannan tells WSJM News the money will supplement the cost for more than 1,600 workers to upgrade their skills in the manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality fields.. ...Read Full Story

Several new members of Congress have taken the oath of office, some in the Michigan delegation, but it’s all in the midst of a partial federal government shutdown. President Donald Trump and congressional leaders plan to meet again Friday after a meeting Wednesday did not produce an agreement to end the shutdown. Congressman Dan Kildee, of Flint, doesn’t support building President Donald Trump’s wall.. ...Read Full Story

There’s a new chair in charge of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners. At Thursday’s organizational meeting of the board, Commissioner R. McKinley Elliott — more commonly known as Mac Elliot — was selected as the new chair. He replaces Jon Hinkelman in the post. Hinkelman had been the chair for six years. Elliot tells WSJM News some priorities moving forward are learning how to do more with less in an environment of static revenues and increased costs. He says he wants the county to be more efficient while still remaining an attractive employer in the face of private competition. He doesn’t expect major changes to how the Berrien County Board of Commissioners functions, telling us he’s not very excitable, except when it involves Notre Dame. Named as the county board’s vice chair Thursday was Commissioner Teri Sue Freehling.. ...Read Full Story

Two people had to be freed from the wreckage of their vehicles following a crash in Cass County Wednesday. It happened on M-60 near Calvin Center in Penn Township around 5:30 p.m. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department tells us when deputies arrived, they found the two drivers still trapped in their vehicles. They learned 67-year-old Miguel Guerrero of Stevensville had lost control of his vehicle because of icy conditions. He crossed the center line and crashed head-on into the vehicle of 62-year-old Rebecca Jo Jellison of Cassopolis. The Penn Township Fire Department freed the two drivers from their vehicles, and they were both taken to hospitals. Police have not described the extent of their injuries. The crash remains under investigation.. ...Read Full Story

Baroda-Lake Township police managed to make a drug bust during a traffic stop on I-94 on Wednesday. The Baroda-Lake Township Police Department tells us Officer John Hopkins stopped a vehicle for speeding on westbound 94 near mile marker 17 around 10:30 a.m. and did a search of the car. During the search, he found crack , while an additional search turned up 24 packets of fentanyl. The suspected drugs were taken to the Berrien County Drug Lab, where they were confirmed. The estimated total street value of the drugs is pegged at $2,500. The driver of the vehicle was taken to the Berrien County Jail on charges of possession of fentanyl, possession of crack cocaine, driving on a suspended license, and having a misdemeanor traffic warrant out of Chikaming Township. The 53-year-old male suspect has not been identified.. ...Read Full Story

Two of the suspects in the robbery of the Stevensville Meijer store last month have been arrested. The Lincoln Township Police Department tells us it got a strong lead within the first hour of its investigation of the December 19 incident, and that eventually led to the identification of the three adults and one juvenile involved. Investigators weren’t able to immediately apprehend them because the suspects knew they were being sought. However, on Wednesday of this week, two of the suspects — a woman and the man who had been holding the gun during the robbery — turned themselves in at the Berrien County Courthouse. Police say the weapon used in the robbery turned out to be a CO2 air-soft pistol with no safety markings on it. The names of the suspects are being withheld until they’ve been arraigned. Police were called to the Meijer on Red Arrow Highway in the early morning of December 19 after four suspects — three men and one woman — got away with electronics and other items after being spotted stealing. One of them men pulled a gun on an employee. Lincoln Township police say they got help in the investigation from the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety.. ...Read Full Story

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department is getting a bullet and stab protective vest for one of its K9s thanks to a donation. Vested Interest in K9s, a group that gives police dogs protective vests throughout the country, is helping to provide Kuno with the duds. The vest is sponsored by Jim and Stephanie Balch of Battle Creek, and will be embroidered with the phrase “This gift of protection provided by the Balch Family.” Kuno is expected to get the vest within ten weeks. Vested Interest in K9s has provided more than 3,200 protective vests to police dogs around the nation.. ...Read Full Story

Sold – for $2.5 million. That’s what Muhammad Ali’s 81-acre estate in Berrien Springs went for last month, six months after his widow Lonnie put the property on the market with an asking price of two-million-895-thousand-37 dollars. The $37 at the end were a reference to the number of wins her late husband had by knockout in his career. New York-based Turken Foundation had offered to tack on the extra 37-bucks, but “Crain’s Chicago Business” reports listing agent Tim Mitchell of Cressy & Everett Real Estate says they all decided on the straight-up $2.5 million. The foundation has not revealed what it plans to do with the property along the St. Joseph River. Ali died at the age of 74 on June 3, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he had moved later in life.. ...Read Full Story

A new year brings a new chief of police for Benton Township. With the retirement of former Chief Vince Fetke, Chief Brian Smit started this week. Smit tells WSJM News he’s excited to move up in the department from the role of detective-lieutenant. He’s been with the Benton Township Police Department since 1996, having previously been an officer in Benton Harbor for two years. He says he wants to engage the community so people know him.. ...Read Full Story

A property foreclosure lawsuit headed to the Michigan Supreme Court is being watched closely by county treasurers across the state. That includes Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski, who tells us the results in the Oakland County case could affect Berrien “big time.” The suit is from a Southfield man who lost a property due to an unpaid tax bill of less than $9. Oakland County took the property and then sold it for $24,000. The man says he should get the proceeds that go above the tax bill. Witkowski tells WSJM News he understands, but it’s that extra revenue from foreclosure sales that pay for demolitions of abandoned buildings.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Governor Gretchen Whitmer is directing state employees to immediately report all “imminent” threats to public health, safety or welfare higher up the chain. The Democrat issued her first executive directive Wednesday, a day after taking office. She was joined by employees of the state Department of Environmental Quality, which came under fire for its role in Flint’s water crisis during former Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration. Whitmer says she wants to ensure that state workers are empowered to speak up
“when they feel our public health is at risk.” Her order tells department and agency directors who receive a report to assess whether there is an imminent threat and to report their decision to Whitmer’s chief compliance officer.. ...Read Full Story

By Doug Cunningham. ...Read Full Story

As many federal government employees go without pay because of the partial government shutdown, a market in northern Michigan is pitching in to help U.S. Coast Guard members. The Bayside Market in Traverse City is allowing the Coast Guard to get groceries for free because people have been donating to an account for them.. ...Read Full Story

The legislative goals for new state Representative Pauline Wendzel for northern Berrien County remain unchanged from what she ran on last year.. ...Read Full Story

The first baby born at The BirthPlace at Spectrum Health Lakeland in St. Joseph waited a little while to make his appearance. The hospital says Isai Balcazar was born at 8:58 p.m. on New Year’s Day to Enrique and Itzel Balcazar of Hartford. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and is 18 and three-quarter inches long. The Lakeland Auxiliary kept up the tradition of providing the family with a gift basket full of baby items valued at $100. In the last fiscal year, 1,630 babies were born in St. Joseph and Niles in the Spectrum Health Lakeland system.. ...Read Full Story

Firefighters with South Haven Area Emergency Services began 2019 the same way they ended 2018, battling a house fire. They were called to a house in Geneva Township around 10:15 last night when the homeowner returned to find smoke near a wood burning stove in the basement. By the time firefighters got there, the flames had spread and were shooting through the roof, and a family dog died in the fire. SHAES Chief Ronald Wise tells us water had to be shuttled in to the scene, which made the battle challenging. None of the home’s occupants were hurt.. ...Read Full Story

For those hoping for a hike in the state’s minimum wage at the start of the year as some reports had indicated, there is disappointment. Michigan’s minimum wage will increase by 20¢ an hour, but not until late March. At that point, it will go up to $9.45, up from $9.25, with the boost comes amid political wrangling that’s expected to continue into court.. ...Read Full Story

A group is collecting petition signatures targeting Nestle. Activist Helen Moore tells Michigan News Network they’ll present the signatures to the new Governor Gretchen Whitmer.. ...Read Full Story

A 35-year-old Benton Harbor man is being treated at Spectrum Health Lakeland after being shot several times during an argument at a house party in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day. James Parker-Hersey was immediately taken into surgery upon arrival at the hospital, and his condition is not being disclosed. Benton Harbor Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis says the suspect managed to get away from the scene, which was a house party in the 100 block of Apple Street, before officers arrived. He adds the shooting does not appear to be linked to the murder earlier on New Year’s Eve about two miles away in St. Joseph Township. Benton Harbor Public Safety is urging anyone who knows the identity and location of the suspect to call them or Crime Stoppers.. ...Read Full Story

Divided government is back in Michigan with the inauguration of Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Republicans in the majority of the state House and Senate. In front of the state Capitol on New Year’s Day, the former Michigan Senate Minority Leader took the oath of office and pledged to work with everyone to move the state forward.. ...Read Full Story

By Doug Cunningham. ...Read Full Story

St. Joseph Township police are investigating the New Year’s Eve murder of an active duty soldier. 23-year-old Tyrone Hassell the Third was shot several times at a home in the two-thousand block of Colfax Avenue just after 11 p.m. Monday and died after being taken to Spectrum Health Lakeland. According to his Facebook page, Hassell was a sergeant in the U.S. Army and had attended Grand Valley State University prior to entering the military in 2015. Hassell was home on leave from the military when he was killed. Township police received help from Michigan State Police, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department and Homicide Task Force, and St. Joseph Public Safety, and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is urged to speak up by calling St. Joseph Township police or Crime Stoppers.. ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — In the new year, the Michigan Supreme Court will decide whether counties can continue to hit the jackpot when foreclosing on properties. Counties routinely sell real estate when taxes are long overdue. State law allows them to pocket everything – even if the sales price exceeds the amount of debt. The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether it’s an illegal government taking under the Michigan and U.S. constitutions. Because of a mistake, Uri Rafaeli owed less than $9 on a rental property in Southfield. The bill grew to $285 with penalties and interest. Oakland County sold the house for $24,500 but refused to give him a dime, although the sale
exceeded the overdue taxes. In defense, Oakland County says it didn’t take property. Rather, it claims Rafaeli forfeited it.. ...Read Full Story

A pilot in his 70s is dead after crashing his twin engine plane on Beaver Island in northern Michigan last night. Charlvoix County Sheriff Charles Vondra told Michigan News Network the victim owns a home on the island and may have been heading to southern Michigan.. ...Read Full Story

By Doug Cunningham. ...Read Full Story

A west Michigan man is facing charges for allegedly assaulting a person and destroying property at a Grand Haven church on Sunday. Grand Haven Department of Public Safety Detective Lieutenant Joe Boyle tells us it happened at St. Patrick-St. Anthony’s Church.. ...Read Full Story