The Van Buren County United Way is once again offering to do your taxes for you. The organization’s Vera Sebree tells us trained volunteers will hold several sessions throughout the next few months to fill out taxes for free. It’s a popular program.... [Read Full Story]
Thieves have hit JB Party Store on East Empire in Benton Harbor not once, but twice since the day after Christmas. Both armed robberies resulted in the suspects getting away with what public safety considers a “large amount of cash,” but no exact amount has been released. The most recent robbery was early last Thursday morning, and during that one, one of the suspects actually fired a shot into the ceiling. No one was hurt. Investigators have released surveillance photos of the suspects in the hope someone recognizes them and turns them in to police. Benton Harbor Public Safety officers believe the two robberies on December 26 and January 5 are related.
... [Read Full Story]
With freezing weather now here in southwest Michigan, Van Buren County Animal Control is taking a few extra steps to keep critters safe. The shelter’s Ashley Taylor tells our WSJM News volunteers are driving around the county looking for dogs or cats left outside and offering their owners extra help if they need it.... [Read Full Story]
Newly-elected state Representative Kim LaSata is settling into her Lansing office. WSJM News checked in with her this week, and she told us lawmakers are meeting to set an agenda ahead of next Wednesday’s official start of business. LaSata’s ready to get to work on finding ways to provide more job training around the state.... [Read Full Story]
A program to test Berrien County waterways for E-coli contamination is utilizing dogs to help do the initial detecting. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission’s Marcy Hamilton tells WSJM News the dogs can detect human waste in the water, and from there, the researchers take samples. Getting them helps pinpoint where runoff and leaks are causing the E-coli contamination.... [Read Full Story]
The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is bringing back its Police Athletic League. Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis tells WSJM News PAL was once a great way for police officers to mentor young people in sports leagues.... [Read Full Story]
A newly increased license fee and gas tax will mean about $460 million more for roads in Michigan this year. However, Berrien County Road Commission Managing Director Louis Csokasy tells our newsroom the road package approved in 2015 by the state legislature doesn’t fully take effect until 2021.... [Read Full Story]
State wildlife officials have signed off on Ann Arbor’s plan to kill up to 100 deer and sterilize dozens more. The Ann Arbor News says 11 parks and nature areas will be closed from 3 p.m. to midnight during the 15-day hunt, which starts January 30. The shooting will be performed by sharpshooters from White Buffalo Inc. Ann Arbor wants to reduce the deer population to protect plants and animals and to reduce deer-vehicle crashes. A deer management plan was approved by the city council, 9-2, in November. Mayor Christopher Taylor opposed it, saying the $250,000 cost to manage deer is too expensive. Taylor says the killing of deer in parks “shakes people” and “undermines their sense of home.”... [Read Full Story]
Now that the flu season is here, doctors are once again urging everyone to get a shot. Dr. David Davenport, with Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, tells us the most-prevalent strain of the virus this year is covered by the latest vaccine. Still, he says about 60% of people go unvaccinated.... [Read Full Story]
The Mackinac Center of Public Policy and the ACLU are teaming up to call for the continued reform of Michigan’s civil forfeiture laws. The Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup tells WSJM News reforms made in 2015 have helped to reign in, to a degree, how and when often the police can seize property during a criminal investigation. However, he thinks more needs to be done.... [Read Full Story]
The Michigan Secretary of State will ask people applying for a driver’s license if they want to sign up to be an organ donor under legislation signed this week by Governor Rick Snyder. The plan was introduced by State Senator John Proos. He says although 90% of Americans support organ donation, only about 30% of adults nationwide have actually signed up as donors. The plan is known as Lauren’s Law, named after Lauren Shields, who at age 9 was placed on life support while waiting for a heart transplant which she did eventually get. Lauren’s Law was brought to Proos’ attention by John Grinnell, a kidney transplant recipient from Niles.... [Read Full Story]
U.S. employers added 156,000 jobs in December, capping a year of slower but solid hiring. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.7%. Michigan News Network Business editor Murray Feldman tells us Michigan is helping to lead the way with health care jobs.... [Read Full Story]
More than 15 months after Flint’s water emergency broke open, Governor Rick Snyder has signed the first policy bill stemming from the man-made crisis. The governor signed legislation in Flint Friday requiring utilities to more quickly warn water customers if there is too much lead. The deadline is being cut to three business days instead of 30 days. Snyder and lawmakers previously allocated hundreds of millions of dollars toward the crisis. Residents continue drinking either filtered tap water or
bottled water. The last round of testing showed the 90th percentile of lead concentrations in Flint was 8 parts per billion, below the “action level” of 15 parts per billion. Experts will assess the water at a summit in Chicago next week, but the state
says no major announcements are expected.... [Read Full Story]
Western Michigan University is looking for a new football coach. PJ Fleck is leaving to take the head coach job at the University of Minnesota, and WMU Athletics Director Kathy Beauregard says she’s confident they can get a top notch leader, despite recruits signing letters of intent soon.... [Read Full Story]
Congressman Fred Upton has received his latest committee assignment. He’s going to serve as the chair of the House Subcommittee on Energy. The subcommittee, which is under the umbrella of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, works to shape the nation’s energy policy. Upton tells us Michigan has been a leader in promoting 21st century policies when it comes to energy, and he wants to do the same on the federal level. Upton has been replaced as the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee by Congressman Greg Walden, of Oregon. Walden just gave Upton his new assignment Friday, while praising Upton for the work he did as Energy and Commerce Chair.... [Read Full Story]
Newly-elected state Representative Kim LaSata is settling into her Lansing office. WSJM News checked in with her this week, and she told us lawmakers are meeting to set an agenda ahead of next Wednesday’s official start of business. LaSata’s ready to get to work on finding ways to provide more job training around the state.... [Read Full Story]
With freezing weather now here in southwest Michigan, Van Buren County Animal Control is taking a few extra steps to keep critters safe. The shelter’s Ashley Taylor tells our WSJM News volunteers are driving around the county looking for dogs or cats left outside and offering their owners extra help if they need it.... [Read Full Story]
If you’re a fan of fine beers, there will be something for you to do in St. Joseph this month. Set for the 28th is the second annual Winter Beer Fest. St. Joe Today’s Tess Carragher tells WSJM News they’ll have 15 regional breweries on hand letting everyone try samples.... [Read Full Story]
More snow in December helped to make Berrien County parks busier places. Parks Director Brian Bailey tells WSJM News the most popular thing to do at the inland parks in the winter is cross country skiing, and in December, Love Creek County Park saw a good number of visitors.... [Read Full Story]
Michigan’s governor has declared a state of emergency for a county north of Detroit following the collapse of a massive sewage line that – so far – has caused a football field-sized sinkhole. The disaster declaration was made Friday by Governor Rick Snyder and makes state resources available to Macomb County and communities affected by the sewer collapse. It follows a similar determination by Macomb County’s executive. The sewer collapse was discovered Christmas Eve after a family in Fraser awoke to find their home sinking. That house and two others have been condemned. Families in 19 other homes were
evacuated after water and gas services were cut. Snyder’s office says there is a threat of widespread and severe damage to 11
communities, a military base and more than 200,000 homes.... [Read Full Story]
Vice President Joe Biden is expected to stop in Michigan and Illinois next week, part of a three-state tour in his final days in office. The White House announced Friday that Biden will deliver remarks Tuesday in Detroit at an event for Motor City Match. It’s a grant program to help entrepreneurs. Biden will also travel Tuesday to Chicago, where President Barack Obama is
expected to deliver his farewell address. Obama is planning to give the evening speech at McCormick Place, a convention center in his hometown. Earlier in the week, Biden is expected to travel to California with stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco.... [Read Full Story]
You’ll soon be able to go faster – legally – on some highways in Michigan. Governor Snyder has signed legislation to let Michigan people drive faster on at least 1,500 miles of rural highways as long as safety studies say the higher speed limits are OK.... [Read Full Story]
(Lansing, MI – AP) – It’s likely to be harder to sue local governments in Michigan over a fall on a defective sidewalk. Governor Rick Snyder this week signed a law that gives local governments some extra protection: the so-called open-and-obvious defense that’s long been available to private businesses.... [Read Full Story]
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow says she will vote against Betsy DeVos as the next head of the U.S. Education Department. The Michigan Democrat says she talked to DeVos. Stabenow says DeVos’ support for charter schools has “seriously undermined public education” in the state. DeVos, the former head of the Michigan Republican Party, is in favor of giving parents more education options. Her husband, Dick DeVos, started a charter high school in the Grand Rapids area that focuses on aviation and engineering. He also ran unsuccessfully for governor of Michigan against Jennifer Granholm in 2006.... [Read Full Story]
Flint area Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee doesn’t oppose everything President-elect Donald Trump has suggested. For example, he’s all for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. Kildee tells us Canada and Mexico should agree to tougher environmental standards. Trump promised to renegotiate NAFTA when he stumped in Michigan, but Kildee says we need real action.... [Read Full Story]
Shadowland on Silver Beach has been recognized as one of the best venues for a wedding in Michigan by TheKnot.com. The Knot, which is a wedding site, added Shadowland to its “Best of Weddings” list, which recommends vendors soon-to-be-married couples should hire for their big day. It’s the only venue in southwest Michigan to show up there. Shadowland tells us The Knot looked at nearly a million reviews as it compiled the Best of Weddings list. This is the fifth year Shadowland has been on it.... [Read Full Story]
When it’s this cold outside, health experts recommend you avoid spending time outside unless you have to. The Berrien County Health Department’s Gillian Conrad tells our newsroom if you’re outside, it’s important to take care with what you’re wearing. Make sure your boots are water-resistant.... [Read Full Story]
A conservative Republican state Senator from Macomb County, Jack Brandenburg, wants to eliminate the state income tax. Michigan News Network Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick says it would not be a gradual roll-back of the income tax rate, but rather a complete elimination of it all at once.... [Read Full Story]
It’s been a busy week for Beth Griffin. The new 66th District state Representative is settling into Lansing and preparing to get to work with the rest of the legislature next Wednesday, when they get sworn in. Griffin tells us she’s been hearing from just about everyone job creation is key. Also important, getting training to workers.... [Read Full Story]
Detroit’s overall violent crime numbers are declining, but police admit they have more work to do. Detroit Police Chief James Craig says more community support and higher officer morale are helping to cut down on crime in the city.... [Read Full Story]
