The Michigan director for Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign is running to lead the state Republican Party. Scott Hagerstrom announced his bid Friday. Current chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel is planning to run again but is also under consideration by Trump to
head the Republican National Committee. Hagerstrom says Michigan has made “great strides” under GOP leadership, but “taxes are still too high, government is still too big, and Michigan families still feel left behind.” Four of Trump’s six Michigan campaign co-chairs announced their support for McDaniel Thursday. Republicans will elect the next chair at their February convention. Trump leads Democrat Hillary Clinton in unofficial returns. He would become the first Republican presidential nominee to win Michigan in 28 years. The state has until November 28 to make the results official.... [Read Full Story]
Ford Motor Company and UAW-Ford are investing $6 million in the $50 million expansion of the Motown Museum in Detroit. The investment by the automaker and its collaboration with United Auto Workers members will fund a state-of-the-art performance center and other programming. Museum officials have said the expansion will create space for interactive exhibits at the Detroit tourist attraction. It will be designed and built around the existing museum, which includes the Motown studio with its “Hitsville U.S.A.” facade. Designers and architects are collaborating on details of the expanded space. The museum is located in the house where record company founder Berry Gordy launched his cultural and commercial music empire. The label started in 1959 and scores of stars and hits were created before Motown moved to California in 1972.... [Read Full Story]
In this week’s WSJM Week in Review, for November 18, 2016, a time capsule from Mercy Hospital is opened, St. Joseph has a new Public Safety director, and more.... [Read Full Story]
An 81-year-old Berrien Center man has been killed in an accident in Berrien Township. Lieutenant Steve Campbell of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department tells WSJM News Robert Froehlich pulled his pickup out in front of another pickup truck on Old US-31 from Dean’s Hill Road Friday morning. After the two trucks collided, Froehlich got out and was inspecting the damage when he was hit by a Toyota driven by 30-year-old Jennifer Garrett of Berrien Springs. Neither Garrett nor the other pickup driver, James Ferguson of Berrien Springs, were hurt. Froehlich was pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash, which remains under investigation. Lt. Campbell says their report will be submitted to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department for review once it’s complete.... [Read Full Story]
The annual Candle-light Christmas Parade in Dowagiac is set for next month, and a local man who’s done a lot to collect money for the needy will be honored with a spot as its grand marshal. Jim Allen has headed up the Feed the Hungry campaign in Dowagiac since 2010, helping to raise more than $75,000 in that time. He’ll be in unit 3 during the December 2 event, riding in a limo. Organizers say that during November and December each year, Allen can be seen going door to door to local businesses drumming up support, and they just wanted to thank him. The Candle-light Christmas Parade steps off at 7 p.m. on Friday December 2 at Front and Main Streets. The day will also feature the annual tree-lighting ceremony.... [Read Full Story]
This are going well for the 97-5 Y Country radio crew this week. They’ve been hanging out at Roger’s foodland in St. Joseph collecting food donations as part of the 20th annual Stuff a Truck drive, and so far have filled six trucks with items for the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency. That’s not to mention the more than $3,100 they’ve raised. However, it’s not over. The crew will be there again live Friday and Saturday taking donations from folks. Just stop by between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, or between 8 and 10 a.m. Saturday to give. Food pantries could use the help this time of year.... [Read Full Story]
Economists at the University of Michigan say in an annual forecast that they think the U.S. unemployment rate will stay below 5 percent next year. Five researchers at the university’s Department of Economics put out the report Thursday. They say they found a tightening U.S. labor market with a national economy forecast to add 3.7 million more jobs over the next two years. That’s a slower pace than over the last two years. But they say the predicted falling unemployment rate should help part-time workers who want full-time jobs. The researchers say they believe new light vehicle sales may have peaked and will slow gradually. They say that’s because their analysis found young adults own fewer vehicles because they can’t afford to own detached single-family homes.... [Read Full Story]
Police departments in southwest Michigan are hoping to build a sense of trust and mutual understanding with citizens. That’s why a forum organized by Advocates And Leaders For Police And Community Trust — or, ALPACT — was held Thursday night in Benton Harbor. Retired Michigan State Police Captain Harold Love gave a presentation on the long-term stresses police officers face.... [Read Full Story]
Set for this weekend is the 6th annual Kids Christmas Carnival at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center. The event, partly sponsored by Mid-West Family Broadcasting, will feature all kinds of fun, says 98-3 The Coast’s Stef Williams.... [Read Full Story]
Police could use your help in figuring out who stole as much as $15,000 worth of wire from two businesses in Allegan County. The thefts happened in late October, and then again very recently. Both were at rural-area businesses about five miles from Allegan. The suspect drove a quad to get to them and made off with heavy gauge electrical wire. Police think the person must have knowledge of how electrical systems work, and say the stolen wire is about 2 inches thick with the copper core being about a half inch. Scrappers should watch out for it. Anyone with information on the suspect is responsible should call the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department.... [Read Full Story]
Don’t veer for deer. That’s AAA of Michigan’s message this month, as the prime time for car-deer crashes is now here. AAA spokesperson Susan Hiltz tells WSJM News when deer are on the move, you should know what to do if one runs in front of your car.... [Read Full Story]
Benton Harbor will light up Friday night to welcome the holiday season. A special program is planned for 6 p.m. at City Center Park for the third year in a row, as a Christmas tree and other decorations come to life. Downtown Development Authority President Richard Hensel tells WSJM News the whole downtown will be decorated.... [Read Full Story]
Women in Michigan are smoking while pregnant at a higher rate than just a few years ago. The Michigan League for Public Policy released data Thursday showing an 18% jump in pregnancy smoking since 2008. The organization’s Alicia Guevara Warren tells us efforts to prevent smoking need to be boosted among pregnant women and the young.... [Read Full Story]
St. Joseph High School is saluting area veterans. For the third year, the school’s Student Senate has held their annual veterans breakfast to say thank you around the Veterans Day holiday. Mia Altholz is the Student Senate President and talked to WSJM News about the meaning of the event.... [Read Full Story]
The winner of this season’s American League Cy Young Award is former Detroit Tiger Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox. Porcello led the American League in wins with 22 wins. There are a lot of fans upset by the vote, notably the supermodel girlfriend of Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander. St. Joseph native Kate Upton took to Twitter to rip the Baseball Writers of America for Verlander’s second-place finish, saying quote “Hey MLB I thought I was the only one who could (expletive deleted) Justin Verlander” and noting he had the most first-place votes. To add more salt to the wound for Detroit fans, the National League Cy Young winner was another former Tiger, Washington’s Max Scherzer.... [Read Full Story]
If you happen to be in the Grand Rapids area soon, Celebration Cinema locations there are taking turkey donations. Mel Trotter Ministries CEO Dennis VanKampen tells us they hoping to get lots of donations at Celebrations North and South.... [Read Full Story]
Media companies continue being squeezed by declining readership and ad revenues. Michigan News Network Business Editor Murray Feldman says newspapers have lost a third of their readers in the past three years, as more adults are getting their news off the web.... [Read Full Story]
The weather this winter is expected to be colder and snowier than usual. WNDU Meteorologist Mike Hoffman tells WSJM News not to be fooled by the warm fall we’ve been having.... [Read Full Story]
Downtown St. Joseph will be all lit up this Friday night as the 22nd annual Luminary Festival is held. St. Joe Today’s Brian Smith tells us everyone will hit the shopping district as around 1,000 luminaries are lit out on the sidewalk. You can make a whole night of it.... [Read Full Story]
The Southwest Michigan Association of Realtors has collected more than $5,500 and 130 bags filled with personal items for kids in the foster system with the 10th annual Suitcases for Kids drive. The association’s Meryl Greene tells us many kids in the system are thrust into a new place with nothing of their own.... [Read Full Story]
The Rev. Jesse Jackson says voting needs to be more accessible for Americans in future elections. His comments came Wednesday in Ann Arbor, where he’s being honored at the University of Michigan for his decades of fighting for civil rights. Jackson, who campaigned in Michigan several times for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, says making it easier to vote is important in promoting bottom-up change. The Detroit News reports Jackson says: “It’s the tug of war for the soul of America.” Jackson also noted the polarization of the presidential campaign that led to Republican Donald Trump being elected president, calling it “straight-out racist, xenophobic, misogynist.” Jackson is delivering the keynote address Wednesday afternoon at Rackham Auditorium during a series of events at the university in his honor.... [Read Full Story]
Staff from 97-5 Y Country radio are out at Roger’s Foodland in St. Joseph all week, collecting food as part of the 20th annual Stuff a Truck drive. As of Wednesday afternoon, they’d stuffed a 23-foot truck 3 times and were well on their way to the fourth. Y Country’s Matt Malone tells us the donations stay local.... [Read Full Story]
A class-action lawsuit potentially affecting tens of thousands of people in the Flint water disaster will go to a local court, not miles away to federal court. A federal appeals court made the decision Wednesday, affirming a ruling by a federal judge in Ann Arbor. An engineering company, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, is being sued over its work at the Flint water treatment plant. Residents accuse the company of failing to
ensure that the plant would be equipped to treat Flint River water for corrosion. The corrosive water caused lead to leach from old plumbing and fixtures, contaminating Flint’s water supply. Lockwood, Andrews denies that it’s responsible for the problem. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court says it’s a “local controversy” that belongs in Genesee County.... [Read Full Story]
Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley has signed legislation he says provides people facing mental health issues with access to intervention and treatment earlier. The bill enacted Wednesday updates “Kevin’s Law,” a series of underutilized laws passed in 2004 that authorized courts and community mental health agencies to use assistant outpatient treatment programs instead of hospitalization for people who don’t comply with prescribed treatment. The legislation, which takes effect in February, will let a family member petition for involuntary treatment earlier. It makes people’s impaired judgment a factor in determining if they should receive involuntary treatment, and not just their behavior. Calley says expanded treatment options “will help address the root cause of the problem while also reducing many avoidable law enforcement situations.”... [Read Full Story]
The anchor of a once-mighty Great Lakes steamship is back above water for the first time in six decades. Crews raised the Greater Detroit’s anchor, all 6,000 pounds of it, on Tuesday. Three divers from the Great Lakes Maritime Institute braved the 47-degree water temperature, descending 20 feet to the bottom of the Detroit River and attaching cables to the massive hunk of metal. A barge fitted with a crane then hauled it
up. Once cleaned and restored, the anchor will be displayed at the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority downtown. After commercial airline travel and modern freeways ended the usefulness of luxury steamships, the 536-foot Greater Detroit was scrapped and its anchor cut.
The sidewheel steamer was towed to Lake St. Clair where it was burned in 1956 prior to being scrapped.... [Read Full Story]
The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department and Michigan State Police are investigating a fatal crash between a semi and a pedestrian in Niles Township. 71-year-old Connie Brown was hit and killed while crossing South 11th Street near Stateline Road shortly before 9 last night. Police say there are no street lights in the area, and Brown was wearing dark clothing. The truck that hit her was hauling mail from Detroit to South Bend and was driven by a suburban Detroit man.... [Read Full Story]
Conservationists are hoping the changing political climate won’t mean that decades of work to protect natural beauty and habitat will be undone. The same bipartisan approach to preserving public lands and wildlife refuges is needed now after the presidential election, says Collin O’Mara, CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.... [Read Full Story]
With hunting season underway, Consumers Energy is reminding all those folks who head into the woods to remember its own property is off limits. Spokesperson Roger Morgenstern tells our newsroom hunting on company property could mean damaged equipment or hurt workers. Pay attention to where you go.... [Read Full Story]
A longtime employee of the city of South Haven has announced he’s running for mayor. Paul VandenBosch tells us he wants to be mayor so he can continue utility reconstruction, implement rental regulations, and provide better customer service. VandenBosche, who is retired, has previously served as South Haven’s assistant city manager, and a harbormaster. He tells our newsroom his goal is to be responsive to the city’s citizens.... [Read Full Story]
