News

(Lansing, MI – AP) – The state says Michigan’s unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in February, while the number of people entering the job market continued to grow. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget said the rate rose from 5.2% in January and compared with a national February jobless rate of 4.7%. Last month’s jobless rate in Michigan was three-tenths of a percentage point higher than the state’s year-ago rate of 5.0%. The agency says the state’s workforce rose by 23,000 during February, with increases in both total employment by 17,000 jobs and in unemployed workers by 7,000. It says February marked the second consecutive monthly jobless rate increase in Michigan and continued an upward trend from a low of 4.8% last May and June.... ...Read Full Story

Housing prices are down a bit in Michigan’s Great Southwest. The latest monthly report from the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors notes February’s average selling price dropped 22% from January, while the median price of $114,000 was down 20%. When compared to last year, the prices are higher by 7% for the average price and 4% for the median price. There were 187 houses sold in Berrien County and the western parts of Cass and Van Buren counties last month, a drop of 7 homes from a year ago. Houses are spending fewer days on the market, however, with it taking an average of 116 days for a home to sell compared to 131 days in February 2016.... ...Read Full Story

You can count state Senator John Proos as a fan of the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline. He tells us he’s introduced a resolution in the state Senate calling on the president and the U.S. secretary of state to approve it. Proos says the Keystone pipeline will give the country access to conflict-free Canadian oil.... ...Read Full Story

Captain Scott Kelly is the latest guest to appear before the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan. The retired NASA astronaut addressed the crowd at the Mendel Center Wednesday night, reflecting on what he learned during his more than one year in space and throughout his military career. He said that he’s marveled at the International Space Station, reflecting on all the work some 15 nations put into constructing it in seemingly-impossible conditions.... ...Read Full Story

You can now submit applications to the United Way of Southwest Michigan for its annual Volunteer Recognition Event, set for July. Spokesperson Ryan Cheevers tells WSJM News they gather each year to give out awards to young people, organizations, and also those with a long track record of service.... ...Read Full Story

Congress will likely be hammering out a federal budget all the way through the summer, according to Congressman Fred Upton. He tells our newsroom President Trump’s proposal to eliminate the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Meals on Wheels, AmeriCorps, and other popular programs should not be regarded as etched in stone just yet. Meals on Wheels, for example, is something Upton thinks Congress will preserve.... ...Read Full Story

The high school drop-out rate in Michigan is continuing its decline. Lauren Leeds, with the Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information, tells WSJM News the trend for several years has been positive.... ...Read Full Story

State Representative Beth Griffin, of Mattawan, is introducing legislation that directs Michigan’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission to develop a new curriculum for high school students about the dangers of opioids. Griffin says young people should know not to overuse prescribed medications.... ...Read Full Story

There’s a new board chair in place at Honor Credit Union. At a meeting this week, former Honor CU Board Chair Larry Olson stepped down and handed the gavel to Mimi Elwell. Olson has served on the Honor Credit Union Board as a volunteer for more than 40 years, with his most recent tenure as chair beginning in 2007. He’ll now serve in the vice chair role. Elwell started with Honor CU in 1980 as the chair of the Supervisory Committee. She has served the last eight years as secretary of the board, and Honor CEO Scott McFarland says if anyone can fill Larry Olson’s shoes, it’s her. During Olson’s tenure, Honor Credit Union, which used to be known as Berrien Teachers Credit Union, has grown to be a more than $700 million operation. The credit union also serves 60,000 members across the state of Michigan.... ...Read Full Story

Coming up next week is a hospitality jobs fair at Lake Michigan College. Organized by Kinexus, the fair will include more than 50 employers in the hospitality industry seeking to hire people right now. Kinexus Director of Business and Industry Alex Grumbine tells WSJM News hospitality is a huge employer in the region.... ...Read Full Story

AMBER Alert is being issued for Burton Police Department. Child#1: Arinna Buning, white female, Age 2, brown hair, hazel eyes, 3 foot tall, 28. Pounds, wearing a  pink coat purple pants and blue snow boots. Child#2: Lincoln Buning, white male, 9 months, brown hair, blue eyes, 2 feet tall, 22. Pounds, wearing footy pajamas with truck on them. Suspect: is a black male, 5 foot 10 inches, 300. Pounds, wearing red hoodie sweater and is heavy set. Vehicle is a  Blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Michigan Registration of DKZ4121 last seen travelling east on Schumacher St. from the Admiral Gas Station located at 4232 S Saginaw St. in  Burton. Please contact Burton Police Department at 810-742-2542 or dial -911 to report any information on this abduction.  you can also Visit amberalertmichigan.org for more Information.... ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor is among the best places in the country in which to retire early, according to at least one report. A study from Magnify Money published this month takes a look at factors including the cost of living, the quality of life, and employability when determining where early retirees might like to live. In general, it finds the lowest cost of living to be in the Midwest or the south, although the best quality of life is in the northeast. When factoring all of those things together, Magnify Money says Benton Harbor ties with Sherman, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee in second place for best place to retire early. In first place is Knoxville, Tennessee, while the worst place to retire early, according to the study is Arlington, Virginia. You can see the full report right here.... ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Michigan officials are taking applications from owners of forest land who would like to enroll their property in a program that shields it permanently from development. Michigan’s Forest Legacy Program uses federal and matching funds to protect
environmentally important woodlands in certain areas. That could mean buying the property and converting it to public ownership. Other arrangements involve leaving the land in private hands and paying the owner to make sure it stays protected. Some owners might also get tax benefits for limiting the future use of their property. Kerry Wieber of the Department of Natural Resources says the legacy program is
important for preserving wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. Applications are due by June 16. Additional information is posted online.... ...Read Full Story

Wednesday brings the 11th annual Chili Cook Off and Walk in Buchanan. Randy Hendrixson, with the chamber of commerce, tells WSJM News 31 chilies will compete for three awards as folks walk around the downtown and sample them. They’re made by all sorts of locals.... ...Read Full Story

A report from Crain’s Detroit Business finds Michigan has ranked fourth in the nation for power outages over the last six years, despite ranking tenth in population. Judy Palnau, with the Michigan Public Service Commission, tells WSJM News there are a few reasons why we’re so often in the dark, and one of them is infrastructure.... ...Read Full Story

A Niles-based metal stamping company seeking to expand into Benton Township has been granted a tax break to make it possible. Modineer is looking to locate its coating division in the township, creating 21 new jobs. Township trustees approved the tax abatement on Tuesday. Modineer has been working for several months with Cornerstone Alliance on the project, and it’s also seeking some state help. Cornerstone says it appreciates the township’s support in helping to keep the company in Berrien County.... ...Read Full Story

Southwest Michigan grape growers still have another nervous month ahead of them. That’s because of all this warmer-than-usual weather. MSU Extension’s Brad Baughman tells WSJM News the crop could be in trouble if it stays warm for a while and then gets cold again suddenly.... ...Read Full Story

Lawmakers met in Lansing Tuesday to discuss eliminating the state’s twice annual time change. Jada Paisley, with the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association, told them eliminating Daylight Saving Time would have a negative effect on her industry.... ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — The rusty patched bumblebee is officially an endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the designation took effect Tuesday, making the rusty patched bumblebee the first bee species in the continental U.S. to receive federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Advocates say the bee has disappeared from about 90 percent of its range in the past 20 years. Bees are crucial for pollinating crops and wild plants. The listing was announced in January and had been scheduled to take effect February 10. But the Trump administration ordered a last-minute review and postponed the listing until Tuesday. Some environmentalists had feared the designation
could be canceled. The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit over the delay, saying it had been ordered without required public notice and comment.... ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Governor Rick Snyder has written letters to every member of Michigan’s congressional delegation to warn how House Republicans’ health care legislation would “adversely impact” the state’s most vulnerable residents. The Republican governor’s letter, dated Tuesday, says the debate has largely focused on people participating in the expanded Medicaid program. But he says half of all Michigan children are served by the traditional Medicaid program, which would also be affected by the bill. Snyder says the legislation would shift financial risk to state taxpayers, and he is concerned it would also lead to “significant cost increases” on older residents who buy insurance in the individual market. The House is scheduled to vote on the bill Thursday. Nine of Michigan’s 14 House members are Republicans. Democrats plan to oppose the legislation.... ...Read Full Story

The two anglers who drowned in Keeler Lake over the weekend have been identified. According to Michigan State Police, the victims were 45-year-old Douglas McIntyre of Decatur and 64-year-old Robert Novick of Illinois. The two died at separate hospitals. Their boat overturned Saturday, and they were found about 75 yards offshore.... ...Read Full Story

A retired Kellogg Corporation vice president is said to be eyeing a run for Congress in Michigan’s 6th Congressional District. Lansing’s MIRS News reports George Franklin is considering running against Congressman Fred Upton if the St. Joseph Republican decides not to seek another term in the House. It’s not known if Franklin would run for the seat if Upton decides to run for the U.S. Senate against Debbie Stabenow, which has been rumored previously in MIRS reports, but so far denied by the congressman. Franklin has contributed to Upton’s campaigns in the past. He would run as a Democrat if he gets into the race, and has the support of former Congressman and one-time Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mark Schauer.... ...Read Full Story

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department is crediting the cable barrier in the median on I-94 with preventing what could have been a very bad accident Monday afternoon. Deputies say the driver of a semi fell asleep just before 1 p.m. and crashed at full speed into the barrier near the 58 mile marker west of Paw Paw. 37-year-old Lane Halter of Ohio was cited for reckless driving. His rig destroyed 45 cable barrier posts, and got entangled in the cables as they are intended to do. The sheriff’s department says had he not been stopped by the barrier, the results “could have been catastrophic.” Halter was not hurt.... ...Read Full Story

A southwest Michigan teenager will be returning home soon after being found in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University. Michigan State Police issued an Endangered Missing Advisory yesterday for 16-year-old Joy Dene Martin of Fennville, and say she was located safe and sound last night. Martin had left home voluntarily on Saturday, taking a Greyhound bus to meet up with someone she had been talking to over the internet using the KIK messenger app. Investigators have not released any information about who Martin had taken off to meet.... ...Read Full Story

A committee of the Benton Harbor City Commission will soon take a look at how much the city manager should be allowed to spend before getting permission from the full body. On Monday, commissioners were asked to amend a 1950s ordinance setting the spending limit at $1,000. They’re being asked to raise it to $5,000. City Manager Darwin Watson tells WSJM News all kinds of things the city has to purchase on a routine basis exceed the $1,000.... ...Read Full Story

From the Associated Press — Isaiah Livers of Kalamazoo Central has been named Mr. Basketball for the state of Michigan. Livers, who has signed to play at Michigan for the Wolverines next season, edged Xavier Tillman of Grand Rapids Christian in voting by members of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan. The Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award is given to the state’s top senior by the coaches group in conjunction with the Detroit Free Press. Schram covered high school sports for the Free Press for over 40 years. Past winners of the award include Chris Webber, Glen Rice, Shane Battier and Jason Richardson. Livers averaged 17.5 points and 14 rebounds per game during the regular season. Kalamazoo Central faces Grand Rapids Christian on Tuesday in a Class A quarterfinal.... ...Read Full Story

Should Benton Harbor City Commissioners be paid more for all the meetings they attend? That question could soon be decided by the city’s compensation commission, now that the process of setting it up has begun. At a Monday meeting, city commissioners approved an appointment to the five-member body, which has not met since the mid-2000s. Mayor Marcus Muhammad tells WSJM News us he thought the matter should be discussed, and this gets the ball rolling.... ...Read Full Story

If you’ve been putting off your taxes because you don’t want to deal with the paperwork headache, there could be a place for you to turn for help. Every year, hundreds of IRS-certified volunteers help people file their taxes for free in Michigan. Marshall Hunt, with the Accounting Aid Society of Detroit, tells us you can just call 211 to get hooked up with someone who won’t steer you wrong. He notes there are some tax preparers you want to avoid.... ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Transportation has begun a culvert replacement project in Three Oaks. The work on the US-12 culvert over Deer Creek started Monday, and will be wrapped up in July. MDOT’s Nick Schirripa tells WSJM News traffic will be affected.... ...Read Full Story