BERRIEN COUNTY

A 15-year-old girl who said she was going to California with friends when her parents moved back to Michigan is still listed as missing 42 years later.

A bike trail from New Buffalo in southwest Michigan to Chicago is set to open in 2026.

A southwestern Michigan man suspected of domestic violence has died after being struck by a police stun gun and arrested in a wooded area.

Documents detail drug trafficking and firearm crime allegations from a Benton Harbor, Michigan investigation that led to charges against 11 men.

The FBI is searching for a 23-year-old Grand Rapids man who is among 11 men facing drug and firearm charges.

A Michigan cold case that dates back to 1987 was solved earlier this year, and Western Michigan University students played a major role in cracking the case.

The work to replace aging lead water service lines in Benton Harbor is almost complete.

A Michigan resident contracted swine flu after coming into contact with swine during a county fair on the state’s west side, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Investigators were working to identify the person whose body was pulled from Lake Michigan after being spotted about 12 miles from shore.

Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start your day.

A man killed in a Berrien County crash has gone unidentified for 20 years.

An angler from Hobart, Indiana caught a new state-record flathead catfish while fishing in Berrien County, Michigan.

Four Indiana juveniles have been pulled from the waters off a Lake Michigan beach in Southwestern Michigan.

A 39-year-old woman has been struck and killed by a vehicle while trying to cross a southwestern Michigan road in a wheelchair.

A murder cold case out of Southwestern Michigan had gone unsolved for 35 years -- that is, until a group of Western Michigan University students got involved.

An Indiana man has been sentenced to decades in prison in connection with a 1987 murder in Southwestern Michigan, effectively closing what was once a cold case.

Free blood lead testing is being offered to Benton Harbor residents next week.

Volunteers and other community members gathered at the Brotherhood of All Nations church in Benton Harbor to distribute water bottles.

The city of Benton Harbor is in the midst of a lead water crisis and it’s now getting national attention.

Here are the races and issues that will appear on local ballots for the Aug. 3, 2021 Primary Election in Michigan.

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. – A large barn fire killed multiple animals Thursday morning in Berrien County. According to authorities, the Chikaming Township Fire Department were called to the fire at about 5:30 a.m.Fire crews were able to save two horses, two goats and some of the chickens, but some chickens, a peacock and four llamas -- including three babies -- were killed by the fire. “By the time we were able to do anything, it was so totally involved there was absolutely no way that anybody could go inside to try to get the other animals out,” said fire chief Mike Davidson. “It had too much of a head start on us.”The cause of the fire is under investigation, but authorities believe no foul play is involved.

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s Air Quality Division has released its Annual Air Quality Report for 2019. The overall air quality improved across Michigan in 2019, according to the report. The report focuses on information for specific pollutants, including those with National Ambient Air Quality Standards and toxic air contaminants, air quality trends, and an overview of the air monitoring network. A nonattainment area is considered to have air quality worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. View the full report below:More information on the Air Quality Division’s annual program activities can be found in the Year End Air Quality Program Report or at Michigan.gov/Air.

NILES, Mich. – The Michigan State Police department is reminding residents to not text and drive after a distracted driver was involved in a multiple-vehicle collision Monday. The crash was captured by a MSP trooper’s dashcam near Niles, on Michigan’s southwest side. According to the National Highway Trafic Safety Administration, distracted driving killed nearly 3,000 people in 2018 -- 1,730 drivers, 605 passengers, 400 pedestrians and 77 bicyclists -- and injured about 400,000 people. Click below link to learn more.https://t.co/nZ4evR3dOU pic.twitter.com/LOiMET1Iyo — MSPSouthwestMI (@MspSouthwestMI) November 23, 2020A Plymouth high school student is getting national attention for a project spotlighting the dangers of distracted driving. With the support of Students Against Destructive Decisions and Lear Corporation, students across the nation were invited to create videos and memes to drive the message home.

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. A 45-year-old man was found dead in the the Saint Joseph River in Berrien County on Sunday, WOOD-TV reports. According to police the man jumped into the river to save a child from drowning on June 19 and was not seen since. The man was found Sunday a half mile from where he went missing in the river, the Berrien County Sheriffs Office said. His identity has not been released. Officials say an autopsy will take place at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of Medicine.

NILES, Mich. – A tattoo shop in west Michigan had its license pulled because piercing equipment was not being sterilized. The equipment at Paparazzi Tattoos and Piercing in Niles was only being sanitized. Anyone who has been a customer at the shop is urged to get blood tests to check for HIV and hepatitis B and C.The shop will remain closed until inspectors confirm changes have been made.

BRIDGMAN, Mich. – Michigan State Police say a trooper was injured when a suspect’s car struck the officer as the driver sped away from a traffic stop. The suspect’s vehicle continued east on I-94 in southwestern Michigan, with police in pursuit, before exiting in Bridgman and getting onto westbound lanes of I-94. Police say the Jeep Cherokee then struck a tractor-trailer and rolled before striking a second tractor-trailer. The Jeep Cherokee’s driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated, fleeing and eluding police and resisting/obstructing police. Police say the driver and three passengers are all from the Chicago area.

Several counties in Michigan will undergo aerial treatment to combat Eastern equine encephalitis, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Three more EEE animal cases have been confirmed, with Allegan and Livingston counties impacted. The counties slated for treatment include area 3-1 in Berrien County, area 5-2 in Cass County and areas 12-2 and 12-3 in St. Joseph County. Additional treatment will begin in areas 13-1, 5-1 and 12-1, which encompass parts of Van Buren, Cass and St. Joseph counties. As of Sunday, EEE has been confirmed in nine people and three people have died in Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

HAGAR TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Officials say they've reopened old animal control facilities in southwestern Michigan as they care for nearly 80 dogs and cats that were removed from a filthy home. Berrien County Animal Control Director Tiffany Peterson says floors at the home in Hagar Township were "mushy" due to urine and feces when authorities went there this week, and in all they found 66 dogs and 11 cats. Radio station WSJM reports a woman was living at the home. The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reports the county's old animal control buildings in Berrien Center were vacated in 2016 when new $4 million facilities in Benton Township were opened, but the county held on to the property. Peterson says many of the animals likely will be put up for adoption.

Tommy Richards, 49, raped and killed 10-year-old Shimika Hicks in Berrien County in 1987. He then placed her body in garbage bags and dumped it in an abandoned harbor lot. Richards was sentenced to life in prison without parole, the Herald Palladium reported. Richards expressed remorse for his crime during Thursday's hearing before Berrien County Trial Court Judge Angela Pasula. "I want you to do whatever you have to do to keep him in jail," she told Jeffrey Taylor, chief trial attorney for the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office.

The Berrien County Sheriff's Office identified the driver who was killed as 66-year-old Robert Klint of Sawyer. BUCHANAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Officials have identified the four people who were killed when another car ran a stop sign at a high rate of speed and slammed into their vehicle in southwestern Michigan's Berrien County on Friday. The Berrien County Sheriff's Office identified the driver who was killed as 66-year-old Robert Klint of Sawyer. The passengers who died have been identified as 60-year-old Melissa Klint of Sawyer, 22-year-old Landyn Klint of Sawyer and 52-year-old Virginia resident Kent Williamson. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

The Herald-Palladium reports that the retailer was at the mall for 40 years after about 55 years in downtown Benton Harbor. BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A J.C. Penney store has closed after more than 90 years at two locations in southwestern Michigan's Berrien County. Display racks and shelves were sold Friday to mark the last day at Orchards Mall near Benton Harbor. The Herald-Palladium reports that the retailer was at the mall for 40 years after about 55 years in downtown Benton Harbor. A longtime customer, Rose Thomas, says she "wanted to cry" when she saw the closing sign.

The Herald-Palladium reports that the retailer was at the mall for 40 years after about 55 years in downtown Benton Harbor. BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A J.C. Penney store has closed after more than 90 years at two locations in southwestern Michigan's Berrien County. Display racks and shelves were sold Friday to mark the last day at Orchards Mall near Benton Harbor. The Herald-Palladium reports that the retailer was at the mall for 40 years after about 55 years in downtown Benton Harbor. A longtime customer, Rose Thomas, says she "wanted to cry" when she saw the closing sign.

LANSING, Mich. – Winning $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s 777 instant game brought a Berrien County man to tears. “When I counted seven of them, I started crying like a baby and couldn’t stop.”The 62-year-old player bought his winning ticket at the Meijer store, located at 1920 Pipestone Road in Benton Harbor. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. More than $24 million in prizes remain, including two $500,000 top-prizes, 23 $7,777 prizes, and 50 $1,000 prizes. In 2018, Lottery players won more than $1 billion playing instant games.