BERRIEN SPRINGS — What looked like bad news turned out to be for the good. That’s the lesson Barn Church and Ministries officials are taking from Oronoko Township’s recent closure of their church building on Linco Road. There has been an outpouring of support from the community and the churc…

BERRIEN SPRINGS — The Berrien Springs school district is still running a $1.6 million budget deficit for the 2019-20 year but officials expect that deficit to decrease or disappear in coming months.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Berrien County Board Chairman Mac Elliott gave a preview of this week’s county board meeting at Monday night’s Berrien Springs Village Council meeting.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Work on the extension of sewer lines to the northwest side of the M-139/U.S. 31 interchange in Oronoko Township should shift into high gear this year. The project was first proposed in late 2018 to facilitate the expansion of the Honor Credit Union headquarters on Edgewood Drive.

BERRIEN CENTER — Marijuana proponent Rick Anstiss didn’t get a very warm reception from the Berrien Township Board on Tuesday night for his push to get the township to allow recreational marijuana businesses and operations.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — A Berrien Springs area congregation is scrambling to find a new place to meet after receiving a “stop use order” from Oronoko Township.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — A new marketing plan that could cost up to $32,500 a year and include a revamped website and greater social media presence was presented to Berrien Springs Village Council members this week.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Changes are coming to the Berrien Springs Village Council. Village President Milt Richter announced Monday night that he is retiring next month after nearly 10 years as president and a total of more than 12 years on the council.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Action related to state mandates was the focus of Thursday’s Berrien Springs Board of Education meeting. Board members voted on school safety being required by the state, as well as an annual resolution related to early childhood literacy.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Could there be a return of a pickle festival to Berrien Springs in coming months and years? Oronoko Township Supervisor Mike Hildebrand brought up the idea last week and Berrien Springs Village President Milt Richter said Monday that he thinks it’s an idea worth pursuing.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Three months into Oronoko Township’s new rental housing inspection program, over 300 rental units have been inspected and two permits have been revoked due to property conditions.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — A new 2020 budget is in place after action by the Oronoko Township Board on Tuesday. The new budget calls for a nearly $400,000 deficit due to two big projects getting underway next year.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Preliminary work on two upcoming infrastructure projects was approved at Monday’s Berrien Springs Village Council meeting. Members also voted to fund employees’ health savings accounts for the 2020 year.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — The village of Berrien Springs is in excellent financial shape and is the poster child of how local governments should operate, auditor Kenley Penner told Village Council members Monday.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — With construction underway on the new Sylvester Stadium and with work set to start next year on a new arts and athletic center, Berrien Springs school board members are already looking to do more.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — The former Cultivate Brewery site on Shawnee Road could be getting new life as a winery/brewery business called Shamrock Station. Oronoko Township Board members on Tuesday recommended approval of a new liquor license for that location.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Berrien Springs Village Council members will hold a workshop session later this month to discuss the village’s future. The session, open to the public, will be 5:30-6:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the village hall.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — The Berrien Springs school district had 33 incidents of bullying and harassment in the 2018-19 school year, Superintendent Dave Eichberg told school board members Thursday.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Auditor Brian Wisneski has given the Berrien Springs school district a clean bill of financial health. Wisneski presented the audit for the 2018-19 fiscal year that ended June 30 at Thursday’s Berrien Springs school board meeting.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Could the chicken issue be coming back for discussion in Oronoko Township? A local resident hopes so, but didn’t get any encouragement from the township board this week.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — The M-139 sewer extension project to the north side of the U.S. 31 freeway has gotten more expensive in recent months, but Oronoko Township Supervisor Mike Hildebrand reassured board members that it is still moving forward.

 BERRIEN SPRINGS — Berrien Springs-Oronoko Township police faced everything from floods to crime to routine calls in 2018, Police Chief Paul Toliver told Berrien Springs Village Council members Monday.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — It doesn’t solve everything, but a new proposed Oronoko Township ordinance will go a long way toward solving issues related to accessory storage buildings.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Bicycle safety is important to Berrien Township resident John Sexton, especially after his friend and fellow bicyclist Todd Harrington was killed in a crash last September on Pokagon Highway.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — A community open house on the progress of a proposed walking/biking trail from Niles to Berrien Springs will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Berrien Springs Community Library 215 W. Union Street, held by Be Healthy Berrien, the Berrien County Health Department …

BERRIEN SPRINGS — A second open house for the proposed expansion of the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail will be held Sept. 25 in Berrien Springs. That news came Monday from Kris Martin of the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission at the Berrien Springs Village Council meeting.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Over 800 rental units were registered under Oronoko Township’s new rental housing ordinance by the late August deadline. Township Supervisor Mike Hildebrand said this week that the township has received 331 applications registering 842 units.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — The Oronoko Township Board has revised the police department’s response protocol for calls in nearby Berrien Township. The new rules amend the policy that has been in place for 10 years.

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Last week’s showing of the “Our Town: Berrien Springs” documentary on WNIT public television got mixed reviews at Tuesday’s Berrien Springs Village Council meeting.

Ex-WNBA player speaking Saturday