Featured Articles from WSBT-TV

Police are investigating the shooting death of a 23-year-old man in the 900 block of Lavette Avenue in Benton Harbor. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP Officers dispatched to Lavette around 2:49 a.m. Sunday found Xavier Steward of Benton Township lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the upper body. Michigan State Police were the first on scene and gave aid until medics arrived to take Steward to Lakeland Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

MILLERSBURG - It appears an RV maker in Millersburg has shut down for now. The doors and gates at Carriage RV were locked this morning. A person who contacted WSBT said it was shut down on Monday. WSBT talked to two truckers who came to make deliveries. They say they were told by their companies it was closed. WSBT also talked to several RV owners who had stopped by the plant for maintenance work. They were advised that there would be no charges for that service work because the company was closing and there would be no work done until further notice.

In just two weeks, southwest Michigan will be host to the Senior PGA Championship Golf Tournament at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor. Landscape workers are busy beautifying the "Welcome to the City of Benton Harbor" sign located on Main Street. Dozens of “Welcome Senior PGA Championship” banners have been put up around downtown St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Area restaurants, like Schu's Grill & Bar, are also preparing for an influx of people coming to see the much-anticipated tournament.

Both Republican candidates reacted Friday to a possible upset in the making in Indiana's biggest Primary race.  A new Howey Politics/DePauw University poll shows six-term incumbent Sen. Richard Lugar well behind his challenger in the U.S. Senate race. The poll shows Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock with a 10 percentage point lead over Lugar.  About six weeks ago a poll by the same group had Lugar leading by 7 points.  Mourdock is the tea party favorite facing Lugar, who's been in the Senate for 36 years.

A nearly head-on crash between a van and dump truck early Monday evening killed a Benton Harbor man. Danny Jackson, 55, died at the scene after his van struck a truck owned by Best Way Disposal on Territorial Road at the I-94 overpass. The truck driver, Robert Teuniessen , 40, of Watervliet, told Benton Township Police he saw Jackson's van cross into his west lane of travel as he crested the overpass. Jackson tried to steer back into his eastbound lane, but couldn't avoid hitting the truck, Teuniessen told police.

St. Joseph County police say a 50-year-old Elkhart woman, now identified as Cynthia Cataldo, died from blunt force injuries after she was hit by a car in front of Mr. G's Bar in Osceola.   Cataldo taught at Trinity Lutheran School. The flag outside the school at Ash and Cleveland roads is at half mast. The accident happened just after 11:30 Saturday night. Police say witnesses at the scene told them Cataldo was walking across the street toward the bar there in the 700 block of Lincolnway West when she suddenly changed direction like she meant to go back the way she had come.

SOUTH BEND - South Bend Police Chief Chuck Hurley was hoping the city was turning a corner after four straight weeks went by without a single shooting. But a double shooting over the weekend that killed two South Bend men put a halt to those feelings. “That was encouraging until the double homicide,” Hurley said Monday. “The effect it has on the families of the two guys we lost here - it's devastating.” The city is well ahead of the previous two years' pace when it comes to homicides.

Did you know Mother's Day has roots right here in South Bend? There are many theories behind the holiday. Anna Jarvis, a woman from West Virginia, is credited as the founder of Mother's Day...but as WSBT's Clifton French reports in the video attached above, an old Notre Dame football coach played a role in its creation as well, and is considered the "father of Mother's Day. "

Some said it will transform the image of downtown South Bend. Others said it will dramatically improve the safety of the city. For bikers, for coffee drinkers, or for people taking an afternoon stroll ... the addition of a police substation to heart of downtown South Bend is a weight off their shoulders. The substation is moving in right across from the South Bend Chocolate Café on Michigan Street, taking the place of a boutique that closed down a few weeks ago. "Anytime you have police visible, yes, that's a benefit," said Debra Walker, a South Bend resident.

UPDATE: Thursday morning, St. Joseph County Police released the name of the woman killed in Wednesday evening's crash near Potato Creek State Park, citing speed as the primary factor causing the accident. Katherine Lynn Thompson, 20, was a passenger in a car driven by a 17-year-old female. The driver apparently lost control of the car and it struck several trees and rolled over in the 66500 block of Oak Road. Police said Thompson has a Lafayette, Ind., address, but recently had been staying in the South Bend area.

GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) - A leading official says the recreational vehicle industry that was hit hard by the recession has weathered the downturn and is slowly coming back to health. Bob Martin of Thor Industries says fall shipments looked good and signaled modest growth for the industry. But The Goshen News reports ( http://bit.ly/Ab5ypo ) the progress is still fragile and could be slowed if gas prices top $4 a gallon this summer. Martin says the 2012 presidential elections also could affect the industry.

A consultant of a Granger bridal boutique that's been under fire for weeks from its customers speaks to WSBT. Brides A la Mode in Granger suddenly closed its doors in late January, leaving many brides stressed and worried about their special day. But now, the store said a consulting firm has been hired by the owner's family to handle day-to-day operations. They are in the process of contacting each customer about their dress order. The store is open, but by appointment only.