Berrien County

COLOMA, Mich. -- In a news release issued Monday afternoon, officials identified the man who was pulled from Lake Michigan in Hagar Township Park Sunday. Robert Klepacki, 44, of Wheeling,Illinois started having trouble in the water around 2:40 p.m. Officials say he was at the beach with a woman who lost sight of him and started yelling for help. Rescuers were there in about four minutes. A Coast Guard helicopter eventually spotted Klepacki. After about 90 minutes in the water, he was pulled out and pronounced dead at the scene.

LAKESIDE - Police are investigating a weekend home invasion in Berrien County that left a woman badly injured. The small town of Lakeside is known for its quaint antique shops, roadside diners and close neighbors. This weekend the quiet area received quite a shock after learning one of their long-time residents was attacked. It happened between 11:15 and 11:30 Friday night in the 8700 block of East Road in Lakeside, north of New Buffalo. Police say a masked man broke into the home of 61-year old Ann Dawson.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. - A St. Joseph harbor faces an uncertain future. Last week five ships took their loads elsewhere because they couldn't reach the dock. All the sand and sediment built-up underwater made the channel impassable. And because those ships can't deliver goods, we could all pay. It began with one ship. "When we had the boat touch the bottom, it was the first boat, then two boats in the weekend and three boats were behind it," said Pete Berghoff, who owns Dock 63. By week's end, Berghoff's situation went from bad to worse.

BERRIEN COUNTY - It might just be the future of farming and the first of its kind in the United States is coming to Berrien County: Produce grown year round, inside, and we're not talking about a greenhouse, it's called vertical farming. Produce is grown vertically, using renewable energy. To say Milan Kluko is putting roots down in New Buffalo would be putting it lightly. "We will grow, leafy mix greens, lettuce, baby spinach,specialty peppers, yellow, red, green, banana peppers, cucumbers, herbs, raspberries, blackberries, specialty eggplant," says Kluko.

A father and child were flown to the hospital after a collision between a train and their SUV in Berrien County this morning. A witness told a WSBT correspondent at the scene the crossing lights were not working. But after reviewing video from the train, Michigan State Police head investigator Steve Vrablic says the lights were working normally. Injured were Anthony Bearty, 27, and his 4-year-old child Mikalah Bearty. This happened around 9:30 a.m. on Kerlikowske Road near Coloma Road in Berrien County.

COLOMA — Monday morning’s storm ripped across Lake Michigan, pummeling areas along the lakeshore.  Roughly 80 mph winds uprooted trees and tore down power lines, leaving several thousand customers without power. As gusts of wind turned into sideways rain, Mother Nature bore down on Berrien County.  “The sheets of wind were so strong that we started finding the transformers popping, bursting into flames and we started seeing all these trees topple,” said Dean Sanders, who lives off M-63 near Hagar Shores.  As he watched two huge trees destroy his guest cottage, Sanders wondered if the thick glass on the banister around his nearby lake home could take any more.

A Judge has found 17-year-old Destiny Coulson competent to stand trial for the murder of her boyfriend, 21-year-old David Quinn Jr., after a night of drinking and arguing in January near Eau Claire. Last month, a psychologist testified Coulson's mental illness could affect her ability to organize facts and help her lawyer. But another doctor testified Wednesday she is competent and the judge agreed. A hearing next month will decide if she will stand trial as an adult.

BARODA, Mich. - 4 young people were hurt in a one-car crash in Berrien County. Their SUV hit a tree around 5:30 p.m. Monday on Jericho Road south of Shawnee Road in Baroda. The interim police chief was the first to arrive and found everybody trapped in the vehicle before asking for the “Jaws of Life” to cut the victims out of the wreckage. Police say 16-year-old Beau Maitland, a New Buffalo High School student, was driving the car. He was in intensive care at Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph.

Twin 4-year-old brothers were injured in Benton Township around 11 p.m. Thursday night when a driver dealing with a medical condition crashed into a house. Police say a 64-year-old driver suffering a medical problem crashed. One of the boys at the home was pinned under the car. The other child was also hurt, either by the car or household debris. None of those injuries are life-threatening, but the child pinned under the car was transported to a Grand Rapids hospital for further treatment.

BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich. - Michigan State police are investigating a multi-car crash that happened on Old U.S. 31 in Berrien County Wednesday afternoon. It happened just north of Berrien Springs, and police are urging drivers to avoid that area. 3 people were trapped. All were taken to Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph. Berrien Springs and Orinoko police were called to the scene. Police say Old 31 was expected to be blocked to traffic because of the wreck until at least 7 p.m.