WED 22MAY13
(Mi Supreme Court-Med Marijuana Driving)
The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that registered medical marijuana
patients cannot be charged with driving under the influence unless it can be
proved they were actually impaired behind the wheel.
The state's high-court issued its ruling yesterday (Tuesday) in the case of
People v. Koon in which Rodney Lee Koon tested positive for THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana, after he was stopped for speeding.
Koon told police he was a registered medical marijuana patient and admitted
he had smoked the drug five to six hours prior to the traffic stop.
Michigan has a zero tolerance law that forbids driving with any amount of
marijuana in a driver’s system. But the Supreme Court ruled that Michigan's
medical marijuana law trumps its zero tolerance law and that the motorist
can only be charged if he or she is clearly impaired from using marijuana.
(Saginaw Co-School Staff Recalls)
The Buena (BYOO-nuh) Vista School Board voted to recall more laid off
employees last night (Tuesday). The Saginaw County district continues to
face a financial crisis and just reopened Monday after running out of cash
and closing for two weeks.
Officials say two paraprofessionals and two classroom helpers are paid
through a grant while two bus chaperons are paid from the district's general
fund.
The district submitted a third deficit elimination plan to the Michigan
Department of Education last week that was approved by the state. The
agreement paved the way for over 400-thousand dollars in state aid to be
sent to the district.
Students in the Buena Vista schools will have to go to class a little longer
than first expected in order to finish out the school year. Superintendent
Deborah Hunter-Harvill says the last day of classes is now scheduled for
June 26th instead of the 21st in order to comply with state mandates for
days and instructional hours.
(24/7 News Source/WSGW, Saginaw)
(Detroit-Summer Shutdown)
The traditional two week auto industry shutdown in July is starting to fade
into automotive history, like fins and running boards.
With sales up seven percent so far this year, and fewer factories than
before the recession, car companies can afford very little in the way of
voluntary down time.
Ford says most of its plants will cut their summer shutdowns from two weeks
to one. The Dearborn automaker also says it’s in the process of adding 3500
manufacturing jobs this year.
Chrysler and GM officials say there will be no summer shutdown this year. GM
North America President Mark Reuss says the only downtime the company will
take is as needed to prepare plants for new models. Chrysler plans to close
only four of its ten plants.
According to Autodata Corp, auto sales are up six-point-nine percent through
April and could hit 15-point-five-million dollars this year. That would be
the highest annual total since 2007.
(Jeff Gilbert, WWJ, Detroit/24/7 News Source)
(Capitol-Budget Targets)
A key hurdle has been cleared in Lansing, as the Governor and Republican
leaders have agreed on budget targets for next year's budget.
The targets create a framework for spending, although many details must
still be worked out.
Under the target agreement, no money at this point at least is included for
Medicaid expansion.
However, 350 (m) million dollars would be added on for road
maintenance. Also, an additional 140 (m) million dollars would go to k-12
schools, and 75 (m) million dollars would be put into the state's savings
account, called the Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as the "rainy day
fund."
In the meantime, efforts continue to come up with some type of agreement
regarding Medicaid expansion, and additional road revenue.
Lawmakers hope to have next year's budget finished before the end of the
month.
(MI-Judges Pay Raise)
Justices and judges in Michigan would see a 3 percent pay raise next year
under a recommendation by the State Officers Compensation Commission.
The commission unanimously approved the three percent increase for Supreme
Court justices in Fiscal Year 2014-15. Under state law, that increase is
carried down to the Court of Appeals and trial court judges as well, and
that is the only way those judges can see pay increases.
Michigan Supreme Court justices make $164,610, but the lowest-paid judges
make less than $140,000.
The recommendation needs legislative approval before it would become
effective.
The state panel did not take any action on the salaries for legislators, the
Governor or any other state official for which they set salaries.
(MI Poll-Snyder-Obama)
A new statewide poll shows Michiganders have not changed their opinions of
President Obama and Governor Snyder over the last month, when it comes to
job rating.
The survey, conducted last week by Lansing-based Epic MRA shows 44-percent
of respondents favor President Obama's performance this month.
While 58-percent of respondents oppose Governor Snyder's job performance.
Both numbers are nearly identical to those recorded in April.
Democrats tended to favor President Obama and Republicans tended to support
Governor Snyder.
The margin of error for the poll was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
(Alpena Co-Assault Suspect
Dead-UPDATE)
Michigan State Police officials in northeast lower Michigan have released
more details in the death of an assault suspect who died in a head-on crash
with a semi this last weekend.
They have identified the man as 47-year-old Fred Grover, Jr., of Oscoda.
Police believe Grover assaulted a 47-year-old woman and her 22-year-old son
with a knife at their home in Alpena Township Sunday morning. Investigators
have learned that he was an acquaintance of the victims and was spending the
night in their house.
After the assault, Grover fled the scene and was spotted 45 minutes later in
his car by a Montmorency County Sheriffs Deputy. The deputy attempted to
stop Grover but he intentionally crashed into a tractor-trailer and died
instantly. The truck driver was not injured.
Police say they are still not sure why Grover committed the assaults. The
victims say they had no prior issues with him. Both are now expected to
survive the attacks. Their names are being withheld at their request.
At the time of the assault, Grover was also under investigation for an
alleged sexual assault that took place in Iosco County's Oscoda Township one
day earlier. Police say Grover may have also used a knife in that attack,
although it was not the same one used in the Alpena Township incident.
(WATZ, Alpena)
(Detroit-Henry Ford Beaumont Merger)
The planned merger of Henry Ford Health System and Beaumont Health System is
off.
The Henry Ford Board of Trustees decided Monday to let their letter of
intent with Beaumont expire citing the very different perspectives that had
emerged for the new organization between Henry Ford and Beaumont.
Chief executive officer of the Henry Ford Health System, Nancy Schlichting,
says many of the foundational elements in the Letter of Intent, including
preserving two academic medical centers in Detroit and Royal Oak, were no
longer supported by some leaders at Beaumont.
The Detroit News reports Beaumont and Henry Ford health systems officials
announced November 1st that they had signed a letter of intent to merge and
become Metro Detroit’s largest health provider.
The deal would have created a new $6.4 billion organization, encompassing 10
hospitals, 38,000 employees, 7,000 physicians, two medical school
connections, a health plan and 200 patient care sites throughout Southeast
Michigan.
(Houghton Co-Businessman Sentenced)
A former Upper Peninsula businessman has been sentenced in Houghton County
Circuit Court.
46-year old Michael Jestila pled guilty to four counts of Delivery of a
Controlled Substance to a Minor. He received 365 days in jail with credit
for 114 already served on each of the four counts.
The sentences will run concurrently. Three other charges were dropped.
Jestila owned Backroom Multi-Entertainment in Houghton and Backroom
Obsessions in Marquette.
(Rick Allen, WCCY/WOLV, Houghton)
(Auburn Hills-Marchionne Apology)
Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne (MAR-shee-OWN) has apologized to an
Italian American group for using a slur during a discussion at the North
American International Auto Show in January.
When talking about a new Alfa Romeo (RO-may-OH) sedan slated to be sold in
the United States, Marchionne said it would have a "wop engine." He meant
that particular vehicle would be better powered by a Fiat engine rather than
an American motor.
The Italian-American One Voice Coalition demanded an apology and Marchionne
issued a statement apologizing to anyone who may have been offended.
(24/7 News Source)
(Flint-Lawmaker Threat)
A Flint man charged with making threatening phone calls to at least three
federal lawmakers has been ruled incompetent to stand trial.
Mlive.com reports 54-year-old Randall Warren Dellinger was ruled incompetent
yesterday (Tuesday) by Flint U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith.
Dellinger's lawyer says the ruling was issued following a review by a
psychologist.
Dellinger was arrested by Flint police in June 2012 after he allegedly made
threatening phone calls to then-U.S. Representative Dale Kildee of Flint,
and U.S. Senators Carl Levin of Detroit, and Debbie Stabenow of Lansing.
According to an affidavit filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Dellinger allegedly contacted Kildee's Flint office the evening of June 25,
2012, and complained about an "RF unit" that was supposedly implanted in him
by the state Department of Corrections. He then threatened the lawmaker's
life.
Similar calls were allegedly placed with Stabenow's Flint office and Levin's
office in Washington, D.C.
(Isabella-Good Samaritan Killed)
A Mid-Michigan man died Tuesday night while trying to help another motorist.
Isabella County Sheriff Deputies say 37-year old Jeremy Stiles of Big Rapids
pulled up behind a vehicle that stopped with its hazard lights blinking on
M-20 in Broomfield Township to see if they needed help. He was told that the
driver had stopped because of a dead deer in the road.
As Stiles was walking back to his car he was struck by a pickup truck that
tried to avoid the deer. Stiles was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident remains under investigation.
(WBRN, Big Rapids)
Top
TUE 21MAY13
(Capitol-Fireworks)
A House Committee in Lansing has approved a bill that allows local
communities to impose more restrictions on the time of day fireworks can be
set off around national holidays.
Under the 2011 law, consumers are allowed to buy and use certain fireworks
that explode and/or fly in the air.
But the law also says local communities could not ban the use of them on any
of ten selected holidays, along with the days before and after those
holidays.
However residents in some communities residents have complained about
fireworks going off in the middle of the night.
This new legislation, which now heads for the full house, allows local
communities to ban their use between midnight and eight a-m, even on the
selected holidays.
(Capitol-Democrats-No Fault)
Detroit Democratic lawmakers opposed to a Republican plan to reform the
state's no-fault auto insurance system, have announced their own plan that
they say will create transparency, fight fraud and save motorists money.
The plan announced yesterday (Monday) by the Detroit Democratic Caucus would
among other things: create a commission to track fraud, waste and abuse;
require insurance companies to justify rate increases; ban the consideration
of credit history, education and occupation in determining premiums; allow
private parties to sue when auto insurance overcharges their policy holders;
and ban steerage to collision shops owned by the insurance company.
The Republican no-fault overhaul, which recently moved out of a House
committee would repeal Michigan's unlimited medical coverage for personal
injuries in auto crashes and cap that amount at one (m) million dollars. It
also includes a slew of medical cost-cutting measures, along with new
efforts to combat fraud.
But Caucus member, House Democrat Phil Cavanagh, says capping everything for
a guaranteed one-year savings of 125-dollars is not helping anyone but the
insurance companies, adding that gutting the system is not reform.
(MI-Tornado
Recovery Volunteers)
Red Cross volunteers from Michigan are heading south to help with recovery
efforts after a tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through an Oklahoma
City suburb killing a revised total of 24 people, including seven children.
Spokesperson Allison Koenigbauer said their first priority is to ensure
survivors’ basic needs are met by providing food and water then open
shelters for all of the people who were evacuated. She adds that disaster
volunteers typically get a 24-hour notice for deployments.
During the next few days, Red Cross workers on the ground in the disaster
areas will be assessing the damage, deciding where and what kind of
additional support is necessary, and determining the needs of the affected
communities.
The Red Cross encourages people who have friends or family in the affected
areas to check the Red Cross Safe and Well website at redcross.org/safeandwell.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(Lansing-GM Plant Expansion)
General Motors has announced that it will build a $44.5 million expansion at
its Lansing Grand River plant.
Construction could begin as early as later this summer on a new 400,000
square foot manufacturing building next to the plant and it could be open in
mid-2014 employing about 200 people.
GM says the plant will be a Logistics Optimization Center where parts for
the cars built at Lansing Grand River are assembled into 'kits" and sent to
the assembly lines. The process makes manufacturing faster and more
efficient.
The GM Lansing Grand River Plant builds the Cadillac ATS and CTS. The ATS
was named this year's North American Car of the Year.
Production of the Chevrolet Camaro sports car will eventually be moved to
the plant from a Canadian factory.
The Lansing Grand River plant opened in 2001.
(MSP-New Divers)
The Michigan State Police have announced they have six new divers, recently
graduated from the State Police Underwater Recovery Dive School.
It's the first dive team graduation class since 2005.
It brings the MSP Dive Unit to 26 members, including 20 divers and six
divemasters.
The department’s Basic Dive School is a four-week training program that is
conducted in-house by members of the MSP who are certified scuba instructors
and/or National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI).
The divers received more than 160 hours of classroom instruction, swam
approximately 25 miles and spent over 20 additional hours in the water
during their training.
State Police Director Kriste Kibbey says the dive school consists of
real-world training and scenarios with instruction being held at the MSP
training tank, inland lakes and extensively in the Great Lakes at various
locations around the state.
The dive team responds to about 70 calls for service a year.
(Jackson-Boyfriend Beating Death-UPDATE)
A 30-year-old Jackson-area woman was arraigned Monday in the beating death
of her boyfriend.
A Jackson District Court judge ordered Camia Gamet held in the Jackson
County Jail without bond on an open murder charge.
Police found 38-year old Marcel Hill dead inside his apartment after getting
a 911 call early Saturday morning. According to the Jackson Citizen-Patriot,
police believe the call came from Gamet because it was on a cell phone. She
was located near a party store a short time later.
Deputy Chief John Holda told the newspaper the preliminary investigation
shows it appears Hill died from trauma to the head after he was beaten
repeatedly with several blunt objects.
Prosecutors say Gamet has a long history of violence. She was accused in
March of assaulting Hill and was charged with domestic violence and
felonious assault. The charges were dismissed on May 9 because Hill did not
cooperate with authorities.
(MI/WS-Drunken Crash Sentence)
The man responsible for a drunken driving crash that killed an Upper
Peninsula boy in Wisconsin last fall is headed to prison.
28-year-old Timothy Christ was driving northbound in the southbound lane of
a rural highway with his lights off on October 6th when he collided head-on
with a car driven by an Ishpeming woman.
Jodi Betts Croley and her two teenage daughters were injured. Her son,
13-year-old Christopher ‘Bubba’ Croley was killed, the day before is 14th
birthday.
Police say Christ pulled out of the parking lot of a bar on US-141 just
before midnight, crashing into the family’s car.
Christ was sentenced in Marinette County Circuit Court in Wisconsin to 18
years plus an additional 12 years extended supervision on one count of
Homicide-Intoxicating Use of Vehicle.
He was sentenced to three years, plus an additional three years with
extended supervision, on three separate counts of Operating While
Intoxicated-Causing Injury.
The sentences will run consecutively.
(Rick Allen, WCCY/WOLV, Houghton)
(Covert Twp-Palisades Repair)
The idled Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in southwest Michigan may remain
that way until early summer when repairs to a leaking tank are expected to
be complete.
New Orleans-based Entergy Corporation idled the plant in van Buren County's
Covert Township on May 5 after operators found a tank leaking faster than
regulations allow. The leak released a small amount of radioactive water
into Lake Michigan.
Entergy spokesperson Lindsay Rose says officials have decided to completely
replace the tank bottom and that the repair could take until early summer.
Rose says (quote) "We are confident this very conservative approach will
bring this issue to final resolution."
A leak in the same tank resulted in another shutdown last summer. Leaks have
been an ongoing issue for Palisades, which shut down four times in 2012 and
twice so far this year.
(MI-Suburban Poverty)
Poverty rates in suburban areas across the country are on the rise with two
Michigan communities ranked as having among the fastest growing suburban
poverty rates in the nation.
According to the Brookings Institution in both Warren and Grand Rapids the
poverty rate in 2010 was 12-point-one percent. For both cities, that marks a
five-point-eight-percent increase over the year 2000.
The Brookings Institution reports that nationwide the poverty rate in the
suburbs is growing more than twice as fast as the poverty rate in urban
areas.
(24/7 News Source)
(Ypsilanti-DHS Fraud)
A former state employee has admitted to scamming the Department of Human
Services out of $19,832 in welfare money.
46-year-old Dawn Simmons of Belleville pleaded guilty in the Washtenaw
County Trial Court on Wednesday to one count of false pretenses, between
$999 and $20,000, and one count of fraudulent access to a computer. Both
counts are felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Mlive.com reports in exchange for the pleas, eight similar charges will be
dismissed at sentencing.
Court records show that Simmons, who worked as an eligibility specialist for
the DHS, processed false claims for assistance in her brother's name. She is
also believed to have filed the claims on her co-workers' computers without
their knowledge. She would log in with their user names and passwords.
The offenses reportedly took place in the city of Ypsilanti.
Simmons is scheduled to be sentenced June 26.
(MI-Judge Appointed)
Governor Rick Snyder has appointed Muskegon Country Probate Court
Administrator and Register Kathy Hoogstra as the 14th Circuit Court judge.
She fills the spot vacated by the retirement Judge John C. Ruck.
Hoogstra, of Muskegon, has served as probate court administrator and
register since 2007. She previously served as the Muskegon County Family
Court Referee and Contract Attorney/Public Defender, as well as a judicial
law clerk for the Muskegon County Circuit Court.
Hoogstra will finish the remainder of Ruck’s term, which ends January 1,
2015. She has the option to seek election for a full six-year term in
November 2014.
Meanwhile, the Governor has signed a bill that amends a 2011 law that
eliminated several judgeships statewide, by retaining the Clinton County
District Court seat and eliminating one of the two circuit court judgeships
instead.
Snyder says it ensures Clinton County residents have judicial representation
at both the district and circuit court levels.
Which circuit court judgeship will be eliminated will be determined when
either of the two seats become vacant or when either of the sitting judges
chooses to not seek re-election.
(Canton Twp-Newlywed Dies)
A newly married Canton Township man was killed in a car accident Sunday,
less than 24 hours after his wedding.
21-year-old Jordan Costa died in a single car accident Sunday morning on
Interstate 77 in Tuscarawas County in eastern Ohio. His wife, 21-year-old
Heather Costa was also in the car, but sustained only minor injuries.
The couple was married Saturday at Connection Church and were on their way
to Myrtle Beach when the accident occurred.
Police are not sure why Costa lost control of the vehicle. The crash remains
under investigation.
Top
MON 20MAY13
(MI-Gas Prices)
Michigan Motorists planning to head out early for the upcoming Memorial Day
holiday weekend will find the average gas price rose more than 10 cents a
gallon this week.
Triple A Michigan reports the current statewide average is just over $3.88
per gallon. That's more than 13 cents higher than at this same time last
year.
Among the cities it surveys, the Auto Club says the lowest price in the
state was found in the Saginaw/Bay City area at slightly more than $3.83 per
gallon. The highest was in the Marquette area at just over $3.95 per gallon.
Dearborn-based 'Triple A Michigan' surveys two-thousand-800 Michigan gas
stations daily.
Among Michigan's major metropolitan areas, three-dollars-83-point-one cents
in Saginaw/Bay City, three-dollars-86-point-two cents in Flint,
three-dollars-86-point-six cents in Traverse City,
three-dollars-87-point-two cents in Lansing/East Lansing,
three-dollars-87-point-nine cents in Jackson, three-dollars-88 cents in
Grand Rapids/Muskegon, three-dollars-88-point-five cents in Metro Detroit,
three-dollars-89-point-one cents in Ann Arbor, three-dollars-93 cents in
Benton Harbor and a statewide high of three-dollars-95-point-one cents in
Marquette. Gas prices in the Tawas area average $3.76 per gallon for
Regular.
(Buena Vista-Schools Reopen)
Students and teachers returned to classes in the financially troubled Buena
Vista School District in Saginaw County today (Monday). The school board
took a unanimous vote at a Friday night special meeting to recall all
teachers and some staff.
The state previously approved the Buena Vista schools' deficit elimination
plan which released some $460,000. Superintendent Deborah Hunter-Harvill
says grants will supplement the state money to help get through the
remainder of the year. She said the school year is now tentatively scheduled
to end June 21st to make up for time off.
Teachers and staff were pink slipped early last week and classes were
cancelled when the district ran out of money after the state withheld aid
because Buena Vista Schools had collected state funds for a discontinued
program.
(WSGW, Saginaw)
(Mi-Click-It-Or-Ticket-Begins)
Today (Mon) is the day a special enforcement campaign begins to make sure
Michigan motorists are "buckled up" through the Memorial Day holiday.
Officers from 155 police agencies in 26 Michigan counties will join the
national "Click It Or Ticket" effort for the next two weeks, with a goal of
reducing injuries and saving lives during a busy travel period.
Lynn Sutfin, with the State Office of Highway Safety Planning, says the
campaign includes the use of special enforcement zones in areas of Michigan
with high traffic crash rates. The daytime zones will concentrate on young
male drivers in pick-up trucks who have been found to be the greatest
violators, based on the latest traffic crash statistics.
Sutfin says the mobilization is also hoping to reverse a decline in
Michigan's seat belt use rate, which was down to 93.6 percent last year from
an all-time high of 97.9 percent in 2009. Michigan has a mandatory saat belt
use law.
The "Click It Or Ticket" campaign will run through Sunday, June 2nd.
(MI-Advances in Crop Technology)
Advances in crop technology are allowing farmers to grow more food while
using fewer resources.
So says Dave Tierney of Monsanto, who spoke before Agricultural Leaders of
Michigan in Lansing last week.
He says because of technological advances, farmers today grow twice as much
food as their parents did- using less land, energy, and water, while
creating fewer emissions.
According to Tierney, growing global populations will put increased demands
on food production in the future.
He predicts that to keep up with population growth, more food will have to
be produced in the next 50-years than was produced in the past ten-thousand
years combined.
Tierney also did not support efforts to require specific labeling for
products containing ingredients derived from biotechnology, adding that such
labels won't provide any extra health of safety benefit. He says instead,
it would only alarm consumers by wrongly implying that the food may not be
safe and could have a substantial negative impact on agricultural growth and
productivity.
Additionally, the FDA has determined that there is no significant difference
between foods produced using biotechnology and their conventional
counterparts.
(COA-State Employee Contribution Case)
A Michigan Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments June 12 in the lawsuit
from state employee unions over a law requiring employees in the old pension
system to contribute 4 percent of their pay to the system if they want to
remain in the pension system.
A lower court ruled in September that the 2011 law is unconstitutional.
The law requires long-time state employees in the old pension system to
contribute 4 percent of their salary to the system or have their pension
benefit capped at their current years of service and be switched to a 401(k)
for any future retirement benefit.
(Detroit-Dog Attacks)
The U.S. Postal Service has ranked Detroit among the top cities in the
country for dog attacks on letter carriers.
Detroit was ranked sixth with 33 reported dog attacks on letter carriers
during fiscal year 2012.
Topping the Postal Service list was Los Angeles which had 69 reported
incidents involving dogs biting mail carriers.
Also finishing in the top ten were San Antonio, Seattle, Chicago, San
Francisco, and Philadelphia.
USPS officials say nearly 59-hundred postal employees were attacked by dogs
nationwide last year.
(Help from 24/7 News Source)
(Barry Co-Body Found)
Barry County Sheriff's deputies are investigating after kayakers discovered
a man's body Sunday afternoon.
According to Sheriff Dar Leaf, the body was recovered from the Thornapple
River near Garbow Road in Thornapple Township. Leaf says the man was wearing
clothing similar to what Lucas Poll was wearing when he was reported missing
March 1 by family members.
The 30-year old Poll was last heard from by telephone on February 26. The
Sheriff's department and 100 volunteers conducted an unsuccessful search for
Poll on March 9.
The body was taken to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing for an autopsy and
positive identification.
(Jean Gallup, WBCH, Hastings/Greg Ghering, WOOD, Grand Rapids)
(Detroit-AMBER Alert Canceled)
A three-year-old Detroit girl, who was the subject of an AMBER Alert, has
been found safe.
According to police, Alonna Anderson's father and alleged abductor Stacey
Anderson, dropped the child off with relatives this morning (Monday) then
fled.
Police say an unknown black male took Alonna and placed her inside a vehicle
Sunday afternoon while her mother was being assaulted by the child's father.
Police are still looking for the 29-year old Anderson as well as another
person. Anderson is described as Black, five-foot-nine, 165-pounds with
brown eyes and black hair. He has a tattoo of a pit bull on his left arm.
Anderson is reportedly driving an older model, green Jeep Cherokee.
(24/7 News Source)
(MI-Credit Card Surcharge)
Attorney General Bill Schuette issued an alert advising consumers to be
mindful of changes to credit card surcharge rules.
The AG says that as the new rules take effect, it's important to make sure
that consumers are well-informed. He says, quote, "Retailers are now
permitted to charge new fees to MasterCard and Visa cardholders, but they
must post notices and follow strict guidelines if they choose to collect the
fees."
The surcharge is intended to equal the actual cost of processing the credit
card transaction, which is typically between one-point five and three
percent.
The new surcharge rules come as a result of a recent court settlement
between various merchants and Visa and Mastercard.
The settlement resolved claims that Visa, Mastercard, and their respective
member banks violated the law by imposing and enforcing rules that limited
merchants from steering their customers to other payment methods.
Schuette notes that while Michigan law does not forbid it, Visa and
Mastercard have historically prohibited merchants from imposing a surcharge
on credit card purchases.
(Dearborn-Arab Festival Cancelled)
The annual Arab International Festival in Dearborn has been cancelled this
year.
The American Arab Chamber of Commerce made the announcement Friday saying
the move to Ford Woods Park in Dearborn made it nearly impossible to have a
successful event.
The festival has been the scene of clashes between Christian groups and
local Arab Americans which have led to several lawsuits. Those incidents
have led to higher insurance and liability costs for the event organizers.
The Chamber of Commerce says they will hold the event again in 2014.
(24/7 News Source)
(Grosse Pointe Park-Firebombing)
A Grosse Pointe Park man has been arraigned in connection with the
firebombing of a home owned by a member of the Van Elslander family, which
owns the Art Van Furniture chain.
20-year-old Charles Patterson Kay stood by his attorney Sunday as he was
charged with second-degree arson and two counts of explosives for allegedly
throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of Gary Van Elslander.
No one was hurt.
Kay’s attorney, Charles Berschback entered not guilty pleas for Kay and
asked the court for a reasonable bond. Berschack says his client takes
medicine for A.D.D. and depression and he's concerned about Kay's ability to
seek treatment and stay on his medication.
Bond was set at 35-thousand-dollars cash or surety.
A preliminary exam is set for May 29 in the case.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(Washtenaw Co-Fatal Crash)
Police have identified the victim that died in a Saturday morning crash
along I-94 in Scio Township west of Ann Arbor.
51-year-old Doctor Steven Gradwohl was the driver that lost control of his
vehicle, which crashed into an embankment and burst into flames.
Gradwohl was a doctor of internal medicine for the University of Michigan
Health Systems.
An investigation shows the doctor may have lost consciousness while driving.
The crash shut down eastbound lanes of I-94 at Zeeb Road for nearly two
hours.
(24/7 News Source)
(Alpena Co-Assault Suspect
Dead)
State Police in northeast lower Michigan continue to investigate the death
of a 48-year old assault suspect who died in a head-on crash with a semi.
Troopers were called to a home in Alpena Township Sunday morning on a report
that the man had viciously attacked a 47-year old woman and her 22-year old
son causing multiple stab wounds then fled the scene.
Both underwent surgery for their injuries. Their condition is unknown.
Police issued a bulletin to area police agencies and the suspect was spotted
abut a half-hour later by a Montmorency County Sheriff Deputy who attempted
to stop the man while traveling west on M-32. However the suspect
intentionally rammed his vehicle into an eastbound semi tractor trailer. The
suspect was instantly killed while the driver of the semi was not injured.
Police also learned that the suspect who has not been officially identified
was also wanted for questioning in relation to a sexual assault complaint
that occurred in Oscoda Township during the early morning hours of May 18th.
It is alleged that a knife was also used in that incident and that the
suspect has a lengthily criminal history.
Further information is not being released pending investigation and
notification of relatives.
(WATZ, Alpena)
(MI-Mother and Midwife Pictures)
A new movie produced by Mother and Midwife pictures is set to begin shooting
in Metro Detriot in July.
Producers say the feature length film, Papou, starring international screen
actor Yorgo Voyagis (Zorba the Greek) and Evan Kole (The Avengers), is a
unique tale of an imaginative young boy and his sickly grandfather.
The film has received more than Fifty-One Thousand dollars on a kick start
fundraiser.
It has also claimed Fifty-five thousand dollars in potential Michigan Film
and Digital Media Incentive rebates, and numerous press acknowledgements.
The film is being produced by film industry veterans Michael Sinanis and
Christos Moisides and directed by 24-year-old first time feature film
director Michael Angelo Zervos.
The production company is still accepting applications for extra roles.
Visit http://Motherandmidwife.com to find out more about the film and
contact info@motherandmidwife.com for information on local casting.
(Standish-Casino Expansion)
The Saganing Eagles Landing Casino is planning expansions to more than
triple its facility as well as bring 251 new jobs to the Standish area.
Some 144,000 square feet of additions are planned including a six-story
hotel, dining and new gaming options.
A Saginaw Chippewa Indian spokesman said construction will last a bit less
than a year and the tribe hopes to start the bid process in June.
(WSGW, Saginaw)
(Pontiac-GM Property Development)
The former General Motors property in Pontiac may be the home of a unique,
new development for car enthusiasts.
A developer wants to turn the 80-acres of land into the M1 Concourse car
country club with "car condominiums", a clubhouse, restaurant and a
40-thousand square foot events center.
The project is being spearheaded by attorney Brad Oleshansky (OH-luh-SHAN-skee)
who says the site would also have a one-mile test track and an outdoor
amphitheater. He plans to sign a purchase agreement Wednesday with the trust
established to sell former General Motors sites that were not part of the
"new GM" after their 2009 bankruptcy.
The M1 Concourse supporters hope to have construction underway this summer.
(24/7 News Source)
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FRI 17MAY13
(MI-Powerball
Jackpot)
The Powerball jackpot keeps growing.
Lottery officials say the prize is now an estimated $600 million. That's the
largest in the game's history and the world's second largest lottery prize.
The largest jackpot ever was a $656 million Mega Millions prize won in March
2012. It was split three ways with winners in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.
The Powerball jackpot has grown by an estimated $236 million since the last
drawing on Wednesday. The last time someone won was on March 30th.
Tickets for Saturday night's drawing are $2. Your odds of winning are about
1 in 175 million.
(Grosse Pointe Park-Attempted Firebombing-UPDATE)
Authorities in Grosse Pointe Park have one person in custody stemming from
the attempted firebombing of the lakeside estate of a prominent metro
Detroit businessman.
The incident happened early this morning (Friday) at the rumored $1.7
million home of Art Van Furniture President Gary Van Elslander. The home is
located in an upscale community in Grosse Pointe Park along Lake St. Clair,
just north of the Detroit River.
The device did not ignite and was stopped from getting into the house by a
window screen. Police combed the area and found footsteps leading from a
vacant lot next door.
Police Chief David Hiller said following a brief search, a 20-year-old
Grosse Pointe Park resident described as a suspect was taken into custody a
short time later. A news release issued late this morning said "detectives
investigating the case are confident that we have the individual responsible
for this incident."
The identity of the suspect has not been released.
Investigators recovered evidence from the scene, but Hiller would not say
what type of evidence was taken.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is expected to review the case.
Van Elslander is the son of Art Van Elslander, who founded the Art Van
Furniture empire in 1959. Since then, Art Van Furniture has grown into the
largest furniture store chain in the state of Michigan and the eighth
largest nationwide.
(WWJ, Detroit/24/7 News Source)
(Haslett-Bomb Threat-UPDATE)
Police have concluded their search of Haslett High School near Lansing after
a bomb scare forced the evacuation of the building.
No explosive was found.
Police in Ingham County's Meridian Township told the Lansing State Journal
that the threat was made by a phone call to the school shortly after 9:00
A.M. this morning (Friday). Students, faculty and staff were evacuated.
Bomb-sniffing dogs from the Michigan State Police searched the building.
Michigan State University police and Eaton County Sheriff’s Office were
called in to assist.
(MI/ONT-Two Earthquakes)
Reports of two earthquakes this (Friday) morning near the Ontario-Quebec
border in Canada were felt by some in Michigan.
The first was a 5.1 magnitude. The second, which hit about 10 minutes later,
registered as a 4.2 tremor.
Canadian news outlets said the quakes could be felt as far away as Toronto,
but some people in Farmington Hills, Ann Arbor and Jackson are saying they
felt something, too.
Residents in eastern Ontario and west Quebec said the shaking lasted about
30 seconds. Quakes measuring from 2.5 to 5.4 are often felt, but cause only
minor damage. There are about 30,000 around the world each year.
No injuries were immediately reported.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(Livingston Co-Gun Rage Death)
A man who has already been convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death
of another man at a Livingston County gun range last summer is now facing a
murder charge.
Jessce Stearn of Howell Township was arraigned today (Friday) on open murder
and a felony firearms charge.
Charles Kimball died of a shot from a Romanian AK-47 assault rifle at the
club in Brighton Township in June 2012.
According to the Livingston Daily Press & Argus, Stearn said the shooting
was accidental, and was scheduled to be sentenced on the manslaughter charge
Monday. But that charge has now been dismissed.
Prosecutors say new evidence shows the shooting was intentional. They claim
Stearn admitted to other jail inmates that it was because Kimball owed him
money.
Stearn is being held without bond pending a preliminary exam on May 22. He
could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
(Bay Co-Car Ordinance)
Neighborhood complaints about a self described "car nut" in Bay County's
Bangor Township have prompted efforts by township leaders to propose a draft
ordinance amendment to deal with excess vehicles parked on private property.
Arnold Tennant has 11 vehicles parked in front of his home. Tennant says
he's tried to comply with township rules in the past including replacing
expired license plate tags.
The draft ordinance would enforce a three car limit for every licensed
driver living within a single family household. Homeowners like Tennant
could keep extra vehicles if they were properly stored in an enclosed
building like a pole barn.
The proposed language would have to be reviewed and approved by Bangor
Township's attorney before going to the planning commission.
A final board vote could happen in late summer or early fall.
(WSGW, Saginaw)
(Detroit-Farrakhan Address)
Approximately 200 people gathered in the Detroit City Hall this morning
(Friday) to hear Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan speak.
He addressed the Detroit City Council and residents in the Henderson
Auditorium and urged them not to let the city collapse under the weight of
the current fiscal crisis. Farrakhan once again called on Detroiters to pool
their money to help save their city. He pointed out that 500,000 residents
pledging $1 a month could help solve Detroit's problems.
Farrakhan will continue his speaking engagements tonight at the Fellowship
Chapel on the city's northwest side.
(24/7 News Source)
(Kent Co-Fatal Crash Sentence)
A Kent County Judge sentenced a Grand Rapids man Thursday for a crash
killing an 8 year old girl last December.
22-year old Byron Juarez will serve 57 months to 15 years in prison for
operating while intoxicated causing death.
Dayma Roblero, a Detroit area girl, died when she was riding with family in
the southwest part of Grand Rapids. Police say Juarez had a blood-alcohol
level of .16 when his SUV struck the family's car on December 23rd. A
4-year-old and a 10-year-old were seriously injured.
The group had driven to Grand Rapids from Detroit for a church function.
Judge Mark Trusock's sentence includes the highest minimum jail stay for the
conviction. Juarez received credit for nearly five months already served as
he heads to prison.
(John C. Smith, WOOD, Grand Rapids)
(Pontiac-Shooting Death)
Police say an 18-year-old Pontiac teen has been arrested after a 17-year-old
girl died a day after she was shot in the face.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as the victim’s
boyfriend, but did not release his name.
Makayla Lance, of Pontiac, died Wednesday at McLaren Oakland Hospital.
Police say she was shot in the face Tuesday afternoon. When police arrived
at the home, the suspect was at the Lance’s side, apparently trying to
administer first aid.
Lance was rushed to the hospital where she was place on life support, as
police took her boyfriend, who is believed to be the person who fired the
gun, back to the station for questioning.
Captain Tim Atkins told the Oakland Press (quote) “the suspect claims the
shooting was accidental.”
Police say the gun used in the crime was recovered from a garbage can behind
the house.
So far, there has been no announced decision on charges in the killing.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(Saginaw Co-Courthouse Gun)
A 45-year-old Saginaw area woman with a criminal history dating back to the
1980's could get life in prison if convicted of the multiple charges facing
her after being caught with a gun at the Saginaw County Courthouse front
entrance checkpoint.
Sheriff deputies arrested Sherenia Parks Wednesday afternoon as she came to
pay a parking ticket. Her attorney said Parks did not realize she had the
weapon in her purse.
Parks had a not guilty plea entered on her behalf during her Saginaw County
District Court arraignment Thursday. The charges include carrying a
concealed weapon, possessing a firearm as a felon, possessing Vicodin and
two counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Parks was being held in the Saginaw County Jail on a $25,000 bond. Her
preliminary exam is May 29th.
(WSGW, Saginaw)
(Detroit-Museum Reopens)
After a several month long closure for a two-million-dollar makeover, the
Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle reopens this weekend.
The museum is dedicated to the maritime history of southeastern Michigan,
the Detroit River and the Great Lakes.
A centerpiece of the renovation is a permanent exhibit that chronicles
Detroit's growth and development into one of the nation's leading
metropolitan regions and the link to the river that shares its name.
The exhibit highlights the ways in which Detroiters have used the river and
lakes to build industries, engage neighbors and pursue recreational
passions.
The museum will hold reopening events beginning at noon Saturday.
(24/7 News Source)
(Kent Co-Flood Damage)
The flooding on the Grand River last month did an estimated ten-point-six
million dollars in damage in Kent County.
The Kent County Emergency Management supervisors released the updated
numbers yesterday. Earlier estimates put the damage at eleven-million in
Grand Rapids and just over six-million elsewhere in the county.
Governor Snyder included Grand Rapids and Kent County in a "state of
disaster" declaration, and it's expected he will ask President Obama for a
federal declaration.
(24/7 News Source)
Top
THU 16MAY13
(Capitol-Fireworks Changes)
The state lawmaker who sponsored legislation that legalized exploding and
flying fireworks is now pushing for a new restriction on that law.
State House Democrat Harold Haugh from Roseville says after listening to
constituents and meeting with all interested stakeholders, he believes that
leaving the fireworks ordinance decisions up to the local units of
government is the best course of action.
Under proposed changes to the Michigan Fireworks Safety Act, local units of
government still retain full control over the 335 days they currently have.
On the days of, day before, and day after a national holiday, they may enact
an ordinance prohibiting the use of consumer grade fireworks from 12 a.m. to
8 a.m. and could also enact an ordinance expanding the hours of usage but
not decreasing them on the 30 days.
Among others, the legislation also would ensure that 100 percent of the
Fireworks Safety Fee be distributed to the firefighter training council for
training purposes and allow local units of government to carry out
inspections of consumer-grade firework facilities.
Haugh hopes to have the changes approved by lawmakers and signed by the
Governor before the Fourth of July.
(MI-Consumers Rate Hike)
Electric customers of Consumers Energy will see their rates go up.
The Michigan Public Service Commission on Wednesday approved a company
settlement agreement resulting in a $1.67 increase for customers using
500-kilowatt hours of electricity each month. The increase takes effect
today (Thursday).
Overall, the Jackson-based utility was granted $89 million annually, an
increase of 2.3 percent. However, regulators say that's 40 percent less than
the $148.3 million rate increase the utility originally requested.
There is some good news though. Because the amount approved is below the
$110 million amount the company began to self-implement on March 19, the
commission has directed the utility to refund to its electric customers
approximately $21 million on an annual basis, plus interest, subject to
reconciliation.
Consumers must file a reconciliation application with the PSC regarding the
refund within 60 days.
(Saginaw Co-Buena Vista Could Open)
Classes could be back in session Friday in the Buena (BYOO-nuh) Vista School
District in Saginaw County.
State School Superintendent Mike Flanagan has approved a deficit elimination
plan adopted by the school board releasing funds that have been withheld
because Buena Vista schools continued to collect money for a program that
ended last summer.
The district will receive its regularly scheduled state aid payment on May
20th allowing the district to meet its May 24th payroll.
According to the district website, the Board of Education has a special
meeting planned for today (Thursday).
The district's 420 students have not been in school since May 3rd, and the
district laid off teachers May 7th.
(Detroit-Five Shot, One Killed)
Four people were wounded and a 60-year-old woman was killed Wednesday after
a quiet Detroit neighborhood erupted in gunfire.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. at a home on the city’s west side.
Sgt. Eren Stephens said a group of children were playing outside when an
adult sent one of the youngsters home. That child apparently went home and
told a family member. Stephens says a 24-year-old man returned with a gun a
short time later and began shooting.
Members of both families were shot, including a 15-year old girl, a
24-year-old woman, a 32-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man. They were
listed in temporary serious condition at a local hospital. The 60-year-old
woman died at the scene.
Stephens said those involved in the shooting all knew each other.
Police are now searching for the gunman, who fled the scene after the
shooting.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(Capitol-Adoption)
A legislative committee in Lansing is now considering testimony on a package
of bills that change the state's adoption system.
Among other things, the package allows a birth mother to consent to giving
up the child for adoption outside of court. She would also have 72 hours to
revoke the consent.
The bills also allow a court to finalize adoption after three months instead
of six.
Further, while the child would be placed with either the adoptive family or
the mother during the adoption process, it would not be placed with the
putative father during those proceedings.
The bills are before the House Families, Children and Seniors Committee.
(MI-Bar Owners-BAC)
Bar owners and other licensed beverage sellers are wasting no time in
opposing a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board that
Michigan and other states reduce it's maximum blood alcohol level for
drivers to point-oh-five (.05). Currently it's point-oh-eight (.08) and
that had only been reduced in recent years from point-one-oh (.10).
Scott Ellis of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association says another
reduction is not the answer to drunken driving problems, adding that it only
serves to create an "unnecessary fear among responsible consumers."
Instead he says the focus should be on repeat offenders and those caught
with levels above .10.
He adds that their group, which has lobbyists in Washington, will work to
discourage Congress from making .05 a requirement.
(MI-Lost Jobs Replaced)
A University of Michigan economist says four out of nine jobs Michigan lost
between 2000 and 2010 will be replaced by the end of 2015.
Director of the Research Seminar on Quantitative Economics (RSQE) at the
U-M, George Fulton, told the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC)
in Lansing Wednesday (quote) "we think we'll regain 44-percent of the jobs
that we lost in that decade."
Fulton says by the close of calendar year 2015 the state's economy will have
added a total of 373,500 jobs since the first quarter of 2010. He doesn't
expect the state to regain all 857,700 of those lost jobs until the early
2020's.
Fulton says by 2015 he expects Michigan's economy will have had moderate
growth for six straight years.
(MI/DC-Camp Reaction-IRS Resignation)
Michigan Congressman Dave Camp expects Acting IRS Commissioner Steve Miller
to give complete answers Friday when he testifies about allegations of
political discrimination by the tax agency.
The Midland Republican says Miller's announced resignation Wednesday does
nothing to change the fact the tax system is targeting honest, hard-working
taxpayers instead of working for them. Camp says the resignation does
nothing to change a culture of discrimination at the IRS.
Camp chairs the U. S. House Ways and Means Committee which wants honest
answers from Miller tomorrow about why the American people were targeted on
the basis of their political beliefs.
Camp says there are too many unanswered questions and Congress can not fix
what is wrong until the IRS is completely open and honest with the American
people.
(Bill Hewitt, WSGW, Saginaw)
(MI-UP Plane Crash Cause)
The National Transportation Safety Board has come back with its final report
about a fatal plane crash in the Upper Peninsula in December of 2011.
The crash killed the pilot, 29-year-old Manistique native Joseph Pann and
52-year-old Detroit native Thomas Phillips, who was an executive at
Amazon-dot-com.
Phillips had hired Great Lakes Air to fly him to his second home on Mackinac
Island, when he and the pilot went missing during a snowstorm. They were
found near St. Ignace the next day.
The NTSB ruling finds that Pann's decision to fly in poor weather was the
cause of the crash.
(WTIQ, Manistique)
(MI-Special Election)
Governor Rick Snyder has called a special election in the 49th District of
the state House of Representatives to fill the vacancy created when Democrat
Jim Ananich of Flint was sworn in as state senator of the 27th District.
The 49th House District is located in Genesee County and includes part of
the city of Flint.
Snyder says the special election will ensure area residents have full
representation in the Legislature as quickly as possible while coinciding
with certain previously scheduled elections to help ensure minimized
financial burdens to local communities in the district.
The special election will be Tuesday, November 5, and a primary election
would be August 6 if necessary.
(Detroit-West Nile Report)
Health officials say 2012 was the worst year for West Nile Virus infections
in Michigan since 2003.
According to the Centers of Disease Control, 202 cases of West Nile Virus
were reported in Michigan last year, including 17 deaths. That’s up
significantly from 2011, when there were only 34 documented cases of West
Nile Virus in Michigan, and in 2010 when there were 29 reported cases.
Of last year’s infections, 41 percent (84 cases) occurred in Wayne County,
20 percent (41 cases) occurred in Kent County, 14 percent (28 cases)
occurred in Macomb County and 11 percent (23 cases) occurred in Oakland
County. The remaining cases were scattered in counties throughout the state.
Of the fatal cases, six were in Detroit, four were in Wayne County, three
were in Macomb County, two were in Kent County, one was in Ogemaw County and
the other was in Washtenaw County.
West Nile Virus is a potentially serious illness that is spread by infected
mosquitoes.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(Jackson-Consumers Meter Readers)
Consumers Energy says in order to protect its employees from dog bites and
attacks, customers with "aggressive" dogs that have bit meter readers in the
past will only have their gas or electric meters read with a police escort.
Under its revised policy, the Jackson-based utility is also requiring that
all dogs -- even those that have shown no sign of aggressive behavior -- be
restrained or properly contained while meters are being read.
In either situation if contact with the customer cannot be made, the meter
will not be read.
Charles Montgomery, manager of customer field services, says they continue
to see an increase in the number of dog bites to meter reads, even by dogs
that have in the past exhibited no aggressive behavior.
Customers have the option of reading their own meter and providing the
information to Consumers online.
(Detroit-Human Remains Found)
Detroit police say they found human remains buried in the backyard of a home
after receiving a tip from the public.
The home is located just east of the Southfield Freeway on the city’s
northwest side.
Sgt. Eren Stephens says police received a tip around 6 p.m. Wednesday that a
body was buried outside of the home. Officers responded to the home, where
they found human remains buried in a shallow grave on the property.
It wasn’t immediately clear how long the remains had been there or if they
belong to a man or woman.
An investigation is ongoing.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(MI-Smart Meter Opt Out)
DTE Energy customers will be able to opt out of using controversial smart
meters... for a price.
The Michigan Public Service Commission ruled yesterday (Wednesday) that DTE
can charge its customers an initial fee of $67.20 and a monthly fee of $9.80
to opt out of the smart meters.
Mlive.com reports that DTE had originally requested it be allowed to charge
$87 up front and $15 per month, but the MPSC ordered a lower rate.
The smart-meter program allows utilities to remotely monitor power outages
and use. But some state lawmakers, municipalities and consumer groups have
expressed concerns over privacy as well as environmental and health hazards
from radio frequencies emitted by the meters.
DTE spokesman Scott Simons says (quote) "We believe that the advanced meters
are safe, reliable and protect the customers’ privacy, however for customers
who don’t want the meter, we agree with the MPSC that they should be able to
opt out."
The MPSC is also considering a similar request from Consumers Energy to
charge customers for opting out of smart meters.
(Ann Arbor-Child Death)
A Washtenaw County Judge sentenced Michael Curtiss to between 30 and
60-years in jail for the death of a 14-month old boy last October.
Curtiss was watching Chase Miller as a favor to Jill Miller, who he was
dating at the time. Curtiss was snorting heroin that night and beat the
child. Prosecutors say the toddler was shoved and fell into a TV stand,
which caused blunt force trauma to his head.
Curtiss apologized to the family and the court and said he quote "should
have been more careful with Chase."
(24/7 News Source)
(Wayne Co-Terrorism Charge)
A 37-year-old man has been charged with terrorism in connection with this
week’s bomb scare at the Westland city hall.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says Sean Quigley lied that he had
explosives and held an employee hostage on Monday. The building was
evacuated and the woman was able to escape unharmed.
Westland Police and the Michigan State Police arrested Quigley outside a
short time later. A bomb squad searched the property but found nothing.
Quigley was to be arraigned in 18th District court Wednesday. He faces up to
life in prison if convicted of terrorism, kidnapping, false report of a
felony - bomb, and false report of a felony - threat of terrorism.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(Ann Arbor-Indecent Exposure Arrest)
A 46-year-old Ann Arbor man is in custody after allegedly exposing himself
to two young women inside the Designer Shoe Warehouse at Arborland mall
Tuesday night.
A 26-year-old woman from Haslett and a 27-year-old Ann Arbor woman told
police that the suspect approached them, lifted his shorts and exposed
himself. The man then allegedly said nothing, and walked out of the store.
Police located the man a short time later, at a different location, and
placed him under arrest.
Ann Arbor Police Lieutenant Renee Bush says indecent exposure charges could
be forthcoming.
(24/7 News Source)
(Detroit-Human Remains Found)
Detroit police say they found human remains buried in the backyard of a home
after receiving a tip from the public.
The home is located just east of the Southfield Freeway on the city’s
northwest side.
Sgt. Eren Stephens says police received a tip around 6 p.m. Wednesday that a
body was buried outside of the home. Officers responded to the home, where
they found human remains buried in a shallow grave on the property.
It wasn’t immediately clear how long the remains had been there or if they
belong to a man or woman.
An investigation is ongoing.
(WWJ, Detroit)
(East Lansing-Morrill Hall Fire)
The oldest standing building on the Michigan State University campus,
Morrill Hall, caught fire yesterday (Wednesday).
Several fire departments fought the blaze reported to have sparked at 7 p.m.
at the 113 year-old building. At one point flames and billowing smoke could
be seen coming from the structure's rooftop.
No injuries were reported.
MSU has been in the process of demolishing Morrill Hall and the building's
tenants, the English and History departments, had been moved to other
facilities.
Demolition of the structure began in March and is scheduled to be completed
in August.
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05/22/13
