WATZ Today's Country

Tuesday News Summary 10-18-22
Tue, 18 Oct 2022 12:16:33 EDT

(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)

OBAMA TO MICHIGAN
A former president is headed to Michigan to campaign for candidates in the state.
Barack Obama has planned a trip for October 29th... to campaign for Governor
Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats in the state ahead of the November election.
Obama will join Whitmer, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, and other candidates at
a rally in Metro Detroit... but the exact location has not been released. Whitmer's
Republican challenger -- Tudor Dixon -- spent the weekend campaigning in the Upper
Penninsula.

CRUISE SHIPS
A record-breaking 52 cruise ships docked in Detroit this year. That's according to
Detroit/Wayne County Executive Director Mark Schrupp. He says the passengers
spend the day in Detroit - before getting back on the ship for dinners. He claims they
have added $125 million to the Great Lakes economy this year.

UM MSU GAME TIME
The Michigan and Michigan State football game will be kicking off at 7:30 on October
29th. The rivalry game will be played at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines will go into
the game undefeated. Michigan State is 3 and 4. Both teams have this weekend off.
Michigan State has won the last two games against Michigan.

CAR DEER CRASH FATALITY
A mid-Michigan man has died after he was hit by an SUV along U.S. 127 near Mt.
Pleasant. The Isabella County Sheriff's Department say the 33-year old victim hit a
deer while driving on the freeway just after seven o'clock Monday morning. He got out
of his car and was hit when the other driver swerved in an attempt to miss the car that
was still in the road and not on the shoulder. The 77-year old woman driving the SUV
was taken to the hospital to be evaluated. Investigators say it was very dark and misty
rain hindered the unlit area of the expressway. While traffic was being re-routed, a
Sheriff's patrol car was hit by another driver, however there were no injuries in that
crash.

DETROIT PARADE GRAND MARSHALL
The Parade Company announcing that the grand marshals for this year's Thanksgiving
parade in downtown Detroit will be NBA veteran and Fab Five legend Jalen Rose --
and Detroit Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony. Rose attended Southwestern High School
before playing basketball at the University of Michigan and spending 13 years in the
NBA. Anthony has been pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit for nearly 40 years. He
also serves on the NAACP National Board of Directors. The downtown parade will start
at 10 o'clock Thanksgiving morning.

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Google is out with its latest survey of Halloween trends and this year the top costume
is...a witch! In addition to Detroit, a witch was the top trending costume in Grand Rapids
and Kalamazoo - as well as in Traverse City. The Flint area favors a dinosaur. In
Alpena, however, the top costume is..."a broken doll."

U-P SNOW
There are thousands of power outages in the Upper Peninsula as parts of U-P have
been getting a lot of snow with strong winds. A winter storm warning is in effect until 8
tonight for Marquette and Baraga County in the north central U-P. The National
Weather Service in Marquette says Ironwood in the western U-P got a foot of snow on
Monday while Negaunee Township in the north central U-P got 10 inches of snow.
Winds have been up to 55 miles per hour.

LEE CHATFIELD INVESTIGATION
Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield is under investigation by the attorney
general's office for alleged participation in a criminal enterprise.
The Detroit News reports the scheme potentially involved embezzlement, bribery,
campaign finance violations, and drugs.
The Republican ex-lawmaker's brother -- Aaron Chatfield -- told investigators he
occasionally received money from Lee's political accounts despite not doing "any work."
Chatfield served in the state legislature from 2015 to 2020. His lawyer says he
"vehemently denies" the allegations.

SPRING LAKE BOOK
In west Michigan's Ottawa County, the Spring Lake School board has voted to remove
a book that deals with gender and sexuality from the high school library. "Gender
Queer" is about the author's struggles related to gender identity and sexuality. The
board voted 4 to 3 to remove the book in a packed board meeting with the exception
that the book will be available through a school counselor with parental consent. There
was public comment for and against removing the book.

TRUCK INTO HOME-SW MI
Two people were taken to the hospital after a pickup truck crashed into a home's gas
line and it started a fire in Howard Township in southwest Michigan . The Cass County
Sheriff's Office says a 33-year-old man driving the truck first hit the back of another
vehicle , before he went off the road and hit the side of the home and the gas line
Monday morning causing the house and the truck to catch fire. Both drivers were taken
to the hospital...but the homeowner was not hurt. It's not known if drugs or alcohol
were factors in the crash.

DOPING MARATHON
Free Press Marathon organizers are promising to crack down on doping after
controversy over this year's winner in the women's race.
Mary Beasley had been banned for two years for doping in 2013 under a different
name. Marathon Vice President Aaron Velthoven says there is no doping policy right
now for the race - so the winner will stand. Next year will be different with a
comprehensive anti-doping policy.

NEW ELECTION POLL
It's three weeks until election day. The latest poll from the Michigan Association of
Broadcasters shows democrats have small leads in the three races at the top of the
ballot. Governor Gretchen Whitmer leads republican challenger Tudor Dixon by five
points. Attorney General Dana Nessel leads republican Matt DePerno by two points
and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has a six point lead over Kristina Karamo.

BATTLE CREEK MOTHER-SON DEAD
A mother and her son have been found dead in their Battle Creek home. 51-year-old
Teresa Osborne and her 14-year-old son, Kaiden, were found in the home Saturday.
Police reportedly say there were no signs that a violent act led to their deaths and they
are waiting for autopsy results. Members of the Calhoun County Critical Incident and
Stress Management Team were at Lakeview High School on Monday to offer
counseling to Kaiden's classmates.

L'ANSE CRASH
A 22-year-old Illinois man, Dawaun Johnson, has been arraigned in connection with a
fatal crash, when he was allegedly driving drunk in a semi and hit a L'Anse gas station.
He hit the gas pumps, starting a fire and Al Dantes Junior was killed as he was getting
gas. Johnson has been charged with operating while intoxicated causing death. He
stood mute. He's been released on a 100-thousand dollar bond.

NEW U.S. ATTORNEY WESTERN DISTRICT
There's a new U.S. attorney in the Western District of Michigan, which covers 49
counties and the Upper Peninsula. Mark Totten says his office is partnering with other
agencies to work to disrupt the importation of drugs into the U-P. W-L-U-C reports
Totten says they're finding Fentanyl showing up i n counterfeit pills that look like Xanaz
or Adderall that are being pushed on social media.

SKI RESORTS
Two Michigan ski resorts have been named best in the nation. U.S. News and World
Report has ranked the 22 best ski resorts in the country. Crystal Mountain and Boyne
Mountain have made the list for the midwest region. Both resorts say it's a great time
for the recognition with sales for this season starting up and another winter right around
the corner.

IRENE BRONNER DIES
Irene Bronner -- the wife of Bronner's Christmas Wonderland founder Wally Bronner --
died Sunday at the age of 95. Irene Bronner was a teacher at Frankenmuth Public Schools before joining her husband at the iconic Christmas store -- which was founded in 1945. Irene was an essential part of Bronners Christmas Wonderland -- serving on the Board of Directors and in many other roles.