WATZ Today's Country

Monday News Summary 02-06-23
Mon, 06 Feb 2023 12:19:52 EST

(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)

MPS TROOPER ON LEAVE
A Michigan State Police trooper is on administrative leave pending investigation into a
deadly officer involved shooting. Police said a trooper and cadet from the Michigan
State Police Houghton Lake Post responded to a vehicle in the ditch on I-75 that had
apparently driven off the road. Early investigation suggests the trooper made contact
with the driver and believed him to be intoxicated. The trooper eventually fired his
weapon , killing the man. It happened Friday night near Grayling, north of West
Federal High Exit into Beaver Creek Township. The victim was identified as 48-year-old
David Stockton of Tawas. Stockton was pronounced dead at the scene. The trooper
was not hurt.

SNOW MOBILE DEATH
One man is dead after a snowmobile crash. Deputies from the Wexford County
Sheriffs Office responded to Cherry Grove Township near Cadillac Friday morning.
According to officials, Lucas Wood from Mason was driving his snowmobile and didn't
properly go around a curve -- causing him to leave the trail and hit several trees.
Deputies do not think that alcohol was a factor in the crash. An investigation is
underway.

POWERBALL
The Powerball jackpot continues to grow. The estimated jackpot now stands at 747-
MILLION dollars after no one matched all 6 numbers in Saturday night's drawing. The
new cash option is over 403-MILLION dollars. Michiganders will again have a chance
to become a millionaire in tonight's drawing just before 11 o'clock.

AUTO LOANS
If youre planning to buy a car in the near future, not only will the price of the car be
higher than youre used to, But it could be more difficult to get a loan to finance that
car. Delinquencies have been rising and so have car repossessions. Citizens
Financial Group is cutting back its auto loan business. Theyre concerned about the
possibility of a recession and the rising number of people who are already having
trouble making the payments. Cox Automotive says the number of car loans 60 days
late jumped more than 30-percent last fall.

I-94 ROAD PROJECT BEGINS
Preliminary work for a 160-million dollar road construction project in west Michigan
begins today. The Michigan Department of Transportation will begin clearing trees
along I-94 in Battle Creek. Drivers can expect to run into construction barrels along the
shoulder. The main part of the project will involve rebuilding and repaving ten miles of
the freeway and fixing 17 bridges. The entire project is expected to continue for three
years.

FATAL HOUSE FIRE -DETROIT
A seven-year-old boy lost his life in a house fire Sunday afternoon in Detroit. A
neighbor says the fire was so intense he could see smoke from a block away.
A second fire at a Detroit home injured four children. Three of the children, ranging in
age from six months to three, suffered smoke inhalation. A six-year-old suffered minor
burns. All are expected to survive.
The cause of both fires remains under investigation.

SCHURR TRIAL -EXPECT DELAYS
Former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr will stand trial for murder in the
shooting death of black motorist Patrick Lyoya(Lee-oy-uh), but even though the trial is
expected to begin in March...legal experts don't expect that to happen. Kent County
Circuit Court Judge Christina Elmore denied a defense motion to throw out the second
degree murder charge last Friday, and Schurr's attorneys plan to appeal to the
Michigan Court of Appeals.
A criminal trial attorney in Kalamazoo, Sarissa Montague, tells WOOD TV, that appeal
could delay a trial significantly....possibly several months.

GAS PRICES
We are seeing a little relief at the gas pump -- but the weekly average is still higher
than a month ago.
Prices are down EIGHT CENTS compared to this time last week -- with motorists
paying an average of 50 DOLLARS to fill up a 15 gallon tank. The most expensive
price averages are in Jackson, Ann Arbor and Metro Detroit .. at $3.45 a gallon. The
cheapest prices are in Benton Harbor, Grand Rapids and Marquette.

GRAND RIVER EQUITY-W MI
Maintaining equity when it comes to revitalization efforts along the Grand River in
Grand Rapids. WOOD TV reports Black Voices at the River will meet with Downtown
Grand Rapids, inc, Urban League of West Michigan and other groups to present the
Grand River Equity Framework
Wednesday night. An organizer says they want to ensure that future programs and
plans for the project include a variety of voices.

HEALTH REPORT-W MI
Preventative health care access took a sharp downtown during the pandemic. That's
according to data complied to the annual Health Check in west Michigan. The report
was released by Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business and
Kirkhof College of Nursing says close to 40 percent of people delayed care in the
United States during the pandemic. One of the report's authors, Erkmen Aslim, says
quote- It's important because delaying care not only increases morbidity and mortality
risk associated with treatable and preventable disease, but it can also contribute to
excess deaths directly or indirectly related to the pandemic.

ICEBOAT CRASH-METRO DETROIT
An Independence Township man dies after an ice sailboat crash at the Pontiac Lake
Recreation Area.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office says 81-year-old Dan Erwin Campbell was piloting
the 27-foot ice sailboat on the eastern most part of Pontiac Lake in White Lake
Township, shortly before noon Sunday, when the crash occurred about 100-yards from
shore.
It's believed that Campbell hit his head on the ice -- but no word yet on what caused the
crash.
An autopsy is scheduled for today . The crash remains under investigation.

CONTAMINATED ANN ARBOR SITE
A contaminated site in Ann Arbor is set to be redeveloped into condo and commercial
space.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has approved
reimbursement for a developer of up to $1.7 (m)illion.
The property at 303 N. Fifth and 312 and 314 Detroit Street used to be a gas station,
auto repair shop, and car wash.
The development is estimated to generate $17 (m)illion in private investment and
create much-needed housing in Ann Arbor.

FATAL CRASH-U-P
-A multiple vehicle accident took the lives of two people from Ohio over the weekend on
U.S. 2 in Mackinac County. Deputies say it happened west of St. Ignace in Moran
Township. High winds, blowing snow and slippery roads were factors in the crash that
also sent four other people to the hospital. The highway was closed down for several
hours on Saturday.

BANK ROBBER CHARGES
A Macomb County teenager, who managed to elude police for several days following a
bank robbery, is due to court today to face charges. Eighteen-year-old Jacob Edwards
is accused of robbing a Huntington Bank branch in New Baltimore on January 17th. He
was captured on the bank's surveillance cameras wearing a Jiffy Lube shirt and red
shoes. Following the heist, Edwards allegedly drove to Indiana where he is accused of
carjacking a good Samaritan who stopped to help him.
Edwards was finally captured in Vermillion County, Illinois by a sheriff's deputy who
shot him in the arm after Edwards allegedly pointed a gun at the deputy. He is
scheduled to appear in Vermillion County Circuit Court today. No word on when he will
be returned to Michigan to face charges.

WINTER CARNIVAL ICE CHAPEL-HOUGHTON
In the U-P's Houghton, an ice chapel is being built for the Winter Carnival at Michigan
Tech University, being held this week. W-L-U-C reports crews have been working
since early January to carve the chapel, which will hold 200 people. There will be three
different ice Mass events.

POWERBALL
The Powerball jackpot keeps on growing. No one ticket matched all six numbers drawn
Saturday night, so the jackpot for tonight's (Mon) drawing is an estimated $747 million.
The cash value is $403.1 million.

STURGEON SEASON QUICK
It was a short Sturgeon season Saturday morning on Black Lake. The DNR says 800
people took part , but the season ended in just over an hour when six fish were caught.