WATZ Today's Country

Wednesday News Summary 08-17-22
Wed, 17 Aug 2022 12:05:59 EDT

(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON FUNDS
Grand Traverse County commissioners will get an update on community feedback and requests for state and federal recovery and rescue plan funds. Grand Traverse County was awarded over $18 million of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds through the American Rescue Plan Act.The County formed the American Rescue Plan Act Advisory Committee earlier this year to gather input, make recommendations, allocate funding and how to get the community involved in the process. A survey was made public April 12 through May 13 to rank priorities in eight categories. The top four priorities from the 1,841 survey results included: Infrastructure, workforce housing, mental and behavioral health, and child care.

GOLF CART ACCIDENT
The Mt. Pleasant Police Department says a 16-year-old boy died in a golf cart accident Tuesday morning. Officers responded to a suspicious situation near Chase Run Apartments on Isabella Road around 3:34 a.m. Tuesday. According to police, officers located a rolled golf cart and a deceased male in Horizon Park. The male was identified as a 16-year-old from Mt. Pleasant. A 16-year-old girl from Mt. Pleasant, who was also involved in the accident, received minor scrapes and bruises.

SCHOOL SUPPLY TAXES
Could there be a tax break for those buying school supplies? Governor Whitmer has proposed suspending the Michigan sales tax on school supplies. The Governor's office says a Deloitte report found that parents and families expect to spend up to 661-dollars per child on school supplies this year. Some estimates show the move would save families about 50-dollars. 19 other states are suspending state sales taxes on everything from clothing and shoes to backpacks and computers to lower costs for families. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey calls the move a slap in the face after the Governor vetoed a bi-partisan plan to lower taxes for a family of four by at least 13- hundred dollars.

GM RECALL
General Motors is recalling more than 484,000 large SUVs in the U.S. to fix a problem that can cause the third-row seat belts to malfunction. The recall covers Chevrolet Suburbans and Tahoes, Cadillac Escalades and GMC Yukons from 2021 and 2022. The automaker says rivets that hold the buckle to the mounting bracket on the left- and right side third-row seats may have been formed improperly. The belts may not properly hold a passenger in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. GM says it's not aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the problem. Dealers will inspect the rivet heads and replace buckle assemblies if needed. Owners will be notified starting September 26.

POSSIBLE TC SCHOOLS OFFICER
The new state budget includes financial help to school districts to cover the cost of hiring school resource officers. That topic will be discussed during the Grand Traverse County Commission meeting Wednesday. The Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office and the superintendent with Traverse City Area Public Schools met recently to discuss the possibility of placing a resource officer within the district. Word is that 50% of the cost would be reimbursed by the state through a grant process with Michigan State Police. In the proposal 25% of the cost of the officer would be reimbursed by the school district and Grand Traverse County would pay the remaining 25%. Should the plan move forward, an officer would be placed in West High School.

GOVERNOR PLOT UPDATE
Defense attorneys tried to paint a key witness as "in it for the money" -- as the trial continued Tuesday in the alleged plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer. The attorneys cross-examined a postal worker,"Big Dan," saying he was paid as much by the FBI in six months in 2020 as he made all year at the Post Office. They also said he accepted a $34-HUNDRED dollar laptop and docking station. The informant said the money he was paid was for expenses, including having to move house when a militia member found out his address. This is the second trial for Adam Fox and Barry Croft, after their first trial ended in a "hung jury."

LATEST COVID STATS
Michigan COVID cases are back on the rise. Health officials report over 23-thousand new cases over the past week. That compares to just over 16-thousand cases the week before. There were 103 deaths - down over 30-percent from last week. Over a thousand people are hospitalized, including 33 children.

GOVERNOR NOT TO TESTIFY
Governor Whitmer will NOT have to testify at a hearing today in Oakland County over the state's abortion ban. That's according to a ruling from the State Appeals Court. Attorneys for two prosecutors are seeking to be able to criminally charge providers who perform abortions. The Governor won a preliminary injunction that keeps abortion legal pending a challenge to the law. The attorneys wanted the Governor to take the stand to testify about how an abortion ban would affect her personally as the plaintiff. The Governor claims abortion is legal under Michigan's constitution.

DNR PHOTO MOSAIC
The Michigan DNR is creating a photo mosaic tribute to boating the Great Lakes State and need your help. Submit your favorite boating memories as many as you like to showcase Michigan's freshwater paradise. Find your favorite pics from anytime in the last 75 years, visit Michigan.gov/DNR/CelebrateBoating and click on "Share your photos." Photos from your phone are welcome. Your photos may be used for future boating marketing efforts sent by the DNR but will not be sold or shared in any other way.

E.COLI INCREASE
Michigan residents are being urged to practice food safety and monitor for E. coli symptoms. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and three local health departments Kent, Ottawa and Oakland are investigating a recent increase in the number of illnesses related to E. coli bacteria. There have been reports of 98 cases of E. coli infection in August, compared to 20 cases reported during the same time period in 2021. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Symptoms of E. coli infection usually appear three to four days after exposure.

LOTTERY WINNER
If you recently bought a lottery ticket at a Sunoco in Shelby Township - you may be Lucky for Life. Lottery officials say someone who bought the Lucky For Life ticket at the Sunoco Station on Ryan Road won on Saturday night - but no one has picked up the proceeds. The winner receives $25-thousand a year for life. The winning number was 13-26-34-37-48.

BUS MONEY
The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced millions of dollars in federal money for bus service in Detroit, Flint and Midland. The $12 million in grants will be used to upgrade bus fleets and make them more environmentally-friendly. MDOT will receive $12 million to replace its vehicles.

ABORTION COURT HEARING
Attorneys for Governor Whitmer will be in court today to argue against allowing prosecutors to charge providers with performing abortions. But the Governor will NOT be testifying in court, after a ruling from an Appeals Court. Two prosecutors are seeking to be able to charge providers who perform abortions. The Governor won a preliminary injunction keeping abortion legal. Whitmer argues that abortion is legal under Michigan's constitution, despite a 1931 abortion ban. Attorneys for the two prosecutors say the Governor has no standing in the case.

GRAND HAVEN SCHOOLS EMBEZZLEMENT
It's now being revealed that a former Grand Haven Public Schools administrator, Brian Wheeler, apparently stole nearly a million dollars from the district. A forensic audit shows that Wheeler had embezzled more than 944-thousand dollars using false invoices to a company called Infinity Electrical LLC for seven years and there was evidence he embezzled another 150-thousand dollars using an entity called Business Office System Support. Wheeler pleaded no contest in January to embezzzlement and died a few days later in the Ottawa County Jail from cardiovascular disease. The district is working to recover as much of the embezzled money as possible.

KALAMAZOO POLICE CHIEF
The police chief for the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Vernon Coakley, has been placed on administrative leave after harassment allegations were filed against him. In a news release , the city says Kalamazoo took action after the allegations of harassment were filed by city employees and it takes such allegations very seriously and will fully investigate them. The city has hired an outside, independent investigator to look at the accusations.

COMSTOCK PARK BASKETBALL COACH DIES
Grief counseling will be available for students at west Michigan's Comstock Park High School after the death of boys basketball varsity coach Tyler Edwards. The 27-year- old Edwards died of suspected cardiac arrest. The schools assistant principal and athletic director Kendra Faustin says in a statement that words cannot express the loss they feeling with Coach Edwards passing. She says he invested wholeheartedly in their kids, family, and community.

POTHOLE INJURY SETTLEMENT
A woman who injured herself while stepping in an Ann Arbor pothole has come away with thousands of dollars in a legal settlement. Deborah Gordon-Gurfinkel broke her right ankle after stepping in a pothole on Sunset Road in August 2020. The city council voted last night to approve a $24,500 settlement to resolve her lawsuit against the city. Gordon-Gurfinkel alleged that the pothole was observable for more than 30 days prior to her accident.

BOIL WATER SE MI
More water distribution centers are popping up across Metro Detroit as residents continue to cope with boil water advisories. In Bruce Township, gallon jugs of water will be available today from 1 to 8 p.m. at township fire station one . For residents of Imlay City, three 2,000-gallon water trucks will be parked at the city fairgrounds from 10 to noon this morning. Residents will be given collapsible water jugs that can be used to fill up at the trucks. Seven communities covering over 130,000 people remain under a boil water advisory after a water main break.

ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECT KALAMAZOO
A man, suspected in an armed robbery in Kalamazoo where he shot at officers, has now been arrested . Police reportedly arrested the man at a home last night after Saturday night's robbery. Police say he walked into a business that night with a rifle and demanded money and shot at a clerk and a customer. He drove off and crashed, but when police got close, he started shooting at the police car. He ran off , but was caught last night.

MOTORCYCLE CRASH-W MI
A motorcyclist was airlifted to a hospital after he was thrown from his bike in a crash Tuesday afternoon in west Michigan's Park Township. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office says the driver of a van did not yield to the motorcyclist and turned left in front of him. The 64-year-old motorcyclist was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries.

MOTHER-DAUGHTER DEATHS-MACOMB COUNTY
The Macomb County Sheriff's officials have a mystery on their hands. Nearly two weeks after a 40-year-old woman and her 8-year-old daughter were found dead inside their home in Macomb Township, they still have no idea what killed the pair. There is no sign of a forced entry into the home and no evidence of foul play. Officials say they are awaiting the results of toxicology tests, which could take three months.