|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
January 22, 2006Week in reviewBENZIENew lawyer sought for zoning revision BEULAH - Commissioners voted to follow a recommendation to hire a different attorney to revise Benzie County's zoning ordinance. Attorney Jim Olson sent a letter to commissioners after some residents questioned his role in the zoning revision because he previously wrote a legal memo about how to contest a proposed Crystal Lake boat ramp. Proponents of the boat launch, which is tied up in court, said they feared Olson was hired to hold up the launch, a contention Olson and officials deny. County administrator Chuck Clarke said commissioners voted 4-3 Tuesday to follow Olson's recommendation and to consider hiring a new attorney for the next phase of the zoning revision, but to allow Olson to finish work he's already started. Conflict brews over Betsie Bay condo plan FRANKFORT - When Fred Stransky built his home on three-and-a-half acres overlooking Betsie Bay, he believed he'd be living in an area of single-family homes. Stransky said that type of setting is threatened by a high-density condo development proposed for land adjacent to his property. "People have purchased property in this area with the understanding that the master plan speaks very clearly, that we're not going to have that kind of density in this area," Stransky said. Fishermen's Landing would be a 40-unit condo development that would include 24 units east of M-22 and 16 units and a marina on the west side of the highway on Betsie Bay in Benzie County. The city planning commission voted to recommend approval to rezone the east part of the development but split 4-4 on the waterfront portion. If the development gains city approval, the waterfront portion would also require approval from the Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. CHARLEVOIX Council selects 20-year officer for chief post CHARLEVOIX - City leaders chose familiarity over experience for the next police chief. Officials selected Gerard Doan, a 20-year Charlevoix police officer with little supervisory experience, to head the department. By unanimous vote, the city council appointed Doan to succeed former chief Dennis Halverson, who left the department last fall after 19 years to take an administrative job with the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District. Doan beat two other candidates from elsewhere in Michigan, including a current police chief and a supervising sergeant from a larger department. Doan will earn $49,000 in base pay compensation. As chief, he will supervise six officers and a part-time office manager. He started Tuesday. A 43-year-old father of two, Doan grew up in Charlevoix. He earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Lake Superior State College in 1985 and joined the Charlevoix police department a year later. Man faces felony charges in fatal crash CHARLEVOIX - An East Jordan man could face more than 20 years behind bars for a car crash that killed his friend. Kevin Whisler, 21, faces felony charges for allegedly driving under the influence of both drugs and alcohol, causing death. He waived a district court preliminary hearing last week and was bound over to Charlevoix Circuit Court, said county Prosecutor John Jarema. Whisler and his friend, 24-year-old Jeremy Bingham, also of East Jordan, were traveling on County Road 48 in Charlevoix County Oct.13 when Whisler lost control of the car and struck a utility pole, Jarema said. Bingham was pronounced dead at the scene. Whisler was hospitalized. A blood test administered after the crash showed he had a blood alcohol level of .094 Jarema said. The legal limit is .08. Whisler faces two counts of driving while intoxicated, causing death. One is for alcohol, the other for marijuana, Jarema said. Both are punishable by up to 15 years in prison. A third charge - driving on a suspended license, causing death - also is a 15-year felony. Because of a prior larceny conviction is Charlevoix County in 2002, Whisler was charged as a habitual offender. That increases the maximum possible sentence on each count to 22½ years, Jarema said. Whisler is free on a $10,000 bond. CHEBOYGAN Former bookkeeper faces felony charges CHEBOYGAN - The former bookkeeper of a construction company faces multiple felonies after she allegedly bilked her employer out of $45,000. Carolee Rose, 39, of Cheboygan, is charged with embezzling over $20,000, three counts of forgery and three other counts of uttering and publishing stemming from alleged activity between 2001 and 2005. State police said Rose, who was arrested and arraigned Wednesday, worked for Mollen Builders & Construction over parts of the last decade before she was fired in March 2005. After Rose was fired, the company performed an audit and found that approximately $45,000 had allegedly been embezzled since 2001 through the use of "numerous" forged checks and fraudulent credit card charges. Rose is held on $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear again in 89th District Court on Feb. 1. Coast Guard cutter finds little ice to break CHEBOYGAN - The final season of icebreaking for the aging U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw has been slow thus far: There's no ice to break. Sea lanes have remained open during an unusually mild early winter. Temperatures have dropped in recent days, causing ice to form along some upper Great Lakes shorelines, but there isn't enough to press the Mackinaw into service. Cmdr. Joe McGuiness said Monday that he met with commanding officers of the cutters Katmai Bay and Biscayne Bay recently to plan for dealing with the ice they're sure will come eventually. CRAWFORD Fugitive caught after 10 years on the run GRAYLING - Crawford County Sheriff Kirk Wakefield said a locally "most wanted" felon is back in custody after 10 years as a fugitive. Larry Martin Beaman, 65, was captured by police in Indiana on Wednesday and returned in handcuffs to Grayling on Thursday. He awaits sentencing at Crawford County Jail on charges of cocaine possession, criminal sexual conduct and fraud, all felonies which carry 4- to-10-year prison sentences. Police said Beaman fled the area in April 1996 and evaded authorities by moving around the United States during the last decade. EMMET Schurz Communications purchases News-Review PETOSKEY - Schurz Communications Inc. of South Bend, Ind., has agreed to buy the Petoskey News-Review and its parent company, Northern Michigan Review Inc. Elsa Schaller-DeWitt, president of Northern Michigan Review, announced the sale at a staff meeting Wednesday. The sale is expected to be completed by early March. Terms were not disclosed. Northern Michigan Review also owns several other publications, including the Charlevoix Courier, the Gaylord Herald Times and PhoneGuide, a regional telephone directory. The Petoskey News-Review publishes Monday through Friday and has a circulation of more than 11,000 daily. Schurz Communications is a family-owned company with a presence in nine states. It publishes seven daily newspapers in medium and small markets, the largest being the South Bend Tribune with a circulation of 73,000 daily and 100,000 Sunday. It also has four television stations, four radio stations, two cable companies and a printing company. Man charged in alleged incident with girl, 14 PETOSKEY - An Emmet County man faces a felony charge of criminal sexual conduct after an alleged incident with a 14-year-old girl. John Furgeson, 20, of Brutus, was arrested Monday by Emmet County sheriff's officials on one count of third-degree CSC for an alleged incident Jan. 5 in Littlefield Township. Police said the girl reported the alleged incident to school officials, who in turn contacted the sheriff's department. Furgeson is being held in the Emmet County Jail on a $50,000 bond. GRAND TRAVERSE Tax evader receives 27 months in prison TRAVERSE CITY - A Cedar man who told the Internal Revenue Service he was not a United States citizen and not subject to income tax was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Lynn N. Ealy, 52, also was ordered to pay restitution of $84,174 by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Alan Enslen, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office. Ealy was found guilty after a trial in August. Jurors heard evidence that Ealy earned around $239,000 between 1999 and 2001 through his company, God's Country Builders, but he stopped paying taxes in 1993, according to the press release. Man seriously injured in 2-vehicle accident TRAVERSE CITY - A local man is recovering after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into another. Grand Traverse County sheriff's officials said Burton James Goodrich, 29, of Traverse City, was traveling west on Blair Townhall Road near County Road 633 just after 2 p.m. last Sunday when he failed to stop at a sign and lost control of his vehicle. Sheriff Scott Fewins said Goodrich left the road, then struck a car traveling on County Road 633. Goodrich was transported to Munson Medical Center with serious injuries. No one else was injured, Fewins said. Agency takes over Child Guidance Inc. TRAVERSE CITY - A Grand Rapids-based agency has taken over Child Guidance Inc., which for decades provided mental health services in the region. The acquisition by Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services was formally announced Thursday at the Silver Drive clinic, now renamed Pine Rest Traverse City Clinic. The change-over was effective Dec. 31. Child Guidance opened a $1.375 million facility in 2003, financed through a $975,000 mortgage and a few years of savings. In recent years it also sliced its former $3 million operating budget to $1.3 million and halved its staff. Pine Rest will assume the remaining $925,000 mortgage, said Bob Nykamp, its chief operating officer. Former township supervisor sentenced TRAVERSE CITY - Former East Bay Supervisor Joseph Bartko must appear at a township meeting within 90 days and publicly apologize for his misconduct in office, a judge ordered. The apology was part of a sentence handed down Tuesday by 86th District Court Judge Michael Haley against Bartko, 75, who last month pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of willful neglect of duty by a public officer. Haley also ordered Bartko to serve a year of probation; perform 720 hours of community service at a rate of 24 hours a week; pay $740 in fines and $3,000 in restitution to the township within 180 days; and make the public apology. Bartko was charged in November with four felony counts for alleged financial impropriety in office. The plea agreement dismissed four felony counts against Bartko and assured he would not serve jail time. Surgeons reattach Mio man's hand TRAVERSE CITY - Surgeons reattached the hand of an 18-year-old Mio man who lost it in a wood-chipping accident. Hand surgeons Paul Jacobson and Mark Leslie spent six hours Monday repairing damage to Phillip Miller's right hand. His hand was pinched and torn off when it slipped in the machine's rotor, Jacobson said. Miller's father, Joe Miller, said he recovered the hand, still gloved. Phillip Miller was flown to Traverse City by North Flight helicopter, where surgeons worked from about 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. to reattach the hand. Jacobson said the surgery appeared successful and the repaired hand is "alive and healthy and pink." New clerk appointed in East Bay Township TRAVERSE CITY - East Bay Township's whistleblower turned down an offer to succeed ex-clerk and convicted felon Janice Gee, prompting officials to appoint a woman whom Gee defeated in the November 2004 election. Susanne Courtade - who lost that election to Gee 2,982 to 2,131 - was the board's unanimous choice at a Monday meeting to replace Gee. The board did not consider other candidates, nor did it post the opening, though the township's draft personnel policy calls for advertising all positions. Courtade said she will run as a Republican in the August primary and November election to fill the remaining two years of Gee's term. Gee, township clerk since 1992, was forced to vacate the office upon her conviction last week on nine felony embezzlement counts. Prosecutors said she stole $62,000 from the township since 1995. Gee's former deputy, Vivian Olson, reported Gee's questionable financial transactions to state auditors in 2002 and to auditors hired by the township board in 2005. Gee fired Olson for alleged disloyalty after the 2004 general election. Olson asked for her old job as deputy clerk. Courtade, a branch manager for the joint East Traverse Catholic-TBA Federal Credit Union, assured the audience that she'd name Olson as her deputy. Budget woes close Boys and Girls Club TRAVERSE CITY - The local Boys and Girls Club closed its three locations for the next two months at the end of the day Friday. Leaders will spend that time devising a plan to address about $100,000 in debt, rising expenses and a projected $50,000 shortfall in revenues like donations and grants. The closure announcement followed staff cuts the club's board of directors approved recently. James Dawson, chairman of the club's board of directors, said the reduced staffing met the minimum recommended by the national Boys and Girls Clubs of America, but current employees and board members didn't believe it was enough. The nonprofit club's annual budget is roughly $350,000 and it serves about 2,000 youth in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties with programs that foster education, leadership, recreation and life skills. The local Boys and Girls Club, established in 1992, also shut down for three months in 1997 to reassess its financial situation before re-opening in 1998. Plans call for reopening the most viable of the three locations during the last week of March, when local schools let out for spring break. Two accused of taking photos of nude girls TRAVERSE CITY - Two Grawn residents pleaded not guilty to charges they gave alcohol to underage girls during a holiday party to entice them to disrobe and pose for more than 100 photos. Carey Wade Kiogima, 23, and his girlfriend, Tiponya Rae Woodcox, 19, each face two felony counts of child sexually abusive activity after they allegedly took photos of two 17-year-old girls during a New Year's Eve party at their home. Fewins said a third person came forward and told police of the incident, information that led to a search warrant at the couple's Blair Township home and the seizure of 131 Polaroid pictures. Both Kiogima and Woodcox were arraigned on 20-year felony charges Tuesday by 86th District Court Judge Michael Haley, who released them on 10-percent, $10,000 bonds. Planners give support to Front Street project TRAVERSE CITY - A developer earned unanimous support from city planners for his eight-story, 100-foot-tall West Front Street building. It's one in a series of hurdles the project must clear before it gains all necessary approvals. The planning commission Wednesday recommended approval of a special land- use permit for a project by developer Michael Uzelac of Federated Properties. City zoning requires a permit for buildings taller than 60 feet. The proposed structure at 145 West Front St. includes 479 public parking spots, a number that dropped as plans were revised. Uzelac estimated the city's cost to be $22,412 per parking spot, or more than $10 million. Uzelac also has a smaller public parking component in a building he proposed for across the street. City commissioner and planning board member Scott Hardy said the city commission will decide later if the project "fits financially." The permit request goes to the city commission for final approval. The city is scheduled to discuss financing options for public parking on Jan. 30. Local law firm wants to buy downtown site TRAVERSE CITY - A local law firm wants to purchase downtown city property. The Parsons Ringsmuth law firm offered in a letter to city commissioners $150,000 or "whatever is fair" for vacant city-owned property along the north side of the 400 block of East Front Street. The property is next to the Patisserie Amie building and across the street from the Olson, Bzdok and Howard law firm. Attorney Blake Ringsmuth, in a letter to commissioners, said his firm wants to build a new office at the site. The commission last week directed city employees to study the property, despite city manager Richard Lewis's recommendation to deny the sale. Commissioners want to know what the city master and tax increment financing plans say about the property's future use. Man charged with selling drugs to officer TRAVERSE CITY - A local man is in trouble for allegedly selling prescription drugs to an undercover officer at his Traverse City apartment. Michael Len Richards, 28, is charged with three felony counts of delivering a controlled substance after he allegedly sold Vicoprophen, a painkiller, and Clonazepam, an anti-anxiety drug, to a Traverse Narcotics Team officer in October. Richards, who was arrested Tuesday, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. Police say woman forged prescriptions TRAVERSE CITY - Charges have been filed against a Kingsley woman who allegedly attempted to forge a doctor's signature to fill prescriptions. Peggy Anne Neenan, 36, is charged with two felony counts of attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud during two alleged incidents in August. Traverse Narcotics Team officials said Neenan forged a doctor's prescription for Percocet and Vicodin and allegedly presented the fake order to local pharmacists, who in turn called police. Neenan could face a maximum of four years in prison if convicted. Sewer plant to accept cherry facility waste TRAVERSE CITY - Up to 5 million gallons of industrial wastewater from a local cherry processing plant is headed to the regional sewer plant on Boardman Lake. The Grand Traverse County Board of Public Works last week approved a contract with Williamsburg Receiving and Storage to take in cherry processing wastewater that's been stored in a large lagoon at the company's site in northern Whitewater Township. The state Department of Environmental Quality is investigating a million-gallon spill from the lagoon in November and other environmental violations. The county agreed to accept up to 5 million gallons of wastewater - the approximate contents of the storage lagoon, county officials said. The contract runs through June 30 when it will be reviewed in conjunction with the start of a new fiscal year. The company will pay 5.89 cents per gallon to dump the material - more than $290,000 for the 5 million gallons. MANISTEE State settled for $365K in prison camp lawsuit TRAVERSE CITY - The state paid $365,000 to settle a lawsuit from a man who said he was injured after corrections officers strapped him into a restraint chair for six hours after he collapsed during a run at a prison camp. Craig Cook, 28, of Manistee, was hospitalized for nearly two months for kidney failure after the incident at Cassidy Lake boot camp in July 1999. The settlement was announced in December but at the time attorneys involved did not disclose how much Cook was paid, citing a confidentiality clause in the settlement. The Record-Eagle obtained the settlement amount through a Freedom of Information request to the Michigan Department of Corrections. Attorneys agreed not to discuss the case, according to a statement released by the plaintiff's attorneys after the settlement was reached. Cook was serving two-to-four years in prison for a marijuana conviction in Manistee County when he was transferred to the prison camp, a 90-day alternative to prison. Road worker union reject contract offer MANISTEE - The union for 36 Manistee County Road Commission workers, on the job for seven months without a contract, rejected a contract offer recently and on Monday refused to vote on an amended offer. "We're working-class people trying to maintain what we have," said Teamsters Local 214 chief union steward Jim Boyle. The union represents heavy-equipment operators, drivers and mechanics. The stalemate spurred a war of words between workers and management. "They tentatively agreed to the contract twice now, and every time they come back, they vote it down," said road commission manager Jerry Peterson. Boyle said workers didn't approve previous contract offers because the contracts they previewed contained different language than those on which they were asked to vote. Health insurance has been the stumbling block thus far in negotiations. A fact-finder from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth will attempt to come up with a compromise by studying wages and benefits in the area and at nearby road commissions. OTSEGO County government has new administrator GAYLORD - A downstate man will be the new leader for Otsego County government. John Burt, 35, will begin his job as county administrator on Feb. 13. He will be paid $68,853 annually plus medical and retirement benefits. He is director of planning and mapping in Berrien County, where his salary is comparable to his new contract in Gaylord. Burt said his home in St. Joseph was listed for sale last weekend, after his two-year contract was approved by Otsego County commissioners Jan. 13. The county has been without an administrator since September, when commissioners fired former administrator Denise Koning after a poor evaluation in August. She was paid through the end of 2005, according to her contract. WEXFORD Jaws of Life used to free injured motorist CADILLAC - Alcohol may have been a factor in a two-car accident that occurred on 29 Road in Wexford County's Selma Township that sent one man to the hospital, police said. The Michigan State Police reported that Timothy Tidey, 41, of Manton, was pulling a trailer when he attempted to pass a vehicle, lost control and struck the vehicle before leaving the road and hitting a tree. Tidey, was removed from his vehicle by the Jaws of Life and transported to Mercy Hospital in Cadillac. The passengers in the other vehicle were not injured and the accident remains under investigation, police said. Manton woman, two girls killed in accident CADILLAC - A Manton woman and two young girls are dead after suffering fatal injuries in a two-car collision on icy roads in Wexford County. Martha FryHover, 26, of Manton, her 4-year-old daughter, Alexa, and 3-year-old Raelynn Erskine died after the minivan they were traveling in lost control on Old U.S. 131 in Cedar Creek Township between Manton and Cadillac just after 2 p.m. Tuesday. Police said FryHover was driving north when she lost control and slid sideways into the path of a vehicle driven by Russell Gilde, 46, of Manton. FryHover and her daughter were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Raelynn was transported in critical condition to DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, where she died Wednesday morning. Also critically injured in the van were FryHover's 10-year-old daughter, Kathy Kruse, and Raelynn's mother, Misty Erskine, 24, of Manton. Gilde and a passenger in his vehicle, John Gilde, 37, were taken to Cadillac's Mercy Hospital in serious condition. Officials probe reports of telephone scam CADILLAC - Wexford County sheriff's officials are investigating a phone scam that offers unsuspecting victims fake federal grants in an attempt to get bank account numbers. Detectives said there have been at least two calls reported to police about the scam, which tells people they are eligible for a $5,000 federal grant. Police said the caller asks people to identify their banks, types of accounts and even bank account numbers. The caller appears to be using a cell phone and has a foreign accent, police said.
|
|
