ANTRIM
Antrim OKs $300,000 for recycling program
BELLAIRE -- Antrim County upgraded and expanded its recycling program.
County commissioners approved spending up to $300,000 a year to pay for a program that increases the number of recycling drop-off spots from three to eight.
New drop-offs sites are in Bellaire, Ellsworth, Alden, Alba and Mancelona. Elk Rapids, Kewadin and Central Lake already had recycling centers.
"It's something that's been asked about for a long time," said Bill Gadwau, a member of the Antrim County Solid Waste and Recycling Council and a trustee in Central Lake Township. "We're hoping a lot of people will start recycling."
The program is free for all Antrim County residents. Accepted items include paper, cardboard, glass, tin and certain types of plastic.
Avid recycler Pepper Bromelmeier, of Central Lake, said it's about time recycling was offered throughout the county.
"I'm totally blown away that this finally came through," she said. "I would imagine once the word gets out people will jump on the bandwagon."
It's been in the works for more than a decade, said Joe Meyers, associate county planner.
"It's to be a little more responsible about our waste in the county and provide a service a lot of county residents haven't had before," he said.
The effort requires cooperation between county government and Antrim's townships and villages, since most of the drop-off stations are on township or village property, Meyers said.
"It expands the number of areas where recycling is more readily available," said Bob Peterson, council chairman and Elk Rapids village manager.
BENZIE
Details emerge in Benzie jail suicide
BEULAH -- An inmate who hanged himself in the Benzie County Jail mentioned the possibility of suicide to another inmate not long before his death, according to a sheriff's department internal probe.
Edward Dale Baughman wove a bed sheet through a vent grate in his cell and died by hanging himself during a corrections staff shift change lockdown on Aug. 28.
Baughman, 49, of Elberta, was in jail on a domestic violence charge when he died.
Another inmate told investigators he heard Baughman say, "Man, I should just hang myself," shortly before the incident. Baughman was frustrated because his calling card didn't work and he had trouble securing bond money, the inmate said.
The inmate later told deputies "he never thought (Baughman) would do it," and "didn't take him seriously," according to the investigation.
Officers locked Baughman and other inmates in their cells for a jail staff shift change at 2:30 p.m., and Baughman didn't emerge into a commons area when officers unlocked cell doors using a remote system at 3:30 p.m. The inmate found Baughman hanging in his cell by about 4:30 and notified corrections officers.
Baughman told a jail nurse the day of his hanging that he wanted to get back on anti-depressant medication -- he'd been off those drugs since March -- and told a different nurse the same thing three days prior.
The medication arrived at the jail at about the time Baughman hanged himself, reports indicate.
Sheriff's officials since replaced vent grates in cells, Sheriff Rory Heckman said. Openings in the new grates aren't large enough to accept a threaded sheet.
Corrections officers also will be ordered to complete more frequent cell inspections, Heckman said.
Benzie deputies net $4M worth of pot
BEULAH -- Benzie County sheriff's deputies are trying to figure out who planted and cultivated what they said was $4 million worth of marijuana plants growing in a dense forest off Pioneer Road in Weldon Township.
Deputies discovered the crop last month after someone reported seeing the plants during a trek through the woods.
Authorities initially believed they found about 1,000 plants, but that number has grown to 4,000, said Benzie County Undersheriff Bill Sholten.
"The plants were found on state land and it was reasonably remote," Sholten said. "It was very difficult to find them." Members of the Traverse Narcotics Team, who are assisting in the investigation, flew over the area to determine if any other plants remain.
Current street value for marijuana is approximately $1,000 per pound, Sholten said, citing Drug Enforcement Agency records. Each plant weighs about one pound.
Deputies have not determined who planted the marijuana, but said the plants were well-maintained.
GRAND TRAVERSE
School gets creative with large class
TRAVERSE CITY -- Peggy Pierson's kindergarten music class became a marching band. They walked in place, playing air trombones.
Until the instrument changed.
"Piccolo solo time," Pierson called out, and suddenly the children began to mime the wind instrument as music fluttered on the stereo.
The Blair Elementary students have music class for a half-hour twice a week, but kindergartners don't leave their classrooms.
Pierson rolls her keyboard into a corner of the room and the children form a circle around her.
Music doesn't have a permanent home at Blair this year. Neither does art.
Teachers are mobile to accommodate a larger-than-expected kindergarten class.
Although overall enrollment at Blair is down two students, to 290 according to a preliminary head count taken Sept. 30, 58 are enrolled in the school's all-day, every-day kindergarten program, Principal Sharon Dionne said.
In mid-August, the district anticipated a need for two kindergarten sections. But late registrations pushed enrollment above 50 about a week before the first day Sept. 8, and administrators opted to open a third section to prevent large classes.
Problem was, only one extra classroom was available, a room traditionally used for art and music.
Dionne moved a preschool program for 4-year-olds into the space and used the former preschool room for kindergarten.
Art is taught in students' homerooms and music bounces between kindergarten classrooms, the library and the cafeteria.
Thousands attend Coast Guard Appreciation Day
TRAVERSE CITY -- They came to say thank you.
Doug and Kathy White, of Elk Rapids, have two sons in the United States Coast Guard, one in for a career and the other in the reserves; both serve out of state. The couple were among thousands who attended Air Station Traverse City's Open House and Coast Guard Appreciation Day, held Sunday afternoon.
"We came to say thanks for your service," Dan White said. "We never miss an opportunity." Despite overcast skies and intermittent drizzle, the facility and surrounding tarmac streamed with curious, appreciative and interested citizens. Attendees checked out the HH-65C helicopters, an HC-144 maritime patrol plane, a response boat and other craft, talked with Coast Guard personnel and watched a rescue demonstration. Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, a Coast Guard recruiter, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve were also on hand with information and handouts during the afternoon.
Children attending with their families sported wide eyes and bright smiles as they sat in a helicopter cockpit or checked out the high-tech airplane, a new addition to the Coast Guard fleet.
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Boltres settles lawsuit with the Village
TRAVERSE CITY -- A secret deal closed the book on a series of lawsuits that for years enmeshed Acme Township public officials and development partners Meijer Inc. and the Village at Grand Traverse LLC.
Former Acme Township Treasurer Bill Boltres reached confidential settlements with the Village and Meijer during a closed hearing in 13th Circuit Court on Monday. Boltres, in frail health and confined to a wheelchair, did not comment on the deals, nor would his attorney or representatives of Meijer and the Village.
Boltres sued the Village last year and accused the developer of malicious prosecution for its alleged role in targeting Acme elected and appointed officials with lawsuits stemming from a development fight that dates to 2004.
Boltres obtained an undisclosed sum from Meijer in late 2007 after he sued the Grand Rapids-based retailer in a similar malicious prosecution case.
Boltres' suit against Meijer unearthed the retailer's illegal manipulation of Acme elections in 2005 and 2007 and prompted the Michigan Secretary of State to order Meijer to pay $190,000 in fines and costs for violating state campaign finance laws.
Old Town parking deck approved
TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse City commissioners approved the construction of a $10 million public parking deck in the Old Town neighborhood in a 5-2 vote.
Commissioners Deni Scrudato and Jim Carruthers voted against the project at the Monday night meeting. The plan requires the city to sell $8 million in construction bonds.
"My vote does reflect the voices of the many people in the community who have concerns about this project and oppose it," Scrudato said.
Scrudato has criticized the project as being built primarily to benefit one company, Hagerty Insurance Agency.
Carruthers said the lack of affordable housing in the development plan kept him from endorsing the public deck, along with no commitment from Hagerty to stay in the community "for a good, long time," he said.
Regardless, a five-vote majority sends the project forward. The vote was followed by a loud round of applause from dozens of people who attended the meeting and spilled into the hallway.
"I think this will be a benefit for the City of Traverse City for years to come," said Mayor Michael Estes.
Hagerty issued a statement on the commission vote from Kim Hagerty, chief executive officer. She applauded the vote in a written statement, but could not be reached for comment.
Hagerty intends to invest at least $7.7 million in a new office building next year and also committed to maintain 350 current jobs and create as many as 226 new jobs in the next seven years, the statement said.
Low bidder Colasanti Construction Services Inc., of Detroit, won the deck construction contract at about $7.8 million. The company plans to use more than 80 percent local construction workers, except for precast concrete work that no local companies do, said R. Ben Bifoss, city manager.
The deck is designed as a three-story, 522-space public parking structure in Traverse City's Old Town neighborhood on the block bordered by Lake Avenue and Cass, Union and Eighth streets. Total project cost is estimated around $10 million, including engineering, design and construction.
Plant to close, lay off 122 workers
TRAVERSE CITY -- Richard Murphy will be among 122 people who'll lose their jobs just in time for Christmas.
"We've got people who have been here 29 years. I figured I would never, ever have to look for another job in my life," said Murphy, of South Boardman.
Murphy is the United Auto Workers' Local 3032 president at soon-to-close Metavation LLC in Grand Traverse County's Garfield Township.
The company bought the automotive parts plant from EaglePicher last December, but now intends to shift manufacturing lines to other plants and lay off all employees. Most job losses will come in early December, a company spokeswoman said.
"They are over-capacity. As the automotive industry has cut production, that obviously requires fewer parts and that affects all the suppliers. Metavation is no different," said Maria Leonhauser, a Metavation public relations consultant.
Metavation employs 115 hourly workers and seven on salary. The company on Tuesday notified employees about the plant closure and layoffs.
The company produces components for engine, transmission and chassis parts.
Between 30 and 40 jobs will be transferred to the company's facility in Mount Pleasant and the rest to Mexico to be closer to plants the company supplies. Employees can apply for jobs in Mount Pleasant, Leonhauser said.
Employee Mike Hagy, of Traverse City, said he's among many workers who look forward to enrolling in school for re-training.
"Most of the people are in their 40s, so they've got another 20-some years of working," he said.
Schools may have to wait for federal money
TRAVERSE CITY -- Local schools may have to wait for federal program dollars if a new state schools budget is not adopted, Michigan's education department warns.
But administrators at some area schools said the effects should be minimal if the Legislature moves quickly to enact either a permanent budget or a temporary extension for education.
The state can't distribute funding for federal programs to local schools without a school aid budget in place. A continuation budget passed last week to avoid a government shutdown does not include schools.
Federal money is available for schools to help low-income students, as well as to operate such programs as school lunches, special education and vocational training.
School districts are reimbursed for what they spend on these services. About $43 million typically is given out in a two-week span, according to the education department.
Front Street among nation's top 10
TRAVERSE CITY -- Exceptional character and an ability to accommodate a wide array of users landed Front Street among the nation's top 10 Great Streets of 2009 as determined by the American Planning Association's Great Places in America program.
The APA said Front Street functions as a complete street that serves pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and bus riders equally well. Other factors contributing to Front Street's finish include Traverse City's ongoing commitment to planning, historic preservation and downtown redevelopment.
Two other locations in Michigan also were named Great Places, including the city of Charlevoix's East Park.
Closed road meeting allegedly broke law
TRAVERSE CITY -- An alleged secret attempt to censure a Grand Traverse County Road commissioner during a closed meeting led to an investigation of a possible state Open Meetings Act violation.
Road commissioners entered a closed meeting Sept. 23 to discuss road commission Manager Mary Gillis' performance evaluation. At some point, conversation turned to road Commissioner Dave Taylor's ability to publicly speak about commission issues.
That debate topic should have occurred in a public setting, some county board members said.
"I wasn't in there for the closed hearing, but you can hear through the walls," county Commissioner Christine Maxbauer said. "I heard enough to know that was not a discussion of Mary Gillis' performance." County Commissioner Larry Fleis and county Administrator Dennis Aloia on Tuesday asked Prosecutor Alan Schneider to investigate whether an Open Meetings law violation occurred.
Schneider declined to comment, pending the investigation's outcome.
Local artist finishes third in contest
TRAVERSE CITY -- Local portrait artist Eric Daigh could buy a lot of push pins.
The Traverse City artist, who creates portraits using five colors of push pins, placed third and won $50,000 in the inaugural Grand Rapids competition ArtPrize.
"Thrilled, so happy," said Daigh, soon after the winners were announced Thursday night in Grand Rapids. As for that prize money?
"I am going to get back to work. I have a lot of projects that I have had to table ..., because I couldn't afford them," he said.
ArtPrize has consumed the downstate city, filling 159 venues with art and attracting more than 1,200 artists. Members of the public who registered in person at the event voted for the top 10 last week, including Daigh's entry.
The public also decided the winners. First place and $250,000 went to Ran Ortner, of Brooklyn, N.Y., for a large painting of rolling waves. Second place and $100,000 was awarded to Tracy Van Duinen, of Chicago, for a mural. The remaining top 10 finalists receive $7,000 each.
Ortner's winning entry is a "phenomenal work," said Daigh. They both showed their pieces at The Old Federal Building, an ArtPrize venue.
KALKASKA
Jurors: Man guilty of murder, mutilation
KALKASKA -- It's been a long, painful journey for Patrick and Helene Wilson.
The Big Rapids couple traveled to Kalkaska County for nearly every court hearing involving David DeJonge, the man accused of killing and dismembering their daughter, Sarah Wilson, in May 2008.
The saga ended late Monday, after a jury took less than two hours to convict DeJonge of first-degree murder and mutilation of a body. Jurors announced the verdict shortly before 5 p.m., capping more than a year of proceedings and a three-week trial that featured nearly 60 witnesses.
"It's the feeling one has after a sigh," Helene Wilson said. "It's like a big load has been lifted off our shoulders; being able to put it down finally, it feels wonderful." Police found Wilson's torso in a swampy area of Kalkaska County's Oliver Township on May 22, 2008. Her parents reported her missing May 12 after she didn't arrive at their Big Rapids home for a Mother's Day visit.
Wilson, 26 knew DeJonge, 46, for several years and lived with him in Bloomfield Township, her family said. DeJonge was supposed to drop her off in Big Rapids before continuing to a cabin his family owns in Kalkaska County's Orange Township.
LEELANAU
ACLU alleges Leelanau deputies broke law
SUTTONS BAY -- Leelanau County sheriff's deputies illegally entered homes on several instances in an attempt to sniff out underage drinking, the American Civil Liberties Union contends.
The ACLU of Northwest Michigan sent a 6-page letter to Leelanau Sheriff Michael Oltersdorf outlining five incidents in a "disturbing trend" dating to 2007 through this summer. Deputies without warrants allegedly entered homes to give breath tests and check IDs, among other things.
"That's a legitimate issue; underage drinking is a violation of the law," said Steve Morse, chair of the local ACLU chapter's legal committee. "However, entering people's homes without a warrant is a violation of the law." Michigan law states that officers are allowed to enter homes without a warrant and without the homeowner's permission if they believe someone is in immediate danger, evidence is being destroyed, a suspect is at risk of escaping or there is danger to police or others.
The ACLU contends none of these factors was present in any of the cited incidents.
"There's a proper way to enforce the law, and there's an improper way," Morse said. "They were doing it in an improper way." Leelanau Undersheriff Scott Wooters said he hadn't yet seen the letter and wouldn't comment on the allegations or department policy. Oltersdorf was out of town Monday at a conference and couldn't be reached for comment.
Sheriff to look into ACLU allegations
SUTTONS BAY -- Leelanau Sheriff Mike Oltersdorf pledged to investigate allegations his deputies unlawfully entered homes, though he disputed some details of the reported misconduct.
A local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union contends in a letter to Oltersdorf that deputies illegally entered Leelanau County homes on at least five separate occasions from mid-2007 through this summer.
Deputies were after alleged underage drinkers in each case.
"This is very, very serious," Oltersdorf said. "It's severe misconduct, illegal misconduct being alleged by the ACLU, and I take this very seriously." Oltersdorf said his department will study the incidents, and he might ask the FBI or another agency to investigate. But he's discovered wrong dates and other inaccuracies and discrepancies as he's begun to examine the allegations, he said, and he wants to meet with ACLU representatives to iron out details.
A local district judge and Leelanau Prosecutor Joe Hubbell dismissed charges in some of the underage drinking cases, wrongdoing cited in the ACLU's letter. And Oltersdorf acknowledged that a deputy involved in one of the incidents didn't follow a directive from Hubbell's office.
That deputy told a teen at a July party that she'd be ticketed if she refused to submit to a breath test. But Hubbell in September 2007 wrote a memo to local police agencies alerting them of a U.S. District Court ruling that meant they could no longer ticket minors for refusing such a test.
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