BENZIE
Holbrook released as she awaits trial
BEULAH -- Accused murderer Joni Holbrook will be released from jail and allowed to live with her parents as she awaits trial in the shooting death of her husband, a Michigan State Police sergeant.
Benzie District Judge Nancy Kida granted Holbrook a $30,000 bond upon completion of her preliminary examination Monday. The family hopes to post bond by the end of the week, defense attorney Jim Amberg said.
Holbrook, 47, is charged with an open count of murder in the Aug. 10 shooting death of her husband, state police Sgt. Melvin P. Holbrook. Police believe she shot him as he slept in the couple's Benzie County residence.
Kida ruled there is enough evidence to send the case to trial after the two-day exam wrapped at about 3 p.m. It began Sept. 28, but was postponed until court scheduling allowed for a full day of testimony.
Defense attorney Jesse L. Williams said Holbrook had a heart blockage detected during an EKG last week and may soon need a stent. The Benzie County Jail isn't equipped to deal with her medical condition, Williams said.
Kida ordered Holbrook to wear an electronic tether equipped with GPS tracking. She's allowed to leave her parents' Grand Traverse County home only for medical appointments or court proceedings, Kida said.
GRAND TRAVERSE
Little Betsie residents decry development
INTERLOCHEN -- A proposed four-house development near the Little Betsie River created a bit of an uproar among residents concerned about damage to wetlands and water quality in Green Lake.
Neighbors, including the Interlochen Center for the Arts, packed the Interlochen library during a recent hearing. They object to Laurent Torno's proposal to build a private road on 20 acres off Diamond Park Road just north of Green Lake.
Torno applied to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to modernize an existing road and disturb less than 0.03 acres of wetlands.
Neighbors claimed there never was a road, called the application "less than factual," and noted it did not address the effects four houses on one-acre plots might have on wetlands.
"It's as if they are saying, 'We really just want to cut off your finger, but by the way, later we're going to take your whole arm," said David Pennington of the Green Lake and Betsie River Association, a group opposed to the application. "Other than Mr. Torno, I don't think you can find anyone who's in favor of this."
Torno, a St. Louis, Mo., architect whose family has owned the property since the 1960s, said much of what his opponents contend isn't based on fact. A road has existed on the property for years and served a neighborhood bait shop, he said.
TCAPS employees: 'We need those people'
TRAVERSE CITY -- Employees in Traverse City's public schools urged a committee suggesting budget cuts for next year to spare staff members because many were affected by prior reductions.
Nine people, many of them educators, spoke during a public hearing Monday that lasted about an hour.
The board room in the district's Webster Street headquarters was nearly full, but most in attendance did not address the committee.
A 19-member group -- made up of parents, teachers, school board members, administrators, principals and business members -- generated a list of options to consider for the 2010-11 school year.
They include reducing expenses on utilities, combining transportation with other local agencies and freezing or reducing employee pay.
"We need those people there," teacher Kim Fleming said of a proposed 5.7 percent cut to support staff, which would save about $2 million. "I think we're setting up for a scary thing."
The district is attempting to prepare for between $6 million and $11 million in best- and worst-case deficit estimates for next year.
Students evacuated after system collapses
KINGSLEY -- Maintenance crews repaired a collapsed utility system that forced Kingsley Elementary School officials to evacuate and send home about 500 students.
The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at Kingsley Elementary School detached from the ceiling early Monday. The dislodged HVAC system increased pressure on water pipes running below it, said Kingsley Superintendent Lynn Gullekson.
"We could push those ceiling panels away and see the HVAC was sitting right on top of the water lines," Gullekson said.
Water was restored at the school by Monday afternoon, and Gullekson said he was "99.9 percent sure" that school would reopen Tuesday morning.
Teacher, principal rescue Kingsley family
KINGSLEY -- Matt Schelich can't recall what raced through his mind as he rushed into a friend's home to find a family unconscious, robbed of air by a faulty furnace.
"I don't know what I thought, I don't even know if I breathed," said Schelich, who teaches at Kingsley High School. "The adrenaline just kicks in and we started getting people out of the house."
Schelich and Matt Nausadis, Kingsley's high school principal, pulled Bruce and Aerin Graves, their two young sons and two dogs from their home Monday morning. Their actions saved the lives of a friend and co-worker whose family fell victim to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Bruce and Aerin Graves were flown to Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, where both were admitted in critical condition. Their conditions were upgraded to fair on Tuesday.
Their children, Owen, 6, and Ely, 3, were discharged from Munson Medical Center Tuesday following treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Intuition and a willingness to act saved four lives. Schelich and Nausadis said Monday morning's events alerted them that something wasn't quite right.
Jury finds former treasurer guilty
TRAVERSE CITY -- It took a jury less than an hour to find former Garfield Township Treasurer Judy McManus guilty of altering township financial records.
McManus, who quit in December 2007 after 19 years as Garfield's treasurer, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of making a false statement related to finances as a public officer. A Grand Traverse County jury convicted her on both counts Tuesday after a day-long trial.
McManus in 2005 hired a collection agency to round up thousands of dollars in delinquent personal property taxes. The agency kept 25 percent of taxes it collected, and officials said McManus altered township books in an attempt to hide the deductions.
Roberta James, an assistant in the township treasurer's office, testified that McManus asked her to alter the books to offset the 25 percent retained by the collection agency. When James protested, McManus did it herself, James said.
McManus testified she made several alterations to township books because of software problems, but Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Mark Harris testified that McManus told him in an April interview that she altered the books to "make up for" the 25 percent taken by the collection agency.
State park named for former governor
TRAVERSE CITY -- Former Michigan Governor and Traverse City native William G. Milliken is proud to have his name attached to something he considers so vital to the state's largest city.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is renaming a state park along the Detroit River in Detroit for Milliken. DNR Director Rebecca Humphries announced the move Wednesday, and cited Milliken's advocacy of environmental protection, urban redevelopment, civil rights and education reform.
"I believe, and I've always believed strongly in the development of our cities," Milliken told the Record-Eagle. "Detroit in particular needs this kind of recreational area for people ... our urban areas have needed a lot of support, and I tried all during my governorship to provide it."
A re-dedication ceremony will be held Oct. 22, and Milliken plans to attend.
TC named top wine destination
TRAVERSE CITY -- Add another salute to northern Michigan's growing reputation among the country's top wine country destinations.
Editors at TripAdvisor, an international travel Web site based near Boston, recently ranked Traverse City eighth among the top 10 wine destinations in North America. The rating was reported by Thomson Reuters news service.
The list is topped by the renowned wine-making regions of Napa Valley and Sonoma, Calif. Traverse City is the only Midwest city that made a ranking that includes wine-producing areas in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, New York and Virginia.
TripAdvisor reported a 10 percent increase in Web searches for "vineyards" over the past six weeks compared to last year. A survey of 1,000 respondents showed that 48 percent planned to visit a U.S. vineyard this year, including 40 percent who expect to visit this fall.
Michigan's nearly 70 licensed wineries attract around 800,000 visitors a year, according to estimates from the Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council. They produce more than 1 million gallons of wine annually, ranking the state 13th nationally in wine production.
State budget cuts threaten campgrounds
TRAVERSE CITY -- Grand Traverse County is home to three state forest campgrounds. For now.
But that number could slip, as Michigan legislators search for ways to trim next year's budget.
Grand Traverse County's three state forest campgrounds -- Lake Dubonnet Rustic Campground, Arbutus No. 4 State Forest Campground and Scheck's Place State Forest Campground -- remain open, though the chopping block looms over all state resources.
Already lost for next year is The Forks State Forest Campground in Grand Traverse County, said Mary Dettloff, Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman.
The DNR closed 12 state forest campground sites last May because of budget cuts, including the eight-site, rustic campground.
The state also closed Forks in 2007, again because of budget cuts.
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