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September 23, 2002Week in ReviewantrimCommissioners vote to levy millage for facility BELLAIRE - Only a month after voters approved "up to" 0.75 of a mill for five years to support Antrim County's lone medical care facility, commissioners have voted to levy the full amount in the millage's first go-round. The full millage levy will raise more than $900,000 in its first year. The county board's finance committee had earlier recommended levying only 0.33 mill in the coming year, to offset expected reductions in state and federal funding for the 113-bed Meadowbrook medical care facility just south of Bellaire. benzie Bicyclist killed, another injured when struck BEULAH - A Frankfort man was hit and killed while riding his bicycle in Joyfield Township Monday evening. Benzie County sheriff's deputies said 40-year-old Quentin Sherwood and another rider were westbound on their bicycles along Mick Road when they were struck from behind by a pickup truck. Investigators said the truck driver couldn't see because of the setting sun. The other rider, a 30-year-old man, was taken to Munson Medical Center with multiple injuries. charlevoix Burglary suspect arrested after minor accident CHARLEVOIX - A 22-year-old Boyne Valley Township man was arraigned in Charlevoix County District Court Monday on a home invasion charge. Police also want to question the man regarding a string of burglaries throughout Emmet, Charlevoix and Antrim counties. Gerald Lee Morden was charged with one count of second-degree home invasion Monday. The felony carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $3,000 fine. Charlevoix Sheriff George T. Lasater said the charge relates to a break-in at a seasonal residence in Boyne Valley Township earlier this month. Lasater said Morden had fled the area last weekend. Morden was involved in a minor traffic accident near Newberry on Sunday morning. A Michigan State Police trooper then arrested him on the Charlevoix County warrant, Lasater said. cheboygan Straits-area arts promoter receives state recognition CHEBOYGAN - A promoter of arts and education in the Straits of Mackinac area has been recognized by the state for her commitment to the arts. Joann Leal, executive director of the Cheboygan Area Arts Council and manager of the Cheboygan Opera House, was recently recognized with the Sesta Peekstock Award for her involvement with the Michigan Association of Community Arts Agencies. Leal has served as a regional representative, board member and for three years as president of the nonprofit organization, which provides educational and some financial assistance to 3,000 arts organizations statewide. crawford Beaver Creek fire chief receives state recognition BEAVER CREEK TOWNSHIP - A northern Michigan fire chief active at the regional, state and international levels has been recognized by his peers for his dedication to fire safety. Ed Holtcamp, chief of Crawford County's Beaver Creek Township, was honored as Michigan's Fire Chief of the Year by the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs. Holtcamp has served on the group's board, is legislative liaison for the organization and is past president of the Northern Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs, which includes as many as 300 chiefs from the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. "Ed spends a lot of time above and beyond what normal fire chiefs do," said Jim Peterson, president of the state group and fire chief for Thomas Township in Saginaw County. "Ed shows tremendous leadership at the state level." Holtcamp, who started his fire-fighting career as a volunteer in Manistee in 1965, has been Beaver Creek Township's fire chief since the department was established 20 years ago. He has also been active with the state and federal governments as mandates and regulations have been handed down that he said have had great impacts on departments. emmet Petoskey chamber exec resigns to take Iowa job PETOSKEY - Steward Sandstrom, chief executive officer of the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, has resigned effective Oct. 11 to take a job as president of the Dubuque, Iowa, Area Chamber of Commerce. Sandstrom has been with the Petoskey chamber since 1996 and headed a number of programs, including creation of a downtown division, a workforce development program and retention efforts directed at local health care workers. He was co-founder of a non-profit corporation for the development of affordable, single-family and rental housing. The first development, Maple Village, will start taking tenant applications this fall. A search committee headed by chamber president Laura Dinon plans to interview candidates to fill the post starting in October. Toddler OK following car's plunge into river PETOSKEY - A 2-year-old boy took a plunge in the Bear River Tuesday in his parents' Chevrolet Suburban. Zachary Reed climbed into the truck unbeknownst to his mother, Connie, who was loading items into the back of the vehicle. Zachary moved the gearshift out of park, and the Suburban began to roll, police said. It rolled across Clarion Avenue, through a vacant lot and down into the river, where it began to fill with water. The boy was quickly pulled from the vehicle by his mother, police said. He was unharmed. grand traverse Group raises funds to buy Mt. Holiday ski area ACME - After raising more than $700,000 in less than nine months, a local non-profit group has purchased the Mt. Holiday ski area. Mt. Holiday Inc. president Kelly Hagen announced Tuesday that the group is buying the 45-acre recreation area. Mt. Holiday Inc. has raised half of its $1.5 million fund-raising goal to buy, renovate and re-open Mt. Holiday. It received a $700,000 purchase option for the property in February from the owners, the Brosch family. Mt. Holiday was closed last year for the first time in more than 20 years. The Brosch family was unable to continue operating the ski hill after former owner Warren Brosch died in 1999 in an accident while working on the slopes. The Mt. Holiday group will now embark on the second phase of its fund-raising efforts - coming up with another $750,000 to renovate some of the buildings at the ski hill, purchase some new grooming equipment and create an operating fund for the facility. Man charged with taping at tanning salon TRAVERSE CITY - A Rapid City man caught allegedly filming an unclothed woman at a tanning salon may face more charges after police discovered loads of homemade videos at the man's home and office of other unsuspecting women. Charles Thomas Andersen, 40, has been arraigned on misdemeanor charges of window-peeping and obscene conduct. He faces up to 90 days in jail if convicted. Grand Traverse County Sheriff Scott Fewins said Andersen could face felony charges as a result of what police have found in searches of Andersen's property since his arrest. Andersen was arrested Sept. 11 at the Beach Tanning Salon after a woman who was tanning there noticed a hand holding a video recorder aimed at her from a narrow gap between the wall and the ceiling of the tanning room. Fewins said that after the arrest detectives got warrants to search Andersen's home and office and found "video tapes galore" of unsuspecting women caught in various stages of undress. Police are attempting to identify the women on the tapes to aid in prosecution, he said. Airports to receive funds for terminal projects TRAVERSE CITY - Airports in Traverse City, Pellston and Beaver Island will receive $15.9 million in new federal funding for airline terminals and other projects under construction. Traverse City's Cherry Capital Airport will get $10 million toward its new $17.5 million terminal, plus a bit more than $2.9 million for security systems and fingerprinting equipment, according to the Michigan Aeronautics Commission. Pellston Regional Airport will get $2.3 million toward its $8 million project to replace its terminal, plus another $500,000 for security enhancements. Beaver Island Airport will get $166,666 to buy a hangar and a snow-removal equipment building. Oleson's Field proposal headed to Garfield board GARFIELD TOWNSHIP - A controversial proposal to rezone a 72-acre field is headed to the township board for a final decision after drawing split reviews from the township and county planning commissions. The property, known in the neighborhood as Oleson's Field, is between M-72 and the city's Hickory Hills recreation area. The site is owned by GDO Investments, part of the Oleson's food store chain. GDO Investments is seeking to rezone the property from rural-residential to single-family. The minimum lot size in the rural-residential zone is one acre, compared with 20,000 square feet in the single-family district. Township planners revisited the issue recently and were divided on the proposal. The discussion ended with a motion to support the rezoning being defeated in a 4-3 vote. The county planning commission, however, endorsed the rezoning at its monthly meeting last week. Judge dismisses lawsuit over proposed bridge TRAVERSE CITY - A lawsuit attempting to block construction of a proposed bridge over the Boardman River Valley was sidetracked Thursday. Circuit Court Judge Thomas G. Power dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Coalition for Sensible Growth and a host of other environmental organizations against the Grand Traverse County Road Commission for its plans to build a $30 million road and bridge project. The bridge linking Hartman and Hammond roads would create another east-west route to alleviate traffic near the city. It was largely an empty victory for the county. The judge dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning the action can be re-filed at a later date. The court ruled that the lawsuit was "premature" because the road commission has not yet secured - or even filed for - the needed construction permits for the bridge from various oversight agencies at the state and federal level. Blood squirter receives 90-day jail sentence TRAVERSE CITY - An Interlochen man who pleaded guilty to assault after squirting his potentially HIV-positive blood on another man asked the court Thursday to reduce his 90-day jail sentence. Warren J. Pitzer, 32, was sentenced Thursday on an assault charge following an incident over the Labor Day weekend when he squirted a syringe of his blood on another man at his home. Pitzer originally was charged with aggravated assault after prosecutors believed that Pitzer is carrying the HIV virus that causes AIDS. On Thursday, Pitzer told the court he did not know for sure if he was infected with the virus. Pitzer recently entered a guilty plea to a lesser assault charge. As part of the sentence, Judge Thomas Gilbert ordered Pitzer to be tested for the HIV virus. County eyes industrial park for treatment plant GARFIELD TOWNSHIP - An industrial park site in Garfield Township could become home to a treatment plant for septic tank waste. The Grand Traverse County Board of Public Works has secured a $493,974 purchase option for a nearly five-acre lot in the Hammond Industrial Center near the intersection of Hammond and LaFranier roads. The land is owned by Farmlane Properties of Traverse City. A plant to treat septic tank waste, or septage, is a joint project being studied by the five townships that make up the Board of Public Works water and sewer committee - Garfield, East Bay, Acme and Peninsula townships and Elmwood Township in Leelanau County. The committee last month released a plan calling for development of a $6.6 million treatment facility over the next two years to handle septic tank and holding tank waste from throughout the area. kalkaska DNR: Cougar responsible for attacks on livestock SOUTH BOARDMAN - The Michigan Department of Natural Resources believes that an animal responsible for a number of recent attacks on horses and other livestock in Kalkaska County may be a cougar. According to DNR wildlife biologist Tim Webb, the Cadillac DNR office first received complaints about the animal being in the area in late August. At first, it was thought that it might be the work of a bear or a large bobcat. Chickens and ducks have also been disappearing from nearby residences of the southern Kalkaska County area, Webb said. Depredation permits to destroy the animal if it attacks any more livestock have been issued to homeowners in the area, Webb said. The Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation also reported reputed sightings of cougars in the nearby areas of Fife Lake and Mesick in Wexford and Grand Traverse counties in 2000. Webb tends to believe that if the animal attacks in South Boardman are the work of a cougar, it is more than likely an animal kept in captivity that escaped or was released. S. Boardman road rage incident leads to charges SOUTH BOARDMAN - A Kalkaska County man and his wife were beaten by several people earlier this month in an apparent case of road rage after stopping at an intersection to confront another driver they said had tailgated them and bumped into their car, according to the Kalkaska County Sheriff's Department. The victims are Brian Bohnett, 30, who suffered a dented skull and several lacerations to the head, and his wife Toni Bohnett, 45, who suffered a broken rib. Four people have been charged in the assault, although one of the victims said there appeared to be as many as 15 people beating and kicking them while they were on the ground. Jacob Wilmar Nash, 19 and Michael David Elya, 17, both of South Boardman, are accused of beating Brian Bohnett. Both face felony charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday. Cynthia Kay Paschall, 39, also of South Boardman, is charged with aggravated assault, a misdemeanor, for allegedly beating Toni Bohnett. The fourth person charged is a juvenile, so his name has not been released. Mancelona man faces charges in road beating KALKASKA - A roadside brawl that left a Kalkaska County couple injured wasn't the only road rage incident that ended in violence in the county recently, according to police. A Mancelona man is charged with attacking four youths and their car with a steel flashlight the night of Aug. 28 after they abruptly pulled in front of him on M-72. The driver of the car in which the teens were riding was the only person hospitalized. He was treated for an injured shoulder and released a short time later. William Frederick Brandt II, 43, is charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault and battery and one count of vandalism. manistee Tribe receives $500,000 for affordable housing MANISTEE - The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has received a $500,000 federal grant to stimulate the economy and promote affordable housing. The funds also can be used to improve roads, water and sewer facilities and to build community buildings. The American Indian tribe is one of three Michigan groups to receive an Indian Community Development Block Grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Other grant recipients include the Bay Mills Indian community and the city of Wyoming. Judge issues gag order in woman's stabbing trial MANISTEE - A judge has issued a gag order in the trial of a woman accused of stabbing a man she met in a bar. Circuit Judge James Batzer issued the gag order, saying pretrial publicity in the small town of Manistee would make it difficult for Alicia Louise Famiano to receive a fair trial. The 23-year-old woman is charged with first-degree murder. County prosecutor Ford Stone said Batzer issued the gag order after a newspaper article detailed results of an autopsy and reported Famiano's attorney saying that she was both mentally unstable and protecting herself during the killing. Her attorney, William Grant, said he would ask for a gag order due to "distorted pretrial publicity." Famiano is accused of stabbing Dale Edward Gannon, 47, of Manistee, more than 50 times with an open pair of scissors Feb. 24 after the pair met at a Manistee bar and Famiano went home with Gannon. Motion denied to return twins to grandparents MANISTEE - A motion to remove two children from Family Independence Agency foster care and return them to their grandparents was denied Thursday. The grandparents say they will appeal the decision. The motion was filed by attorney David Huft, the guardian ad litem appointed by the court to independently represent the interests of the children. Probate Judge John DeVries ruled the FIA provided sufficient evidence the twin children, 8-year-olds Brittany and Austin Troyer, should have been removed from the temporary custody of their grandmother, Carol Troyer. According to a transcript of a May 13 hearing, a community mental health therapist testified Austin had developed emotional problems as a result of Carol Troyer's negative attitude toward his mother. The therapist testified that because both children could be at risk of emotional problems, both children should be removed. The Troyers and their attorney, Deborah Lynch, said they planned to appeal the ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals. missaukee Lake City dad sentenced on child abuse charges LAKE CITY - A Lake City man was sentenced Tuesday to two to four years in prison on child abuse charges after admitting he broke his 5-month-old son's ribs, ankle and wrist by squeezing him. Jeffery Allan Shackelton, 31, was sentenced on two counts of first-degree attempted child abuse, according to Prosecutor William Donnelly. According to Donnelly, the child had been crying and fussy for some time before his parents took the boy to Munson Medical Center in September of 2001. Doctors there discovered the boy's broken bones. The child is now in foster care and the mother is working with the Family Independence Agency to get the boy back. Officials don't believe she knew about the abuse, Donnelly said. otsego Horse's death leads to ban on barbed wire GAYLORD - The accidental death of a horse has prompted the Otsego County Road Commission to adopt an unusual policy. Whether on easements, rights of way or land owned by the county, barbed wire fence is now banned. The ban is the result of the lobbying of Linda Samkowiak. She was riding her horse, Cash, two years ago when a bicyclist spooked the horse into veering into some barbed wire off the roadway. Cash ultimately had to be put down because of the wound. Afterward, Samkowiak, who still comes to tears over the incident, lobbied the Otsego County Road Commission to ban the use of barbed wire on the county right of way. In August, the road commission adopted a policy to ban such fencing on road commission easements, rights of way and land it owns. Mike Roper, road commission managing director, said commissioners are concerned about liability and the safety of animals, snowmobilers and people working in the rights of ways. Otsego residents want in on sewage plant BAGLEY TOWNSHIP - Otsego Lake property owners have launched a petition drive to tap into Bagley Township's planned sewage treatment plant. Ron Chavey, an Otsego County commissioner and Otsego Lake Association member, is spearheading an effort to gather signatures to create a special assessment district for sewer service. Chavey said the association needs 51 percent of 769 property owners to move the effort forward. Without municipal service, property owners continue to face failing sewers and are restricted on what they can do with their property, Chavey said. Only homeowners on the east side of Otsego Lake are being asked to sign the petition, Chavey said, because extending the system beyond service to the east side would be too costly. The special assessment is estimated to cost each homeowner about $11,000 spread over a 20-year period, Chavey said. wexford Clam Lake seeks extension of services CADILLAC - More than 100 acres would eventually be annexed into Cadillac's south city limits to receive city services for possible future development if the city approves deals with Clam Lake Township, which currently contains the properties. On Monday, the city council set Oct. 7 public hearings on the proposed deals. Clam Lake will receive 1 mill in property taxes from the parcels for 50 years if the deal goes through. Ross Biederman of Traverse City, who owns several area radio stations, first approached the city about annexing his 37 acres into the city for the sewer and water. His property is just south of Sunnyside Drive near the south side of Lake Cadillac. Both Biederman's property and another 136 acres owned by Scott Carter of the Kalamazoo area would likely be zoned for single-family homes upon becoming part of the city because that's the closest designation the city has to agricultural, which is what they are now zoned, according to City Manager Pete Stalker. Pair arrested in string of break-ins at businesses CADILLAC - Police have arrested two people in relation to two recent business burglaries in which cigarettes, alcohol and food were reported missing. Officers have arrested a boy on charges that he broke into Peterson's Standard Station and Midget Market, both on North Mitchell Street, within the past two weeks. Also arrested for the break-in at Peterson's was David Allen Armstrong, 18, of Ravenden, Ark. He was arraigned in district court on Tuesday. The juvenile will be petitioned into the Wexford County Probate Court on both burglaries. Other arrests are pending, according to the Cadillac Police Department. |
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