Tuesday News Summary 02-07-23
Tue, 07 Feb 2023 10:52:59 EST


(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)


MICHIGAN RECONNECT
Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to release details of a new budget plan later
this week. Expected to be included in the budget is the expansion of a popular
Michigan college program. Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist made the visit to Wayne
County Community College to talk about Michigan Reconnect. It offers a tuition free
associates degree or skills certificate for those who apply. Launched in 2021, Governor
Witmer recently called for the eligablity age to be lowered to 21.

COAST GUARD RESCUE
The U.S. Coast Guard in Traverse City rescued nearly a dozen people stranded on
Lake Michigan. Multiple agencies from two states were involved after a large piece of
floating ice broke free about 100 years off the shore of Sherwood Point, Wisconsin. Of
the 11 people rescued, there were no reported injuries. No word if their ice shanties
survived.

EAST TAWAS MURDER-FOR-HIRE DROPPED
The murder for hire case involving an East Tawas councilman has been dropped.
Judge Christopher Martin closed the case after a key witness died in December. It
started in October when 65 year old Michael Mooney was arrested and charged with
two counts of solicitation of murder. The key witness testified that Mooney offered him
100-thousand dollars to kill his stepmother and half-brother so he could obtain
inheritance money from his deceased father. MLive reports Mooney's attorney said
there wasnt evidence to support the witness claims. The trial was dismissed without
prejudice, meaning they could revisit the case in the future.

PISTONS RE-SCHEDULED GAME
The postponed Pistons game now has a make-up date. The NBA made the
announcement - Detroit will play host to the Wizards March 7th at Little Caesars
Arena. That means the scheduled game with the Trail Blazers will be moved to March
6th. The February 1st game was originally postponed because the Pistons were
grounded in Dallas, unable to travel during a winter storm.

ANN ARBOR BANK ROBBER
A man accused of robbing an Ann Arbor bank was arrested over the weekend for
failing to show up to court. 37-year-old Richmond Starbuck is accused of robbing the
Chase Bank on West Stadium Boulevard last month. He was charged with bank
robbery -- a felony punishable by up to life in prison. His bond was 10 thousand
dollars. He's currently being held at the Washtenaw County Jail.

MACKINAC ISLAND BEST ISLAND
Mackinac Island is once again in the running to be named the best island in the
continental U-S. Mackinac took home the award in 2022. It was based on a poll of
Travel and Leisure magazine readers. The readers gave Mackinac the honor based on
activities, things to see, natural spaces, food, and hotels. The magazine also pointed
out the several golf courses on the island -- including one on a battlefield where the
British captured the island from the U-S in the War of 1812. Four hotels -- including the
Grand Hotel -- are also in the running to be named this year's best hotel.

MURDER CASE FEATURED IN TRUE-CRIME
A high-profile Michigan murder case has been featured in a new T-V series. An
episode on the Hulu show "How I Caught My Killer" explains the murder of April
Millsap. In 2014, 14-year-old April Millsap was killed along the Macomb Orchard Trail in
Armada (AR-May-duh). 41-year-old James VanCallis was convicted of killing Milsap.
He's currently serving life in prison without parole. The episode is out now.. and is listed
as episode six in the series.

DUTCH VILLAGE FIRE-HOLLAND
There's been a fire early this morning at Holland's Dutch Village, a theme park
celebrating the Netherlands. An Ottawa County Dispatch supervisor says a passerby
on the highway called in the fire after one this morning and the fire was put out in about
a half hour. No one was hurt.
There's no word on what caused the fire.

ICE RESCUE SAGINAW BAY
The U.S. Coast Guard rushing to Saginaw Bay Monday evening after getting reports of
more than a dozen people stranded on an ice floe. Of the 14 people rescued -- 12 were
airlifted by the Detroit Sector's helicopter and the other two were rescued by the Huron
County airboat. They were stranded from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30.
Public Affairs Officer Adeeb Ahmad says safe ice can be a common misconception.

DETROIT HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYER DIES
A Detroit high school student -- who was fighting for his life after collapsing during a
basketball game last week -- has died.
18-year-old Cartier (Car-tee-ay) Woods -- a senior at Northwestern High School -- went
into cardiac arrest during a game last Tuesday night. Paramedics then gave him CPR
for nearly an hour... and he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Woods was taken off life support yesterday. His family has created a GoFundMe page
to help cover his medical expenses.

MAT ISHBIA
United Wholesale Mortgage CEO and former Michigan State basketball walk-on Mat
Ishbia has officially bought the NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBAs Phoenix Mercury.
The approval was announced last night. Ishbia's purchase was passed by a vote of
29-0... with the Cleveland Cavaliers abstaining. Cleveland is of course owner by fellow
Detroit mortgage executive Dan Gilbert.
Ishbia now assumes control of the team just days before Thursday's NBA trade
deadline.

ERIC SMITH RELEASED FROM PRISON
Former Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith has been released from federal prison
and will continue his sentence under home confinement.
Smith was sentenced last year to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to
obstruction of justice. He was released after spending seven months in prison. The
Macomb Daily says Smith was released last week under the federal CARES act. While
his case was ongoing in federal court, Smith got COVID and spent time in the hospital.
While the federal case is over, Smith is facing a mid-May trial in Macomb County
Circuit Court on racketeering, embezzlement and other charges related to the misuse
of campaign money.

SCHURR ATTORNEYS ATTEMPT TO GET LAWSUIT TOSSED-GRAND RAPIDS
Attorneys for former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr have filed a
request in federal court to get the wrongful death lawsuit against him thrown out.
Schurr has been charged with murder for shooting and killing black motorist Patrick
Schurr last year. Schurr is white.
In the motion, Schurr's attorneys argue that he is protected by qualified
immunity...preventing officers from being sued for actions they took in the line of duty.
Lyoya's family sued Schurr and the city of Grand Rapids, claiming excessive force and
a violation of Lyoya's Fourth Amendment rights.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD FIRE-KALAMAZOO
A man convicted of setting a Kalamazoo Planned Parenthood on fire has been
sentenced to five years in prison and two years of supervised release. Joshua
Brereton has also been ordered to pay more than 32-thousand dollars in restitution for
the fire which was set last July. Firefighters quickly put the fire out and no one was
hurt.

FATAL FIRE-HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP
A 53-year-old woman was killed in a camper trailer in a fire at the Cadillac Woods
Campground in Highland Township. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office says they
were sent to a camper trailer fire on Saturday and the rear half of the trailer was fully
engulfed in flames. Once the fire was out , they found the body of Jeanette Whitenton,
who had been staying at the campground with her husband. He was not there at the
time. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is reportedly not suspicious.

MURDER-GRAND RAPIDS
29-year-old Keyante Newbern has been charged with killing a woman in front of her
children in Grand Rapids in December. He's been charged with killing 23-year-old Mya
Kelly. Police Chief Eric Winstrom says any murder is tragic, but the murder of Mya
Kelly in her home , in front of her young children, is a truly heinous act.

ESCANABA APARTMENT FIRE
There was a fire at an Escanaba apartment complex last night. W-L-U-C reports the
small fire occurred at the Sandhill Apartments. No one was injured. There's no work on
a cause.


   

WebReady^TM Powered by WireReady®NSI