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WHMI 93.5 - Livingston County's Own

Garcia Backs Legislation To Change Forced Unionization

3/12/10 - New bills have been introduced in the state Senate that would prohibit the unionization of home-based daycare providers and other home-based business owners. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation originally filed suit against the Michigan Department of Human Services on behalf of three home-based daycare providers including a Brighton Township resident. The DHS has been withholding union dues from child care subsidy checks that are sent to home-based daycare providers on behalf of low-income parents who get government assistance. As of 2008, 40,000 affected providers were considered members of the newly formed Child Care Providers Together Michigan union and paying dues. That suit was dismissed by the court of appeals but the issue has now spawned legislation co-sponsored by State Senator Valde Garcia of Marion Township. The bills would clarify language that people who run home-based businesses and whose clients receive daycare subsidies or similar ones are not public employees and cannot be forcibly unionized. Garcia says the bills will likely face challenges in the House but feels the policy needs to be changed as some would consider what the administration did as unethical. Meanwhile, Foundation Director Patrick Wright tells WHMI that they will decide in the next few weeks if they will file an appeal with the Supreme Court, which he says is likely. Requests for comment on the legislation have gone unreturned by DHS officials. (JM)

 

Sheriff's Department to Enforce Vehicle Weight Restrictions

3/12/10 - The Livingston County Road Commission will be trying out a new program this spring by contracting with the Sheriff’s Department to enforce seasonal weight restrictions for county roads. Stricter weight limits are put on certain roads each spring to help reduce damage while the soil shifts due to runoff from melting snow. The Road Commission will pay $5,000 to have the sheriff’s department enforce weight restrictions at high-risk roads and bridges in the county. The sheriff’s department will use portable scales, provided by the Road Commission, to enforce the limits and other commercial vehicle requirements until the seasonal restrictions are lifted. Fines for weight violations can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on their severity. The Road Commission used to provide the manpower for enforcement, but this has been deemed inefficient and potentially dangerous. Seasonal weight restrictions vary in duration each year, depending on the weather, but are typically lifted sometime around Easter. (TD)

 

Wayne County Man Sentenced In Local Home Invasion

3/12/10 - A Wayne County man has been sentenced in connection with a Brighton Township home invasion last September in which he was found passed out underneath the house’s deck after burglarizing it. 30 year old Robert Oliver Brooks Jr. of Trenton was ordered to serve 71 months to 20 years in prison following his earlier guilty pleas in Livingston County Circuit Court to two counts of third degree home invasion, one count of resisting arrest and a fourth charge of being a habitual offender. Brooks fled from officers September 18th who had responded to a report of a break-in at a home on Hyne Road. After a manhunt involving search dogs and a helicopter, he was found unconscious underneath the home’s deck. Authorities say it appeared he passed out from the pain of re-injuring a previously broken leg. (JM)

 

Judge Denies Request To Dismiss Case Against Green Oak Man

3/12/10 - A Livingston County judge has denied a defense motion to dismiss the case against a Green Oak Township man charged with running a large-scale drug operation. 53 year old Kenneth Collier and his 24 year old son Jacob Collier were arrested in January 2009 after a raid on their home that followed a month long undercover investigation. It was recently determined that statements Kenneth Collier made following his arrest could not be used at his trial because he had not been advised of his right to remain silent. Police said that although the elder Collier had been handcuffed, he voluntarily pointed to the home’s kitchen when he was asked where the drugs were located. Police say they found more than 10 ounces of cocaine along with marijuana and other narcotics. Based on the exclusion of that statement as evidence, the defense had sought to have the case dismissed but the motion was denied by Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty yesterday. Meanwhile, an arrest warrant remains active for Jacob Collier after he failed to appear for a court-ordered drug test. He had previously pleaded guilty to a reduced conspiracy charge after prosecutor’s promised they will recommend a one year cap at his sentencing in exchange for him testifying at his father’s trial, which is currently set for March 29th. (JM)

 

Traveling Law Clinic Stops In Howell To Assist Local Veterans

3/11/10 - A unique traveling law clinic made a stop in Howell Thursday to help Livingston County veterans in need of legal assistance. The University of Detroit Mercy School’s veteran law clinic program titled “Project Salute” travels nationally and statewide via a custom designed recreational vehicle. The program allows veterans in need of assistance with their pension and disability benefit claims a free consultation, with the goal of eventually placing their case with a pro-bono attorney retained in the program. The clinic was set up at the American Legion Post 141 today and Eileen Whipple is a 3rd year visiting law student who was conducting consultations. She says what they hear from the veterans really depends on what they’re going through. She says some are frustrated because the process is not as simple as they'd like while others know they have some issues but don't know what benefits they would qualify for. Whipple adds that others just want to know more about the program and feel friends and family members could benefit. Two Howell veterans that WHMI spoke with expressed that they were just seeking more information and how to go about getting it. Since the programs inception, officials say they’ve provided consultations to more than 2800 veterans across the county and trained more than 900 attorneys to work on veteran cases for free. For more information about the program, log onto www.law.udmercy.edu/project_salute/whereweregoing.php (JM)

 

Livingston County Will Participate in Lawsuit Against Michigan

3/11/10 - The Livingston County Road Commission agreed to participate in a class-action lawsuit against the state of Michigan at its regular meeting earlier today. The suit was organized by local Michigan governments led by the City of Riverview in Wayne County in response to Phase II of the Clean Water Act, which places tighter restrictions on storm water from private residences. Local governments participating in the lawsuit say that since the state mandated these requirements, then it should also pay to have them enforced. The lawsuit seeks to halt punitive measures against local governments for not meeting storm water requirements and to require the state to provide funding for storm water enforcement. Previous state-mandated measures included such things as public awareness and consulting, which cost about $50,000 annually, but the next level of requirements will cost Livingston County hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. The deadline for participants to leave the class action lawsuit is March 31st, but the Road Commission has expressed no interest in opting out. (TD)

 

Fenton Man Charged With Livingston County Burglaries

3/11/10 - A Fenton man who’s already pleaded guilty to home invasion charges in Genesee County has now been charged with similar crimes in Livingston County. The Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday charged 21-year-old Shane Austin Lloyd with multiple counts of 2nd degree home invasion, possessing burglary tools, larceny of weapons and felony firearms for a trio of home robberies in Tyrone, Genoa and Hartland townships in December and January. Ironically, Monday was also the day Lloyd pleaded guilty in Genesee County Circuit Court to two counts of 2nd degree home invasion linked to a Fenton Township break-in last December. He’ll be sentenced April 13th in that case. No court dates have been set for the Livingston County charges. Lloyd was captured after a surveillance team was created in the Fenton and Linden areas following numerous break-ins. Tips and other evidence led them to Lloyd, who was originally picked up on an outstanding warrant out of Florida, from where he had just moved. (JK)

 

Sentencing Delayed For Former Cop In Camp Brighton Scandal

3/11/10 - Sentencing has been delayed for the first of three men who’ve admitted their role in a bribery scandal involving the sale of a land parcel in Livingston County. Former Detroit Police officer Jerry Rivers, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy count in December, had been set for sentencing this morning in federal court in Detroit. But that’s now been postponed until April 27th at the request of his attorney. Rivers told authorities that he, along with former Deputy Mayor Kandia Milton and his brother DeDan, recommended in 2007 that the city council sell Camp Brighton in Genoa Township. In exchange, they split $50,000 that was paid by the Chaldean Catholic Church, who ended up purchasing the 160-acre property for $3.5 million. Church officials say they thought the money was a legitimate consulting fee. Kandia Milton is still set for sentencing next week, while his brother DeDan, who served as an executive assistant to former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, will be sentenced in May. All three have been cooperating with the FBI in its ongoing investigation of public corruption in Detroit. (JK)

 

Possible "Bike Bandit" Arraigned In Ann Arbor Heist

3/11/10 - A Stockbridge man thought to be Hartland’s so-called “Bike Bandit” has been arraigned on charges connected to an Ann Arbor bank robbery. 32 year old Kye Abraham was caught in Ann Arbor Monday after a witness saw him load a bike into a pickup truck after dropping some money. He led police on a chase that ended when his truck ran over spike strips police had placed on I-94. He abandoned the truck but was taken into custody after a brief foot chase. He was arraigned Wednesday on charges of bank robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, 3rd degree fleeing and eluding police and assaulting and obstructing a police officer. A preliminary exam was set for March 17th. Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte tells WHMI that they continue to try and determine conclusively if Abraham is responsible for the February 18th robbery at the Hartland Chase Bank branch on M-59, which like the Ann Arbor robbery was carried out by a man who witnesses saw speeding away on a bicycle. He’s also believed to be behind two bank robberies in Jackson County. Abraham, who has reportedly not been cooperating with authorities, also served four years in prison in Florida for a robbery conviction until his release in 2007. (JK)

 

Police Release Composite Sketch In Possible Abduction

3/11/10 - The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department has released the composite sketch of the man who may have tried to possibly abduct a child at a Hartland Township bus stop last week. The incident happened shortly after 4:20 Friday afternoon in the area of Long Lake Drive and North Court where a 12 year old girl was waiting for the school bus to drop off her younger sibling. The girl told police that a man pulled up next to her in his vehicle, put his window down, and told her to come closer. The girl said she began to run away, but when she called her small dog by name, the suspect reached out the window grabbed the dog by its collar, although it managed to break free. The girl then reportedly hid behind a nearby mound of snow and said the suspect turned his vehicle in the street toward her direction then pulled into a driveway. He left after the school bus arrived, heading south on Long Lake. Deputies canvassed the neighborhood, but were unable to locate any witnesses. The suspect is described as a heavier-set, middle-aged white male with short, spiked gray hair and a moustache. He was wearing black sunglasses and a black leather jacket. The girl said he spoke with an accent, but she thought it was fake. The suspect’s vehicle is described as being a light blue newer model four door car with dark tinted windows. Anyone with information related to this case is urged to call Detective Sgt. Childers at 517-540-7956 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP. (JK)

Attachment: Possibleattemptabductionupdate.pdf

 

Livingston County Designated "Recovery Zone"

3/11/10 - Livingston County is moving forward with a federal program that could create jobs and allow needed infrastructure work. As a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the county was given the authority to allocate up to $40 million in bonds for construction projects in the municipal, commercial and industrial arenas. The first step was for the county to pass a resolution identifying the area it would allocate the bonds. Commissioner Dave Domas tells WHMI it was decided the entire county would be a designed “recovery zone”, so anyone in the county can qualify for the bonding. While the bonds are taxable, Domas says the federal government will pay about 45% of the interest on the bonds payments, so it works out favorably for those involved. Up to $15 (m) million will be available to municipal units of governments for use in financing infrastructure projects such as road and sewer work. The balance is available for private sector projects, such as programs for buildings or developments where bonding has been difficult to get. The county is now working with the Economic Development Council to draft selection criteria. (JM)

 

Putnam Planning Commission Seeks Improved Communication

Utility Truck Crash Snarls US-23 Wednesday Afternoon

3/11/10 - The ramp from southbound US-23 to westbound I-96 was shut down for most of Wednesday afternoon due to an accident involving a utility truck. The ramp from M-59 in Hartland Township to southbound US-23 was also closed briefly. Michigan State Police at the Brighton Post tell WHMI that the truck struck the scaffolding holding various road signs over southbound US-23, then left the roadway and overturned at about 11:45am. The truck also had a minor fuel leak. The Michigan Department of Transportation closed southbound US-23 near M-59 at about 3:30 in the afternoon as crews worked to remove the damaged scaffolding from the sign. The sign will be replaced at a later date. (JK)

 

Driver In Fatal Genoa Crash High On Pot & Meds

3/10/10 - Nearly two months after a fatal head-on collision in Genoa Township, toxicology results indicate the driver of a car that drifted across Grand River and smashed head-on into another vehicle was under the influence. 27 year old Jeffrey Todd Callebs of Genoa Township, had traces of marijuana in his system as well as high levels of a generic form of the anxiety medication Xanax, when he smashed his Ford Focus into a Chevy Tahoe head-on just east of Chilson Road January 20th. The driver of the Tahoe, a 48 year Genoa Township woman, suffered injuries to her knee and chest was treated at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte said although Callebs had been charged with drunken driving in West Bloomfield Township in December and had an open bottle of whiskey in the back seat of his car, it doesn’t appear alcohol was a factor in the crash. (JK)

 

Students Raise Money For Guatemalan Children

3/10/10 - A local school is once again reaching across borders by reaching out to help less fortunate children in other parts of the world. Students at Light of the World Academy in Pinckney are raising money to sponsor two kids in Guatemala. The school is working with a charity called Mayan Families which helps provide the essentials Guatemalan children need to attend school, such as shoes, supplies, backpacks and books. School director Kathy Moorehouse tells WHMI the students are very excited about the project and have already raised over $700 by doing jobs around the school and at home. Moorehouse says the idea for the project came from one of her students, a first grader named Charlie who was adopted from Guatemala. Last year Light of the World Academy raised money for the Pennies for Peace program to help build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and their efforts jumped unexpectedly into the national spotlight when someone stole their donation jar full of pennies. For more information or to make a donation, contact Light of the World Academy at 734-878-3301.(MS)

 

Health Department Survey Seeks Opinions On Smoking Ban

3/10/10 - With a new state law ready to take effect in less than two months that will ban smoking in most workplaces; local health officials are trying to gauge Livingston County resident’s opinions. The Livingston County Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Community Health, is conducting a public opinion survey through April 15th regarding the smoke-free legislation. The survey is only nine questions and is anonymous. Livingston County residents can take the survey on-line by Clicking Here. Residents can also fill out a hard copy version that’s available at the health department’s front desk. The Michigan Legislature passed the state-wide, smoke-free workplace legislation to take effect May 1st. However, they exempted Detroit casino gaming floors, cigar bars and tobacco specialty stores. (JK)

 

Howell School Board Member Unveils Pay Cut Proposal

3/10/10 - A member of the Howell Board of Education has a novel proposal that he says would prevent the board from having to lay off any employees or privatize services for the 2010-11 school year. Trustee Bob Parker, who considers himself a good number cruncher, says that would happen if all employees were willing to take a 4-and-1/2 percent pay cut. At Monday’s meeting Parker challenged the unions to meet with each other and come up with a unified proposal to cut their pay. Parker tells WHMI the caveat is that everybody – from the superintendent on down to union members and part-time employees – would have to be willing to take the pay cut. Howell Education Association President Jay McDowell wouldn’t say whether he would sit down with officials of the other employee unions to discuss a pay cut. Rather, he tells WHMI, the HEA has a standing proposal to meet with the school board to discuss pay. McDowell said the district has not yet responded to his proposal. School Board President Debi Drick tells WHMI that while Parker’s idea is intriguing, she takes a cautionary position, saying she wants to see hard data that supports Parker’s contention. (JK)

 

New Fee For Delinquent Water Bills Approved in Handy

Police Receive "Jump Start" Donation

3/10/10 - A local woman dropped off a generous donation designed to honor a loved one, and “jump start” a police fundraising campaign. Mary Jane Jeffreys of Pinckney (pictured here with Sgt. Mark Thompson) donated $800 to the “Jump Start the Heart” campaign through Brighton Post of the Michigan State Police. The program is a partnership between the post and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department to raise funds to purchase ten Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, to be used by troopers and deputies on patrol. Ms. Jeffrey’s brother James Jeffreys was a Trooper with the Michigan State Police from October 1950 until his retirement in 1977, and she says she made the donation in his honor. Each AED costs $1400 and can be used to help return the human heart to a normal beat during a heart attack. Donations can be dropped off at the State Police Post in Brighton during normal business hours or mailed to; JUMP START the HEART, Brighton - State Police Post, 4803 S. Old US-23, Brighton, MI 48114. Checks should be made payable to JUMP START the HEART. (MS)

 

Activist Says Suicide Of Singer's Son Offers Teachable Moment

3/10/10 - Local groups that work to raise awareness about suicide say the death of performer Marie Osmond’s son should be a sign to everyone of just how pervasive a problem suicide is in our society, particularly among youth. Friends and family gathered this week to remember Michael Bryan, Osmond’s 18-year-old son who leapt to his death from a building rooftop last month. Osmond is pictured here watching the casket of her son taken from a Mormon church in Provo, Utah on Monday. Because of his mother’s celebrity, Bryan’s suicide brings the issue to the forefront, but a local spokesperson for the National Alliance for Mental Illness says suicide is much more common than most of us would like to believe. Brian Parsons of Pinckney tells WHMI it’s critical that friends, parents, teachers, and coworkers know the warning signs that could mean someone is in distress and possibly thinking about taking their own life. Parsons says young people who are away from home and their usual support groups are particularly vulnerable, but he adds that there is no age or social group immune to the issue. He adds that diagnostic tools and other resources are available at www.nami.org. (Photo courtesy of AP)

 

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WHMI 93.5 - Livingston County's Own

Highlanders Advance To Hockey Semifinals

Hartland Girls' Basketball Run Comes To An End

WARREN, Mich. - Retiring Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says General Motors Co. will keep making big trucks and SUVs because U.S. buyers demand them, but a major portion of them will be gas-electric hybrids in the near future. Lutz tells The Associated Press that GM must apply hybrid technology to more vehicles in order to meet fuel-economy standards that will require an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Mourners are expected to gather at a Cantown Township church for the funeral of a Jackson police officer who was killed in a shootout. Services for 26-year-old James Bonneau will be held today at St. Michael Lutheran Church. Viewing begins at 9 a.m., followed by a 10 a.m. service.

HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) - Korean battery-maker LG Chem Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiary Troy-based Compact Power Inc. will make battery cells for electric vehicles at a plant in western Michigan. The companies say at its peak the $303 million factory in Holland will produce enough battery cells for 50,000 to 200,000 vehicle battery packs, including the Chevrolet Volt.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan education officials are scheduled to release the latest round of scores on state standardized tests today. The results are for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests given to students in elementary and middle schools.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats on Capitol Hill are making what they expect to be a final push to get health legislation passed. And President Barack Obama is delaying an overseas to help ensure that they succeed. House Democrats are meeting again today to resolve disputes over provision. Among the issues is the level at which health insurance coverage will be subsidized.

NEW YORK (AP) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls it "a good settlement for everybody." He's talking about a deal that could pay ground zero workers more than $657 million. Some 10,000 rescue and recovery workers were sickened by dust at the destroyed World Trade Center following the Sept. 11 attacks.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Janet Yellen, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, could be the next vice chairman of the Federal Reserve. A person familiar with the selection says President Barack Obama intends to nominate Yellen. She is thought to be more concerned about high unemployment than rising inflation.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - Prosecutors in California's Orange County say they will file a lawsuit against Toyota over the continuing problems with the automaker's vehicles. The district attorney accuses Toyota of using deceptive business practices and endangering the public by selling defective vehicles.

NEW YORK (AP) - New York City police says they've received some tips but nothing that's panned out after releasing security video of a man suspected of attacking a woman in the restroom of a Manhattan bar. The woman told police that the man had asked her to dance, but she refused. He later followed her into the restroom and beat her until she was unconscious.