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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Hamburg Officials Update COVID-19 Restrictions

Until further notice, Hamburg Township offices will be closed to the public with nonessential staff working from home, while the Supervisor, Clerk, IT Department, Department of Public Works, Police, Fire and Public Safety staff continue to work from their respective offices.

Monday, March 30, 2020

LETS Switches Gears During COVID-19 Crisis

While most public transit is on hold, the Livingston Essential Transportation Service has changed up things and is now providing food delivery services for Meals on Wheels, Bountiful Harvest and Salvation Army among others.

Fair Housing Lawsuit Settled Involving Local Apartment Complex

The lawsuit was filed last August by Scott Lorms of White Lake Township. He claimed T&R Properties and Zahler Management violated the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 when it denied him an apartment rental in Putnam Township because they do not allow dogs.

Environmental Educator Seeks County Drain Commissioner Post

Democrat Andrew Nowicki grew up in Cohoctah Township, graduated from Fowlerville High School and earned a BS degree in Zoology from Michigan State University. He now lives in Brighton and works as an environmental educator at the Howell Nature Center.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Trump Approves Disaster Declaration For Michigan

The declaration announced by the White House on Saturday follows a back-and-forth between Trump and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has criticized the Trump administration for its slow response to the pandemic, saying “we cannot weather this alone.”

Friday, March 27, 2020

Slotkin Calls For National Medical Supply Czar

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin says that one, single person needs to be in charge of coordinating efforts between the various organizations and industries attempting to get needed medical supplies to health care providers.

Schools Districts Donate Supplies For Area Hospitals

Members of the Livingston Educational Services Agency (LESA) donated 1,200 various kinds of surgical masks, 30,000 latex gloves and 480 2-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer to St. Joe's Hospital in Howell. Hartland Consolidated Schools also made donations.

Slotkin To Host Second Tele-Town Hall This Afternoon

The 8th District Democrat says she will answer constituents’ questions about the virus, access to resources for district families and businesses, economic recovery legislation the House plans to vote on today, and on her efforts to get personal protective equipment to frontline healthcare workers in Michigan.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Analysis: Livingston Gets An "A" For Social Distancing

Using the change in distance traveled from before the COVID-19 outbreak, Unacast determined a "Social Distancing" score for each county, which was then juxtaposed with the number of reported cases to show correlation with changes in behavior over time.

County Veterans Services Remains In Operation During Shutdown

Livingston County Veterans’ Services say they continue to operate remotely during the Michigan-wide shelter-in-place order. The office will continue to offer a variety of services, including emergency financial assistance, case management and VA claims assistance to all veterans and dependents in Livingston County.

Theis Says State Should Allow Online Learning Credit During Shutdown

Brighton Township Republican Lana Theis is Chair of the State Senate Education Committee. During WHMI's Covid-19 Radio Town Hall, she reiterated her frustration at the Michigan Department of Education for not allowing online teaching hours during the shutdown to count toward required annual instructional time.

Local Students Create Videos For Shut-In Seniors

The Distancing Dorks is a group from the South Lyon High School National Honor Society that has created a You Tube channel for residents of senior communities, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Brighton's Board Of Review Hears Appeals Online

Head City Assessor Colleen Barton said that there was a lot of work that went into preparing for the meeting, both in terms of the paperwork on the 24 appeals and the logistics of putting together a meeting to be held online. But she told WHMI the system “worked quite well.”

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

COVID-19 Spread Continues Locally & Statewide

As of Tuesday morning, Michigan ranked seventh in the world for provinces or states with confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University and Medicine's Coronavirus Resource Center. That was up two spots from just a day before.

Nurses Petition Congress For COVID-19 Protection

Nurses say they need filtering respirators to keep them safe from infection by the novel coronavirus. But facing a national shortage of masks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has downgraded the minimum level of recommended protection twice.

Bulk-Item Pick-Up Suspended In Genoa Township

In order to assist Advance Disposal in keeping their personnel safe and functioning during the Covid-19 pandemic, and consistent with Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order, the township says bulk item pick-ups are suspended until at least April 13th.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Whitmer Signs “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order

As had been expected, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-21, dubbed the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order, directing all Michigan businesses and operations to temporarily suspend in-person operations that are not necessary to sustain or protect life.

St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Requesting Needed Medical Supplies

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin also issued a call for assistance to fill a gap in federal action and donate gloves, masks, gowns and other protective equipment and supplies to hospitals coping with COVID-19, as she continued to advocate for use of the Defense Production Act to speed supplies to front-line health care providers.

Third Candidate Files For 47th District GOP Nomination

Zachary Dyba of Howell Township filed paperwork last week to run as a Republican in the August 4th primary race for 47th District, joining County Commissioner Bob Bezotte and Yvonne Black of Marion Township in the Republican primary.

Census Pauses Field Operations Amid Outbreak

In the face of a growing public health crisis, the U.S. Census Bureau's Associate Director for Field Operations Tim Olson says the two-week suspension will be extended or adjusted if necessary.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Indian Trails to Suspend All Daily, Scheduled Bus Routes

Michigan Flyer, the airport shuttle service of Indian Trails, suspended all of its daily runs between East Lansing, Brighton, Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) from March 16 until at least April 16. This includes the AirRide service that connects Ann Arbor and DTW.

Food Truck Rallies Planned This Summer In Pinckney

The first ever Food Truck Fridays would be held on July 17th and August 21st and run from 5 to 10pm. Pinckney Village President Linda Lavey says as long as the coronavirus restrictions are lifted by then, then they’ll be in business.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Torch 180 To Provide Lunches For Kids, Meal Deliveries

As an organization that began with the idea of making sure the most vulnerable in the community always had a meal, Torch 180 organizers quickly made the decision that they would use their newly remodeled facility and their food truck to provide meals and make deliveries for those in need.

Slotkin Holds 2nd Assessment Call, Plans Virtual Business Summit

More than 70 local government and community leaders took part in the call as 8th District Democrat Elissa Slotkin briefed them on the federal response to the crisis and hearing their direct feedback and concerns about how the coronavirus is impacting their local communities.

Junge Files Primary Petition Signatures

On Wednesday, former Lansing-area TV news anchor Paul Junge filed 1,200 petition signatures to appear on the August 4th Republican primary ballot for the 8th Congressional District.

Census Committee Shares Impact On Schools

The Livingston County Complete Count Committee is reminding parents to count their children with the Census, as failure to do so could mean a reduction in funding to local schools over the next decade.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Monday, March 16, 2020

Local Organizations Step Up To Fill Food Gap

Bountiful Harvest in Brighton will be providing free breakfast and lunch to local kids who rely on the reduced lunch program, but are now at home following Gov. Whitmer's order closing all of the state's schools.

Dems File As Slate For County Offices

Jordan Genso of Brighton, Ragan Lake of Hamburg Township and Dan Luria of Hamburg Township have filed to run for county clerk, prosecutor and treasurer. Their slate, Fair Vote Livingston, seeks to end what they see as "unfairness" to the county redistricting process.

Theis Assigned To New Senate Committees

State Senator Lana Theis of the 22nd District will now serve on the Senate Advice and Consent Committee, and on the Appropriations Subcommittee on K-12 and Michigan Department of Education.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Friday, March 13, 2020

Livingston County Courts Issue COVID-19 Protocols

Effective immediately, individuals entering any Livingston County Courthouse must advise the Court Security Officer prior to entering the screening area if they meet any of the criteria that may result in them being denied entry.

Whitmer Orders All Michigan K-12 Schools Closed

The announcement during a late-night news conference came as officials said 10 more COVID-19 cases had been discovered in Michigan, raising the tally to 12. Already, some K-12 schools had announced weekslong closures and others had begun training staff to potentially move to online learning only.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Commissioners Again Fail To Fill Vacant Seat

Voters in Livingston County’s 5th District will decide who will represent them on the Board of Commissioners as commissioners have failed to appoint a candidate before Friday’s deadline.

Brighton Man Found Guilty Of Raping Girl At Golf Course

A jury on Wednesday found Zachary Lally guilty of three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing personal injury, one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct causing injury and one count of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Local Man Facing Additional Rape Charges

37-year-old Christopher Schroeder, who is awaiting trial on charges authorized in 2018 that accuse him of raping a child under the age of 13, is now facing additional counts of criminal sexual conduct that are split between separate cases.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Howell Police Chief George Basar Retiring

Howell City Council Monday accepted the letter of resignation from Police George Basar, effective May 1st. A separate motion was approved to confirm current Deputy Chief Scott Mannor as the next chief.

Brighton Planning Commission Gives OK to 70-Home Development

The developer, Farmington Hills-based Schafer Development, is proposing rezoning from single-family residential to a Planned Unit Development in order to to build 70 upscale homes. It would be at an undeveloped, wooded site on a bluff at the 1,000-foot elevation, just beyond Spring Mountain Drive, off Flint Road and I-96.

Nash Announces Re-Election Bid For County Treasurer

Livingston County Treasurer Jennifer Nash has filed papers to run for the Republican nomination for that post in the August primary. Nash was originally appointed to the position in 2011 and was subsequently elected in 2012 and then re-elected in 2016.

Hamburg Man Enters Plea For Accidental Shooting

Michigan State Police said 25-year-old Kurtis Heathcott of Hamburg Township was waiting in the pick-up lane at Three Fires Elementary School in Genoa Township when he accidentally shot himself in the leg while adjusting his gun.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Bank Robbery Suspect To Be Sentenced For Contraband Plea

36-year-old Brian Dewayne Ali Jr. pleaded guilty last month to charges of possession of contraband in prison and being a habitual offender. The charge was filed after officials found a cellphone in his cell while Ali was jailed on federal bank robbery charges.

Rx Drug Task Force Begins Work To Lower Prices

The new Prescription Drug Task Force established by Gov. Whitmer is starting its investigation into the scope and cause of the rising cost of prescription drugs. One of the five legislators who were named to the panel was Republican State Representative Hank Vaupel of Handy Township.

Panel Rules Against Former Fenton High School Tennis Player

Bradley Trecha suffered severe injuries when a ball hit by a teammate struck him in the eye at practice at Fenton High School in 2016. Trecha sued Brenden Remillard, who didn't look before hitting a ball out of frustration after losing a practice match.

Protestors March On Brighton Millpond

Indivisible Livingston County hosted a March to Protect our Democracy at the Mill Pond in downtown Brighton. Organizer Brenda Lindsay said the march was, “an effort to raise awareness on the disturbing trend in which elected officials are abusing their power.”

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Huron Valley Schools Hosting Job Fair March 12th

Fulltime, part time and substitute positions are available for para educators, custodians, bus drivers, special education, early childhood and food service staff, guest teachers, Recreation & Community Education and lunch and playground aides.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Man Accused Of Recording Teen Heads To Trial

Joseph Busha was charged after a 15-year-old girl changing in the dressing room at the Fowlerville Walmart became aware of him, informed her father, who contacted store security, who then called Fowlerville Police.

Green Oak Budget "Trickier" For Upcoming Fiscal Year

Supervisor Mark St. Charles says says adding several smaller projects together creates the $2.7 (m) million cost of capital improvements. He says bundling the projects together is strategic because officials are trying to spread the cost over the course of several years,

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Red Wing Alumni To Hit The Ice In Hartland

The 11th annual Hockey Night will take place Saturday at the Hartland Sports Center. It will feature a team from the Red Wing Alumni Association including Red Berenson, Mickey Redmond. Joey Kocur and Dennis Hextal.

Annual Spring Gala To Benefit Community Dental Center

VINA's Spring Gala will feature dinner, live music, dancing, and three different raffles: The Jewelry Tower, The Lucky Lottery Tree, and The Wine Pull. There will also be a Silent Auction featuring items including a week-long stay at a home on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.

Milford Twp. Man Bound Over On CSC Charges

39-year-old Daren William Muns was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on three counts of 1st degree criminal sexual conduct involving a victim under 13 and an additional charge of Felonious Assault with a Motor Vehicle.

Improvements Coming To Hartland's Spranger Field

The improvements include new fencing and backstops, remodeled facility interior, infield improvements, and substantial tree-clearing along the US-23 row. A pathway will also be mowed into the northern area of the park.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Bollin Opposed To Early Counting Of Absentee Votes

Republican Representative Ann Bollin spoke out against legislation that would allow clerks to process absentee ballots 7 days in advance of elections, pointing at Democrats who've dropped out of the presidential race but are on still on the Michigan primary ballot as a reason.

Nakagiri "Hit Mitt, Flush Nancy" Fundraiser Postponed

The “Dunk-a-Dem” dunk tank, used as the fundraiser's theme, encouraged participants to hit a picture of U.S. Senator Mitt Romney on the nose, which would then “flush” or dump water from a toilet onto a picture of House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Local Lawmaker's Bill Would Amend Born Alive Infant Protection Act

State Senator Lana Theis introduced legislation that aims to protect an infant that survives a failed abortion. Opponents view the legislation as another strategic, political attempt by Republicans to get voters fired up in an election year with language that paints a false picture.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Monday, March 2, 2020

Chiropractic/Massage Clinic Opens On Cleary Campus

Cleary University recently opened a full-service chiropractic and massage clinic on its Genoa Township campus, which officials say will provide both enhanced support to Cleary student athletes and offer chiropractic and massage services from Duncan Chiropractic Group to the Howell community.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Hamburg Police Warn Residents Of Job Search Scam

The department has received three reports of a scam being perpetrated on the job search website “Indeed.com” in which the scammer posts a job ad on the website, which appears to be from a local company.