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Porn store re-opens in controversial southeast location. Alger Heights neighbors went to the Grand Rapids zoning appeals board earlier this month, but couldn’t keep the adult-merchandise shop from opening on 28th St. near their homes. The Velvet Touch lost its lease at its old location near Madison Ave. earlier this year, and opened this week about a mile east. Homeowners vow to keep working on getting rid of a sex shop that’s in sight of where their kids play.
Daycare provider will stand trial in Norton Shores “shaken baby” case. Paula Durek (age 26) is accused of causing injuries to a 6-month-old baby in October. Investigators say she violently shook the little boy and caused severe brain injuries. The baby survived but is still in the hospital. The Muskegon County family court shut down her daycare operation. She is prohibited from having contact with any children except her own. Durek turned herself in on December 6. Trial hearing was this week, and she could get 15 years.
Police warn Holland residents about break ins. Investigators say there were 20 to 30 thefts in the past three weeks in businesses and a few homes Holland, Zeeland and Holland Township. The burglaries take place at night and the thieves have gotten away with merchandise, cash and guns. Home and business owners are advised to have good outside lighting, and lock windows and doors before retiring for the night. If you know anything call Holland Police at 355-1150. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 392-4443.
Battle Creek man killed in crash. Ryan Allen (age 25) was a passenger in a car on B Dr. North near Holt on Wednesday, when the driver lost control, crossed the centerline and hit another car. Patricia Allen (age 3 months) was in the back seat and was in serious condition at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo. The driver and another passenger are recovering from their injuries.
Allegan Township men surrender after standoff. Police went to the home on 113th Ave. early Wednesday morning on a domestic violence call. A woman and her daughter got out, but her son and his friend (both age 19) stayed inside. Investigators say the two threatened to hurt the women and eventually surrendered seven hours later. The daughter was assaulted but no one else was injured. The two were charged with domestic violence and probation violations.
Battle Creek firefighters sue the city for discrimination. The lawsuit claims Fire Chief Larry Hausman showed bias against female and African American employees. A report about alleged discrimination in the fire department issued by the city manager said Hausman once used a derogatory name referring to African Americans. The suit seeks new policies, millions of dollars and an apology.
Michigan loses another Congressional seat. Just-released results of the 2000 Census show our state’s population went up between 1990 and 2000, but we lost ground, percentage-wise, compared to the rest of the country. So for the third decade in a row we’ll lose one of our seats in the House of Representatives. The job of re-drawing the districts is state legislature’s, and the position likely will be lost in the Detroit metropolitan area.
What’s closed in Kalamazoo on New Years Day. Federal, county, city and township offices will be closed on Monday, as will banks and libraries.. Don’t plan on getting any mail or taking Metro transit. Kalamazoo and Portage district courts will be closed today and Monday. Crossroads Mall and Maple Hill Mall will be open noon to 6 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Trash pick-up will run a day late all next week.
Wyoming’s Big Top Market recalls meat. The store issued a voluntary recall on Tuesday for ground beef sold at their store on Clyde Park Ave. The Food Safety and Inspection Service discovered the meat could be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, which can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration. The meat was labeled “Big Top Market” and was packaged December 19 with a “sell-by” date of December 22. Return it for a refund to either Big Top store in Plainwell or Wyoming. So far, no illnesses related to the recall have been reported.
Kalamazoo man arrested in north side shooting. Police arrested a man in connection with the shooting of Donald Johnson (age 42), who took two gunshots to the chest on Tuesday night at a house on Rose St. Witnesses said the two were arguing, then the suspect left and returned later with a gun. Johnson is in “stable” condition.
Two horses killed when roof collapses at Augusta therapeutic riding center. Volunteers were feeding animals on Christmas Day in another part of the building when it happened, and no people were hurt. The center trains disabled people to ride horses. They are now looking for temporary housing for 35 horses and space to continue operations. They are also asking for monetary donations and tractors to haul hay. If you can help, call at 731-4471 or mail a check to the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center, 8450 North 43rd St., Augusta, MI 49012.
Amtrak cancels service from Kalamazoo. Two trains to Chicago, one to Toronto and one to Detroit, were scrubbed and others were several hours late in the last week, because of the weather. The freezing temperatures have messed-up signals, switches and other equipment. Trains should be back on their usual schedules by January 8, a week from Monday. Amtrak asks travelers to call 1 (800) USA-RAIL to check on departure and arrival times.
Holland’s 2000 Justice Award winners announced. Johnson Controls Inc. will be honored by the Holland Human Relations Commission for its involvement in community events and activities. The Holland West Middle School Dream Team, a mentoring program for students, will also get the award, along with the Holland Museum and Good Samaritan Ministries. The four will be honored during ceremonies on January 17 at a Holland City Council meeting. The awards recognize efforts of organizations and businesses that promote racial unity.
Muskegon woman dies in Christmas morning snowmobile crash. Boyd (age 26) was riding on the back of a snowmobile on M-120 north of Ewing Rd. in Holton Township when the driver lost control and slid into an oncoming car. Boyd was thrown off. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the snowmobile, James Anderson (age 28), was in “critical condition” at Spectrum-Butterworth. State troopers said alcohol may have been a factor, and may charge Anderson with operating a motor vehicle causing injury. It is illegal to drive a snowmobile on a roadway.
Hastings man killed in Christmas Eve crash. James Symonds (age 34) was driving northbound on M-66 near Dowling Rd. on Sunday morning when he tried to pass a snowplow and hit an oncoming vehicle head-on. He died at the scene. The other driver and passenger were in stable condition at Pennock Hospital in Hastings.
Kent City man sues Meijer over disability from hunting accident. Gregory Abshier (age 42) was paralyzed after falling from a tree stand while bow hunting three years ago. His suit, filed in Kent County Circuit Court, says he was overcome by fumes from a new camouflage hunting hood he bought at Meijer that day. The suit says the fumes may have come from dyes in the fabric.
Kalamazoo restaurant serves free Christmas dinner. The owners of downtown’s Blue Dolphin opened their doors and served about 2,000 holiday meals to senior citizens and homeless people on Monday. The hungry and lonely dined on a meal of prime rib, turkey, ham, and all the fixings. Local businesses donated food and toys while 200 volunteers prepared, served and delivered food for those in need. The Stamos family, who owns the restaurant, has kept the tradition for more than twenty years.
Recycle your Christmas tree! Trees can be chewed into wood chips for mulch and compost, instead of take up space in landfills. Most programs will take trees through January. Clean it so it’s free of tinsel, garland, wire, plastic bags and ornaments.
Friday’s mega-crash closed Battle Creek freeway. Pavement was icy and speeds were below normal when a giant chain-reaction crash involving more than 30 cars blocked westbound Interstate-94 near the Galesburg interchange around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Police closed the freeway for three hours, while they and fire-rescue workers cared for injured people in the frigid wind. Stores and restaurants in Galesburg became temporary shelters for drivers and passengers whose cars were wrecked or stuck in snow banks. Several people went to emergency rooms, but police said none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Kentwood crash knocks out power to 1,200 customers. A car smashed into a big power pole on Breton Ave. south of 28th St. shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday. The driver apparently was okay, but the pole was totaled and a big part of northern Kentwood was without electricity for three hours. Consumers Energy workers had to dig through four feet of snow to get to the base of the pole, then install a new one. Two hundred customers were still without power at daylight, but workers stayed on the job and everyone was back on-line by nightfall.
Olds Manor could become luxury hotel. Rockford Construction Company wants to buy the historic downtown nursing home at Michigan St. and Monroe Ave., and convert it into a 140-unit hotel. It was originally built at the Rowe Hotel, and currently houses about 150 residents. Owners signed a letter of intent, just as construction starts on the new convention center across the street.
Battle Creek’s Hart Hotel to get new owners. The Church of Scientology plans to buy and renovate the historic downtown building. It will become a worship and education site serving West Michigan and northern Indiana. The hotel is in a renaissance zone, recently designated by the state to attract new development.
Muskegon’s Clipper is decked out for holidays. Crews tested the lighting system on the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper on Wednesday night. The ship will be illuminated from 6 to 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. A Christmas tree and star were hoisted up the forward mast as part of the decorations. This is the second year it’s lit up for the holidays.
Grand Haven schools want another bond proposal. School administrators met with state leaders yesterday to discuss it. They say the district needs more than $21-million to improve technology, fine arts and athletics at the schools. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 house another $60 a year. In June, residents rejected a $16.5-million proposal for improvements.
Berrien County man accused of prostituting daughter. The 45-year-old from Coloma is behind bars, charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct. Investigators say the man sexually assaulted the 13-year-old girl and used her as a prostitute while they traveled across the country through the summer. Police arrested him in Arkansas on kidnapping charges. His daughter told relatives about the alleged incidents, who reported it to the police. The girl is now living with her mother in Niles.
Grand Rapids pushes back garbage collection for the holidays. Streets and Sanitation Department announced they will not collect recycling and refuse on Christmas and New Year’s Day. For the next two weeks, everybody’s collection will be one day later than usual, with Friday’s pickup on Saturday.
Funeral scheduled for Portage deputy fire chief. Firefighters from across the state will honor Ronald Haner at noon tomorrow at the Portage Free Methodist Church on Centre Ave. He died Monday, trapped inside his burning home in Portage. His wife was rescued and is recovering from her injuries. Donations can be made in Haner’s memory to the American Diabetes Association.
Coopersville man charged with padlocking son to deck. The 48-year-old father is accused of putting a chain around the neck of the 16-year-old boy in June, to keep him from running away. Police say the boy spent the night outside and may have been there for 13 hours. The man is expected to be arraigned next week on child abuse charges. He could get two years. His three children live with their mother in Gobles and have not been allowed to visit their father in Coopersville since the alleged incident.
Police look for Grand Rapids man accused of molesting foster children. Darian Vaughn (age 32) and his son confessed to touching inappropriately several foster children his wife’s northeast side home, according to the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services. Police expect to charge him with criminal sexual conduct. If you know where he is, call Grand Rapids police at 456-3404.
Windmill Island project gets a little more time. Back in June the Holland city council told developers and administrators to start work on the $54-million project by year’s end, or they’d pull the plug. So far, only 13 lots have been leased and there are only 30 reservations for condos in the proposed replica of a Dutch village. Last night a new financing plan was proposed, and the city council agreed to give commercial developers until the end of February to get $5-million together.
Kalamazoo police officers decorated. Anthony Stovall and Christina Ellis on Tuesday received the Outstanding Performance Award from the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. The two are recent police academy graduates at the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Ellis got the 1999 award, while Stovall received the award for 2000. Every year the commission honors an officer who shows knowledge, performance and leadership at the police academy.
Newborn found at Muskegon High School was born alive. The Muskegon County medical examiner said the cause of death is still undetermined, but fluid found in the newborn’s lungs means he could have choked on toilet water or natural fluids. A school janitor found the baby’s body in the trash can of the high school restroom on October 24. A 16-year-old girl told police she left class that morning and had the baby. She said her stepfather was the baby’s father and he faces charges of criminal sexual conduct. He is in Muskegon County jail and could get life. The girl could still face charges of murder or manslaughter.
Grand Rapids police caution downtown workers about thefts. They say at least eight incidents have happened in the past month in office buildings. Purses, cell phones and other valuables have been stolen from desks and reception areas. Investigators believe the thieves walk through the office until they find an empty area, and grab any valuables they see. They warn women to hide purses in a desk drawer or closet, and warn everybody to be alert when unfamiliar people are unescorted.
Parchment: shovel sidewalks or pay up. The city will stop plowing sidewalks in the middle of January. City commissioners made the money-saving decision Monday and will send out a newsletter on December 31 to tell residents. Under the new ordinance, homeowners will have 48 hours to clear their walks or risk a citation. Continued failure to shovel could lead to a $100 fine or 60 days in jail. City Hall got numerous complains that students are walking to school on roadways because the sidewalks are knee deep in snow.
Michigan’s Adventure plans new roller coaster for 2002. The amusement park in Muskegon County wants to build a 160-foot suspended coaster, with riders in seats hanging from the track. They were originally thinking about a conventional steel-track coaster. Either way, they need a height variance from the township. Owners plan a motel, RV center and campground, after roads and utilities are upgraded to handle the load.
Skating rink opens in downtown Grand Rapids. Monroe Ice Rink will open at 5:15 p.m. with a “Starlight Skate,” to show off the constellation of blue lights embedded in the surface. Griff from the Grand Rapids Griffins, Girl Scouts and Youth Commonwealth kids will snip the ribbon, skate and warm up with hot chocolate, cider and cookies. The rink has a chiller system to keep the ice skatable well into spring, regardless of warm spells. The Griffins Youth Foundation donated 225 pairs of skates, which you can borrow for free in exchange for picture ID in the warming house, the former UICA building. Hours will be noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Mayor Logie said he’ll create a committee to look for new names for the park, rink and Monroe Center.
Bowne Township Hall relocates due to fungus. Employees were complaining of headaches, rashes and other health problems at the building on Linfield Ave. A testing firm found high levels of fungal contamination, possibly because of a leaky roof. A tank under the building used for backup water for the fire department probably contributed to the mold problem. Workers this week will move back into the historic township hall at Alden Nash Ave. and 84th St. in Bowne Center. Phone number and mailing address will stay the same. The township has to decide whether to remodel the moldy hall, build a new one or find someplace else to move into.
Muskegon man to stand trial in beating death. Roy Birch (age 49) is accused of beating Otis McRae (age 80) with a two by four in an argument over a woman last month. McRae was found lying on the sidewalk near the corner of Orchard Ave. and Williams St. A judge yesterday ordered Birch tried on an open murder charge.
Grand Rapids restaurant will be punished for wrong-way fatal crash. Vitale’s Sports Lounge on Leonard St. will have its liquor license suspended for the week of January 4 and was ordered to pay a $16,000 fine, because of the collision that killed two Holland teens in March 1999. The restaurant’s plea of “no contest” resolves the case with the Liquor Control Commission, but the victims’ families have filed a $20-million law suit against the restaurant and two other drivers. Kerry Brougham is serving 4 to 15 years in prison, for driving drunk and smashing into the car of Bret Arnold (age 18) and Megan Herr (age 16). Witnesses saw him at Vitale’s shortly before the crash. Steven Adams also got 4 to 15 years for manslaughter, for driving onto the Ford Freeway downtown the wrong way and causing everybody else to stop, resulting in the rear-ender that killed the victims.
Rockford man sues woman for crash that killed his daughter. David Presler filed suit in Kent County circuit court for damages in excess of $25,000 for the wrongful death of his daughter Kimberly (age 15), a freshman at Rockford High School. She suffered fatal injuries in a crash in June 1999 at Belding Rd. (M-44) and Myers Lake Ave. Angela Weiss, the Grand Rapids Township treasurer, drove into the intersection while the Presler’s car was attempting to turn left on a yellow light. Weiss’ car struck them broadside on the passenger side. The suit accuses Weiss of carelessness for ignoring the yellow light. State police issued no tickets.
Newaygo County teen and his mom honored for heroism. Debbie Taylor and her son Gregory (age 13) received certificates of merit from the U.S. Coast Guard yesterday for their life saving efforts near Duck Lake in July. They were swimming when they heard two girls yelling for help in Lake Michigan. Debbie and Gregory swam out and pulled the girls to safety.
Kent officer will be Montcalm undersheriff. Captain Bill Burden of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department will join Montcalm County Sheriff-elect William Barnwell. Barnwell, the former undersheriff, was elected in November to replace retiring Sheriff Don Godell. Burden is a 32-year veteran with the Kent sheriff, currently commander of detectives. The Montcalm department has 63 full-time employees, including 28 sworn officers. Burden will begin his new job on January 3.
Man “critical” after assault near downtown tavern. Somebody called 911 from Maxi’s Bar on Commerce Ave. near closing time Friday night to report a man was lying on the ground, but he wasn’t there when police arrived. They found Dominick Jones about 45 minutes later in the ER at Saint Mary’s Hospital. Police are looking for anyone who saw the assault. If you know anything, call them at 456-3404. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer at 774-2345, or go to www.silentobserver.org.
Johnson Controls lays off 700 in Holland for three weeks. Automakers facing slow sales shut down plants to reduce inventories back in the fall, and now it’s hitting their parts makers. Johnson makes vehicle interiors and usually slows down this time of year. Employees will probably be called back on January 8. A vendor to Johnson, Precision Quality Control in Hudsonville, also laid off workers.
Kalamazoo schools hire interim superintendent. The school board approved Dr. Janice Brown’s new three-year contract on Thursday night, after an imposing evaluation and interview process that included a public forum. She was director of the district’s magnet schools and was in charge of curriculum, and served as interim superintendent after Kay Royster left amid controversy six months ago. Royster was accused of managing in a “dictatorial” fashion and disregarding the school board, which agreed to pay her a year’s salary, $120,000, to leave. Her supporters charged the school board with racism and started an unsuccessful recall drive. Royster is now in charge of curriculum and instruction at Detroit Public Schools, making a lot more money. She hired four long-time Kalamazoo administrators, who are also making a lot more.
Holland merchants offer “Men’s Night Out.” Downtown shops will be open tonight from 5:30 to 9 p.m. to pamper male customers with discounts, free gift wrapping, appetizers and even beer in some locations. Individual stores will offer different specials. The downtown promotion committee got the idea from a store that has hosted a men’s night for the past few years, JB & Me.
Wyoming man killed in his Jeep near Rockford. Henry Vegter (age 57) was northbound on 131 just past the 10-Mile Rd. exit around 6:15 a.m. yesterday, when he lost control on the icy pavement and rolled it over into the median. He was pronounced dead on the scene. State police say he was wearing his seatbelt, and alcohol did not appear to be a factor. Icy roads confounded yesterday’s morning rush all over West Michigan.
Grand Rapids man “guilty” of murdering neighbor. The jury in Kent County circuit court yesterday needed just a couple of hours to convict Raymond Smith for tying up Barbara Bardins (age 41) and setting her house on fire in March. Mandatory sentence is life in prison with no chance of parole.
Some West Michigan schools are out of snow days. The state allows school districts two days a year for snow days, but after that the law says schools must make up the time. Because of this week’s storm Rockford, Grandville and Holland public schools have used up all of their snow days, while Grand Rapids and Kentwood both have one left. According to administrators, even delaying the start of school for two hours counts as a missed day.
Foremost Insurance Championship becomes Farmers Charity Classic, gets national coverage. West Michigan’s Senior PGA tournament unveiled its new name yesterday. Farmers Insurance Group bought Foremost Insurance nine months ago, and chose not only to honor the sponsorship through 2004 but to increase it. They’ll up the purse, and arranged to broadcast the event nationally on CNBC and PAX-TV from Egypt Valley Country Club. This is the fourth name for the community fund-raiser, produced by the Grand Rapids Jaycees.
Wyoming man pleads guilty to playing sex games with children. Rob Jones (age 19) was charged with first and second degree criminal sexual conduct, but agreed to a plea deal of third degree on Wednesday. He was accused of taking part in the games with his girlfriend (age 33) and her three children in November. Police said the two girls (age 9 and 14) and boy (age 13) were forced to play a “truth or dare” sex game that involved kissing, exposing and fondling. Jones could get 15 years. The woman is charged with first and second degree criminal sexual conduct, and could get life.
WMU head coach inks a deal to stay. Broncos’ football coach Gary Darnell announced Wednesday a 5-year agreement with the university worth at least $140,000 annually. After the Broncos’ second consecutive Mid-American Conference West Division title this year, schools like Rutgers and North Carolina tried to lure him away. Their season ended in a 19-14 loss to Marshall in the league championship game.
Saranac woman is state Library Media Specialist of the Year. Judy Gregory has been librarian at Saranac Elementary School for 13 years and was chosen for the award from the Michigan Association for Media in Education from more than 1,400 school library media professionals. Gregory was nominated because she spends much of her free time on open houses and book fairs.
Ohio man charged with three more Ada attacks. Joseph Adkins was brought back to Michigan last week to face charges he broke into the home of an elderly woman and sexually assaulted her in 1998. He is now charged with two similar attacks in 1997 and May of this year. A Silent Observer tip led police to find Adkins in Ohio. Investigators linked him to the 1997 rape with DNA evidence and arrested him last month.
Muskegon’s Nelms Technologies Hy-Lift lays off workers. About 200 employees got the news yesterday that they wouldn’t be working on Monday, with no word about when they’ll be back. Local union leaders say the timing is bad because it’s so close to Christmas. The company says the recent drop in car sales hurt production of engine parts, which led to the layoffs.
Holland man killed in meat mixer at Bil-Mar Foods. Duc Ngoc Tran (age 30), formerly of Vietnam, died Tuesday when he fell into the large machine at the plant on 96th Ave. in Borculo. He was cleaning the moving blades of the auger whil leaning over from a catwalk above, and apparently slipped and fell in. Co-workers heard the noise immediately and stopped the machine, but he died of severe abdominal injuries. State safety officers are investigating.
Kent County’s Millennium Park looks for donors. Kent County has pledged $3-million and Walker is putting up $500,000 for Phase one, which will total $5-million and should be done in two years. Peter Secchia, who launched the project as head of the Millennium Commission, pitched Grand Rapids City Commission on Tuesday, asking for $500,000. He is also looking for Wyoming and Grandville to contribute some funds too, since they will benefit from bordering the park. The 1,800-acre greenway will be bigger than New York City's Central Park and will stretch along the Grand River from John Ball Park to Johnson Park.
Spectrum-Butterworth ranked in the nation’s top 100 hospitals. Staff at the hospital learned of the honor Tuesday from the Health Care Institute of America. The Top 100 Hospital report looks at Medicare information and awards hospitals on the basis of excellence and efficiency in high risk procedures, clinical services, and high volume. Other Michigan hospitals on the list are:
Heroes to receive Allegan County Good Samaritan Awards. Robert Rostar of Allegan, Troy Laduke of Spring Hill, Tenn., Ken McCreary of Grand Rapids, and Robert Withee of Kalamazoo all stopped to help, and pulled Daniel George (age 30) out of his SUV after it burst into flames on US-131 near the Plainwell exit on December 6. Daniel Dannis, Plainwell High School band director, was killed in the crash. George was in “serious” condition at Borgess Hospital. The four men will be honored at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in Griswald Auditorium.
Georgia Pacific to close Kalamazoo Township plant. Most of the 285 employees will be jobless by December 22. The papermaker announced it yesterday, saying that the mill was for sale for two months but they got no offers. The mill makes paper for Sunday inserts and recycled paper for photocopiers. Georgia Pacific merged with Fort James recently and say those products don’t fit the company’s long-range plans. It’s the fourth area papermaker to shut down in the past year.
Rockford man killed in Hi-Lo accident. Christopher Huffman (age 29) was crushed when his machine tipped over on him, after getting stuck in the snow in the parking lot of a commercial flooring factory in Kentwood over the weekend. Co-workers used another Hi-Lo to lift it off him, but Huffman died of chest injuries.
Zeeland asks for help in naming high schools. Town meeting will start at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the commons area of the high school, 96th Ave. and Riley St. The district has about 350 suggestions and wants more public input. The new high school will be near the current school, on 100th Ave. north of Riley St.
GVSU kicks off fundraising campaign for health education center. University leaders this week unveiled plans for the $57-million Center for Health Professions, to be built on the northeast corner of Michigan St. and Lafayette Ave. They already have $4-million in local donations. Groundbreaking will be this summer and it will open in 2003.
Mayor of Taiwan sister city visits Wyoming. Chen Chieh presented Wyoming Mayor Douglas Hoekstra on Monday with a key to Changhua. Leaders of the Taiwan city were here on a trade mission and left for the West Coast yesterday. Changhua has been Wyoming’s sister city since the late 1980’s.
Muskegon man gets 20 to 90 years for Hackley Library rape. Elvis Day (age 19) was sentenced yesterday for raping a 10-year-old girl in the library restroom in November 1999. Last month he pleaded guilty to first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minimum 20-year sentence, and avoided a possible life sentence. The deal saves the girl from having to testify. Her family was satisfied with the terms of the offer, and with the actual sentence. Day is already serving time for unarmed robbery.
Mears mother and son will go to prison for fatal crash. Shirley Davila (age 36) was sentenced yesterday to one year in the Oceana County jail, and her son Bernard Siegel (age 18) will spend 2-1/2 to 15 years in prison. They were charged in the May 12 collision that killed Candice Small (age 18) of Las Vegas, Nevada, Ricky Eschman Jr. (age 16) of Hart, Ronald Miller (age 15) of Mears, and Willie Davila (age 14), Davila’s son and Siegel’s brother. Davila pleaded no contest to charges that she allowed and unlicensed driver, Siegel, to drive her minivan. Siegel pleaded guilty to four counts of causing the deaths by operating a vehicle without a license. Police say he lost control and hit a tree on 48th Ave. north of Morris Lake Rd. near Hart. It burst into flames with the victims trapped inside.
Kalamazoo man dead; police search for shooter. Police say Charles Walker (age 45) shot and killed Herod Moore Jr. during an argument on Sunday at a house on Prouty St. Moore’s father had taken him there so the two could work out a dispute. He died later at Bronson Methodist Hospital. If you know anything about where Walker might be, call the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at 337-8139.
Three Rivers teachers and school district in labor dispute. Contract expired in August and the two sides can’t agree on salary, benefits, the school calendar or class size. The union wants a salary boost, but administrators say the district can’t afford what they’re asking. Teachers are picketing but Superintendent James Bermingham doesn’t expect them to strike. Talks will resume on Monday.
Volunteers needed to count West Michigan birds. More than 50,000 people in North, Central and South America will help tally the 101st annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, held the last two weeks of December. Volunteers record numbers of each species of all the birds they see in a single day within a certain area. If you can help around Kalamazoo call Russ Schipper, Kalamazoo Audubon Society, 375-7210. Counts are scheduled:
Otsego school board to vote on dismissal of superintendent. Parents on November 13 presented a petition with more than 600 signatures demanding to fire James Leyndyke. The deadline to announce their decision is tonight. Parents got mad when Leyndyke moved an annual band festival in September out of Otsego’s stadium, to make up a football game that was canceled because of lightning. They complain that he was favoring the football teams over thousands of band students. Leyndyke’s contract runs through June 2004 and buying it out would cost $400,000.
Van Andel Institute co-founder to retire. Dr. Luis Tomaitis announced at a Christmas gathering Saturday night that he would leave his post as president and senior adviser of the genetics research center as of January 1, with plans to join Rich DeVos in other pursuits. The Van Andels founded the institute in 1995 to find cures for diseases like cancer. Jay Van Andel asked Tomaitis to lay the groundwork for the institute soon after the doctor retired as a heart surgeon at Butterworth Hospital. When the institute opened this year, Tomaitis became senior advisor. The institute’s auditorium will be named in his honor.
Holland family is injured in truck-train crash. Police say Timothy Post was driving eastbound on 15th St. Saturday and tried to beat the train across the tracks. When he realized he couldn’t make it, he slammed on his brakes and his truck skidded. The train hit the truck in the driver’s side door and he was pinned inside. His two children got out of the vehicle and were taken to a nearby house. The train blocked traffic from 8 to 16th Sts. for about an hour while rescuers got him out. The three were treated for minor injuries.
Alger Heights neighbors fight City Hall over adult bookstore. About 100 residents attended a hearing of the Grand Rapids board of zoning appeals in City Hall last week, and watched them uphold a decision to allow Velvet Touch Bookstore to open on 28th St. just east of Eastern Ave. The proprietor says he’ll finish the purchase of the building and open for business as soon as possible, to sell adult videotapes, sex toys and lingerie. Velvet Touch operated on 28th about a mile west of its proposed new location for almost 20 years, but its lease ran out in the fall.
Blue Angels to fly at Muskegon Air Fair. The U.S. Navy jet aerobatics team could only fit the event into their schedule on July 7 and 8, so the air fair moved. It’ll be the same weekend as the end of Summer Celebration at Heritage Landing. The Federal Aviation Administration also requires that several local roads, 12 homes and five businesses near the Sternberg Rd. interchange of US-31 be evacuated in the safety zone for two hours during the shows. Folks with the air fair will meet with those people tomorrow night to iron out details and get their okay. Last year 60,000 people attended the Muskegon Air Fair and organizers say the Blue Angels could double it.
Kalamazoo bus driver fired for leaving child asleep on bus. Andrea Moore (age 6), a first grader from Indian Prairie Elementary School, dozed off on the way home from school last week and woke up alone an hour later in the bus parking lot. She screamed for help, another driver found her, and Andrea’s bus driver eventually took her home. The driver was fired this week. Kalamazoo Public School administrators say drivers are supposed to check every seat before leaving the bus and they won’t cut anybody slack.
Fremont woman killed in accident. Alberta Rice (age 78) was riding in the passenger seat as her husband, Charles Rice (age 81), drove westbound on 56th St. in Sheridan Township on Wednesday. He didn’t see the other vehicle southbound on Warner Ave. and pulled into its path. The two drivers suffered minor injuries.
Egelston Township’s Lomac gets new owner. Sun Chemical Corp. announced Wednesday it will take over operations of all facilities belonging to its parent company, PCL Group of Cincinnati. They don’t expect any major layoffs and say it will provide more money to improve operations at the troubled Evanston Ave. facility. It was rocked by an explosion in April that injured 10 workers and caused millions in damage. Lomac employs about 140 people in its manufacturing of pigments and printing inks.
Police try to identify bones found in Berrien County. Investigators say a man found the human skull in a pile of tree stumps last Sunday while out for a walk with his dogs in a field in Benton Township outside Benton Harbor. Doctors said yesterday the bones belong to a white male, between 35 and 45 years old, between 5-feet 2-inches and 5-feet 7-inches. He also had straight dark brown or black hair and was missing several front teeth. Police don’t know how long the skeleton was there.
Jim Dreyer plans to swim across Lake Superior next summer. The Byron Center man announced he will try to become the first person to swim across all five Great Lakes. He plans to get in the water in Grand Portage, Minnesota, the week of August 13 and swim 62 miles to the Keweenaw Peninsula. Dreyer swam across Lake Michigan 1998, then set a speed and distance record across Lake Huron. This past summer he swam Lake Erie and a month later Lake Ontario. Dreyer swims to raise awareness and money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Plainwell High School band director killed in crash. Daniel Dannis (age 57) of Portage was northbound on US-131 near the Plainwell exit yesterday morning when he lost control on “black ice” and crossed the median. He hit a southbound SUV, which burst into flames. The driver of the SUV, Daniel George George (age 30) of Plainwell, was pulled out and was in critical condition at Borgess Hospital. Police closed US-131 for three hours. Students at the high school will meet with crisis counselors this week. Dannis was named Teacher of the Year by the National Honor Society.
Daycare provider charged in Norton Shores “shaken baby” case. Paula Durek (age 26) was arraigned yesterday in 60th district court, accused of causing injuries to a 6-month-old in her care. The baby boy was found bleeding and having a seizure in her home on October 17. Doctors say the injuries are consistent with shaken baby syndrome. The baby survived but is still in the hospital with brain injuries. The Muskegon County family court ordered Durek to shut down her daycare facility. They also made her leave her home, and allows only supervised visits with her two children. She could get 15 years.
Suspect charged with Ada rapes. Joseph Adkins was arraigned yesterday on first degree criminal sexual conduct, accused of assaulting an elderly woman in 1998. Police believe he is responsible for two other rapes of elderly Ada women as well. A similar incident happened in May in Ada and a Silent Observer tip helped police find Adkins in Ohio. He was brought back to Michigan and is held with a million-dollar cash bond.
City of Lowell takes over Showboat. The first Lowell Showboat was launched on the Flat River in 1932 to bring visitors and stir local interest during the Great Depression, and over the years hosted many big-name musical shows. It was rebuilt after being destroyed by a windstorm in 1978. Revenues fell over the years because riverside seating is limited, and bigger concert sites keep opening. This week the city council accepted ownership of the fifth Robert E. Lee, tied up just above Main St., now that the long-standing debts of Lowell Showboat Corporation II are resvolved through grants and donations. The chamber of commerce will oversee operations. Artifacts and memorabilia including the calliope will be turned over to the Lowell Area Historical Museum.
Cascade Township WW2 vet to be honored during ceremony. Virgil Kimble (age 82) will be one of 18 honored today during the third annual “Wall of Heroes” ceremony at the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The former Marine is being recognized for saving two men on Iwo Jima, during which battle he lost his right hand. Kimble received the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals for his bravery. The honorees were selected by a committee of veterans organization representatives.
GRPS revises facilities plan, adds sixth grade to middle school. Board members at a work session Monday night decided to take Eastern Elementary off the school closing list, and add Congress Elementary instead. Students from Congress would move to Fountain or Sigsbee. Congress Parents will meet with the board in a public hearing before the decision is finalized early next year. The board also considered moving Vandenberg Creative Arts Academy to the new Coit School building, and relocating Academia de Espanol students to either Franklin or Eastern. Starting this fall, sixth graders will go to Burton, Northeast, Westwood and Riverside Middle Schools with seventh and eighth graders. The school board last August approved the administration’s plan to consolidate and close 12 schools, to cut operating expenses in the face of declining enrollment.
Roosevelt Park gets new mayor. City councilman Allan C. Lowe III, co-owner of Greater Muskegon Transfer Inc., was elected by fellow council members to the post on Monday, replacing David Sander, mayor of three years who left due to term limitations. Rose Justian will replace Lowe as as mayor pro tem. The two offices serve renewable one year terms.
Kalamazoo man will go to prison for shooting bystander. Mario Valdez Baynes (age 21) was sentenced in Kalamazoo County circuit court on Monday to life in prison without parole for the death of Angel Star Ryan last June. Police say Baynes kicked in the door to Ryan’s apartment at Alamo Hills, seeking revenge against a man with whom he had fought earlier that night. Inside, he started shooting and hit Ryan as she got ready for bed. She was the mother of a 5-year-old girl. A jury found Baynes guilty of first degree murder earlier this month. His accomplice, Charles Walker (age 23), pleaded guilty last week to second degree murder and will be sentenced on January 2.
Grand Rapids man arrested after standoff with police. Neighbors on Francis Ave. between Dickinson and Crofton Sts. say two men were fighting outside a home Monday night, then they heard gunshots. When police arrived, one man refused to come out. The block was closed off until he surrendered about 45 minutes later. He will be arraigned on assault charges.
West Michigan schools receive Blue Ribbon honors. Milo A. Brown Elementary in Byron Center, Grandville East Elementary, Cannonsburg Elementary in Rockford and Winchell Elementary in Kalamazoo were named Blue Ribbon Exemplary Schools by the Michigan Department of Education. Twenty-two Michigan schools were chosen by a panel that looks at curriculum, standards, and community and family partnership. They will be Michigan’s nominees for the national awards, to be made in the spring by the U.S. Education Department.
Police look for Kalamazoo bank robbers. It happened yesterday around noon at the National City Bank on Gull Rd. across from Borgess Medical Center. Police say a man and woman walked into the bank; the woman told the teller he had a gun, and the two got away on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. A reward is offered. If you know anything, call Kalamazoo Public Safety Department, 337-8120. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 343-2100.
Lake Township man could go to jail for swearing. Jeffery Richards is charged with assault, disturbing the peace and using indecent language on November 2 in Missaukee County north of Clare. Richard says he used profanity because he thought a school bus driver was mistreating his daughter. The school says Richards threatened the driver while using the obscenity. Pre-trial hearing was yesterday. He could get 90 days. In June a Roseville man was convicted of violating the century-old law that prohibits using profanity in front of women and children. Witnesses said that man let loose with a long, blue tirade after falling out of a canoe on the Rifle River.
Skeleton found in Berrien County. A man found the human skull in a pile of tree stumps Sunday while out for a walk with his dogs in a field in Benton Township outside of Benton Harbor. Police found the rest of the skeleton nearby. Landowners say people ride dirt bikes and walk their dogs on the land. Autopsy in Grand Rapids will try to identify the victim and determine the cause of death.
Phone service returns to Laketon Township. Construction crews digging a trench for a new phone cable under Bear Lake on Friday night cut an existing cable and caused a total phone blackout to 1,900 customers. Telephones came back on yesterday, but a Verizon spokesman says it’s only a temporary fix and the line won’t be repaired for a couple weeks. They say if you still have problems, find a cell phone and call them.
Man arrested for beating elderly Kalamazoo Township residents. Robert Lee Jones (age 38) was arraigned today, charged with armed robbery in connection with a home invasion in October. Police received a tip yesterday morning that Jones was at the Red Roof Inn on Cork St. He checked out before they got there, but they spotted him in a car at Motel 6 less than a mile away. He led police on a chase and was found in a dumpster behind Quality Inn. Investigators say Jones and another man went to a home on Harvey St. back in September asking for help. They got inside and beat and robbed an 80-year-old woman and her 90-year-old husband. Police are investigating several other home invasions that occurred within a two mile radius between September 12 and October 16. He could get 15 years.
Constantine man honored for nabbing robbers. Frank Oldenburg received the Distinguished Citizen Award from Michigan State Police because of his part in catching two would-be thieves at a neighbor’s house. Back in June, Oldenburg saw a suspicious vehicle at the residence and told a passing motorist to call 911. He then drove into the driveway and blocked the suspects’ vehicle until troopers arrived and arrested them. He was honored for his unselfishness and for preventing the loss of personal property, including money and a firearm.
Portage man shot to death at work. Michael Willis (age 42) was arraigned in Kalamazoo County district court on Friday, accused of killing Charles Rector (age 49), a co-worker at Checker Motors Corp. Rector was shot Thursday afternoon in the Checker parking lot. Willis admitted to police that he waited for Rector to walk into work and shot him because he felt Rector was the “cause of all his problems.” Willis is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic under medication. The judge denied his bond and he is currently in Kalamazoo County jail. His preliminary examination will be December 12.
Hastings woman dies in crash. Sharon Olson (age 50) apparently lost control of her car Friday night on M-37 near Tebo Rd. south of Hastings. It rolled over and threw her out. She died at Metropolitan Hospital. She served as adjunct faculty in sociology at Western Michigan University, and lectured about character development.
Three Kent County men arrested in church burglaries. Brian Hughes (age 32) of Kentwood, James Winrick (age 46) and Paul Brian Smith (age 32), both of Wyoming, were arraigned on Friday for breaking into about two dozen churches from July to October. Police say the three stole computers, sound systems, televisions and projectors, then sold them to pay drug debts. A suspect in an unrelated incident told police that Hughes was involved in the break-ins, which led them to the other suspects.
Grand Rapids gang member admits to manslaughter. Ramon Sambrano (age 29) was in court Thursday, accused of the shooting death of Ronny Sanchez-Arevalo (age 27) on September 3. He was charged with second degree murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a deal to avoid a life sentence. Witnesses said he shot Sanchez-Arevalo during an argument. Sambrano will be back in court January 10, and will probably get a long sentence because he already has two convictions.
Ford Museum gets new director. Dennis Daellenbach, assistant director of the Ronald Reagan Library in Southern California, replaces Richard Norton Smith, who left in September to become executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and a professor at Grand Valley State University. Daellenbach will be based in Ann Arbor, where he’ll also oversee the Ford Library. He worked there from 1977 until 1991 before joining the Reagan library. He has also been a member of the National Archives and Records Administration for 28 years, which staffs both the Reagan and Ford institutions.
John Ball Zoo treats the critters. You’re invited to help celebrate Christmas with the Animals tomorrow from noon to 4 p.m. by bringing gifts like mixed nuts in the shell, dehydrated fruits, syrup, molasses, honey, rawhide bones, flavored chew blocks and parrot toys. Santa will bring live reindeer and zoogoers will enjoy hot chocolate, music, kid activities and demonstrations. Zoo admission is free December through February.
Wyoming mother and boyfriend charged with playing sex games with kids. The 33-year-old woman and her 20-year-old boyfriend were in Wyoming district court on Wednesday, accused of abusing her son and daughters while the two sniffed glue. Police said the two girls (age 9 and 14) and boy (age 13) were forced to play a “truth or dare” sex game that involved kissing, exposing and fondling. They were arrested on November 21. The mother pleaded guilty to child neglect and got a week in jail and a year on probation. They asked for a delay before the judge decides whether they should stand trial in Kent County on first degree criminal sexual conduct charges. Hearing will be December 13. They could both get life.
African American Festival to stay in Grand Rapids. Promoter Rob LeDew this week announced tentative plans to hold it on Calder Plaza on June 22 and 23 next year. He originally decided to move it to Muskegon, but now says he was convinced to change his mind. Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department dropped its co-sponsorship of the festival for 2000, because of poor planning and cleanup of previous events. Instead, the city co-sponsored the “Soul of the City” festival in August. He’s also planning an “International Food Festival” in Muskegon for the last weekend in July.
Muskegon County Airport to go “smoke-free.” County commissioners voted 7-2 this week to eliminate all smoking in the terminal, including the Brownstone Restaurant. Before the vote they dissected the issue of secondhand smoke versus smokers’ rights.
Hope College provost to retire. Jack Nyenhuis (age 65) announced his plans this week during a faculty meeting. He joined the faculty as dean of humanities in 1975, went on to serve as dean for arts and humanities three years later and became provost in 1984. Nyenhuis is writing a book on the Greek myth of Daedalus to be published in spring of 2002. He also spent 13 years as a faculty member at Wayne State University.
Wyoming man may go to prison for pornographic pictures. Charles Holbrook (age 63) was arrested in October after a film processor called police about suspicious photos. He waived his preliminary hearing in court yesterday on charges of criminal sexual conduct and pornography. Police found boxes of nude photos of young girls at his home, and say the pictures span 20 years. Two local girls under age 16 told police that Holbrook befriended and molested them before taking the photos. He is currently free on bond.
Byron Center post office to get new home. The lease on the current building just west of Byron Center Ave. and 84th St. expires in July 2001 and the property owner wants it out. The postal service wants a bigger place, near the current 2,000-square-footer. Residents talked about it at the township meeting this week. The post office will solicit property owners for potential sites, then post a list. The public will have a chance to review it and a township committee will choose the best location.
Grand Rapids woman will stand trial for stabbing death. Diane Walker (age 38) was in Kent County circuit court Tuesday, charged with second degree murder in the death of her partner Chandra-Lynn Vann on October 21. Witnesses said the two women were arguing behind their house on 7th St. before the attack. Walker is held without bond at the Kent County jail and could get life.
North Kent Mall will come down for a new home center. The shopping center on Plainfield Ave. near 5-Mile Rd. will be demolished this winter, with construction to start in the spring and finish by December 2001. The Plainfield Township planning commission this week approved plans for complex that would include Lowe’s Home Improvement Center, K-Mart and Montgomery Ward’s. The owner still has to negotiate with stores over their leases before anything happens.
Grand Rapids Public Library to stay filter-free. The library board this week agreed with findings that the current practice is keeping minors away from offensive materials on the Internet, and satisfies a state law that took effect October 1. Librarians watch Internet users and keep them from displaying images from offensive sites. They said they’ll continue to log user requests for filters, and keep looking at new systems.
University of Phoenix finds a home in Walker. Administrators dedicated the new $4-million building on River Ridge Dr. east of the Star Theatre off Alpine Ave. yesterday. The school doesn’t own the building but has a ten year lease with its developer. Students have been meeting on the southeast side, in the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Charlevoix Club Banquet Center, since Phoenix opened in West Michigan in August 1999. The new place has 20 classrooms, offices, computer labs, conference rooms and a student lounge.
Grand Rapids will fix east side sewer system. Grand Rapids City Commissioners approved a $100-million plan yesterday morning to cut sewage overflows into the Grand River. New sewers will carry wastewater from houses and businesses, and keep it separate from storm drains. The same kind of job was done on the West Side through the 1990s. Work will start in 2002 and take until 2019. The average home customer will see a phased-in increase of $10 in the monthly water and sewer bill.
Barry County couple dies in crash. Anna Walter (age 68) was driving southbound on M-37 from Middleville Monday when her car crossed the center line north of Adams Rd. and hit an oncoming van head-on. She and her husband Donald Walter (age 68) died at the scene. Others received minor injuries.
Drowned teen’s family sues Kentwood agency. DeSean Buyck (age 14) was caught by the undertow while he and five other students from Wedgwood Christian Youth and Family Services were on a swimming outing at Holland State Park on August 3. The multimillion dollar lawsuit was filed earlier this month in Kent County circuit court by the boy’s grandmother and father. It claims his death was due to the negligence of Wedgwood staffers, who let the go in the water even though red flags were up to warn of hazardous conditions. A preliminary report by state licensing agencies found the workers made an error in judgment and Wedgwood’s executive director called it a “tragic accident.” Both employees were put on administrative leave and are now back at work. Buyck was a ward of the court when he died because his parents’ rights of custody were terminated by family court. The family has requested a jury trial.
Boy Scouts need help solving suspicious fires in Blue Lake Township. Four blazes over a year have caused near a half-million-dollars in damage at Owasippi Scout Reservation. The first was in September 1999, two last March, and one last September, all off-season when no scouts were around. Investigators think it’s arson, but can’t prove the four are related. Owasippi has 200 buildings, some of which are along the shore of Big Blue Lake. It belongs to the Boy Scouts of Chicago, and is near Camp Gerber, which is our local Gerald R. Ford Council’s facility. Muskegon sheriff is offering $5,000 for information leading to a conviction. If you know anything call Silent Observer, (231) 722-7463.
Flu shots postponed at Lakeshore clinics. The flu season is here, but the vaccine is in short supply across the country. The Muskegon County Health Department ran out and expects more in December. The Ottawa County Health Department anticipates more will arrive this week and has rescheduled flu shot clinics for December 4 at its Coopersville location and December 6 at the Grand Haven office. Hackley Visiting Nurses-Private Duty hopes to stop rationing shots and vaccinate everyone who wants a shot by December 11. The flu season will peak in February. The vaccine takes two weeks to be effective.
Allegan man dies in crash. Richard Gardner (age 37) was driving on Monroe Rd. west of 36th St. in Valley Township early Sunday morning, lost control of his pickup and hit a tree. Police say the impact split the truck in two.
Two boys arrested for trying to set fire to Coit Elementary. Police caught the 12- and 14-year-olds burning a small fire near the school Sunday night. They said the two lit a match to a window on which they had splashed gasoline. They were also setting snowballs on fire with lighter fluid and throwing them. They are being held at the Kent County Juvenile Detention Center and could be charged with arson.
Holland Township family loses all their presents and home in fire. Sam and Keo Phanthourath were out visiting relatives on Sunday when their mobile home in Leisure Estates off Butternut Dr. burned. The two had spent the weekend shopping for gifts and were looking forward to spend the holidays in their new home with their two children. Holland Township fire fighters say home and contents were a total loss and are still trying to figure out the cause.
State police honor West Michigan heroes. Jeremy Hammond (age 12), seventh grader at Lakeview Middle School, will be given a certificate of appreciation from the Lakeview post of the Michigan State Police today. He was riding on an all terrain vehicle with his grandfather into the mountains near Loma, Colorado, on a hunting trip. The trail gave way and Jeremy jumped off, but his grandfather fell about 50 feet down the cliff and broke his shoulder. Jeremy climbed down and took care of his grandfather, and doctors say he probably saved the man’s life. Daniel Parsons (age 38) of Wyoming will receive a Distinguished Citizen Award for transporting a passenger injured during a boat crash on the Muskegon River in June.
Former East Grand Rapids mayor dies. Robert Woodrow Richardson passed away Friday at the age of 83. He served seven years as the mayor, then for 23 years as East Grand Rapids city attorney. He was also a member of the Kent County Commission in the late 1950’s and president of the Kent County Bar Association in 1974. Memorial service will be at Grace Episcopal Church at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Byron Township man charged with Thanksgiving Day homicide. William Warren (age 41) was arraigned Friday, accused of shooting his brother Frederick Warren (age 46) early Thursday. Police say the two brothers argued over a woman. After the shooting, Warren holed-up inside the house on 100th St. He surrendered to Kent deputies and is in Kent County jail.
Byron Center teen killed when snowmobile hits fence. Bradley Boorsma (age 14) was riding his machine near a friend’s home on 104th St. near Wilson Ave. Friday night, when it struck a steel cattle fence. His friends found the boy’s body at about 8 p.m. near his snowmobile, which was tangled in the fence. Police say he was wearing a helmet and died on impact. The DNR warns snowmobilers to use caution on the trails this early in the season. Trails won’t be groomed and officially open until this Friday, and obstructions like rocks can be hidden in the snow.
West Michigan communities host holiday parades. The Jingle Bell
Parade will step off at 7 p.m. on Washingon Ave. just west of US-31, march
to Harbor Dr. and fall out at the Salvation Army Tree of Lights. It will
have more than 50 lighted entries and bands, plus Santa and Mrs. Claus
with live reindeer. The Grand Haven Area Chamber of Commerce organizes
it, and says 10,000 people turned out to watch last year.
Zeeland’s annual Christmas parade follows
the ceremonial lighting of the decorations along Main Place Mall at at
6:30 p.m., and marches down State St. and Main Ave. to Cityside Middle
School.
Lowell-area woman dies when car crashes into pond. Charlene Geldersma (age 40) came home around 10 p.m. Wednesday, and apparently lost control on the long, icy driveway off McPherson St. between Alden Nash and Lincoln Lake Aves. The SUV hit a big rock, went airborne and landed in a pond. Her 9-year-old son noticed the vehicle around 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Lowell Rescuers responded and jumped into the icy water in wet suits, and after pulling her out learned she had drowned hours before.
Ex-husband shoots two on Grand Rapids northeast side. Becky Jo Cook (age 27) and Matthew Palmer (age 22) were sitting on the couch in her living room on Ashland Ave. in Creston Heights, when her “ex” broke in around 3:30 a.m. yesterday, they told police. He started shooting, pounded Palmer on the head with the handgun, and ran before police got there. He was arrested on Dayton St. near Straight Ave. on the West Side, and is held on two counts of “assault with intent to murder.” Palmer was in “serious but stable” condition at Spectrum-Butterworth, with head wounds and a gunshot to the upper chest. Cook was treated for two bullet wounds and released.
Byron Township kills brother. Kent deputies say they were arguing over a woman when the 41-year-old shot and killed the 46-year-old around 1:30 a.m. yesterday. The alleged shooter, recently divorced, about six weeks ago moved into the house on 100th St. between Clyde Park and Burlingame Aves. When Kent County deputies arrived, he was holed-up in the basement and inside the house were at least two adults and six young children. Tactical deputies got them out safely around 5 a.m. Two hours later, negotiator talked him into coming out quietly.
Kalamazoo Republican hospitalized. State House Speaker Chuck Perricone (age 40) was admitted to Bronson Hospital Wednesday with internal bleeding. He was in fair condition and expects to be back in Lansing next week to serve as speaker through the end of the year.
Grand Rapids street to be “Cesar Chavez Way.” The City Commission this week approved adding the farm labor leader’s name to a stretch of Grandville Ave. between Franklin and Wealthy Sts. A second street sign will be added at each intersection within a month, which will include the logo of the United Farm Workers and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Leaders of the Hispanic Center of West Michigan told the commission that, to Hispanic citizens, Chavez is a symbol of farm workers’ struggle for fairness.
Police arrest suspect in Ada rape. Joseph Adkins (age 36) was arrested last weekend in Ohio after his DNA matched evidence from the beating and rape of an 87-year-old woman in 1998. He is also suspected in similar assaults of elderly Ada women in 1997 and last May. Jetina Spidell suffered a skull fracture and broken cheekbone after the attack. She died of cancer less than a year later. Adkins had lived near all the victims in the village of Ada. A phone tip to Silent Observer directed police to Adkins, who is an Ohio native. Investigators talked to him in August and he skipped town after that. They caught up with him this fall in Mansfield, Ohio and tested his DNA against evidence. It could be three months before he’s back to Michigan to face charges.
Holland’s holiday season kicks off with “Lighting Up the Holidays.” Families are welcome to join the Lantern Parade which steps off from College Ave. and 8th St. at 6:45 p.m. tonight and ends up at Centennial Park, when Santa flips the switch on thousands of tiny lights. The Holland Chorale and Civic Theatre will entertain in the park and carriage rides will be available. The open air European style Dutch Christmas Market, or Kerstmarkt, will be open too, with gifts for sale by local crafters. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Police step up patrols in West Michigan for Thanksgiving. The national “Click it or Ticket" campaign started Monday, and police will be running extra shifts through December 3. Michigan’s 400-plus law enforcement agencies will crack down on drunk and aggressive drivers, and watch for violators of the seatbelt laws. Here’s who has to wear a seatbelt in your car:
Group organizes to fight casino proposed along US-131. The West Michigan Gambling Opposition met in Byron Center on Monday to recruit volunteers to fight against the planned casino. The Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi Indians held a meeting last week in Wayland to inform residents of their plans for the casino to be built somewhere along the highway between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Tribal members say they were offended by some of the comments made by the audience and won’t hold any more informational meetings.
Zeeland Public Schools ban smoking. The school board this week voted to prohibit alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and drug use on district property, indoors or outdoors, any time. They talked about it in October and waited a month for the vote. The old policy allowed adults to smoke on district property outside after 6 p.m.
Oceana County teen dies in hunting accident. Hart High School senior Jason Foster (age 17) was climbing a tree in a field while hunting with a friend southeast of 100th Ave. and Hazel in Hart Township Monday afternoon. His muzzle loader discharged accidentally and killed him instantly. His friend ran to a nearby house and called 911. Foster was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lakewood Club man killed in crash on icy roads. Roy Ealy (age 37) was a passenger in a car Monday that was northbound on Russell Rd. north of Riley-Thompson Rd. in Dalton Township. Driver Sharon Cunningham (age 43) lost control and slid into an oncoming pickup. Ealy was pronounced dead at the scene. Cunningham was in serious condition at Mercy-General’s Sherman Campus. Cunningham’s children, Robert Stevenson (age 2) and Lashanna Vance (age 18), were in the back seat. The toddler was in “guarded” condition at Spectrum-Butterworth. Vance was treated and released. The driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries.
GRATA is now “The Rapid.” Earlier this year the Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority passed a new area-wide transit tax, got a new board and changed its name to Interurban Transit Partnership. That name that doesn’t sound any more colorful than the old one. So our bus service will become “The Rapid.” The name was selected by a board of volunteers from several cooked up by Straightline Public Relations, which also designed the new logo that will go on buses, shelters, signs, letterheads, business cards, etc. The changeover will be gradual.
Grand Rapids will get a new clock tower. Design was unveiled yesterday for a 30-foot brick column next to the new courthouse at Lyon St. and Ionia Ave., close to the site of the clock tower of the old City Hall, demolished in the 1960s. The clock face will be a replica of the old one, but the tower will be newfangled, designed to look high-tech, and lighted at night.
Old Kent Bank is bought by Fifth Third Bank. The Grand Rapids based financial giant announced yesterday it will merge with the Ohio banking conglomerate in the spring. Old Kent has assets over $22-billion and the combined company will be worth almost $70-billion. Old Kent employs 7,000 people and leaders say there might be a few layoffs with the merger. Fifth Third bought Ameribank earlier this year, and with Old Kent will have almost 1,000 locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.
Grandville residents call off boycott of RiverTown Crossings. The Michigan Decency Action Council complained last week about nudity on posters in store windows, and threatened to boycott the whole mall if they weren’t removed. The offending displays were covered up or taken down by yesterday’s deadline so the group issued a statement saying it won’t call for the boycott. They still warn shoppers to avoid Victoria’s Secret and Wilson’s Leather because of inappropriate ads inside the stores.
Resident manager of Kentwood foster care to be sentenced for sexual assault. Richard Sharpe Jr. (age 53) and his wife cared for mentally and physically disabled women at Eastern Home. In June, an employee reported seeing him having sexual relations with at least one resident. Sharpe admitted having sexual contact with the victim and was charged in July with first-degree sexual assault. He has been in Kent County jail since and will be sentenced today in Kent County circuit court. Since Sharpe has no criminal record, maximum sentence will be nine months. He’ll be on the sex offender registry for 25 years.
Macomb County state representative dead at 58. Janet Kukuk of Clinton Township died at her daughter’s home in Clinton Township Sunday after a five-year battle with breast cancer. Treatment sent the cancer into remission and in 1998 she was elected to the 33rd District seat in southeast Michigan vacated by her husband Alvin Kukuk.
Five men honored for airplane rescue in Lake Michigan. Reservists Thomas Gasser, Paul Fawcett, Debra Ball, Paula Malone and active duty member Ian Bauer received a Meritorious Team Commendation yesterday from the Coast Guard Group in Grand Haven, for saving two people who crashed their plane into the water in April. Roland Ashby, Allen Hosford, and John Anten were awarded Coast Guard Achievement Medals earlier this year. Bernie Lawrence of Napierville, Illinois, and his son Charlie crashed in their single-engine Cessna near Mona Lake Channel in Norton Shores. Rescuers found them clinging to an airplane tire in heavy fog. The Discovery Channel will air a re-enactment of the rescue on its show “Storm Warning” sometime this month or next.
Two killed in Kentwood car accident. Maria Conde (age 44) of Kentwood and her brother Balmar Reyes (age 34) of Grand Rapids died in a head-on collision early Saturday morning. Kentwood Police say a car westbound on 28th St. in crossed the center line and hit an eastbound vehicle broadside. The driver of the car, Robert Conde, was in critical condition at Spectrum-Butterworth Hospital.
Teens charged after friend dies in City Centre building. Warrants for criminal trespassing were issued Friday for the two who left the building after Stephen Shemanski Jr. (age 18) was killed in an elevator shaft on November 4. The teenagers told police they slipped into the building and Shemanski climbed into an elevator shaft. They say he slid down a cable to the roof of the elevator on the first floor, then one of them pushed a button that sent the car up to the third floor. Shemanski was killed when the counter weight fell on him. The two teens fled the scene. An elevator repairman found his body two days later.
Man dies after parachute jump in Sturgis. William Browning (age 42) of Indiana jumped out of a plane at 2000 feet on Saturday and drifted toward power lines. Police say he tried to avoid the wires and crashed into the roof of a building. Browning died of severe head injuries.
Cass County couple dies in apparent murder suicide. Police were called to the home in Pokagon Township near Niles late Friday night on a domestic dispute. When they arrived, they found the bodies of Gregory Cain (age 45) and his wife Diane (age 39) dead of gunshot wounds. They’re still investigating.
Former Grand Rapids Christian football coach dead at 72. Bill Holwerda coached football for 20 years, first at Caledonia High School and then at Grand Rapids Christian High School. He opened Holwerda-Snoap Sporting Goods store on Division Ave. in Burton Heights in the late 1950s. He died unexpectedly from heart failure on Friday. Funeral will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Burton Heights Christian Reformed Church.
West Michigan teams play in state finals. Four area high school football teams will compete this weekend at the Pontiac Silverdome for the state championships.
Grand Rapids teen gets 20 to 50 years for killing his baby cousin. Howard Welch (age 14) pleaded guilty in September to second-degree murder in the death of Marquan Carter (age 2) in February, and was sentenced yesterday. Welch called police while babysitting and said he found the toddler unconscious in his crib. After autopsy showed Marquan died from head injuries, Welch admitted to police that he got angry and threw the baby across the room, and punched him in the head. Welch is the youngest murder suspect charged as an adult in Grand Rapids.
West Michigan hunter shot and killed on opening day, another injured. Rodney Slee (age 35) of Vermontville was shot in the face while hunting from a tree stand in Barry County on Wednesday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are still trying to determine if it was accidental. Homer Paten (age 56) of Benton Harbor injured his back by falling ten feet from a tree stand in Cass County on Wednesday. Deputies say a neighbor heard Paten calling for help and found him face down on the ground. He was airlifted to Borgess Medical Center, where he was in “serious” condition. Wednesday was the first day of firearms deer season.
Ice Capades falls through. The touring company canceled shows set for November 29 through December 2 at the Van Andel Arena, because of financial problems. Maybe they were skating on thin ice, and had a meltdown. Or maybe schedule conflicts froze them out of the arena. (I really crack me up.) Return tickets where you bought them.
Battle Creek’s holiday season begins this weekend. The International Festival of Lights opens with the grand lighting ceremony and Christmas Parade at 6 p m. tomorrow. The parade with floats, bands, and clowns will march up Michigan Ave. Outdoor lighting displays will illuminate the downtown area nightly beginning at 5 p.m. The downtown trolley will offer guided tours from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $2 per person.
Santa Claus Parade marches through downtown Grand Rapids tomorrow. The Grand Rapids Jaycees organize the city’s biggest parade, this year with the theme “Christmas Around the World.” The 32nd annual kicks off the holiday season at 10:30 a.m. with floats, marching bands and Santa. The parade route is different from past years because of construction. It will step off from Oakes St. and Market Ave., march north on Market to Fulton St., east to Ottawa Ave., and north to Michigan St. Channel 13 will carry the parade live.
Water shut-off scheduled for northwest side of downtown Battle Creek. Mains will be turned off near Battle Creek Academy and Lincoln School. Residential streets affected are Somerset Ave. from Parkway Dr. to Grand Ave., Grand from Plymouth Ave. to Graves Ave., and Graves from Grand to Jordan St. Construction crews will install a new valve. When the water is back, check water quality before washing any whites or delicates.
Hastings boy killed in crash with ambulance. Kyle Jones (age 7) and his sister Andrea (age 10) were in a northbound car on M-43 in Rutland Township on Tuesday, when the car drifted into the southbound lane and struck an ambulance head-on. Kyle was pronounced dead at the scene. Andrea and the driver, Mark Lundquist (age 25) of Delton, were in critical condition at Spectrum-Butterworth Hospital. The ambulance driver and his passenger were treated and released.
Laketon Township woman killed in accident. Diane Willbrandt (age 64) was in the center turn lane at the intersection of Whitehall and Dykstra Rds. near North Muskegon on Tuesday, when she turned left into the path of a southbound car. She died about three hours later at Hackley Hospital. The driver of the other car had minor injuries.
City commission considers naming Grand Rapids street after Cesar Chavez. Several people spoke at a hearing Tuesday in favor of adding the farm labor leader’s name to a stretch of Grandville Ave. between Wealthy and Franklin Sts. Leaders of the Hispanic Center of West Michigan told the commission that to Hispanic citizens, Chavez is a symbol of farm workers’ struggle for fairness. Because it is a state highway trunk line, the city can’t change the name of the street, but it can add a commemorative designation to it. Commissioners were impressed by the turnout and intensity of emotion, and are expected to okay it.
Guy VanderJagt to be honored at Holland’s Dutch-American Heritage Day. The Netherlands consul from Grand Rapids will present the former U.S. Representative with a commemorative scroll for strengthening the relationship between our nation and theirs. VanderJagt wrote the congressional resolution back in 1991 that established Dutch-Heritage Day, and was named Outstanding Dutch-American of the Year in 1991 by the Netherlands Amity Trust Association. He will be the keynote speaker tonight at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center at Hope College. Tickets are available through the Joint Archives of Holland at 395-7798.
Changing of the guard in Battle Creek. The city commission last night chose Mark Benke as its new mayor. Benke has worked with the city for nine years and replaces Ted Dearing, who is leaving to head up the Battle Creek Chamber of Commerce. Dearing turned in his letter of resignation yesterday. Peter Bilbia was chosen for his sixth term as vice mayor.
Grandville residents protest sexually explicit advertising at River Town Crossings mall. The group announced yesterday it has collected about 2,500 signatures on a petition which calls for a boycott of the entire mall for two weeks after Thanksgiving if retailers don’t change their ads. The targeted stores are Victoria’s Secret, Express, Lerner New York, Abercrombie & Fitch and Younker’s. Mall management says they have no control over individual store displays.
Hackley Library rapist pleads guilty. The day before his trial was to start, Elvis Tarrease Day (age 19) admitted in 14th Circuit Court on Monday to raping a 10-year-old girl in a library restroom a year ago. Under the plea agreement Day will spend at least 20 years in prison, which is above state sentencing guidelines. He could get 100 years. He is already serving 8 to 15 years for unarmed robbery.
New zoning laws to affect student housing in Kalamazoo. The city commission voted Monday to change laws and prevent family housing from becoming large rental units for students. Under the changes, the number of unrelated people in a house in traditional family neighborhoods will go from four to two, so fraternities, sororities and large groups of students could not live there. The change is good news to local residents, who complain of wild parties in their quiet neighborhoods.
Loeks plans IMAX theater in northeast Grand Rapids. The huge, 6-story, 72-foot-wide, 3-D capable screen will be part of an 18-screen theatre complex in Celebration Village, which is being developed at the Beltline and Knapp St. It will be only the third of its kind in the state and the first to be operated by a for-profit company. The other two are at the Detroit Science Center and the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Loeks is working with local nonprofit groups to help promote the educational benefits of the IMAX theatre. They expect to break ground by December and be open within a year.
GVSU searches for new president. Arend Lubbers will retire on June 30 after more than 30 years on the job. Chicago-based search firm held public forums yesterday, designed to write the job description for the new president. The next step is to advertise it, then select 100 likely candidates. The board of control wants the new president to start as soon as the office is open.
Fund set up for Rockford plane crash survivor. Brian Dews (age 30) has extensive burns over more than one third of his body from when the plane in which he was riding crashed on October 25. His friend, Daniel Rose (age 51) of Ohio, was killed. The two were leaving for Virginia on business. The plane went down in dense fog shortly after takeoff from the Sparta Airport. Donations are accepted at all branches of Huntington National Bank, and will help with expenses while he undergoes treatment at Spectrum-Blodgett hospital.
Muskegon man charged with raping elderly woman. James Sherman (age 37) has been in a Missouri jail since September on an armed robbery conviction. Police got DNA lab results last week that link him to the sexual assault of a 73-year-old woman on the north side of Muskegon in July. They believe he broke out of jail, returned home to Muskegon and may have committed other assaults. They are waiting for test results on two others in the same neighborhood, where Sherman lived with his mother. He will be brought to Michigan in three or four weeks and could get life.
Investigators say Grattan man could have died prior to crash. Philip Williams (age 54) was driving south on Lincoln Lake Ave. Sunday night, when his car swerved, ran off the pavement near 10-Mile Rd. and hit a tree. When rescue crews arrived, Williams was unresponsive. Police speculate that he may have died from natural causes before hitting the tree.
Grand Rapids Public Schools are looking for a few good subs. The district only has about 500 people in its pool of substitute teachers this year, so the board of education last week voted to hike the pay by $15 for non-certified substitutes. Under the plan, starting yesterday both certified and non-certified substitutes will get $85 a day. Non-certified substitutes must have 90 credit hours of university study in any subject.
Police think Grand Rapids stabbing and fatal crash are related. Felix Posadas-Godet (age 30) of Grand Rapids died early Saturday morning in a crash on the Ford Freeway (Interstate-196) between Hudsonville and 44th St. He was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of the Ford Freeway (Interstate-196) from the 44th St. ramp with his headlights off, and smashed his car into into a semi-truck. Family members later found his girlfriend, Sonia Salguero Mejia (age 42), dead of multiple stab wounds in her Grandville apartment when they went to tell her of his death. Police are treating it as a murder-suicide. Autopsies will be performed today. The driver of the truck was not injured.
Grand Rapids teens found “guilty” of murder. It took the jury seven hours on Friday to convict Chad Maleski (age 18) of kidnapping, carjacking, unarmed robbery and felony murder of Willie Jones (age 66) last March. Guilty verdicts of co-defendants Mark Kopp (age 19) and Joshua Rogers (age 18) were also announced Friday. They were tried separately earlier in the week and the verdicts were kept sealed until all trials were finished. The four were accused of kidnapping Jones as he left the Michigan Lanes bowling alley, forcing him into the trunk of his car, beating him to death, then dumping his body in Mecosta County. Maleski, Kopp and Rogers are expected to get life in prison without parole. The fourth defendant, James Rivero (age 20), pleaded guilty to slightly reduced charges on Thursday and will likely get a chance of parole.
Son arrested for murder of Kalamazoo Township woman. Howard Monroe (age 49) is being held in connection with the death of his mother, Roberta Addie Monroe (age 80). Police say the two argued at her home on Huntington Rd. on Friday and Monroe choked her until she became unconscious. He then laid her on a bed, called a family member, and took off for the family cabin to kill himself, where police arrested him.
Steketee’s to close its store at Eastbrook Mall. The new owners of the mall at 28th St. and the Beltline say they will demolish the Steketee’s structure at the end of the year and replace it with three new stores, including a Nordstrom Rack clearance outlet. Remodeling plans for the newly re-named Centrepoint Mall were unveiled last week at a Grand Rapids Planning Commission meeting. Steketee’s also plans to close its Muskegon Mall store on December 31. The company will continue to operate stores in Kalamazoo’s Maple Hill Mall and the Westshore Mall in Holland Township. In the last two years, Steketee’s closed its downtown Grand Rapids and Grand Haven stores because sales were dropping.
Hudsonville hunter dies after fall from tree. Scott Klamer (age 42) was bowhunting with a friend near Egner St. north of Cedar Springs Friday night, when he apparently slipped and fell 20 feet from a tree stand. They had two-way radios and his friend went looking for him when there was no response. He found Klamer on the ground. He tried to resuscitate him, then ran for help. Klamer was not wearing a safety harness.
Kalamazoo flu shot clinics canceled due to shortage. VNA Home Care, the Kalamazoo area’s biggest dispenser of the vaccine, is out of them will not hold a clinic again until November 18. Most of the shots given this fall have gone to the elderly and those with health problems. Kalamazoo County Human Services said they will administer them to high risk patients, but won’t hold any public clinics either until they get more. Both organizations say they’re back-ordered.
Body of Russian woman will be shipped home. Viktoria Golovinova Clemens (age 20) died on October 26 in a crash in Jamestown Township that also killed her husband, Brian Clemens (age 23) of Lowell. Her body was held at a funeral home in Holland because the government of Russia required $3,000 to let it into the country. More than that was donated by friends, family and neighbors. A Russian official flew to Holland on Tuesday and approved shipment to Moscow, and the coffin will be put on a plane today and arrive there on Sunday. There’s still no arrangement for the remaining two-hour flight to her hometown in southern Russia. The Holland funeral home director said his costs were covered by the insurance payment from the car crash. The driver of the car the Clemenses were riding in, Christopher Silva (age 18), faces felony charges. Investigators said he used drugs before the crash and ran the stop sign.
Grand Rapids man will go to prison for stabbing death. Daryl Garrison was sentenced on Wednesday to 25 to 50 for killing Joddy “Jay” Gaut late at night on Fulton St. east of Division Ave. in February. Garrison said they were both drunk and that Gaut jumped him after an argument. The judge declined the defense’s request to reduce the charge to manslaughter, or to consider an earlier plea offer that Garrison turned down.
Police find child pornography at Battle Creek area home; girl removed. Detectives took computers, discs, videotapes, photos and magazine from a home in Pennfield Township on Wednesday. Investigators say a 56-year-old friend of the family was home-schooling the 13-year-old girl, who is now in the custody of Child Protective Services. The man has not been charged. The FBI is working with Battle Creek Police and say it could take months to review all the evidence.
Dole visits Grand Rapids. Elizabeth Dole was the keynote speaker last night at International Aid’s fall banquet at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Proceeds will help the Spring Lake organization give food and health care to needy people in 170 countries. Dole was president of the American Red Cross for many years, and served in the cabinets of Presidents Reagan and Bush.
Muskegon man faces additional charges for molesting stepdaughter. Walter Neal waived his preliminary hearing yesterday in Muskegon circuit court and was charged with a second count of first degree criminal sexual conduct. Police say Neal confessed to having sex with his stepdaughter and fathering two children with her. She recently gave birth to a baby, whose body was found in the bathroom at Muskegon High School. Neal is in Muskegon County jail.
Meijer starts checking ID for age for rated movies, games and music. Starting today, you’ll have to show identification to prove you’re old enough to buy video games, movies or CDs rated “R” or “Mature” at the 140-odd stores of the Grand Rapids-based chain. Other large retailers also are starting to prohibit the sale of entertainment with adult themes to those under 17.
Holland Township teen who drove into pond dies. Hang Thuy-Thi Son (age 19) was backing out, starting a driving lesson, when she accidentally backed all the way into fifteen feet of water on Sunday. Her brother-in-law got out, but she was trapped underwater for almost 45 minutes. Neighbors in the Falcon Woods Apartments southwest of Riley St. and 120th Ave. jumped into the frigid water but couldn’t save her. A rescue diver got her out and she was airlifted to Spectrum-Butterworth, where she died yesterday.
Holland woman charged with running a drug house for teens. Deborah Lynn Visser (age 44) was arraigned by video on Tuesday, accused of allowing minors to drink alcohol at her house on Aster Ave. She is charged with possession of marijuana, contributing to the delinquency of minors and maintaining a drug house. Four of her children, ages 12 to 17, are in foster care until a custody hearing takes place. Police got a warrant for Visser after neighbors complained that they saw teens drinking beer, smoking marijuana while hanging out at the house.
Kalamazoo’s Festival of Trees kicks off holiday season. The 11th annual takes over Wings Stadium today and continues through Sunday, with over 300 decorated trees, Santa Claus and a festival gift shop. The Celebrity Gingerbread Competition will be tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. Kids Carnival will have puppet shows and storytelling from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, with puppet shows and storytelling. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $4 for adults and $1 for children.
US House of Representatives:
3rd District, 99% tallied: Vern Ehlers 65%, Tim Steele 33%,Jerry
Berta, Kenneth Lowndes, Tom Grego, Erwin Haas.
2nd District, 91% tallied: Pete Hoekstra 64%, Bob Shrauger 33%,
Ronald Graeser, Susan Goldberg, Bruce Smith.
4th District, 97% tallied: Dave Camp 68%, Larry Hollenbeck 29%,
Alan Gamble, Richard Whitelock, John Emerick, Stuart Goldberg.
6th District, 91% tallied: Fred Upton 68%, James Bupp 29%, C.
Dennis James, William Bradley, Richard Overton.
7th District, 99% tallied: Nick Smith 61%, Jennie Crittendon
36%, Steve Cousino, Gail Petrosoff, Robert Broda Jr., Perry Spencer.
Proposal 1 — amend the Michigan constitution to allow state funding of private schools by vouchers? NO 68%, Yes 32%.
Proposal 2 — amend the Michigan constitution to allow city laws to supercede state laws that were passed by less than 2/3 majority? NO 67% Yes 33%.
Michigan Supreme Court, 90% tallied:
8-year term: Cliff Taylor 54%, Robert Roddis, Marietta Robinson.
Partial term, ending 2003: Robert Young 52%, Jerry Kaufman,
Thomas Fitzgerald.
Partial term, ending 2005: Stephen Markman 56%, Edward Thomas,
David Raaflaub.
State Court of Appeals, 3rd District, three seats, 88% tallied:
Bill Murphy 28%, Janet Neff 26%, Michael Smolenski
27%, Paul Maloney 19%.
MSU Board of Trustees, 2 seats, 99% tallied:
Dorothy Gonzales 25%, Scott Romney 24%, Connie Binsfeld
(former Lt. Governor) 23%, Cal Rapson 23%, Robert Gale, Violet Steele,
Michael Miller.
UM Board of Trustees, 2 seats, 91% tallied, still too close to
call:
Rebecca McGowan 25%, Larry Deitch 24% , Wendy Anderson 23%, Susy Avery
22%, Scott Trudeau, Joe Sanger, David Knight, Lisa Puccio, Marvin Surowitz,
Tim Maull, Nick Waun.
State Board of Education, 2 seats, 91% tallied:
Kathleen Straus 25%, John Austin 26%, Terri Land (outgoing
Kent County Clerk) 22%, Lawrence Patrick Jr. 21%, Max Riekse, Clara Pilchak,
Gail Quarton, Lynnea Ellison, Diane Barnes, Helen E.R. Ditzhazy, Mary Lessner.
Michigan House of Representatives, 100% tallied:
72nd District: Mark Jansen 74%.
73rd District: Doug Hart 71%.
74th District: Jim Koetje 69%.
75th District: Jerry Kooiman 53%, Janice Hanley 47%.
76th District: Steven Pestka 66%.
77th District: Joanne Voorhees 60%, Levi Rickert 40%.
87th District: Gary Newell 67%.
89th District: Barbara Vander Veen 75%.
90th District:Wayne Kuipers 77%.
91st District: Gerald VanWoerkom 54%, Steve Habetler 46%.
92nd District: Julie Dennis 70%.
93rd District: Larry DeVuyst 66%.
100th District: Michael Pumford 63%.
Kent County Sheriff, 100% tallied: Larry Stelma 67%, Ron Charon 33%.
Kent County Clerk, 99% tallied: Mary Beth Hollinrake 62%, Jim Talen 35%, Jamie Lewis 3%.
Kent County Treasurer, 99% tallied: Kenneth Parrish 64%, Denise Clinton 36%.
Kent County Probate Court Judge, 99% tallied: Patrick Hillary 52%, Daniel Zemaitis 48%.
Kent County Drain Commissioner, 99% tallied: Roger Laninga 66%, Ida DeHaas 34%.
62nd-A (Wyoming) District Court Judge:, Steven Timmers 62%, Ruth Mason 38%.
Kent County Commission, all votes tallied:
1st District: Elaine Beuge 66%.
2nd District: Roger Morgan 77%.
3rd District: Jack Horton (uncontested).
4th District: Theodore Vonk 60%.
5th District: Steve Heacock 72%.
6th District: David Morren 86%.
7th District: Marv Hiddema 75%.
8th District: Jack Boelema 62%.
9th District: Paul McGuire 58%.
10th District: Fritz Wahlfield 84%.
11th District: Tom Postmus 54%, Carol Hennessy 46%.
12th District: Richard Smoke 65%.
13th District: Harold Mast (uncontested).
14th District: Kathy Kuhn 61%.
15th District: Mike Sak 63%.
16th District: Tom TerMaat 52%, James Vaughn 48%.
17th District: Paul Mayhue 67%.
18th District: Dan Koorndyk 51%, Gloria Tate 49%.
19th District: Ken Kuipers 66%.
Monroe Center opened at 9:30 a.m. The change from pedestrian mall to through street started three and a half years ago. Today the last stretch, from Ottawa Ave. to the Monroe Ave.-Pearl St. intersection, is open to traffic. The section between Division and Ottawa was opened to traffic three years ago, so now Monroe Center is for cars all the way from Monroe to Division. During construction, six stores closed and surviving store owners were frustrated by the inconveniece to their customers with regard to access and parking.
Spartan recalls cheese. Packages of Spartan and Home Harvest brands Chunk Colby Jack Cheese have been pulled from the shelves, because of the possibility of listeria contamination. If you bought some, throw it away or take it back to the store for a refund. For more information, call 1-800-451-8500.
Police identify body found in City Centre. Two teens told authorities they snuck into the City Centre Saturday night with Stephen Shemanski Jr.(age 18) of Walker. Shemanski apparently climbed into an elevator shaft on the third floor and slid down a cable to the roof of the car on the first floor. One of the teens allegedly pushed the elevator button, which sent the car up and trapped Shemanski. The two left the building after the accident. Elevator repairmen discovered the body Monday morning, tangled in the counterweights. Autopsy showed Shemanski died of severe chest trauma. Prosecutors are considering charges against the teens. The building at the corner of Division Ave. and Fulton St. is being renovated to house the Grand Rapids Police Department headquarters.
Walker charter school bus driver arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Police say he cruised along Division Ave. on October 27 in a school bus, pulled over and asked an undercover policewoman to perform sexual acts. The man, a driver for the West Michigan Academy of Environmental Sciences, was busted. He appeared in court yesterday on a solicitation charge. There were no children on the bus.
Grandville Public Schools may reconsider homemade food policy. The school board voted last month to ban homemade treats, over concerns that foods could contain ingredients or contaminants that would harm students. Teachers and parents say it will disrupt Thanksgiving activities. Foreign language teachers say they won’t be able to prepare “culturally based foods” for students. School board members brought it up again this week, and tabled it for a future meeting.
Festival of Trees launches the holiday shopping season. Breton Village Shopping Center unveiled 38 decorated Christmas trees yesterday. You can vote for your favorite for $1 until November 18, when a “People’s Choice Award” will be announced and the trees auctioned. Proceeds will benefit Special Olympics.
Dole visits Grand Rapids. Elizabeth Dole spoke to a group of workers at Saint Mary’s Hospital yesterday, and campaigned for Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush. She served in the cabinets of Ronald Reagan and George Bush and made a run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Kalamazoo bus system offers free rides to voters. Metro Transit serves Kalamazoo, Portage and Parchments, and townships of Kalamazoo, Comstock and Oshtemo. If you need a lift to your polling place, call the information line at 337-8222. Route maps are in the telephone book. Democratic Party is also offering a lift to voters in the 60th and 61st districts, in Kalamazoo County.
Elderly man dies, hit by a semi-truck while standing on the freeway in Ionia County. Apparently his car broke down and he started walking for help. Police have no idea why he was on the concrete a half-mile away, on the eastbound side of Interstate-96 near the M-66 interchange, a little after 6:30 p.m. yesterday. The driver of the semi-truck said she saw him just before the impact and didn’t have time to react. She pulled over right away and called for help. The 87-year-old man, whose name is still withheld, was pronounced dead on the scene. Michigan State Police are investigating, but say it looks like the driver of the semi-truck didn’t do anything wrong.
Body discovered inside City Centre building. An elevator repairman found the body of a white man in his late teens or twenties in an elevator shaft yesterday morning just before 7 a.m. It was wedged between the back wall of the shaft and the counterweights. Police say he may have been homeless and broke in, looking for a warm place. It looks like he fell from the third or fourth floor and got tangled up in the counterweights on the second floor. Crews are renovating the building at the corner of Division Ave. and Fulton St. to house the new Grand Rapids Police Department headquarters.
Wyoming hunter found dead in his vehicle. The body of Leland Bunker (age 49) was discovered Sunday by his hunting partner at Yankee Springs State Game Area. He and his friend were sleeping in their vehicles, heated by propane heaters to keep warm. Investigators believe he may have died of asphyxiation. Bunker was pronounced dead at Pennock Hospital in Hastings.
Funeral held for Overisel firefighter. Hundreds of firefighters from across Michigan gathered yesterday to honor Gail Van Auken (age 41) of Hamilton, who died last Thursday when the fire truck in which she was riding crashed and rolled over on its way to a fire near Burnips. Her husband, Richard Van Auken (age 45), was driving. He and the other driver are recovering. The pick-up was northbound on 30th St. and smashed into the rear right side of the fire truck at 144th Ave. The fire-truck was a tanker from the Overisel Fire Department, going to assist at a fire at a turkey farm at 144th and 28th St. Van Auken was also a teacher’s aide at Betten Elementary School.
Muskegon man beaten to death. Otis McRae (age 80) died on the sidewalk near the corner of Orchard Ave. and Williams St. early yesterday morning. Police have a 49-year-old man in custody, and apparently he confessed to beating McRae with a two by four. Witnesses said an argument between the two started inside a house on Orchard and moved out to the sidewalk. The suspect was slashed with a knife during the