Skyview Morning Local Summary 2003

---

Friday, September 26, 2003

Grand Rapids woman killed in one-car crash north of Caledonia. Theresa Lane (age 33) was in the passenger seat of car on southbound Broadmoor Ave. (M-37) past 68th St. and the Henry Freeway (M-6), when the driver lost control, crossed the northbound lane, spun around and bounced off the guard-rail on the car’s passenger side, around 12:30 a.m. yesterday. The driver was in “serious” condition at Spectrum-Butterworth. Police won’t release his name until they finish investigation.

Sparta fire-fighter charged with embezzling $30,000. Dave Murdock (age 37), who became the fire department’s treasurer in 1997, turned himself into the Kent sheriff after the detective told him about the warrant last week. Village hall started investigating in the spring, when another fire-fighter noticed holes in the books. Fire chief took medical leave, then retired for health reasons, and Murdock was handling the computer, purchasing and accounting by himself. Investigators figure he skimmed by paying himself for emergency responses and training time he didn’t put in, and selling to the department things that didn’t exist. Murdock was suspended in June, and charged this week in Rockford district court with felony embezzlement. He could get 10 years and a $15,000 fine if convicted. Court hearing will be in two weeks.

Terry Drake gets 25 years. The 56-year-old Indiana man pleaded “guilty” in June to a stack of charges resulting from his three-week road-trip with 14-year-old Lindsey Ryan of Cass County. He was sentenced yesterday in Kalamazoo federal court for gun violations, using the Internet to coerce a minor and taking a minor across state lines for immoral purposes. He was also ordered to pay for Ryan’s counseling. In August the charges against Ryan for stealing guns from her family’s home to pay for the trip were dropped, on the condition she stays with the therapy. In July Drake wrote a 14-page letter to a reporter, in which the paroled murderer called himself a gentle, born-again Christian, a child at heart who feels a calling to befriend children — and also promised to hunt Ryan down and pay her back for destroying his life.

Four companies slapped with fines for violations in death of worker in Welsh Auditorium demolition. Adam Petruska (age 20) was crushed by a 5-ton, 20-by-20 foot section of concrete wall that collapsed on top of him in June. Co-workers helped clear debris for 12 hours before reaching his body. Yesterday the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for multiple serious safety violations, but did not say whether any of them caused the tragedy. MI-OSHA also said the tragedy resulted from a lack of communication among the various companies working that day, but that none of the violations were “willful.” The two main partner contractors were fined separately and together:

• Erhardt Construction — four violations, $20,000.
• Hunt Construction Group — $20,000.
• the Erhardt/Hunt joint venture — $20,000.
• Pitsch Wrecking Company — $5,000.
• Allied Electric, Adam’s employer — $4,500.

Lansing Republicans push Democrat U.S. senators to approve federal judges. President Bush’s nominations to four seats on the 6th Circuit appeals court have been stalled for more than a year. Yesterday state senator Alan Cropsey of DeWitt said they were held up by “petty objections” from our U.S. senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow. In July the Senate began to consider the nominations, but yesterday the judiciary committee delayed a vote at the request of Levin and Stabenow. Cropsey calls it “a threat to the independence of our federal courts,” and says “justice is being denied to thousands” in the 6th Circuit. The four judges are Richard Griffin and Henry Saad of the Michigan court of appeals; federal judge David McKeague; and Susan Neilson, Wayne County circuit court.

---

Thursday, September 25, 2003

Body of missing Gaines Township man found in Wyoming. Richard Olson (age 63) disappeared on September 11, after leaving his home for RiverTown Crossings in Grandville. Kent deputies searched by helicopter, in case he ran off the road and his van was hidden from view by brush. Police found his body yesterday, slumped over the wheel in the parking lot of Value City department store at 44th St. and Clyde Park Ave. They do not think there was any foul play.

Radical environmental group claims responsibility for the bombs on Ice Mountain pipeline near Big Rapids. State police bomb squad safely dismantled the incendiary devices, mostly bottles of flammable liquid, on Monday. They were discovered by a worker inside a pump station about 12 miles up the line from the water-bottling factory near Stanwood. Someone trespassed on the private game preserve where the pump station is located, and broke a window to get in. Ice Mountain is owned by Nestle, which also owns Perrier. The water bottling operation angered environmentalists from the moment it was proposed four years ago. Yesterday the web site of the Earth Liberation Front had a statement that took credit for the bombs, saying the ELF wants to stop “commodification of the environment.” The same group claimed responsibility for setting fire to the agriculture building at MSU in December 1999. Mecosta County neighbors who opposed the plant were shocked when they heard about the bombs.

Charley’s Crab pulls out of RIF benefit. The downtown seafood restaurant was sold to a Texas company last year, which pulled the plug on the annual brunch for the Reading Is Fundamental program at Grand Rapids Public Schools. The money raised over the past 23 years put half-a-million books into the hands of school children, at no cost to them. The restaurant donated the food, cooks volunteered and GRPS staff served and cleared tables on two or three weekends in October. The district says “no hard feelings,” and thanks for all the books. If you want to support the RIF program, you can make a designated donation to United Way. If you own a restaurant, call RIF coordinator Karen DeYoung, 771-3040.

Ford Museum will host Presidential collection from the Smithsonian. “The American Presidency” tells the inside story of the top job in Washington, with multi-media displays and 350 special items, including:

• the inkwell used by Abraham Lincoln to draft the Emancipation Proclamation.
• George Washington’s surveying compass.
• FDR’s microphone from the fireside chats.
• life preserver from JFK’s yacht Honey Fitz.
• the gavel used at Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.
• Warren G. Harding’s silk pajamas.

Grand Rapids Public Library opens VanderVeen Center for the Book. An informal discussion of the used and rare book business will be led by Clarence Hageterp, owner of Redux Books in Eastown, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, October 8. It will launch a series of gatherings for book lovers on things like bookbinding, personal libraries, archive management and self-publishing. The VanderVeen Center for the Book is on the third floor of the new Main Library downtown, and named in honor of Ryerson Library Foundation board member Dick VanderVeen.

---

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Today is “count day” for Michigan schools. Attendance today determines this semester’s state aid, and each student is worth about $3,300 for this half of the school year. Superintendents, school boards, teachers and principals encourage families to get all their kids into school today, unless they’re sick. Grand Rapids Public Schools may suffer the most from truancy in West Michigan, and yesterday sent staffers to visit homes to explain the situation.

Orchard View Schools of Muskegon: millage proposal squeaks through. Voters yesterday approved the $47-million bond issue by 31 votes, a margin smaller than 2%, 1,201 “yes” to 1,170 “no.” Owner of a $100,000 home will pay an extra $250 a year in property tax. The money will build a new high school and repair buildings that are up to 70 years old.

Fruitport Community Schools gets its bond issue. The $8.5-million request passed by a healthy 2-to-1 margin yesterday, 1,265 “yes” to 601 “no.” It will fix up buildings, buy new buses and upgrade athletic facilities.

Mona Shores voters shoot down both school requests. The totals yesterday were nearly the same, about 2-to-1 against: 2,922 “no” to 1,685 “yes” against the millage proposal to pay for new buses, computers and building improvements; and 2,889 “no” to 1,623 “yes” against the “sinking fund” for other improvements.

Voters kill Headlee reduction restoration for Allegan Public Schools. The operating millage proposal failed, 601 “no” votes to 558 “yes.”

Voters give Delton-Kellogg Schools their bond issue, but turn down community center. The $12-million, 2-mill proposal to replace roofs, repair buildings, rebuild the parking lots to make traffic flow safer and refurbish the bleachers was approved, 1,044 “yes” to 752 “no.” The count was almost exactly the reverse, against a half-mill property tax for a $3-million community center, 1,049 “no” to 738 “yes.”

Carson City?Crystal Area Schools millage proposal crashes. The district asked for
$23-million to build a new elementary school, remodel middle and high schools, upgrade computers and technology infrastructure, and improve athletic facilities. Voters said “no” by a 4-to-1 ratio, 1,631 to 444.

Walker man killed in Standale crash. The 81-year-old driver may have had a heart attack, just before he drove across the center turn lane and into westbound traffic on Lake Michigan Dr. near Kinney Ave., around 5:30 p.m. yesterday. His car hit three others head-on before stopping.

Kalamazoo police hold “town meetings” for neighbors of WMU. Residents last night in the Community Education Center vented about noisy student parties, noisy student homes, noisy students, and how it seems to be getting worse every year on the east side of campus, in the neighborhood around Vine St. and Davis St. Kalamazoo Public Safety chief Dan Weston listened to complaints about speeding cars on narrow residential streets, being kept awake until 3 a.m. and slow police response to complaints. One citizen said she called last year when a half-dozen students were playing music loud and yelling, and there were more than a hundred by the time a cruiser pulled up. Weston said his department asked attenders to help make a plan to improve conduct, with the goal of cultivating good neighbors and good neighborhoods, and not letting barriers grow between generations. Another town meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. today in the Fetzer Center on the Western Michigan University campus, where residents will meet with the city attorney and leaders from the housing and parks-and-recreation departments.

Customers nail Battle Creek bank robber before he gets out the door. He gave a note to the teller just before 3 p.m. yesterday in the TCS Bank on East Columbia Ave., hinted he had a gun, demanded money. He turned around with the cash in his hand to step away, and a customer stuck out a leg and tripped him. Other customers and bank workers tackled him and sat on him until police got there.

---

Tuesday,  September 23, 2003

Rockford restores morning high school buses. The district had to cut buses to balance the budget this year, to keep from taking money from classrooms. Nobody liked it, especially the parents who had to drive their students to school. Now that the first weeks have passed and student counts are final, Rockford Public Schools finds enrollment shot up and they have 156 more students than projected. Each one means $6,700 in state funding over the school year, and that’s enough to cover the missing bus runs. Last night the board of education of Rockford Public Schools voted unanimously to restore morning high school busing. But not for another month — service will resume on October 27. That’s partly to give the system’s families time to adjust to another change. Because the bus schedules will change, so will start times of elementary schools. Letters will go out this week.

Sprinkle Rd. is open between Comstock Ave. and East Michigan Ave. It officially opened in the rain yesterday. Sprinkle was closed for seven months to replace bridges. Before the project started that stretch of Sprinkle Rd. carried 30,000 cars a day, making it the third-busiest in Kalamazoo County. Expect the numbers to go up now.

No more animal parade when the circus comes to Van Andel Arena. You should expect a slowdown on northbound US-131 near Burton St., because that mile-long, gray circus train is parked in the train yard. But unlike in years past, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus did NOT promote the big march from the train crossing under US-131 near Wealthy St. Because of train line delays and animal needs, it’s impossible to predict the parade’s timing. The elephants, camels, tigers, zebras, donkeys, alligators and alpacas still made the hike, and will be in the menagerie behind the arena until after the last show on Sunday.

Cornerstone University sets new enrollment record. The incoming freshman class is up by 34 over last year to 332, and some of them have to triple-up to fit into the dorms on the campus at Leonard St. and the Beltline. Total undergraduate student body is up 4.7% to 2,529 (versus 2,416 last year). About half of them come from around Grand Rapids, and the other half from 29 other states, Canada and the world. Add post-graduate students, including the ones in Kalamazoo, Detroit, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, the Philippines and Myanmar, and Cornerstone’s record enrollment this year is 2,529.

GVSU opens 10th Shakespeare festival this weekend. King Henry IV Part One is the big production, opening Friday night after a Renaissance-costume parade on the Allendale campus. Eight performances will conclude the following weekend, and in between the university will offer seminars, an Elizabethan feast, Renaissance fair, original scenes inspired by the bard’s sonnets, and launch of a touring company that will perform Shakespeare at high schools through November. Procession starts at 6 p.m. Friday, curtain at 7:30 p.m. in the Louis Armstrong Theatre, fireworks and entertainment to follow. The outdoor stuff is free and open to the public. Tickets to the play (the play’s the thing, right?) are $12, all students $6.

---

Monday, September 22, 2003

Downtown freeway closes for two weeks. Westbound Ford Freeway (Interstate-196) is blocked at Ottawa Ave., Exit 77, for repairs to the bridges near the Grand River and the US-131 interchange, until about October 5. It’s part of a $25-million job that will replace 25 joints in the elevated sections, among other things. Also closed are the westbound on-ramps from Fuller Ave. and College Ave., because they would feed into the congestion. Contractor gets $10,000 a day for finishing ahead of the projected completion date, and is fined $10,000 a day for being late. Workers moved barricades into place at 7 p.m. Friday night, and within minutes were slicing and hammering the concrete. Posted detour for through traffic on westbound Interstate-96, coming from Lansing, Ionia or Lowell, advises drivers to stay on 96 and travel to the north side of Grand Rapids, then take southbound US-131 back into downtown to connect to westbound Ford. The closed stretch of the Ford carries more than 80,000 cars a day, and the portion of southbound US-131 along the detour already handles 100,000 a day. After the bridges are done, the project will move onto the ramps from US-131 to westbound Ford.

Gaines Township man still missing after 11 days. Kent deputies drove all the roads he may have taken, and even flew over in a helicopter, in case he ran off the road and ended-up hidden from the road. Richard Olson (age 63) has not been seen since he left his home on September 11, to get his watch fixed at RiverTown Crossings in Grandville. He’s 5-feet 10-inches tall, 160 pounds, short gray hair and gray mustache, wears glasses. He drove his tan mini-van, an Oldsmobile Silhouette, Michigan plates 6ERN95. If you saw him or know anything, call Kent detectives at 632-6125, or dispatch at 632-6352. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 774-2345.

“Hot Coffee Robbers” busted after hitting four gas stations north of Grand Rapids. They tried a “blitz” on Saturday, starting at 5:15 a.m.. First was the Dairy Mart on West River Dr., then the Marathon on the Beltline northeast, followed by the Plainfield Amoco, and finally the Marathon at Alpine Ave. and 4-Mile Rd., around 7:30 a.m. In all four, the robber grabbed cash from the open register after throwing hot coffee at the clerk’s face, and that’s what makes it armed robbery. Customer got the license plate number at the last one, and Kent deputies tracked down the car at Old Orchard Apartments. They arrested robber and driver, who are scheduled for arraignment this morning.

Byron Center grocery store poisoner gets nine years. Randy Bertram (age 39) pleaded “guilty” in May to pouring a bottle of pesticide into 200 pounds of beef he was grinding in the Family Fare store, just before New Years Day. He told detectives that he did it to get his boss in trouble. No one died but several came close, and some of those may never fully recover. About 100 people ate the poisoned meat, putting it among the nation’s worst cases of intentional food poisoning ever. The only incident where more people were affected was in 1984, when 750 in Oregon got sick from eating at salad bars that were deliberately tainted with salmonella. At sentencing in Grand Rapids federal court on Friday Bertram said, “I’d like to apologize to the customers that bought the meat.” His sentence falls in the middle of the court guidelines. Prosecutor wanted 14 years, family asked for a break because of Bertram’s low IQ, alcohol problems and speech impediment.

Davenport University consolidates; cuts 67 jobs system, adds 73. The Grand Rapids-based business school has 839 employees in two states, after merging with two other regional colleges in 2000. Announcement on Friday came as a surprise to most workers. Davenport says it’s not down-sizing, but consolidating the three separate administrations. They also point out they’re adding more new positions at the same time. Grand Rapids will end up with a net gain of three or four. Practically all the cuts came in administration, and not faculty. Workers who were let go were offered severance or a chance to apply for the new openings.

---

Friday, September 19, 2003

Black man beaten by two whites in southeast Grand Rapids. It was a racial hate crime and a road rage incident, around 4:25 p.m. yesterday. Ronald Robinson, his girlfriend Marica Anderson (age 25) and her two young children were driving home from work near Fuller Ave. and Fulton St., and slowed with traffic. They got into it with two suspects, in a blue mini-van, who yelled at them and followed their car down Sigsbee St. A black four-door car also followed, and they all pulled over. The two white guys got out, and one of them reached through Ronald’s window and started hitting him. A third suspect from the other car joined them, and hit Marica at least once to keep her away. She screamed for help and yelled out the license plate number of the blue van. The two little children were not hurt. Ronald was kicked and hit in the face several times. He was treated and released, and was able to spend the night at home. If you saw it or know who those two guys are, call Grand Rapids police, 456-3604. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 774-2345.

Gobles Public Schools closed again. Small fire in the elementary school building on Wednesday damaged the kitchen, which makes lunch for the whole district. Administrators figure they’ll be able to re-open on Monday. Sorry, kids.

Third Jerry Steinberg murderer sentenced. Natasha Toothman (age 19) got 30 to 90 years in prison yesterday, for her part in the death of the Wyoming man in November. Steinberg died after being knocked off his bike, and kicked and stomped repeatedly. Two men were convicted of first-degree murder earlier this year, and got the mandatory life without parole. Toothman pleaded “guilty” to second-degree murder in July. Judge gave her the high end of the sentencing range because of her extensive prior police record. Unlike the other two, she’ll have a chance at parole.

GM and Delphi reach contract agreement with UAW. It still has to be ratified by union members, but terms are similar to those reached with Ford and Daimler-Chrysler earlier this week. Contract will cover about 3,300 General Motors workers in West Michigan, and 1,200 Delphi employees.

Chunk of metal smashes through Walker roof. It looks like steel, in the shape of a small brick, with two holes machined through the middle. It punched a 6-inch hole through David Blocher’s roof yesterday, and stopped in the insulation in his attic’s floor. Nobody was hurt. Police blocked the street until an FAA investigator arrived, and took the thing away. It likely fell from an airplane. North midwest region gets two or three reports a year about items falling out of the sky.

Silent Observer will roast Rich DeVos tonight. Local personalities will insult and offend the Amway co-founder for our entertainment in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, and to raise money for Silent Observer. “A Roast from the Heart” will also offer a live band and a silent auction. Silent Observer is a service of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, and gives witnesses a way to give information about crimes to police, with endangering themselves. Some of the reward money comes from the annual roast. Tickets are $75. Call Chris Cameron, 454-9110.

---

Thursday, September 18, 2003

Wayland woman killed in Grand Rapids freeway crash; police track truck driver to Lansing. Shanti Magalski (age 30) died after she was thrown 40 from her mini-van on the eastbound Ford Freeway (Interstate-196) near the 96-Beltline junction, around 2:30 p.m. yesterday. A semi-truck shifted from the right lane to the left, forcing her to steer into the median. Description from witnesses led police to find a likely truck in Lansing, and the truck’s high-tech transponder confirmed it was on the Ford near Maryland Ave. at the time of the crash. They have not named the driver, who said he didn’t know anything happened. The eastbound freeway was closed at Fuller Ave. until about 6 p.m. Police figure Shanti was not wearing her seatbelt.

Governor Granholm and legislature agree to 150 more charter schools. The governor and Republican leaders agreed this week to raise the cap on university-authorized charters, and solve a number of thorny problems. The deal also:

• closes a loophole that would have allowed the tribal Bay Mills Community College on the U.P. to charter an unlimited number of schools.
• makes the Detroit school board an elected body again.
• allows a Detroit philanthropist to give $200-million to charter schools.

Two contractors admit to botching MEAPs. Delays and possible scoring errors have angered parents and principals since mid-summer. Yesterday two out-of-state vendors admitted to a state senate committee that they dropped the ball. Measurement Incorporated confirmed they lost a thousand answer sheets, mostly from students at Grand Rapids Public Schools. They’re still missing, which could keep some of this year’s graduating class from getting their $2,500 Merit Scholarships. Those students were told to take the make-up test next month. And ECS said they had software problems that caused delays in posting scores, up to four months late. State lawmakers will hold a town meeting and listen to our problems with the MEAPs, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. next Thursday at Kent Intermediate School District offices, off the Beltline near Knapp St.
      Yesterday Grand Rapids Senator Bill Hardiman said he wants to delay the deadline by which college freshmen have to lock-up their scholarship, from September 15 to October 15. Families should not get the shaft just because the state messed-up in handling the MEAP tests.

Pfizer releases Kalamazoo job cut numbers, sort of. Yesterday the world’s largest pharmaceutical company reported how its layoffs will hit Kalamazoo County. It said 863 jobs were (or are about to be) eliminated, and that’s 12% of the local work force. It did not report how many people chose early retirement or took jobs with the company in another city, after Pfizer bought the county’s largest employer, Pharmacia-Upjohn. Pfizer said it’s bringing 248 workers into Kalamazoo County, and will spend $200-million to its buildings and labs there.

Calvin College student discovers new asteroid. Andrew Vanden Heuvel (age 21) of Grand Rapids spotted it in photographs he took earlier this month, with Calvin’s new 16-inch telescope, which was installed last March. It was provisionally confirmed this week by the international Minor Planets Center, and will be known as “2003-RA-11” for four years. If it’s still orbiting as predicted then, Vanden Heuvel will have the privilege of naming it. Unfortunately, there’s already an asteroid named Vanden Heuvel. As a matter of fact, it was one of the bodies that Andrew was shooting when he found the new one. The discovery is about a half-mile wide, and orbits the sun at a distance of 180-million miles between Mars and Jupiter, along with about 50,000 others of substantial size. Andrew is a physics major and wants to get his doctorate in astronomy, but isn’t sure his asteroid will carry any weight (or is it mass?) with the grad school admissions board.

---

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Battle Creek neighborhood will lose water today. Crew has to replace a valve, and will shut off water from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to homes behind Piper Park, northwest of Capital Ave. and East Ave. You’ll lose water if you’re downline from the valve, on these streets: Bryant, Radley, Sherman, Wabash, Broad, Piper, Maple or East.

Michigan government gives layoff notice to union. A letter from the Office of the State Employer in Lansing to the UAW this week delivers the contractually-required 30 day notice of indefinite layoffs of state workers. State government has a quarter-billion dollars to spend this year, and already cut services and raised fees. Personnel costs are all that’s left. Last year about 2,000 workers took early retirement packages, which helped. The state employs about 50,000 people, of whom 17,000 of them are represented by the UAW, with 5,500 in West Michigan. State jobs used to be considered “guaranteed no-cut.” Union locals warned members yesterday that all departments are preparing plans for personnel cuts, to be announced as early as mid-October.

UAW reaches agreements with Ford and Chrysler; still working on GM. They came to terms with Ford late Monday night, and with Chrysler about 24 hours earlier. Those two contracts, now awaiting member approval, are similar: reportedly four years, $3,000 signing bonus, 3% cash bonus next year, cost-of-living adjustment but no raise in the first year, 2% and 3% raises in the third and fourth years. Meetings will resume with GM today.

Wyoming middle school teacher “guilty” of giving marijuana to student. Word got around last year that Kristine Speidel (age 35), science and gym teacher at Jackson Middle School, shared some of her stash in her home, over winter break. Police got conflicting stories from students, and sometimes a story changed. After two days of testimony in Wyoming district court, the jury was convinced by students who told what they saw and smelled. Speidel was convicted of the 90-day misdemeanor of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She’ll be out of the classroom, but still works for Wyoming Public Schools.
      By the way, this was the first media-spotlight case in the courtroom of newly-appointed Judge Scott Bowen, former Grand Rapids city commissioner.

Milk vending machine moooooves into Central High School today. The GRPS school on Fountain St. won the $4,000 machine at a conference with Michigan dairy farmers, as part of their push to get them into our schools. The United Dairy Industry of Michigan is helping 200 schools across the state to buy the machines, joining the nationwide effort to improve children’s health and increase employment for cows. They’ll be handing out free samples and tee-shirts from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, and taking photos of students and teachers with milk-mustaches.
      This comes as a group of parents prepares to ask GRPS school board to kick all the soft-drink machines out of schools, when the current vendor agreement expires.

---

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Calhoun County toddler drowns in Ceresco. Family members pulled the 13-month-old from the Kalamazoo River pond off Marshall St. (“C” Dr. North) near Main St., yesterday afternoon. He died last night in the hospital. Name is not released.

Wayland re-hires police chief. City council last night voted to give Dan Miller his badge back, which triggered a loud, long cheer of support from citizens in the hall. He was fired in July by former city manager Mike Jager, after asking state police to investigate Jager’s handling of city money. That followed a charge that Jager had the city pay for yard work at his home. Jager since resigned, and is now charged with embezzlement. Last night, Miller’s friends handed out petitions and announced they will campaign to recall 5 of the 6 city council members: the ones who voted to fire Miller, who had 18 years on the job. Acting city manager will have to heal some neighbor-against-neighbor ill feelings. He started last night by naming a police liaison committee to head off problems between police and citizens. City council told the chief to attend at least one council meeting a year.

Patrick Gleeson sentenced to life in prison, three consecutive terms. He said nothing in Ottawa County court yesterday, but looked at the mother of his two children, the two he admitted in August to killing last November. He also had nothing to say to the family of Dena Fuglseth, he girlfriend he lived with in Holland, and whom he also admitted to murdering. He was captured in Florida after a nationwide manhunt, and the bodies of the children were recovered from a river in Illinois. He pleaded “guilty” to three counts of first-degree murder, and yesterday got the mandatory sentence. Fuglseth’s family members told reporters that they wanted him dead, but Michigan does not execute its capital offenders. Gleeson can appeal the sentence, but not his plea.

Police find marijuana in Ionia County cornfield. State troopers, Ionia deputies and DNR officers yesterday raided the farm in Orleans Township, and found 50 to 80 pot plants, tucked into the rows of corn. The cultivated plants were about 7 feet tall, neatly trimmed and apparently fertilized. They were cut down and hauled away. Police do not think the farmer grew them. If they’re yours and you want them back (heh, heh), call the state police post in Ionia, (616) 527-3600.

Holland hosts job fair today and tomorrow. Area employers will take resumes and applications at “Job Connection South,” in the Michigan Works center in Cedar Village Mall, Chicago Dr. and Waverly Rd. (120th Ave.). Job fair will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today and Wednesday.

GVSU will look at Patriot Act this Thursday. Is that law critically important in intercepting and stopping terrorists in our country? Does it give the federal government unreasonable and unaccountable power to invade our privacy? Where’s the middle ground? Hear from the people who know the most about it: U-S attorney for west Michigan Margaret Chiara will join Grand Valley State professors of criminal justice and political science for a close-up look, in an open forum from 7 to 9 p.m. this Thursday evening, in the Loosemore Auditorium on the GVSU downtown campus. It’s free, and you’re invited.

---

Monday, September 15, 2003

Bank robber suspect recognized, arrested at Mexican Festival. A bank teller saw the man on Calder Plaza on Saturday morning, and police arrested him without a fuss. He was scheduled to be charged today with robbing the National City branch on Lake Eastbrook Blvd. by Centerpoint Mall in August.

Lake Odessa village custodian charged with molesting 9-year-old girl. She told police that Larry Keeler (age 47) walked up to her in front of the Lake Odessa library around 4 p.m. Thursday, forced her into an alley and assaulted her. He was arrested shortly after, and charged with second degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and soliciting a child. He could get life in prison if convicted, and was fired from his part-time job at the village government offices.

GVSU student busted for ordering psychedelic mushrooms by e-mail. Jerry Bowman of St. Clair Shores was charged last week in federal court in Grand Rapids with buying psylocibin fungi from the Netherlands, starting three years ago. Also charged was Zachary Konopka of Sterling Heights, a WMU student in Kalamazoo. Prosecutor said U.S. Customs intercepted three packages of mushrooms addressed to people throughout lower Michigan, and found connections to a hundred more in 26 states. Psylocibin mushrooms are hallucinogenic like LSD, but milder. Bowman and Konopka could get 20 years if convicted.

DP Fox will sell ad space at Houseman Field. The 95-year-old football and track facility on Diamond Ave. on the east side of downtown is owned by Grand Rapids Public Schools, which has no money to spend on badly-need upgrades to locker rooms and other amenities. Four high schools and two colleges use it just about every day of the academic year, and much of the summer. Last week the GRPS school board agreed to let DP Fox Sports, owner of the Griffins and the Rampage, sell advertisements on lots of high-visibility spots all over the field for the next three years, just like it does in Van Andel Arena, Soccer Spot, Standard Federal ice arena and Belknap ice skating rink. There will be no “inappropriate” ads at Houseman: no alcohol, tobacco, or “adult-oriented” products or businesses. GRPS resisted selling ad space in front of students for a long time. School districts on average spend about 2.5% of their budgets on sports, but GRPS gives it less than half of one percent. DP Fox’s commission rate was not announced.

Fremont woman takes $35,000 in “Chicken Soup” defamation case. Jane Jibson (age 54) last week agreed to drop her lawsuit against Chicken Soup Enterprises and the writer of a story in Chicken Soup for the Sister’s Soul. Jane’s half-sister wrote the story, which called Jane a wild child who ran around, smoke and drank and was expelled from school. Jane said she was not expelled, never became a smoker or drinker, was not a party animal, has been married for 17 years, volunteered at Sunday school and a hospital. The story, “The Seventh Sister,” did not use her name, but there were plenty of details that clearly identified Jane to anyone who knows her. Lawyer for Chicken Soup Enterprises said they’re not admitting they did anything wrong, but just want to stop the litigation. They warn contributors that they are responsible for truth and accuracy in stories they submit. About 70-million Chicken Soup books have been sold.

GVSU will dedicate new health sciences building this morning. The Cook-DeVos Center is across the street from Spectrum-Butterworth Hospital on Michigan St., just up the hill from the Van Andel Institute. The $53-million structure has 5 stories of classrooms, offices, labs, auditorium, cafeteria on top of two levels of parking. It will house nursing, physician assistant and other medical career programs, plus serve and benefit from its health industry neighbors. Shuttle will connect it to the Allendale campus. Dignitaries and leaders will snip ribbon and dedicate time capsule at 11:30 a.m.

---

Friday, September 12, 2003

Union City man, former teacher, charged with child porn. Raid on the home of Ron Knapp in July found video camera and recorder, digital cameras and thousands of images on his computer’s hard-drive. He was tracked down by Operation Predator, a national task force that’s cracking down on child sexual abuse. He was indicted yesterday. If convicted Knapp could get 10 years and a $250,000 fine.

Kent County will vote on new zoo. Voters will decide next year whether to increase their property taxes to pay for a new zoo in Grand Rapids Township. County board yesterday overwhelmingly approved putting the question on the ballot, 16-to-2. Retail chain owner Fred Meijer offered the property and cash, worth $25-million. Total cost of building a wildlife park on 85 acres near the Beltline and Leonard St. will be $175-million. Proposal will ask for about a quarter of a mill, which would cost a homeowner about $25 more in property tax for a home worth $100,000. One commissioner said Meijer’s offer is a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity, but agrees that we citizens should decide whether we want to pay for it.

Gaines Township planning board re-zones site for Meijer store. They unanimously agreed to re-zone about 26 acres on Kalamazoo Ave. on the south side of the under-construction Henry Freeway (M-6). Meijer and developer partner want to build 500,000 square-feet of retail space in former rural land, part of a 70-acre project that will include offices and apartments.

No one in Michigan got West Nile this year. Last year that virus killed 51 in our state over two months, and infected thousands. This year, Michigan has NO reported human cases, but state surveillance team did find one swamp in Kent County where the mosquitoes were carrying West Nile. They’re dead now. Outbreaks have drifted west across the continent. As of a few weeks ago Colorado had the most confirmed human cases this year with 940, about 40% of the national total. Doctors figure birds, humans and horses are building up immunity through mild infections. Mosquito control apparently was very effective, with local governments putting funds into killing larva in storm drains. Public education programs convinced us to dump containers of standing water. Kent County health department figures we’ll see periodic flare-ups in the years to come, so we should still take precautions against mosquitoes.

Cornerstone University dean in Washington for 9/11 memorial and prayer with the President. Dr. Robert Hagerty joined most of the Cabinet at the Pentagon to help dedicate the memorial for those who died there in the 2001 terrorist attack. Today he’s getting a briefing on problems cropping up with the “No Child Left Behind” education act, and tomorrow and Sunday he’ll be in the “President’s PIT Crew,” a conference of the President’s Intercessionary Prayer team. Hagarty, Cornerstone’s dean of instruction and associate vice president of academic affairs, interviewed for the job of undersecretary of education in the early days of the Bush administration.

---

Thursday, September 11, 2003

9/11 memorials scheduled around West Michigan.

• Battle Creek federal center will hold a community service at 10:30 a.m., and the community will join for a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. at the Sojourner Truth monument.
• Kalamazoo will make a community tribute at 12:15 p.m. in Bronson Park.
• Portland fire department will dedicate a “9/11” memorial at 7 p.m.
• Allegan County Fair has a “9/11” traveling exhibit.
• Wyoming Veterans Memorial Gardens will host a service at 7 p.m. The gardens are on DeHoop Ave. between 28th and Burton Sts., north of the police department. VFW Post 702 on Burlingame Ave. will offer refreshments afterward.

Union ends Wolverine World Wide strike. Members voted yesterday to accept the company’s contract offer that they turned down a few weeks ago. But that doesn’t mean they’ll get their jobs at the tannery back. The company hired replacements, and says the former strikers will be on the “preferential hiring list.” Union says it will file a grievance with the state or the federal government, and try to get the company to fire the replacements.

Siemans Dematic cuts 207 jobs in Grand Rapids. Eighty are in manufacturing and the rest are management and administration. Three hundred were let go nationwide. The company had to reduce administration personnel costs, or risk closing. This is their fourth round of lay-offs in a year. The former Rapistan plant is still the world’s biggest maker of conveyor belt systems.

Cooley Law School breaks ground on Grand Rapids campus. Ceremony yesterday started the $20-million remodeling and construction project at Ionia Ave. and Oakes St. in the Heartside, southeast of Van Andel Arena. It will join the old Durfee and Cutler buildings, and offer 100,000 square feet when it’s all done in 2006. That will let Cooley enroll 900 law students. Rockford Construction is doing the work, making it part of the development company’s huge Cherry St. Landing project. First phase will open in January, with library, lobby and a few classrooms and offices on the lower two floors.

Wyoming city hall opens drive-through window. It’s the last piece of the new city hall, and was delayed because the way the curb was built drivers couldn’t reach the drawer. Mayor Doug Hoekstra will pay the ceremonial “first utility bill” at 4 p.m.

---

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Muskegon voters slip slowly toward casinos. The referendum was paid for by Archimedes Group, the developer who wants to put a gambling house in downtown Muskegon. It was essentially an opinion poll, asking voters if the city government should consider casino proposals. The answer was “Yes” with 54%, at 3,323 to 2,845. Voter turnout was a surprising 26%, about double the number of votes cast in the mayoral election in 2001.
The gambling question will come back to Port City voters in more detail. Last Muskegon city council approved two questions for the November election: asking whether voters would be willing to see a non-profit tribal casino, and whether they’d be willing to see a “for-profit” casino.

Grand Haven mayor finishes out of the running. John Naser and Roger Bergman pulled in 35% and 33% of voters cast in yesterday’s primary, and will face each other in the November election. Mayor Ed Lystra missed second place by 12 votes, with 32%. In the city council primary, Linda Delano, Michael Fritz, Edward Nieuwenhuis and Bill Bissell will run for two seats in November.
     In Walker, incumbent Barbara Holt keeps her 2nd Ward seat on the city commission, while Charles Deschaines and Randy Smith will face-off in November for the two-year term.
      Wyoming voters sent incumbent Dawn Wichman and James Miller into the November election for the 3rd ward commission seat.

Employees expect Siemens Dematic to cut Grand Rapids jobs today. The former Rapistan plant on Michigan St. is part of the world’s largest maker of material handling systems, mainly automated conveyor belts for warehouses, the postal service and airport baggage handling. The company had warned cutbacks could come, and word went around the plant yesterday (and broadcast to West Michigan by Channel 8 and Channel 13) that white collar job cuts will be announced today, possibly in the hundreds.

Zelenka Nursery fights to re-open. They’re asking workers to stay by the phone, because the call could come today or tomorrow, saying “come back to work,” and “your paycheck is ready.” The Grand Haven Township tree-and-shrub grower was shut down without warning when its holding-company owner declared bankruptcy last week. Locally, 600 workers, mostly seasonal, were thrown out of work. Zelenka executives were in Chicago yesterday, asking a federal bankruptcy judge to release enough money to resume operations, plus pay employees the wages they’re owed. They say Zelenka is profitable and even has “strong interest” from potential buyers. Decision could come down this morning. The company began by growing Christmas trees during the Depression, and now farms 4,300 acres throughout Ottawa County. They sold to the holding company three years ago.

Jim Dreyer is swimming across Lake Michigan — the long way. The ultramarathon swimmer walked into the big lake at Michigan City, Indiana, at 9:30 a.m. Monday. He plans to stroke 360 miles to the Mackinaw Bridge, in 16 stages of 20 to 30 miles, and camp on the beach along the way. He came out of the water at Warren Dunes State Park around 3 a.m. yesterday, and walked back into the waves around 10 p.m. He’s now swimming for Hagar Shores, between Benton Harbor and South Haven, and should arrive around noon. Dreyer swims to raise money and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters. He swam across Lake Michigan the short way (west to east) in 1998, and since swam across all the Great Lakes except Superior.

---

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

School Night for Scouting is tonight! Cub Scout packs and Girl Scout troops will stake out tables and sign up new members at schools across West Michigan tonight. As the old Scoutmaster says, “You can join any time, but the sooner you start, the more fun you’ll have.” Not all schools will open for Scouts tonight: some units do the big recruiting on other nights, some schools don’t have Scouting. To find a unit near your child’s school, call the Gerald R. Ford Council, 785-2662, for Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts, or the Michigan Trails Girl Scout Council, 784-3341.

Teachers picket in Lowell and Kentwood. They were “informational” demonstrations, presenting the position of the teacher’s union to media and visitors. Outside the Kentwood school board meeting last night, teachers and support staffers wore yellow tee-shirts and carried matching signs. Talks apparently are stalled on several points, but the biggest hurdle may be health insurance. Union is demanding fully-paid health insurance, but administration says it has a $850,000 budget shortfall and just can’t afford paying the whole shot. Health insurance cost has risen 34% in two years. Negotiations at Kentwood Public Schools will get a mediator in three months, in Lowell next month.

Second suspect pleads “guilty” in freeway brick-drop. Jack Swick (now 17) of Alto admitted to assault in Kent County circuit court yesterday. He also apologized to Vickie Prantle, who was almost killed when the brick smashed through her windshield on Interstate-96 near the Morse Lake Ave. overpass in March. Every bone in her face was broken, she lost an eye and surgeries will go on for years. Maximum penalty for Swick is 10 years, but prosecutor will recommend one, plus five of probation. Swick is a juvenile, has no prior record and was not the one who let the brick drop. Prosecutor says the suggestion for leniency has the blessing of both Vickie and her husband. Last month Jeffrey Kooiman was sentenced to 3 to 10 years, after pleading “guilty” to assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

Westgate flasher may have attempted rape. He exposed himself to a woman resident who had stepped out her front door for a cigarette, on Tabor Rd. in Westgate Townhouses, northeast of Alpine Ave. (M-37) and Lamoreaux Dr., around 5:30 a.m. yesterday. About a block away and a month ago, a man slipped through an unlocked screen door and fondled a woman as she slept on a couch. The flasher yesterday was white, about 5-feet 10-inches to 6-feet tall, 20 to 30 years old, thin build, shoulder-length medium-to-dark hair, unshaven. He was last seen walking south on Alpine by a clerk in one of the gas stations. If you know anything call Kent detectives, 632-6125. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 774-2345. And lock your doors at night.

Patrick Gleeson sentencing delayed. He admitted last month to murdering his own children, Ashley and Joshua, and his girlfriend Dena Fuglseth, in November. He was arrested in Florida in December, after a nationwide manhunt. He expected the mandatory life in prison without parole in Grand Haven court yesterday, but his sentencing hearing was delayed a week.

---

Monday, September 8, 2003

Kent deputies arrest 19 men for sexual offenses in Lamoreaux and Seidman parks. A gay-porn web site listed the two parks as good places for men to meet other men for sex. Then about a month ago, a straight teenager called police and said a man grabbed at him in Seidman Park, near Cannonsburg. In a three-week stakeout, 12 suspects in Lamoreaux Park and 7 in Seidman were busted, for either propositioning undercover officers or rubbing up against them. They range in age from 29 to 73. During peak times, like lunch hours, there were so many suspicious men entering the park, detectives were disappointed because they didn’t have enough decoys. Road patrol deputies will be making more tours through the park, and Kent detectives say they’ll be back, undercover, if they don’t like what they find.

Osceola County man arrested in Grand Rapids abduction-torture-murder. Justin Bogdanik (age 18) was found in a ditch near Ann Arbor in June, his eyes glued shut. He’d been sexually tortured. He died in July. On Saturday, Grand Rapids police and state troopers arrested James Moore (age 63) of Leroy, for another incident: the abduction of a 19-year-old from downtown on Labor Day. That victim took a load of pills, passed out, and woke up in Jackson, having been sexually abused. He reported the incident to Grand Rapids police, and remembered stopping at Meijer at 28th St. and Kalamazoo Ave. before leaving town. The victim picked out the suspect on the store surveillance tape. Police say Moore confessed to the July kidnapping, and think there were others. They figure he picked up young men in his truck, promising work, drugs, companionship, whatever, then dumped victims at the far end of a truck run. Moore is described as engaging, friendly, grandfatherly, goes to church, listens to Gospel music while he drives truck. He’s 5-feet 10 inches, 220 pounds, short and thinning gray hair, blue eyes. If you know someone who’s run into him like that, call Grand Rapids police at 456-3604. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 774-2345.

Grand Rapids hires Holland’s assessor. Glen Beekman (age 57) has been in charge of property taxes in Holland for 20 years, having taken over the job from someone who was heavily criticized by elected officials and taxpayers. He’ll do it again in Grand Rapids, if the city commission approves his hiring at their meeting tomorrow. Lauren Birdsall resigned in March, after a long period of complaints about poor management and work habits. Beekman will lead a staff of 19 in reviewing our property taxes, including a state-mandated reassessment of all residential properties. Grand Rapids city manager Kurt Kimball did a regional search, and says Beekman is the best candidate. Holland city finance director Larry Sandy said he’ll be hard to replace.

Grand Haven teen’s body recovered from Lake Michigan. Family and friends of Andrew Fox (age 17) kept vigil on the state park beach until Ottawa sheriff’s deputies found his body about 150 yards from the shore, a few hours after daylight on Friday. The lake surface at that time was flat-calm, almost glass-smooth, in contrast to the vicious, choppy surf that pulled him and a buddy way out on Wednesday afternoon. The friend was pulled onto the pier, but Andrew went under. DNR says the state park staff stops putting up warning flags after Labor Day, but workers said wind and wave conditions were definitely “red flag, no swimming.” This was the second drowning off Grand Haven beach this year. On August 19, Scott Smith (age 18) of Spring Lake was swept away after jumping off the south pier to help a friend who was having trouble in the surf.

Meijer cuts 350 headquarters jobs. Workers were laid-off in one-on-one meetings with managers on Friday at the company’s offices at Walker Ave. and 3-Mile Rd. The regional retail giant says no jobs will be cut at stores. They needed to cut costs in central administration, in order to remain competitive. Meijer invented the “superstore” concept in the 1960s, putting a department store in the same room as a grocery store. Now, Wal-Mart and Target are doing the same thing nationally. So is K-Mart, and it seems to be saving them from going out of business completely. Meijer is still family-owned, with 158 stores in five states and about $11-billion in annual sales. Wal-Mart rang-up $244-billion last year.

---

Friday, September 5, 2003

Arsonist wrecks 17 cars from Grand Rapids to Reed City. Since May, somebody has been torching parked cars, mostly in the afternoon in car-pool lots, probably for the kicks of watching the fire. Plainfield Township has the most, with five separate incidents. Most expensive was a $100,000 well-drilling truck, last month. Many of the totaled cars were worth less than $1,000, and were not insured to full value, so their owners lost their rides altogether. Police and firefighters fear it’s only a matter of time before somebody gets hurt. They want you to pay attention when you’re in those lots, but it’s a long shot that the pyromaniac will be caught in the act. If you know anything, call Silent Observer, 774-2345.

Allegan County emergency management director charged with drunk driving at gas spill. John Hislop is on administrative leave, and was arraigned this week on a felony charge of driving under the influence with a minor in the car. His 8-year-old daughter was with him when he got to the scene of that gasoline tanker crash in Dowling last week. He didn’t do anything wrong about the crash, but troopers smelled alcohol and couldn’t let him drive home. The tanker spilled 6,000 gallons into front yards. One home was demolished this week, and seventy truck-loads of contaminated soil have been hauled away. The health emergency has passed, but M-37 is still closed there.

Rowe jukebox company files bankruptcy, prepares to sell everything. They owe $82-million to suppliers, and had sales of only $39-million last year. The company filed this week for Chapter 11 protection, and said they received an offer to sell everything to an investment company from New York that specializes in entertainment businesses. Deadline to accept is November 15. The offer does NOT include automatic transfer of jobs, but the new owner would likely continue making jukeboxes and video games in the plant on Union Ave. south of Hall St. Rowe has about 175 workers in Grand Rapids, and supports 600 retirees here and in Florida. William Rowe founded the company in 1926, after designing the first cigarette vending machine. They bought a jukebox maker in the 1950s, and last year sold off the bill-changing and vending machine division to focus on the entertainment side.

Calvin College gets quarter-million dollar DNA machine. DeVries Science Hall now has a flow cytometer. It’s about the size of a large dormitory refrigerator, and is used to sort individual cells by genetic codes. Medical labs use them to identify cells that cause diseases. Similar machines are already up and running at the blood center, Van Andel Institute and at least one local hospital, but it’s a rare item for an undergraduate program.

---

Thursday, September 4, 2003

Three killed in two-van crash in southeast Kent County. They were all passengers in the white van, which was southbound on Freeport Rd. and apparently ran the stop-sign at 84th St. (M-50) around 7:10 p.m. yesterday. The maroon van was eastbound, and smashed broadside into the other. In “serious” condition at Spectrum-Butterworth were both drivers, and a fourth passenger in the white van. The intersection was closed for several hours while state police investigated. They’re holding names until families are told.

Elderly driver dies in crash north of Grattan. He was northbound on Wabasis Ave., and his SUV was hit broadside by an eastbound car that ran the stop-sign on 10-Mile Rd. shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday. The 81-year-old died at the scene. The 21-year-old driver of the car was in “serious” condition at Spectrum-Butterworth with chest injuries. Kent deputies are still investigating, and will give names after both families are told.

Police find meth lab in car trunk in Alpine Township parking lot. Someone called 911 because the couple was arguing loudly outside the Taco Bell off Alpine Ave. north of Interstate-96, around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Kent deputy found them in the Wal-Mart lot, and in the process of separating the driver from his passenger, got the hint they should look in the trunk. They found a gas mask, lithium metal and a pile of pseudoephedrine antihistamine pills, used as the base compound for “cooking” methamphetamine. Then they found some marijuana, some heroin, and some market-ready meth. It looked like he was out shopping for other items he needed to brew more. The man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, a 10-year felony. If he’s convicted of having a lab, that’s another 20 years. Police say meth is now a serious problem in West Michigan: it’s very addictive, and very cheap (if dangerous) to cook up.

Western Michigan University celebrates 100th birthday. It started as a teachers college in 1903, and now serves 30,000 students. Dr. Judith Bailey was installed last night at the official commemoration as the school’s 7th president, and its first woman president. She said one of WMU’s top priorities right now is its new “research and commercialization center,” which could be the key to economic revitalization of Kalamazoo. Its mission is to make use of the big pool of pharmaceutical R & D talent that Pfizer blew out, after it bought Pharmacia-Upjohn.

GVSU Dutch art collection will fill five locations in Holland. “Shared Impressions” will spotlight a portion the university’s new collection of 500 prints, gathered over many years by sculptor Cyril Lixenberg. They are an excellent representation of Dutch art in the 20th Century, and were acquired thanks to a donation by James and Donna Brooks of Holland, longtime supporters of Grand Valley State University. Exhibit will open tomorrow simultaneously at the Holland Museum, the Arts Council, DePree Gallery at Hope College, Freedom Village and GVSU’s Meijer campus. You can meet Lixenberg himself at a special reception at DePree Gallery, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. next Friday, September 12.

---

Wednesday, September 3, 2003

Governor Granholm will testify at blackout hearings today. She’ll join Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and power industry executives in Washington D.C. in front of the congressional committee investigating last month’s blackout. Bureaucrats say it’s too early to pinpoint the cause, but a top executive of a Michigan power company says he’ll tell the committee he’s convinced: it started in Ohio when transmission lines failed and a power plant shut down. Failure to communicate allowed it to spread. State officials will call on Congress to create new standards to improve the reliability of our nation’s electrical grid. The blackout left 2.3-million Michigan people in the dark, and Detroit was the last major metropolitan area to get back on-line.

Grand Rapids city commission splits on filling empty seat. Third-ward commissioner Scott Bowen resigned to take a judgeship in Wyoming, and the city charter calls for the commission to name his replacement. But there’s no time limit. Mayor Logie and some commissioners said yesterday that they want to bring the board up to full strength as soon as possible, but others want to wait and see what happens in the September primary and November election.

Kent prosecutor asks for outsider to evaluate jail death. Willie Thurman (age 51) died in Kent County jail in March, after turning on guards and getting a face full of pepper foam. Medical examiner and Kent sheriff’s investigators cleared guards and the corrections department. Investigators said they didn’t do anything wrong, and that they did what they’re supposed to do, before and during Thurman’s medical emergency. Team from the Michigan Sheriff’s Association also investigated, and last week reported to the Kent prosecutor’s office. Prosecutor William Forsyth yesterday said he wants to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest or influence, and will seek a special prosecutor from outside Kent County to decide whether to bring charges.

Dowling home torn down because of gasoline tanker crash. About fifty gallons of gas poured into the basement of the house on M-37 last Wednesday night, after the truck turned over. The driver decided to ditch it into a row of front yards in Dowling, between Hastings and Battle Creek, instead of plowing into cars that were stopped by a crash. The house was demolished yesterday by a wrecking crew. About 6,000 gallons leaked out of the tanker, and a state environmental team is still trying to project the long-term hazards of the gasoline that soaked into the earth.

Muskegon food pantry needs your help. Unemployment is running near 12% around Muskegon, and requests for grocery help have drained the Muskegon Rescue Mission’s pantry. Workers figure by this time next week, they’ll be out of the basics. They’re asking for donations of non-perishable, nutritious food items: staples like tuna, cereal, peanut butter. Or cash, which will be used to buy food. Write “Our Daily Bread” on the memo line, and make check payable to Muskegon Rescue Mission. Bring donations to 1691 Peck St., weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

---

Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Crash near Cedar-Rock kills Illinois man; Cedar Springs driver “serious.” Venka Iver (age 31) of Naperville, Illinois, was driving the van northbound on Edgerton Ave., and ran the stop sign at 14-Mile Rd., just west of US-131. An eastbound car driven by Robert Lalone (age 36) of Cedar Springs smashed into the driver’s door, killing Iver. Lalone was in “serious” condition at Spectrum-Butterworth with a head injury. There were five other Illinois men in the van, and four were treated for minor injuries. Kent deputies said they were all on their way to a software engineers’ meeting in Traverse City. There was a crash early on northbound US-131 between West River Dr. and Post Dr., and Iver may have been trying to find a way around it on local roads.

Cornerstone University will host 50 Christian colleges. The eleventh annual college fair will unite Christian high schoolers, especially home-schooled students, with representatives of colleges and universities from around the country. It will also provide a workshop with the latest financial aid information. And it’s free. The college fair will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30, in the Hansen Fieldhouse on the campus at Leonard St. and the Beltline.

Whitecaps manager retires. Phil Regan spent four decades in baseball, the last two seasons with the West Michigan Single-A club, here in Grand Rapids. He pitched for 12 years in the majors, managed the Baltimore Orioles, was head coach of the GVSU Lakers baseball team for 11 years, and coached the U.S. Olympic team. He managed his last game yesterday in Oldsmobile Stadium in Lansing, and got a standing ovation from fans of both teams. Whitecaps dropped the closer of a 67-and-73 season, 8-to-1, to the Lugnuts.

Former MSU football star dies in California. Brian Ottney (age 23) played center for three years, was team captain last year, and was an NFL prospect, until knee injuries benched him last spring. He died after a seizure yesterday in his home in Long Beach, California. Cause of death is still not announced. He started 33 games in a row, and coaches said his teammates looked up to him. He could have played another year, but graduated with a degree in construction management in May. He was engaged to marry this fall.

Silent Observer “Fast 50” program goes back to school. Silent Observer hands out $50 to students in Kent County schools who report weapons, drug, vandalism, threats and stealing, if the school ends up disciplining an offending student. If a gun or knife is confiscated, the tipper gets $100. Last year “Fast 50” got 137 calls. They resulted in 69 discipline cases for violation of school conduct rules, confiscation of 12 weapons, prosecution of two assaults and resolution of a bomb threat. Tippers collected a total of $2,750 in rewards. Tips are handled anonymously through the Silent Observer line, 774-2345, or toll-free (866) 774-2345. Funding for the rewards comes from events like Silent Observer’s annual benefit roast. This year the victim, or guest of honor, will be Rich DeVos of Amway, on Friday, September 19, at the Grand Plaza Hotel.

---

Thursday, August 28, 2003

Four shot in restaurant parking lot on west side of Kalamazoo. They were hit outside the Big Burrito on KL Ave. (Oshtemo St.) near 131 around 2 a.m. today. Two are in “good” condition, and the others were released after being treated for minor wounds. Police are searching for two shooters.

Kentwood schools warn teachers not to call in sick all at once. Union negotiations appeared to be stalled over health insurance. The district wants to save money by switching from the teacher union’s own health plan, and having teachers pay a bigger piece of the premium. The word “strike” keeps getting whispered. This week teachers got a letter from the Kentwood Public Schools, warning them that if more than a few teachers call in sick on the same day, they’d better be prepared to prove they’re really sick, or the superintendent will consider it a strike. Today the teachers will vote on whether they have confidence in their union negotiating team.
      Several other districts throughout West Michigan have not reached contract agreements. Almost all school systems have budget problems because of tight funding from the state, personnel costs make up two-thirds to three-quarters of school budgets.

New US-31 freeway opens in Berrien County. M-DOT leaders, local dignitaries and the Berrien County Riders motorcycle club watched the ribbon get snipped at 2:30 p.m. yesterday. Then the caravan drove the first ceremonial trip northbound, 9 miles from Berrien Springs to Napier Ave. To connect the two freeways, a 2-mile stretch of Napier was widened to five lanes. Now the trip between Berrien Springs and Benton Harbor takes less than half the time. This project cost nearly $100-million, took five years, and opened on time!

Millennium Park gets its own police. Kent County board committee this week recommended hiring a full-time sergeant and, as the park grows, eight seasonal part-time officers, to patrol the new recreational greenspace southwest of downtown Grand Rapids. They would be headquartered in one of the empty houses purchased by the county for its land. The division of the Kent County Sheriff’s Department would be set up like the police who take care of New York City’s Central Park. Kent deputy Steve Chanter is already coordinating Millennium Park patrols, and is a likely candidate for the sergeant’s job.

Ada gets a tunnel. It will cut under the train tracks near Rix St. and Ada Dr., and connect parts of the pedestrian and bike trail under construction along Ada Dr. The 40-foot, pre-cast concrete tube will cost $162,000, and the rest of the trail is going for just under a half-million dollars. Should open in time for Thanksgiving.

---

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

National Weather Service: sorry Calhoun County, it was NOT a tornado. Meteorologists yesterday said examination from the air and ground showed the storm damage on Monday night southeast of Battle Creek, near 8-Mile Rd. and D Dr. South, was from straight-line winds. They hit 60 or 70 miles per hour and knocked down lots of trees in the wooded area, crushed a hay barn, and made a mess in an area about one mile by two miles. About 7,000 customers lost power. This morning Consumers Energy says Calhoun County has about 800 homes in the dark, and Kalamazoo County has 1,400. Storms Monday and yesterday messed-up power around Zeeland, which has 2,400 customers off-line this morning. Power company says nearly all will be on by noon.

Vern Ehlers says NASA shuttle report “is only the beginning.” The Grand Rapids congressman sits on the House science committee, which plans to hold a bunch of hearings about the Challenger tragedy last February. He says we need to figure out what to do to keep this kind of massive accident from happening again, and wants to look over NASA’s structure and management, and the whole space program, from top to bottom. He also says we need a new vehicle to replace the shuttles. The report was put together by a board, mostly from outside NASA. It lays as much blame on NASA’s management culture as it puts on the foam that fell onto the wing during launch. It charges that NASA’s “management system is unsafe to manage the shuttle system beyond the short term, and that the agency does not have a strong safety culture.” You can get the Challenger accident investigation board’s report at www.caib.us.

Court throws out Procter & Gamble’s last lawsuit against Amway. Eight years ago tomorrow, on August 28, 1995, the consumer products giant filed a lawsuit against Randy Haugen, a top Amway distributor. It charged him with spreading the rumor that P & G supports Satanism, as demonstrated by their “half-moon” logo. Other distributors and eventually the Ada company itself were added to more suits, also filed in Michigan and Texas. (We usually don’t think of Amway as “small,” but Procter and Gamble dwarfs them in sales and revenues.)
      Starting a few years ago, the courts started throwing the suits out. The last one standing was the original one, and just last week it was finally dismissed by the federal court in Utah. The judge also knocked Procter & Gamble for violating court orders and destroying evidence. With restrained satisfaction Amway’s corporate lawyer said, “David won, and Goliath deserved it.”

Former Wayland city manager charged with embezzlement. Michael Jager yesterday pleaded “not guilty” in Allegan district court. Prosecutor says he charged the city for work he did from home. Maximum penalty if convicted would be a year in jail and $2,000 fine. He angered citizens by firing the police chief in July, after the chief called in the state police to investigate Jager’s handling of city money. City council quickly agreed to a 12-month severance package when Jager quit, agreeing that the controversy made it impossible for him to do the job.

One suspect pleads “guilty” attack on Grand Rapids cab driver. The 34-year-old woman cabbie picked up four people around 2 a.m. at Bridge St. and Stocking Ave. back in May. She told police she was pulled into the back seat, beaten, raped and robbed, while one of the passengers drove around town. Yesterday Melody Harris (age 31) pleaded “guilty” to carjacking, kidnapping and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The deal saved her from trial on additional charges of unarmed robbery, possession of cocaine and another CSC charge. Sentencing will be October 20. Three men, ages 25 to 46, including Harris’s brother, were also charged.

Jim Dreyer pulls the plug on Lake Superior. Seas were 4 to 6 feet and building, and the inflatable Zodiac was swamping. Crew on the support boat and Jim were all starting to have trouble. At 5:05 a.m. our time they pulled him out, at about 30 miles into the 73-mile swim from Grand Portage, Minnesota, to McClain State Park on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. Jim already swam across the other four Great Lakes, to raise money and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters. This is the fourth time Superior, the greatest Lake, has resisted him.

---

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

State trooper crashes; woman in “serious” condition. She was thrown from the van that pulled out in front of the police cruiser at M-37 and 96th St., about a mile-and-a-half south of Newaygo, around 5 p.m. yesterday. Michigan State Trooper Brian Bitsin of the Newaygo Post was on his way to a crash, and had lights and sirens going. The cruiser rolled over. Bitsin and the driver of the van were treated for “minor” injuries, but the van’s passenger, Karen Hernandez (age 38), was hospitalized.

Hastings woman killed in one-car crash east of Caledonia. Jessica Jo Merrill was thrown from her Camaro after it went off 100th St. west of Alaska Ave. and smashed into trees around 12:45 a.m. yesterday. She died after being flown by AeroMed helicopter to Spectrum-Butterworth. Kent deputies said she was alone in the car, and no other vehicles were involved. She was not wearing her seatbelt.

Zeeland 15-year-old charged with breaking into a dozen cars. Ottawa deputies are looking for his buddies, who may have helped steal and steal from cars throughout Zeeland and Blendon townships over the weekend. Items were take from some, and others were driven short distances. The 15-year-old was stopped while walking away from a car left on 84th Ave. near Riley St. All the cars were unlocked, and the stolen cars all were left with the keys inside. A unwelcome cultural shift may come to the farm community households, as Ottawa sheriff asks residents to lock their cars and stop leaving the keys in them.

M-DOT resumes work on Ford-Henry junction. Last year a whistle-blower called reporters and said the beams were too small in one of the bridges under construction in the interchange that will connect the Henry Freeway (South Beltline, M-6) and the Fo rd Freeway (Interstate-196). Sure enough, the deck started buckling before it was finished. Work was “paused” on those bridges, but kept going on the rest. M-DOT yesterday announced that work will resume next month on the bum beams, which will be reinforced. The whole Henry Freeway should open on time in 2005. M-DOT news release says the contractor will help pay to correct the mistake, and it shouldn’t cost the taxpayers anything extra.

Swim, Jim, swim! Byron Center’s Jim Dreyer strode into Lake Superior at Grand Portage, Minnesota, near the Canadian border, around 7 a.m. today, Michigan time. If the weather helps, he’ll crawl out on the other side, at McLain State Park, near Houghton, Michigan, after 50 to 60 hours of stroking. He will be the first person to swim across all five Great Lakes. He conquered Michigan first, in 1998. Then came Huron the following summer, then both of the little ones, Erie and Ontario, in a single event in 2000. Superior, the greatest of the Lakes, has resisted the ultramarathoner in the past two summers, even though he set distance records. Last year it hurt him bad. This year he’s wearing “Iceman Sharkskin,” made from fabric developed to insulate the space shuttle. Follow him at swimjimswim.org.

---

Monday, August 25, 2003

Town meeting and free lead testing will spotlight danger of lead poisoning in old houses. About 35,000 homes around Grand Rapids still have walls painted with lead-based paint. Ingesting paint flakes, or even swallowing dust after putting fingers in the mouth, can result in lead poisoning in children. The most common result is a permanent drop in their ability to learn and remember, and a lower IQ. Kent County’s “Get the Lead Out!” campaign will give free lead-poisoning tests from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. today, at Eastern Ave. Church of Christ, on Eastern north of Franklin St. Tests will be given to the first 50 children ages 9 months to 6 years who have not been tested in the past 12 months, with a Medicaid card.

Teenager stabbed to death in Burton Heights. Marcus Welch (age 16) was cut with a broken beer bottle on Griggs St. west of Division Ave., around 1:15 a.m. Sunday. A friend, a 17-year-old neighbor, was badly cut on his arm and upper leg, and was treated and released from the ER. Minutes after they responded, police pulled over a car a few blocks away that witnesses said was involved, and arrested a 22-year-old woman who was in it. Two other teens were arrested on assault charges. Neighbors think it was continuation of a fight that started last week. If you saw it or know anything and have not talked to police about it, call them at 456-3404. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 774-2345. And yes, the teens were on the street in violation of the city’s curfew.

Suspect fatal hit-and-run crash in Burton Heights will be charged today. Teresa Hines was killed in May, while sitting in the bus shelter on Burton St. just east of Division Ave. A car ran the red light at high speed and collided with another, sending it onto the shelter. Anthony Smith of Muskegon was arrested a few days after the crash on other charges, and has been sitting in Muskegon County jail. He was transferred on Friday to Kent County jail, and is scheduled for arraignment this morning on two charges: negligent homicide, and failing to stop at the scene when at fault resulting in death.

Accused burglars camped in Ada woods. Kent deputies recovered a pile of stuff that was stolen in about 50 break-ins since Memorial Day, from a hideout in the forest off Vergennes St. Last week they arrested brothers Matthew and Adam Davis (ages 26 and 24), whose father’s home is adjacent to the woods. They said the men camped in two sites in the hundred-acre wilderness, except when they snatched enough cash to pay for a room at a motel. Grandville police got a complaint about a suspicious car cruising a residential neighborhood around 2 a.m. last Tuesday. The two men inside fled, but left behind the car, which had several stolen articles. The car’s registration gave police their names. Both have done time for home invasions, and both were wanted for violating parole.

Metropolitan Hospital breaks ground on Wyoming health village. Dignitaries on Friday poured soil into the pot of a young Douglas fir tree that will be transplanted onto the grounds off Byron Center Ave. and the Henry Freeway (M-6) in three years. By then the hospital will have moved from Boston St. in southeast Grand Rapids into its $150-million, 8-story new home, which will be the main feature of the 170-acre health-care development. The planned complex will be the first of its kind in the nation to be built from scratch.

---

Friday, August 22, 2003

Man shot by marshals in Muskegon apparently had no weapon. The two U.S. marshals from Grand Rapids went to the home on Pine St. near Apple Ave. around noon on Wednesday, to arrest Leon Dandridge (age 35) for violating parole in Indiana. Dandridge died from a gunshot wound to the face. Muskegon police are handling the investigation, which likely will run through next week.

Meat packer recalls steaks and cold cuts for labeling error. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Emmpak Foods, a division of Excel Corporation, failed to list “hydrolyzed soy protein” on the labels, and also listed MSG or hydrolyzed corn gluten, even though they’re not in the meat. The company yesterday issued a voluntary recall of 360,000 pounds of steaks packed in Nebraska, and 100,000 pounds of cold cuts processed in Wisconsin. They were shipped to stores in seven states, including Gordon Food Services here in Grand Rapids. If you bought beef top round roast, ribeye or ribeye for prime rib under the Emmpak label, look in the USDA inspection seal for “EST 86-J” or “EST 567.” The recalled cold cuts carry “freeze-by” dates from July 5 through November 12.. The food is not contaminated. If you have some, bring it back to the store where you bought it for a refund. With questions, call Emmpak at (800) 266-6084.

State lawmakers want to rearrange Mackinac Bridge funding. A package of five bills would change state laws going back to 1952. They would kill the idea of eliminating the toll after “Mighty Mac” is paid off, but would require the bridge authority to investigate lowering the toll. The state would contribute $5-million a year to maintenance, which supporters say will be critical to keeping the bridge safe in the long run. The bills also take care of a couple of little things, like letting police cars, fire-trucks and ambulances cross the bridge in an emergency without stopping to pay the toll.

Farmers Insurance will drop out after next year’s golf tournament. They’ll fulfill the five-year commitment they inherited when they bought Foremost Insurance, and say they’re still interested in helping out. But after the 2004 PGA Champions classic, the Grand Rapids Jaycees will be looking for a new title sponsor. Farmers says the decision to “not renew” has nothing to do with the firing of tournament executive director Lance Hartman a few weeks ago. It’s mostly because the classic will be carried on the Golf Channel, and the insurance company believes they got wider exposure when it was on CNBC. So now the Jaycees board is looking for a new director and a new title sponsor. The 2003 tournament was one of the best in the 18-year history of the event, which has raised millions of dollars for local charities. The 2004 will tee-off at Egypt Valley Country Club from May 31 through June 6.

Leukemia survivors will “Light the Night” tonight in Ada Township Park. They’ll carry illuminated white balloons, and supporters and friends will walk three miles with red balloons, to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. About 4,000 walkers are expected to hit the pavement in seven Michigan cities, after collecting pledges from friends and co-workers. Kalamazoo held theirs last night, and Holland on Wednesday night. With sponsorships, the state chapter hopes to clear $450,000 for research into blood-related cancers.

---

Thursday, August 21, 2003

Bank robbery on the south side of Grand Rapids. The robber walked into the Fifth-Third branch on Eastern Ave. south of 28th St. around 9:30 a.m. yesterday. He handed the teller a note that mentioned a gun, got a handful of cash and ran south on Eastern Ave. He’s black, about 35 years old, 6-feet tall, medium build, slight facial hair. He wore safety glasses, a red shirt with a design on the front, black bandanna under a dark-colored baseball cap, dark pants. If you know anything, call Grand Rapids police at 456-3604. You don’t have to give your name if you call Silent Observer, 774-2345.

Man shot and killed by U.S. marshal in Muskegon. Two marshals from Grand Rapids went to the house on Pine St. near Apple Ave. just before noon yesterday. They were to arrest Leon Dandridge, wanted in Indiana for violating probation, from a CSC charge. Police aren’t saying much more, except that Dandridge died on the way to the hospital from the gunshot wound to the face. Federal agents from around the country arrived last night for the investigation.

Detroit police arrest father suspected of shooting three kids. Lamar (age 1 year), Ayana (age 3) and Chenise (age 11) were shot to death on Tuesday morning. Firefighters found their bodies in the wreckage of their burned-out home in Detroit. Their father, Anthony Bailey (age 37), was seen pedaling away from the house on his bicycle, a short time before the fire was reported. He was captured yesterday. He and his wife were going through a bad divorce, and police say she got a call just before the fire, apparently from him, telling her to “watch the news.” A fourth child is in “critical” condition with burns and a gunshot wound, but should survive.

Wyoming police identify body found near Buck Creek. Russell Zeboor (age 32) of Rockford was a long-distance truck driver, who was reported missing by his parents on Monday. His body was found on Tuesday morning in the woods near Buck Creek, off Byron Center Ave. near 44th St. His wallet and keys were missing. Autopsy put his death between 24 and 48 hours before the discovery. There were no signs of violence or injury. Toxicology report will take a few more days, and will show whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

Norton Shores teen dies, pulled from water off Grand Haven pier. Scott Smith (age 17) was jumping from the south pier on Tuesday afternoon, and around 12:30 p.m. ran into trouble. He struggled, couldn’t get air, went under. Two buddies pulled him out, and a passerby did rescue breathing until Coast Guard and ambulance arrived. He was unconscious, and was flown to a Grand Rapids hospital yesterday, where he died. Big signs say jumping from the piers is against the law.

Secretary of state offices lose computer service. Workers put signs in windows yesterday evening, saying “Computer is down, sorry for the delay.” Symptoms looked like a software failure, maybe even a virus. Workers could only answer questions, and after a while stopped taking paperwork and money. Transactions like license renewals and car and boat registrations apparently did not get transmitted to Lansing. Police were notified that renewals may not have been recorded, so they should cut you some slack if your license expired and you show them the receipt.

Grand Rapids Public Schools principals, teachers and staff will go door-to-door today. It’s an effort to get all kids ready for school, especially kindergartners. Every year young children pop up at schools during the second or third week, and spend months playing catch-up. Registration for GRPS is underway, and classes start on Tuesday. Some charter schools are opening today!

---

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Body found next to Buck Creek. Wyoming police say the man’s body was found in the woods off Byron Center Ave. north of 44th St. around 9 a.m. yesterday. They’re treating it as a homicide. It was there one or two days, and autopsy today should show cause of death. They’re holding his name until his family is told.

Norton Shores teen “critical” after nearly drowning in Grand Haven. Scott Smith (age 17) was jumping off the end of south pier at Grand Haven State Park with buddies, who told police he just ran out of air and didn’t come up, around 12:30 p.m. yesterday. A woman jogger did CPR until the Coast Guard and ambulance arrived. Big signs warn against jumping from those piers, which are under jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers, so technically it’s a federal offense. But the army doesn’t keep any staff on site, and the DNR says they don’t have enough people to tell swimmers to stop.

Vacant apartment fire in Middleville may have been kid prank. A pile of burned clothing was found in the unit in the Lincoln Meadows apartment complex on Lincoln St. yesterday afternoon. Damage is estimated at between $5,000 and $10,000. Neighbors hope police find the culprits and that the prosecutor charges them.

Senator Stabenow brings her “Stop Canada Trash” campaign to Grand Rapids. She talked with voters on Calder Plaza yesterday afternoon, and talked about the dangers of importing other peoples’ garbage into Michigan. More than the health hazard, there are homeland security issues. Customs inspectors are upset, because the don’t have the staffing to go through the 180 truckloads of garbage our state imports every day. Stabenow said five trucks were turned away this year because they tested positive for radioactivity. Five U.S. states also send us their solid waste. In January, Toronto cranked-it-up: from shipping two-thirds of its municipal solid waste, that city now gives us ALL their trash.

GRPS plans to sell buildings. Last night at the hearing at Union High School to talk about the futures of West Leonard, Lexington and Adelante High schools, only a handful of neighbors showed up. Most were West Leonard supporters, and they complained about the closing. The school district has to sell or lease enough of its closed facilities to raise $3-million, to pay for construction and maintenance of other buildings. Tonight, Grand Rapid Public Schools will hold another public hearing, to get your input on what to do with the mothballed Beckwith, Oakdale and Huff schools, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Creston High school.

---

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

GRPS gets a half-million dollars from Bill Gates. The grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will pay for a deep restructuring of the school district’s high schools. After looking at how students learn, administrators want to create smaller academies within Creston, Union, Ottawa Hills and Central high schools. There will be “relationship-based” learning groups of no more than 400 students each. The grant will cover the costs of learning about different models of high schools around the country, and planning the changes. This is the first grant from the foundation that will be spent entirely on planning. Last night the board of education of Grand Rapids Public Schools made some moves toward changing its high schools, by approving a stricter attendance policy that requires students to make up missed days, and decided to make tutoring available to all high school students.

GRPS will hold hearing tonight on closed schools. Administrators and school board want to hear your ideas on what to do with the empty buildings: sell them, rent them out, keep them in mothballs? Declining enrollments mean empty classrooms, and after years of wrangling the district in February settled on seven schools to close. Three northwest-side buildings, West Leonard and Lexington elementaries, and Adelante High School, will be examined from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at Union High School.

Kentwood schools talk teacher contract. Union negotiators are scheduled to meet with administrators today, trying to keep cuts from affecting pay and benefits of teachers and other staff. State mediator will join the talks tomorrow, if there are still conflicts. Teachers report on Monday.

M-DOT tries to speed up Lake Michigan Dr. damage claims. Last year, M-45 was re-surfaced between Allendale and US-31. The “double-chip sealing” job failed over the winter, and loose gravel dinged hoods and cracked windshields. The job was re-done in May, but the state and the contractor have been fighting over the blame. M-DOT told the contractor they goofed up, but the company says they did exactly what M-DOT told them to do. Now the state has hired Crawford & Company to handle claims, and take calls at a new hotline. To check on status of your damage claim, call (800) 777-0962. For other questions, call M-DOT’s Muskegon office at (231) 777-2451.

What will the blackout cost Michigan? Estimates range from $350-million to $700-million, in productivity lost when the lights went out in the southeast quadrant of the state on Thursday afternoon. Michigan’s Public Service Commission yesterday launched a heavy investigation into what happened, and how we can keep it from happening again. Ford, GM and Daimler-Chrysler all re-started production lines yesterday without incident. Detroit is drinking water from the tap this morning. Governor Granholm’s office yesterday said she’ll ask for federal money to relieve some of the losses.

Veen Observatory schedules Mars close-ups. At 5:51 a.m. next Wednesday (August 27), Earth and Mars will be closer than they have been in 60,000 years: about 34.6-million miles. Astronomers and astrophysicists are geeked, training telescopes and sending space probes like they won’t have a chance for another 60,000 years. Actually our two oval orbits let Earth and Mars get fairly cozy every two years, but this is a special one. The Red Planet rises in the southeast sky about an hour after sunset this week, and will rise earlier each night. It will be visible through September, the brightest object in the night sky except for the moon, and by Labor Day will be coming up around sunset. The Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association’s James C. Veen Observatory, on Kissing Rock Rd. south of Lowell, will open to the public for special viewings on Saturday nights from 8:30 to 11 p.m., starting August 30 and running through September 27. Admission will be $2 adults, under 17 $1. For directions and updates, call 456-3663, or after 7:30 on the night you want to go, call the observatory at 897-7065.

---

Monday, August 18, 2003

Woman shot near southside nightclub. Helena Shaw (age 21) of Grand Rapids took a bullet in the stomach, but was recovering at Spectrum-Butterworth with a wound that police said was “not life-threatening.” She was shot at the corner of Sheldon St. and Delaware Ave., around 2 a.m. Saturday. Police found her after they broke up a crowd of more than a hundred people nearby at Ra Nightclub, on Division Ave. between Hall and Franklin Sts. Police went to the club after officers who were working on another incident down the street heard gunshots coming from the parking lot.

Holland murder suspect expected to plead “guilty” today. Prosecutor is pretty sure that Patrick Gleeson will admit to the murders of his own children, Joshua and Ashley, and his girlfriend, Dana Fuglseth, around Thanksgiving. He was arrested in Florida in December after a nationwide manhunt. The woman’s body was found in the home they shared west of Holland, and those of the children, ages 5 and 3, in a river in northern Illinois. If he pleads “guilty” to first-degree murder, he’ll get the mandatory life in prison without parole.

Tannery Bay declared “clean.” It took a year and $5.5-million dollars, after several years of arguing and negotiation. Last week the state Department of Environmental Quality said the 30-acre arm of White Lake in Muskegon County is no longer a toxic hazard. Lead, zinc, arsenic and other nasty things poured into the water for years, from Whitehall Leather Company on the shore. The tannery, now closed, is owned by Genesco, a company headquartered in Tennessee. They wanted just to cover the contaminated lake bed with sand, and the state wanted a much bigger clean-up. They compromised, and Genesco paid about $3.25-million of the final cost. DEQ still has to truck in tons of sand to fill in the shore and prevent erosion of the banks.

Krispy Kreme will open in Lansing a week from tomorrow; line is already forming. Anne Lewis of East Lansing pitched camp last Wednesday at the Eastwood Town Center on the north side of Michigan’s capital city. She aims to break the record of nights spent outside a Krispy Kreme store before the opening. It stands at 12, and if she makes it, she’ll set the new mark at 13 nights. Anne’s doing it partly for the free doughnuts, but mostly to raise awareness about autistic children. Her 12-year-old son, Gregg, is autistic. He also loves Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and Anne says he’s a world-class expert on them and the company. Doors and drive-through will open at 5:30 a.m. next Tuesday.

Millennium Park opens for business. The swimming beach at the spring-fed pond officially opened on Friday morning, and swimmers were pleased with the water, locker rooms, showers, concession stand, volleyball nets, boardwalk. Facilities, like the Van Andel Bathhouse, were built mostly with private donations. It’s the first area to open in the park, which will eventually cover 1,500 acres along the Grand River and take in pieces of Grand Rapids, Walker, Wyoming and Grandville. Completion will take 10 years and cost $25-million. Kent County is still in the process of acquiring land.

---

Thursday, August 14, 2003

Plane crash in northern Kent County kills pilot. Brian Beaucamp (age 19) of Grant was crop dusting over Sparta Township Wednesday morning, and went nose-first into the earth near 16-Mile Rd. and Kenowa Ave. Witnesses say his small plane made a sharp turn toward the ground and exploded in a giant fireball on impact. The FAA is looking for the cause.

“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.” Ottawa County officials say E. coli bacteria levels are too high, so they’ve closed beaches at Grand Haven, Kirk Park, Tunnel Park, Holland State Park and Grand Haven. The water was re-tested yesterday, and we should know by later today if it’s safe to swim again.

---

Monday, August 11, 2003

Wyoming apartment burns, local heroes rescue victims. It all happened early Sunday morning in Wyoming, on Clyde Park Ave. between Burton and 28th Sts. Tenants say they never heard smoke alarms, but were awakened by passersby. One man saw the flames and rushed into the building, and pulled about eight children to safety. Fire department is still looking for what started the fire.

---

Friday, August 8, 2003

Grand Rapids city commissioner named judge in Wyoming. Scott Bowen of the 3rd Ward will take the bench on the Wyoming district court, vacated earlier this year when Judge Jack Jelsema retired for health reasons. Governor Granholm announced his appointment yesterday, from a field of 11 who applied. Bowen practiced in that court for 13 years, knows it well, and has been looking forward to this opportunity. He says he and his wife will move into Wyoming from their home in southeast Grand Rapids.
This is the first time in 30 years the Grand Rapids city commission has had a seat open in mid-term. Bowen’s term ends in 2005, and the commission will appoint a replacement. If you’re interested, apply with the city clerk by Tuesday, September 2. Ideal candidate is a registered voter in the 3rd Ward, and Mayor John Logie hopes it will be someone “with an open mind,” and not an agenda.

Alto teen gets 3 to 10 years for dropping brick off freeway overpass. Vickie Prantle of lost an eye and will need years of surgery, when the brick smashed through her windshield while she was driving on Interstate-96 near Morse Lake Ave. in March. In June Jeffrey Kooiman (age 19) pleaded “guilty” in Kent circuit court to a charge of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm. He will be eligible for Michigan’s boot camp jail for young offenders, and could get out in a year-and-a-half. Judge also ordered him to pay back Prantle for her medical costs and lost wages. She said she was satisfied with the sentence, and has forgiven him. Another suspect, Aaron Swick (age 16), is scheduled for trial next month.

Two young-teen Van Buren girls drive stolen car on the freeway. A Van Buren deputy pulled the car over on Interstate-94 between Lawrence and Hartford, on a routine traffic stop yesterday. They looked too young, and gave conflicting stories. Arrested were a 15-year-old from Culvert and a 12-year-old from Lawrence. The car turned out to be stolen from Lawrence.

HMS Bounty replica visits South Haven Blueberry Festival. The huge tall-sail ship-of-the-line will be tied up at the Southside Municipal Marina in South Haven, and open for tours today and tomorrow. The story in the two movies is true: Captain William Bligh and 18 officers survived six weeks in a small open boat, after being set adrift when the crew mutinied in 1789. Tours will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., admission $6 for adults, children $4.
      South Haven is also celebrating the 40th annual Blueberry Festival this weekend. Opening ceremonies this evening will be followed by the Giant Blueberry Pie social.

Muskegon’s Huntington Harborfest also has tall ships. Twelve big sailing vessels will be open for tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., today through Sunday. Bands and concerts will entertain funseekers, and the Kid’s Fun Zone will be open from 10 to 5. Admission is $10, after 5 p.m. $3, children $1.

---

Thursday, August 7, 2003

Four-car crash near Ford Airport kills passenger. An SUV driven by an elderly man smashed broadside into a Honda at Patterson Ave. and 44th St., around 9:15 a.m. yesterday. It killed the back-seat passenger in the Honda. The front-seat passenger was in “critical” condition after being flown by AeroMed helicopter to Spectrum-Butterworth. Both drivers were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Kentwood police and Kent deputies are still investigating, and have not released names or talked about who was at fault.

Governor Granholm freezes all non-critical state spending. Yesterday she signed an executive order, putting off purchases of supplies, materials, equipment and printed material for the next two months, until the new fiscal year begins on October 1. Lots of exceptions will be made for contractual obligations, court orders, or anything that is necessary for safety. Her office did not say how much money Michigan will save from the spending ban.

Lakeshore congressman will visit Iraq. U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra will leave this weekend with three other lawmakers, to spend a week among our soldiers. It will be the largest contingent from Congress to look at the aftermath of the war. Hoekstra says it will help him answer questions from voters, and give him first-hand knowledge for decisions in Washington. Hoekstra chairs the House subcommittee on intelligence.

Heritage Hill neighborhood will revise master plan. Residents of the keystone historic preservation district of Grand Rapids will talk about updating the 15-year-old guidelines, topic-by-topic, at a series of meetings over the next two months:

• Next Wednesday, August 13 — traffic and parking.
• Wednesday, September 10 — education and block clubs.
• September 24 — commercial zoning and “other.”

Rampage loses coach. Michigan Trigg yesterday announced he’s taking another coaching job in the Arena Football League. He did not name the team, but said they’d announce his new job in two weeks — which is exactly when the new franchise team in Philadelphia will be unveiled. Trigg is the only coach the Grand Rapids Rampage has ever had, and in six years he’s taken them to play-offs five times, and won the 2001 championship. But he’s been looking for an opportunity to spend more time in the front office. Owner DP Fox Sports released him from the last year of his contract, and CEO Dan DeVos said he had no problem letting Trigg leave for a better position. Then he said thanks for the championship ring.

---

Wednesday, August 6, 2003

Police chase ends in crash near Sparta. Manager stalled and called 911 when a man tried to cash a stolen check at the Choice One Bank on Alpine Ave. at 6-Mile Rd., around 10 a.m. yesterday. Kent deputy got there as the getaway car pulled out, and zoomed east on 6-Mile. He turned north on Pine Island Dr., just as another deputy, Jennifer VanSingel, headed south from the north end of Kent County. She was southbound on Pine Island, lights and sirens going, when she crashed into a car going westbound on 13-Mile Rd. Driver and deputy got bumped around, but both were okay. Fleeing suspect was driving recklessly, so the commander scrubbed the chase. They got the license plate though, and with security photos from the bank, should be able to track down the culprit.

Downtown bank robbery suspect busted. Police yesterday arrested a man they believe robbed two banks downtown last month: the Comerica at Monroe and Louis, and the Huntington in the Waters Building. They put witnesses and security photos together, and came up with the name of a 40-year-old resident of the Southside. They found him near Division Ave. and Hall St., chased him on foot for a block and hauled him to Kent County jail. He faces arraignment in federal court this morning.

FBI searches northeast side factory. They have not accused the company of anything, but agents showed up yesterday without notice, and went all over MacDonald’s Industrial Products on Oak Industrial Dr. They were members of the Environmental Crimes Task Force, which deals with hazardous materials violations. Nobody said anything, but the company uses scary chemicals in making auto parts, and the feds may have been searching for waste that was buried on the grounds years ago.

Grand Rapids woman charged with kicking out police car window. Johnnie Mae Peck (age 37) was arrested on Kenbrook St. near 60th St. and Division Ave. on Saturday afternoon. Kent deputy responded to a complaint of “disorderly conduct,” and found she was wanted in Traverse City. On the way to Kent County jail, she kicked out the window of the police cruiser and jumped out of the back seat, onto 131 near Franklin St. She didn’t get far, after bouncing on the pavement, and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at St. Mary’s. She wa