8/21/14 - Dozens of local families, nonprofits, and government facilities got a helping hand from hundreds of volunteers at the United Wayâs 13th annual Day of Caring yesterday. Every year, individuals as well as groups of volunteers from local businesses, churches, schools, and organizations gather for a one-day service blitz across Livingston County. They tackle projects ranging from building maintenance and installing fences to painting, cleaning, and spending time with seniors. While many of the larger projects are done for nonprofit organizations or government facilities like schools, others are done for individual families. In addition to the service projects, a health fair with free screenings was offered by St. Joseph Mercy Health System. A picnic for volunteers was also set up at the Howell City Park. (TD)
Dozens Of Project Sites Served During 2014 Day Of Caring
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Fenton Township Man's Body Located By DiversFenton Township Man's Body Located By Divers
8/21/14 - After days of searching the St. Clair River, a local manâs body was finally located. The St. Clair County sheriff's department says its dive team recovered the body of 19-year-old Brady Morton of Fenton Township, who disappeared during the annual Float Down event on the waterway that runs through the U.S.-Canadian border. According to officials, Morton was floating with a group of about 40 people Sunday when he left his raft to go swimming. His friends say he never came back. Sheriff Tim Donnellon says divers located Morton's body about 2:30 Wednesday afternoon using an underwater camera. He says they spotted it about 45 yards off shore from Port Huron in about 26 feet of water. Donnellson says investigators will conduct an autopsy Friday. (JK)
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Ohio Crash Kills Howell Couple: Truck Driver ChargedOhio Crash Kills Howell Couple: Truck Driver Charged
8/21/14 - A four-car crash yesterday in Ohio has claimed the lives of a Livingston County couple. The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a tractor-trailer approaching a central Ohio intersection struck a stopped SUV and triggered a four-vehicle crash that killed 69-year-old Curtis Dixon of Howell, and his wife, 71-year-old Patricia Dixon. Three others were injured. Patrol Sgt. Ty Skaggs says the tractor-trailer rear-ended the Dixonâs SUV and pushed it into another around 11:30 Wednesday morning on US-23 in Delaware County. Skaggs says the vehicles slid into the intersection, where at least one collided with a pickup truck. The drivers of the pickup truck and second SUV suffered less serious injuries. A woman riding in the pickup was flown to a hospital. The patrol says the tractor-trailer driver was charged with vehicular homicide and failure to stop within an assured clear distance ahead. He wasn't injured. The patrol says alcohol isn't believed to be a factor in the crash. (JK)
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Howell Native Among Contestants on Top Chef's New SeasonHowell Native Among Contestants on Top Chef's New Season
8/21/14 - The upcoming season of a popular reality television series will feature a chef with a Livingston County connection. James Rigato of Howell, executive chef of The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake, will star in the 12th season of the Bravo Networkâs âTop Chefâ series, which premieres in October. The 29-year-old Rigato entered the restaurant business when he was just 14 working as a dishwasher at a local diner. After enrolling in Schoolcraft Collegeâs Culinary program at 17, he spent the next eight years working in several of metro Detroitâs finest restaurants, until he opened The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake several years ago. He won the Detroit Free Press 2012 Restaurant of the Year award and was named Best Chef by Hour Detroit magazine for 2013 and 2014. Rigato had planned to open a second restaurant inside the Howell Theater before his financial backers pulled out of the project earlier this year. He wonât be the only Michigan contestant on Top Chef. Also competing is Mei Lin of Dearborn, who works in Los Angeles. (JK)
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Local Pastor To Burn Rubber For Humanitarian Trip To LiberiaLocal Pastor To Burn Rubber For Humanitarian Trip To Liberia
8/21/14 - A pastor from Fowlerville will feed his need for speed this month at the Spartan Speedway as part of a fundraising effort for a humanitarian effort in Liberia. Pastor Dan VanderVelde and the Fowlerville Freedom Center are working to raise money for a December trip to the West African nation, where they hope to complete the construction of a building that will serve as a school and clinic for the village of Gbanga. Volunteers from the village are already clearing an area for the building, and a team of workers from the Fowlerville church will travel there around Christmas to lay the bricks. On August 29th, the Spartan Speedway will be hosting a whole day of racing, including a special race for local clergy called âFaster Pastor.â Participating pastors will be given a chance to race around the track in whatever vehicles they bring. VanderVelde will be among the racers, and the Freedom Center is currently selling tickets to the race. For every $10 ticket they pre-sell, they can keep 50% of the cost for their humanitarian trip to Liberia. So far, about $100 has been raised this way. For more information, follow the link below. Pastors from Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Howell and the Place of Refuge in Fowlerville will be racing as well. (TD)
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Hartland Township Seeking Residents to Serve in Various Capacities Hartland Township Seeking Residents to Serve in Various Capacities
8/21/14 - Hartland Township is seeking residents to serve on different boards and commissions to help make decisions and carry out the vision for the community. Township Manager James Wickman tells WHMI they have seats to evaluate every year on various boards and commissions and are looking to hear from residents interested in serving in those capacities. He says the bodies donât meet too often and theyâre not daunting assignments but they recognize the voluntary nature of the different roles and are always glad when residents are willing to give up an evening here and there to help out their community. The most immediate need is the Parks Task Force, which will convene in September and is responsible for recommending capital improvement priorities that will be reflected in the Parks Master Plan. Applications from interested residents for the Parks Task force are due by Monday, September 8th. Wickman says there is a standard application for all of the boards and commissions, which is available on the Hartland Township website, but residents can feel free to attach a letter or resume. The applications are then reviewed and submitted to the Board of Trustees for consideration. (JM)
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Hartland Fire Authority Calls Out Departments In ALS Challenge
8/21/14 - The ice bucket challenge is heating up across Livingston County with local firefighters helping save lives in a different way. Members of the Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority and their families completed the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge this week. There were a total of 46 participants and each donated $5 while the Hartland Deerfield Firefighters Association matched donations for a grand total of $460, including $50 in additional donations. The Ice Bucket Challenge, in which people record themselves pouring ice cold water on their heads, is a fundraising opportunity for the ALS Association. It has since went viral â raising millions of dollars along with unprecedented awareness for the cause. The Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority has since called out the Brighton Area Fire Authority as well as the Green Oak and Hamburg Township Fire Departments to support the ALS cause, who must then nominate three other departments and or agencies to the challenge. (JM)
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Groundbreaking of Jail Expansion Follows Final ApprovalGroundbreaking of Jail Expansion Follows Final Approval
8/21/14 - Officials gathered this morning to break ground on an expansion to the Livingston County Jail, just hours after final site plan approval was granted for the project. The expansion is a two-phase, $17 million undertaking that will increase the footprint of the jail and renovating the interior of the existing building. The new portion of the facility will be a 2-story expansion on the northeast corner, near Grand River. County officials were on that site this morning for a ceremonial groundbreaking, including County Administrator Belinda Peters, who said the countyâs plan to finance the project through the sale of bonds was a fiscally smart way to make an important project come to fruition. Commissioner Donald Parker, who chairs the Jail Improvement Committee, said the project will leapfrog the county over its current overcrowding problems and get ahead of the curve. The expansion will create new cells that can be completely separated from one another and include their own showers. This will allow the jail to isolate and accommodate different populations of inmates, including female offenders, those with behavioral issues, or those with mental or physical ailments. This new expansion will allow the existing portions of the jail, including its pharmacy and medical areas, to undergo major improvements. The net result of the improvements will be an increase in beds from about 257 to about 370. Jail Administrator Tom Cremonte says this upgrade is long overdue, and will not only be a good investment for taxpayers, but improve services, programs, recreation, and sanitation for inmates as well. (TD/JK)
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Lengthy Prison Sentence Handed Down in Unadilla MurderLengthy Prison Sentence Handed Down in Unadilla Murder
8/21/14 - The man convicted in the Livingston County murder last year of his brother-in-law will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. 50-year-old Mark David Jackson of Vestaburg was sentenced Wednesday to serve a 40-100 year prison sentence following his guilty plea to second-degree murder in the death of 52-year-old Jonathan Risinger. Jackson, who was sentenced as a 4th-time habitual offender, claimed Risinger attacked him first after the two got into an argument last October 4th. He said he had gone to Risingerâs Unadilla Township residence to talk about marital problems involving his sister, who was married to the victim. A medical examiner ruled Risinger died of injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma which may even have involved strangulation. There were also several severe burns on the body. Prosecutors said Jacksonâs self-defense claim was countered by his actions after the death, including the fact that left his brother-in-law for two without checking to see if he was alive or dead, only returning on October 6th to make the scene appear as if the death had occurred during a robbery. At the time of the murder, Jackson was on parole for a 1996 conviction in Livingston County on six counts of 2nd degree home invasion, for which he served 14 years in prison. (JK)
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Meeting Will Focus on Medicare/Medicaid Fraud & AbuseMeeting Will Focus on Medicare/Medicaid Fraud & Abuse
8/22/14 - Scams involving Medicare and Medicaid will be the topic of a seminar next week in Brighton. The Area Agency on Aging 1-B Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program will continue its free monthly educational series on Medicare Monday at the Brighton District Library. A one-hour program on health-care fraud will start at 5:30pm, followed by a question-and-answer period. Itâs estimated that Medicare beneficiaries and the Medicare program lose up to $80 billion dollars each year to health care fraud, with older adults increasingly targeted by scam artists. Mondayâs presentation will provide information for residents to protect themselves from Medicare fraud, waste and abuse and how to report any concerns. Follow-up seminars will deal with long-term care on Sept. 24, while looming changes in Medicare and open enrollment will be the topic of a program set for Oct. 27. To reserve a seat, call the library at 810-229-6571. For more about the series or the AAA 1-B service, call 800-803-7174. (JK)
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Woman Pleads No Contest To Superdrunk, Failure To Stop ChargesWoman Pleads No Contest To Superdrunk, Failure To Stop Charges
8/22/14 - A Howell woman has pleaded no contest to multiple charges after hitting a Hamburg Township Police patrol car while driving drunk in July. 27-year-old Sarah Marae Robson has pleaded no contest to having a blood alcohol content over .17 and failing to stop. In return, prosecutors dismissed a count of operating while intoxicated and changed a count of 4th degree fleeing a police officer to a lesser charge, to which Robson pleaded guilty. She is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10th. The incident happened around 11:30pm on July 11th when Robson was traveling eastbound on M-36 and sideswiped the patrol car while the officer was conducting a separate traffic stop on M-36 near Giraud Drive. The officer was not injured and was inside of his patrol car at the time. Hamburg Township Police Chief Rick Duffany tells WHMI the officerâs vehicle was drivable despite significant damage to the front end and his lights were already activated from the initial stop so he activated his sirens and attempted to pull over Robson, who left the scene. Duffany says she continued on for about a quarter mile down M-36 and through the Chilson Commons shopping center before finally stopping near the Hamburg Coney Island. (TD)
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Charges Filed in Hit & Run Death of Green Oak ManCharges Filed in Hit & Run Death of Green Oak Man
8/22/14 - A Washtenaw County woman has been charged after police say she hit and killed a Brighton-area man who was walking in the road. A charge of failure to stop at a personal injury accident causing death was filed against 34-year-old Candice April Soerries of Northfield Township. Green Oak Township Police say Soerries was the driver of a SUV that hit 27-year-old Kevin Douglas Simon (pictured) at the intersection of Rickett Road and Meadow Farm Drive in the early morning hours of March 30th and then drove off. Simon, who was wearing dark clothing while walking in the southbound lane in an area with no street lights, was pronounced dead at the scene. Chief Jason Pless said their investigation indicated Soerries struck Simon as she neared Meadow Farm Drive. After arriving home she called Livingston County Central Dispatch to report she had hit someone. Neither speed nor alcohol is thought to be factors in the death. Soerries, who will be arraigned on the charge September 10th, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. (JK)
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Brighton Officials Begin Thinking Of Goals For The Coming YearBrighton Officials Begin Thinking Of Goals For The Coming Year
8/23/14 - The Brighton City Council is trying to think of how it could improve its performance in the coming year as a goal-setting retreat looms. City Manager Dana Foster gave a presentation last night on the cityâs progress from last yearâs event. The goal-setting retreat is a day-and-a-half long special meeting during which the city council reviews the previous year and look ahead to set goals for the coming year. It is held annually in the fall. Foster told the council that they have done quite well over the past year in areas like formalizing the capital improvement process and employing a wider variety of communications channels to connect with residents. However, he says the city has fallen behind in areas like one-on-one communication with residents and being proactive, rather than reactive, in major undertakings. He asked the council to begin thinking of topics and goals that could be brought forward at the retreat. The council will discuss these topics at regular meetings leading up to the retreat as well. A formal date for the retreat has not yet been set. (TD)
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Trucker Pleads Not Guilty in Crash That Killed Howell CoupleTrucker Pleads Not Guilty in Crash That Killed Howell Couple
8/22/14 - The driver of a tractor-trailer involved in a central Ohio crash that killed a Livingston County couple and injured three has pleaded not guilty to charges including vehicular homicide. Authorities say 58-year-old Randall Lee of Christiana, Tennessee was driving a tractor-trailer Wednesday morning on US-23 in Delaware County when he rear-ended an SUV, triggering a four-vehicle crash. Lee pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of failure to stop within an assured clear distance. The crash killed Curtis and Patricia Dixon of Howell. Two other drivers suffered less serious injuries, and one passenger was flown to a hospital. Funeral arrangements for the Dixons are being handled through the Sharp Funeral Home in Fenton, which says details are pending. (JK)
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July Jobless Rates Up Across the State But Mostly Steady LocallyJuly Jobless Rates Up Across the State But Mostly Steady Locally
8/22/14 - Livingston Countyâs unemployment rate held mostly steady from June to July while rates across regional labor markets went up seasonally. The state Department of Technology, Management & Budget recently released the local and regional jobless figures for July, which were said to be a reflection of normal seasonal changes in the job market. The state's rate reached 8.6% in July and unemployment rates increased in all of the stateâs 17 major labor market regions. Livingston Countyâs unemployment rate in July inched down slightly by one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.7%. Its overall ranking though improved to 23rd among Michiganâs 83 counties. The state department says the unemployment rate upticks in local areas were typical for July. Temporary layoffs occurred in several industry sectors including professional and business services and auto-related manufacturing. (JM)
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Residents Still Hoping to Fix Streets in Timberview SubdivisionResidents Still Hoping to Fix Streets in Timberview Subdivision
8/22/14 - Engineering work is underway to try and determine the actual costs associated with street reconstruction project in Genoa Township. Homeowners in the Timberview subdivision have been trying to establish a special assessment district for the last few years to improve their neighborhood roads but thereâs been some difficulty when it comes to determining the scope of the project. Quotes obtained by residents have varied and earlier this month, the Genoa Township Board authorized engineering work in the subdivision to try and determine the real costs of the reconstruction project. Supervisor Gary McCririe tells WHMI the subdivision was built 30 or 40 years ago and the roads have held up this long but have reached the end of their useful life. McCririe says once they find out what the numbers look like, theyâll present those to the residents, who can then decide how they want to proceed and how much they want to pay for the work as well as any possible alternatives. (JM)
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The Moving Wall Vietnam Memorial Returns to Hamburg Township The Moving Wall Vietnam Memorial Returns to Hamburg Township
8/22/14 - The Moving Wall replica of the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. is returning next week to Livingston County. The half-size replica of the famous monument will be on display starting Thursday, August 28th through Sunday the 31st at Bennett Park-West in Hamburg Township. The wall lists all 58,000-plus American causalities from the war. It originally came to Hamburg in 2010, but left such an impact that volunteers immediately applied to have the memorial return. It will be open 24 hours, all four days. The visit will include a reading of the names on the Wall, a military history exhibit with equipment, uniforms and other items, flyovers, special speakers and candlelight vigils. There will also a tribute Bob Hope USO concert at 8pm on Friday, August 29th and then again on Saturday, August 30th. A complete schedule and other details are available through the link below. (JK/JM)
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Bond Doubled For Hartland Man Charged With Domestic AssaultBond Doubled For Hartland Man Charged With Domestic Assault
8/22/14 - Bond has been increased for a Hartland Township man charged in a domestic violence assault. 34-year-old Weston Gabriel King is charged with felonious assault and domestic violence. On Thursday he was in Livingston County Circuit Court for a hearing to decide a motion by his attorney to lower his $25,000 bond. But after prosecutors protested and cited the nature of his crime, Judge Miriam Cavanaugh increased the bond to $50,000. On July 29th, troopers from the Brighton Post and deputies from the Livingston County Sheriffâs Department were called out to a residence on Montgomery Drive regarding a physical domestic dispute involving a handgun. Upon arrival, police say they were met outside by a woman who said she and King, who was still indoors, were having an argument when he pointed a handgun at her and threatened to shoot her. She alerted officers that there was a child inside the residence and that King had taken a large amount of prescription drugs. Officers then used a patrol car public address system to order King out of the residence. He exited the home unarmed and with the child. Police say he was taken into custody without issue. King is scheduled to return to court September 5th for a pretrial hearing. (JK)
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Police Prevent Suicidal Subject From Jumping Off I-96 OverpassPolice Prevent Suicidal Subject From Jumping Off I-96 Overpass
8/22/14 - Authorities say a deputy had to taser a man Friday morning to prevent him from committing suicide by jumping off a freeway overpass in Lyon Township. A deputy with the Oakland County Sheriffâs Office Lyon Township substation was called out to the area of Old Plank Road and I-96 at around 7:40am and discovered a man standing on the freeway overpass. Police say the 23-year-old Milford Township man was facing traffic with his hands on the waist of the high overpass wall, and that he was visibly upset and crying. Police say the deputy tried to talk to the man and help him but he continued to shake his head no and refused to communicate. After several minutes, police say the man started rocking back and forth - giving the impression that he was about to catapult himself over the wall and onto the freeway to commit suicide. Police say the deputy deployed his taser to prevent the man from jumping off of the overpass and into traffic. The Milford man was secured by the deputy and transported by ambulance to Providence Park Hospital in Novi for evaluation. The Sheriffâs Office Operations Center says it was notified minutes before the incident that the subject was reported as a missing person / suicidal subject from Milford Police Department and that he had left a suicide note at his residence.(JM)
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New Principal Appointed in Brighton DistrictNew Principal Appointed in Brighton District
8/23/14 - The Brighton School Board approved a new principal at Hawkins Elementary School at its meeting last week. She is Basia Kiehler, a former Brighton High School teacher who has been an assessment coordinator in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District and Livingston Educational Service Agency for the past two years. Superintendent Greg Gray tells WHMI the hiring of Kiehler for the Hawkins position is a perfect fit for the Brighton Area Schools. While with the intermediate school district, Kiehler worked with principals, curriculum directors and teachers in 14 school districts and over 80 schools in Washtenaw and Livingston counties. Before that, Kiehler taught biology, anatomy, sociology and astronomy for eight years in Brighton and was the literacy instruction coach for three years. The board also approved hiring seven new teachers for the fall term to replace teachers who resigned or retired at the end of the 2013-14 term. (TT/JK)
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