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Howell City Council & Staff Gearing up For Budget DiscussionsHowell City Council & Staff Gearing up For Budget Discussions

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2/26/13 - Howell City Council members met last night and provided some feedback to staff on a variety of issues expected to be discussed during the upcoming budget process. Howell’s fiscal year begins on July 1st but staff is in the process of putting together its recommended budget for Council consideration in April. There were four areas identified in which staff was seeking guidance from Council on member expectations to better help them develop recommendations and goals next year. Input was sought in the areas of the general fund and police resources, since a patrol officer will be retiring and bringing the total from 12 down to 8 in recent years. Others topics included updating code to incorporate the overall vision of the D-19/Michigan Ave corridor plan as the garbage tax. The City adopted a millage to fund garbage services last year, which was previously subsidized by the general fund. However, Council has the ability to revisit the issue and Charles says he received some earlier feedback from Council about having a fee-based system versus a millage system. (JM)

Brighton Man Takes Stand in Haitian Sex Tourism CaseBrighton Man Takes Stand in Haitian Sex Tourism Case

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2/26/13 - After being jailed for more than a year, a Livingston County man has taken the stand in federal court to defend against charges of sexually abusing Haitian children. Matthew Andrew Carter of Brighton first took the stand Friday and resumed his testimony today. Carter has been in U.S. custody since his 2011 arrest at Miami International Airport. He ran a group home for poor children in Haiti's capital from 1995 through 2011. On the opening day of Carter's trial, two Haitian men testified that Carter molested them when they were children living at the Morning Star Center. One of Carter's attorneys told the jury that children lived at the center with their parents' permission and were always free to leave. Haiti's government shut down the center after Carter's arrest. (JK)

Hay Fire Closes Northbound US-23 During Morning CommuteHay Fire Closes Northbound US-23 During Morning Commute

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2/26/13 - Drivers on US-23 this morning had a tough commute after a truck-trailer caught on fire. A large trailer full of hay caught fire during the morning rush hour, shutting down a portion of US-23 in Green Oak Township. Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Gentry says a pipeline company truck was towing the trailer at around 7:30am when the driver looked in his rearview mirror and saw that it was on fire. The truck driver and first responding fire personnel were able to separate the truck from the trailer. Both lanes of northbound US-23 between Silver Lake Road and Lee Road were shut down for more than an hour while firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. Gentry says M-DOT had to bring in a front end loader to remove the trailer from the freeway, which was a complete loss. Both lanes finally re-opened at about 9:30 but significant backups were reported on the northbound side, reaching all the way back to 6 Mile Road at one point. There were also backups reported in the southbound lanes through that stretch from gawker delays. No one was injured and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Picture courtesy of P.J. Sapienza. (JK/JM)

Police Seek Details On Party Store Break-In

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2/27/13 - A breaking and entering took place at a local party store on Saturday, and police are asking for any information the public may have. Sheriff Bob Bezotte says someone attempted to enter Angelo’s Pizza, Deli, and Party Store in Howell at about 1:15am on Saturday. A second attempt at 2:50am the same night was successful, and whoever entered the building left with several items but no cash. The sheriff’s department is asking anyone with information about the crime to come forward. Those who have information to share can contact Detective Scott Domine at (517) 540-7902. (TD)

RetakeOurGov Hosting Panel Discussion on Right to Work LegislationRetakeOurGov Hosting Panel Discussion on Right to Work Legislation

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2/27/13 - Livingston County’s Tea Party group will be hosting a panel discussion next month regarding Michigan’s controversial Right to Work legislation that was passed during the lame duck session. RetakeOurGov is hosting the event and says representatives from Hillsdale College, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Union Conservatives, and Americans for Prosperity will be discussing various dimensions of the legislation. The group says an invitation to speak was also extended to a representative from the Roscommon Teachers Association, which RetakeOurGov says broke away from the Michigan Education Association to form its own union late last year. The panel discussion will be held on March 12th from 7 to 8:30pm at Memories Restaurant on Old US-23 in Brighton. The event is free and open to the public. (JM)

Local Church Honoring Community First Responders This Sunday Local Church Honoring Community First Responders This Sunday

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2/27/13 - A Five Star Salute to Stellar Community Servants will take place this weekend, recognizing local public safety workers and first responders. Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brighton is hosting the gratitude celebration as a means of extending respect and honor to those who serve close at hand in our local communities. Pastoral Care Associate Donna Alberta says they’re asking that residents take time out of their busy lives to remember the local law enforcement officials, firefighters and EMS workers who serve them everyday. Alberta says a wonderful program is planned with a dessert reception to follow so everyone can mingle and personally express their thanks to local first responders. She says the program will also feature personal testimonies from individuals who wanted to offer a public thank you to those whose positive actions made a difference during times of crisis in their lives. She says Amy O’Roarke of Tyrone Township, who lost her husband in the line of duty last year, will be sharing her personal story about how the community and various members of law enforcement have rallied around her. Alberta says everyone is welcome to attend Sunday’s program and no RSVP is needed. It begins at 7pm at Cornerstone Church on Hilton Road off Grand River, across from Hilton Elementary School in Brighton. (JM)

Handy Twp. Approves Sewer Completion, Stops County PaymentsHandy Twp. Approves Sewer Completion, Stops County Payments

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2/27/13 - A sewer project completion approved last night by Handy Township could theoretically take a big bite out of the township’s substantial sewer debt. The West Grand River project was originally conceived to provide sewer service to more than 250 residential units that were to be developed in the township. The contractor hired to do the project ran into technical problems while trying to cross Nicholson Road and Grand River and stopped construction. The owner planning to develop the property sued the township for breaking their deal by not completing the sewer, and the county sued the contractor. A second company was hired to finish the project, but then refused to do so because of the court cases and is now involved in litigation as well. Meanwhile, the county has been providing funding to the township to pay for the special assessment district bonds that would have been paid for through the sewer hookups. Last night the Handy Township board voted to stop taking these payments, which must be repaid with interest, and pay the bonds itself. Supervisor Hank Vaupel tells WHMI the board also voted to approve a project paid for by the county to complete the sewer. He says the township has a contractual obligation to finish the project. He says the project should be finished this summer, and if the property owner completes the development it will eliminate almost half of the township’s delinquent REU’s. (TD)

Local Municipalities Declare Snow EmergenciesLocal Municipalities Declare Snow Emergencies

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2/27/13 - Local motorists are being reminded to take it slow if traveling out on area roads. Accidents and road run-offs were being reported during the afternoon and evening commutes Tuesday due to the slick conditions. Some local municipalities are declaring snow emergencies until further notice, including the City of Howell and the Village of Pinckney. On-street parking is prohibited during times of snow emergencies and violators are subject to towing and impoundment at the owner’s expense. Additionally in the City of Howell, residents are being reminded that ordinance requires removal of snow and ice from all sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of the snowfall. Complete up-to-date weather and traffic information can be heard on WHMI 93.5FM. (JM)

SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27

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Click Here for a complete list of school closings.

Brighton Chamber Plans Viewing Of Google Business Talk

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2/27/13 - A seminar by Internet giant Google on business in a digital world can be viewed live next month courtesy of the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. Google’s Thought-Leadership event will be held at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California on March 5th. The featured speaker will be the company’s Vice President for American Marketing Lisa Gavelber, who will discuss how businesses can grow in the digital age. It is an invitation-only program for Google’s partners, but it will also be broadcast live. The Brighton Chamber will hold a viewing of the event, which begins at 1:00pm. The viewing has limited seating, and those interested in attending can follow the link below. Lunch will be provided and there will be no charge to attend. (TD)

Howell High School Choir to Perform at Ice Skating Competition

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2/27/13 - The Howell High School A cappella Choir is said to be pretty geeked about performing the national anthem during a figure skating competition Thursday. The 2013 National Synchronized Figure Skating Competition is taking place at Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township. Former choir member and Howell High School student Lindsay Grajek is competing with her team tomorrow but has been granted special permission to perform with the choir during the opening ceremonies, which start at 12:45pm. Grajek’s team has earned a Bronze Medal in the past and her sister will also be competing. Students will line three aisles in the arena and Bushey will conduct them from the ice. Several parents are traveling to the event to watch the students perform and the opportunity came about after Grajek’s mother contacted event organizers to suggest the A cappella Choir perform the national anthem. (JM)

LACASA's Cinderella's Closet Gets A New Look For 2013LACASA's Cinderella's Closet Gets A New Look For 2013

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2/27/13 - The event that provides low-cost prom dressed to local girls while helping the victims of violence and abuse is getting a new look of its own. LACASA announced this week that its semi-annual Cinderella’s Closet event will be rebranding itself with a new logo, tagline, and promotional materials courtesy of local artist Susan Pominville. Held before prom and homecoming, Cinderella’s Closet collects gently-used party dresses and gowns and sells them to local high school girls for $25. All proceeds go to LACASA’s domestic abuse programs. Cinderella’s Closet also offers rewards for girls who sign a “party promise” pledging to remain drug- and alcohol-free during their celebrations. O’Grady says incidents of date violence and sexual assault often stem from substance abuse. The next Cinderella’s Closet event will take place in April. (TD)

Suspects Charged in Murder of Longtime Brighton ResidentSuspects Charged in Murder of Longtime Brighton Resident

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2/27/13 - Two suspects have been charged in the 2010 murder of a former Livingston County man who was shot and killed while working as a security guard in Flint. 53-year-old John Mick of Goodrich (pictured) was shot to death at the Flint River Village Apartments in August of 2010. Mick, who lived in Brighton for 14 years, had worked as a security guard at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford before retiring to take the security job in Flint. Security footage from the apartment complex captured a newer-model Chevy Impala backed into a parking lot and police had been searching for two suspects, but more than two years passed without an arrest. That changed after two suspects, 19-year-old Floyd Gene Perkins and 21-year-old Kenya Ali Hyatt, were arrested in connection with another crime in Mt. Morris Township. Flint Police say they were able to obtain information that the two may have been involved in Mick’s shooting and sought charges. After some follow-up investigation, Perkins and Hyatt were charged with felony murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery by the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office. They were both arraigned on charges last week and are due back in court February 26th. (JK)

Rogers Casts Reluctant Vote to Implement Health Care ExchangeRogers Casts Reluctant Vote to Implement Health Care Exchange

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2/27/13 - A local legislator says he reluctantly agreed with a majority of members on a Michigan legislative panel that voted to spend $31 million to help build a health insurance marketplace required under the contentious federal health care overhaul. Today's 24-3 vote by the House Appropriations Committee signals the Republican-led Legislature may be ready to go along with Gov. Snyder's plan to pursue a partnership exchange controlled almost entirely by the federal government. Genoa Township Republican State Representative Bill Rogers says while this isn’t what he ultimately wanted to see, it is more prudent to implement the exchange under a state-federal partnership than to rely totally on the federal government. "Elections do have consequences and as a result we know that Obamacare is coming, or ACA whichever you prefer to call it, and there's no way around it now." GOP legislators last year rejected the Republican governor's preference for a state-run marketplace in a vote cast before President Obama’s re-election. GOP leaders had hoped a Romney win in November would have halted the health care reform effort. The partnership exchange lets states handle some customer service functions and approve insurers on the website, which is supposed to make it easier for people and businesses forced to carry insurance under the health care law. Michigan was awarded a $31 million federal grant for the exchange. But Snyder needs legislative approval to spend it. (JK)

Closings Arguments Today in Brighton Man's Sex Tourism Trial

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2/28/13 - Closing arguments are expected this morning in the federal trial of a Livingston County man accused of sexually abusing Haitian children at a residential center he operated in the Caribbean country. Matthew Andrew Carter of Brighton faces five counts of traveling from Florida to Haiti for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with minors, along with one count of attempting child sex tourism. Carter ran the Morning Star Center in Haiti from 1995 until his 2011 arrest at Miami International Airport. Former Morning Star residents testified in Miami federal court that Carter molested them when they were children. Carter denied the allegations of sexual abuse when he testified Tuesday. Prosecutors and Carter's attorneys will make their closing arguments to the jury this morning. (JK)

Wife Heads to Trial in Jar Theft; Husband to be Arraigned TodayWife Heads to Trial in Jar Theft; Husband to be Arraigned Today

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2/28/13 - A Howell Township woman has been bound over for trial on charges she stole a donation jar from a local convenience store, while her husband will be arraigned today in the case. 28-year-old Tena Cory waived a preliminary exam Wednesday in Livingston County District Court on a charge of larceny in a building. Her case will now go to trial in circuit court. Authorities say Cory and her 34-year-old husband Michael walked into the store at M-59 and Grand River with a child on the evening of Saturday, February 16th. Store employees told police they believed the man stole items before all three left the store. Police say video surveillance then shows Tena Cory come back into the store and engage the clerk in conversation, while Michael Cory, with a black hoodie on his head, walked in and grabbed a donation jar, stuff it down his pants and leave. Michael Cory is set to be arraigned in the case at 11:30 this morning via a video link from the Charles Egeler Correctional Facility in Ann Arbor, where he was taken after his arrest as he was on parole for a previous retail fraud conviction. The donation jar they are charged with stealing was collecting donations for a girl in Arkansas with Down syndrome to get a needed surgery. Several members of the community more than replaced the money after hearing about the story. (JK)

Brighton Board Approves Scranton Projects Over ObjectionsBrighton Board Approves Scranton Projects Over Objections

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2/28/13 - Phase one construction projects planned for Brighton High School and Scranton Middle School as part of the $88 million bond issue passed by voters last May have been approved, despite opposition by a couple of Board of Education members. The work includes over $12 million worth of projects at Brighton High School and over $3 million at Scranton Middle School. Superintendent Greg Gray tells WHMI most of the projects at the two schools approved at the meeting Monday night will involve exterior work. Most of the work approved at Scranton pertains to the new athletic complex to be constructed, which will include a stadium for football, soccer, track, lacrosse and rugby. Eight tennis courts will be constructed and the complex will include restrooms, a press box and other amenities. Board Trustee Nick Fiani complained about the tennis courts at Scranton, saying they were frivolous in times of deficit budgets such as the board is facing, and considering the high school is getting 12 new tennis courts. Constructions representatives cautioned that if they were to remove the courts, the entire Scranton field project would have to be re-bid and then resubmitted to the state resulting in the stadium not being completed by the fall football season. Gray added that the tennis courts at Scranton were added as a response to a community survey indicating such facilities were needed on the southern side of the school district. Despite that, Fiani moved that the tennis courts be stricken from the Scranton plan, but the motion failed 4-2, with John Conely siding with Fiani. Conely was unhappy with the Scranton bids in general and moved to table action pending a special meeting, but the motion was defeated on a 3-3 vote. Board member Jay Krause was absent from the meeting, resulting in the tie. (JK)

Hartland Man Finally Recognized Legally as Biological Father Hartland Man Finally Recognized Legally as Biological Father

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2/28/13 - A Hartland Township man is inching closer to a win in the custody fight for his daughter. Daniel Quinn has been prevented him from seeing his daughter Maeleigh for the past four years but a new law inspired by his story was signed into law last June, which enables biological fathers to petition the court for parental rights. Quinn has been fighting for custody of her since the battle began in Genessee County and a judge this week acknowledged Quinn is the girl’s biological father and granted him immediate phone and computer contact with her. Consideration of custody and child support are the next steps in the battle for Quinn and future court dates are pending. New legislation signed into law last June gives biological fathers more rights and also got rid of the Michigan Paternity Act, which presumed a husband is the father of his wife’s children. The mother of Quinn’s child was married to another man when she became pregnant. She eventually reconciled with her husband, left Quinn and took their daughter, who ultimately ended up in the custody of a now-convicted drug dealer. Despite that, Quinn didn’t have the right to tell a judge why he would be a better caretaker for his own daughter. (JM)

Howell DDA Discusses Budget Cuts to Cope With DeficitHowell DDA Discusses Budget Cuts to Cope With Deficit

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2/28/13 - Last night the Howell Main Street and Downtown Development Authority Board discussed ways to reduce its expected budget deficit for the next fiscal year. The authority will have about $370,000 in revenue during the budget year that begins on July 1st, but it will also have about $750,000 in expenses. The difference will be covered by the DDA’s existing fund balance as well as a loan from the city, but the board still needs to cut about $20,000 from the budget before July. At a work session last night the board discussed what would end up on the chopping block. The most likely candidate was an art contest started this year that had residents voting on the work of local artists striving to be recreated and posted around the city. Removing that program would save roughly $10,000. DDA Director Diane Larkin tells WHMI that the $140,000 loan from the city government could be used to renovate the city-owned 118 West Clinton Street. That building could then be used as the new DDA headquarters, saving the authority lease costs on its current North State Street location. Larkin says DDA funding took a big hit in recent years due to the reduced tax revenues brought about by the Great Recession. The deficit will continue to be a topic of discussion for the DDA Board until the end of the current budget year. (TD)

Elias Realty Responds After FBI Raids Offices in Brighton & Livonia Elias Realty Responds After FBI Raids Offices in Brighton & Livonia

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2/28/13 - Following news Wednesday that the FBI executed two search warrants at Elias Realty locations in Brighton and Livonia, the company is sharing its side of the story. The FBI Field Office in Detroit would only confirm that agents carried out search warrants at the two locations. The company was established by Broker/Owner Will Elias and asserts that it has been the market leader in short sales for 2011 and 2012. An issued statement says Elias Realty drew scrutiny from lenders and Freddie Mac because of its success and volume of short sale business. It says discussions had been ongoing with Freddie Mac since October of 2012 about complaints filed by Freddie Mac against Will Elias, Elias Realty and related companies. In November of 2012, the statement says Freddie Mac wrongfully placed Will Elias on its exclusionary list, essentially halting his ability to run his business. Elias Realty claims discussions eventually broke down and it filed a formal complaint against Freddie Mac on January 31st for tortuous interference with contracts and unfair competition among others. Freddie Mac officially declined comment to WHMI and a spokesman would not confirm or deny that the company was placed on the exclusionary list, saying that information is not released to the general public. Elias Realty says it is currently reviewing details of the investigation and plans to cooperate fully with federal investigators. The full statement can be viewed below. (JM)
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