PLANE CRASH-ISLAND

4 people killed in plane crash on Michigan's Beaver Island

BEAVER ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say four plane have died in a plane crash on Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. One person survived. The crash occurred Saturday at Welke Airport on Beaver Island, according to the Charlevoix County sheriff’s office. Federal safety officials say the plane was a Britten-Norman BN-2A. That type of plane is used to ferry people between the island and Charlevoix in the northern Lower Peninsula. The U.S. Coast Guard said it flew two people to a hospital in Petoskey, including an 11-year-old girl. No other details were released.

MISSING STUDENT

Distress grows as MSU visitor remains missing 2 weeks later

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of people have gathered in suburban Detroit to pray for a college student who disappeared two weeks ago while visiting Michigan State University. Brendan Santo still hasn't been found. The 18-year-old from Rochester Hills is a student at Grand Valley State University. Police say Police said he was on foot when he left a dorm shortly before midnight on Oct. 29. It was the eve of the Michigan-MSU football game. Meanwhile, in East Lansing, Santo’s disappearance was publicized Saturday on the scoreboard at Spartan Stadium and announced over the public address system.

DEER SEASON-BUTCHERS

It could be tricky to get a deer processed in some areas

ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — Deer hunters might find it easier to bag a buck than to have the meat processed in some areas of Michigan. The traditional 16-day firearm season starts Monday. Some butchers in the northeastern Lower Peninsula say several shops have closed or their owners have retired. Alisha Manning is the owner of Bucky’s Meats, west of Alpena. She's been processing deer from earlier limited hunts. Manning had to put up a sign telling hunters she was “maxed out.” But she's ready to take deer again during the firearm season.

FATAL OVERDOSES-HOUSE

2 people die from drugs just days apart at same house

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) — Police say two people died of suspected drug overdoses just days apart in the same central Michigan house. The latest was 63-year-old John Smith, who was renting the Mount Pleasant house and was found dead last Monday. The Morning Sun newspaper, citing police reports, says the landlord made the discovery. Justin Gay was found dead in the same house on Nov. 6. He was 41 years old. The Oak Street house was a hub of drug activity for much of the summer before a raid by police in September. Mount Pleasant is 70 miles north of Lansing.

GRAND RAPIDS-POLICE CHIEF

Grand Rapids starts recruitment for next police chief

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A national recruitment is being conducted for the next police chief in Grand Rapids. The city says a search firm on Friday issued a candidate profile along with application instructions. The open application period runs through Dec. 10. A search and consulting firm held more than two dozen sessions, seeking input from the community, the police department and others on candidate attributes and characteristics. The city says the input will be used to help evaluate prospective candidates. The position’s current top salary is $160,000. Current Chief Eric Payne has said he will retire early next year.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FINES

Whitmer vetoes ban on fining employers for COVID violations

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed a bill that would prohibit Michigan’s workplace safety agency from fining employers for first-time violations of COVID-19 rules and require them to be reimbursed if they violated 2020 executive orders that were later declared unconstitutional. The Democratic governor said Friday that the Republican-sponsored legislation would cause the state to fall below minimum standards required by federal law, which would have “disastrous consequences.” The bill was approved on party lines by the Republican-controlled Senate last week. The sponsor has said his bill would “give some grace and relief to the employers in our state.”

STOLEN VEHICLE CRASH-TEEN KILLED

Teen charged in stolen vehicle crash that killed passenger

DETROIT (AP) — A 16-year-old boy who was driving a stolen vehicle while fleeing Detroit police has been charged with murder in a crash that killed his 13-year-old passenger. The Wayne County prosecutor's office says Friday that the teen was being held in a juvenile detention center and faces arraignment next week. Prosecutors said officers on Oct. 21 attempted to stop the stolen vehicle which was speeding as the driver lost control and crashed. The 13-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and another 16-year-old boy in the vehicle were injured.

BODY EXHUMED

Body found off Lake Michigan in 1988 exhumed for DNA

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. (AP) — Authorities in southwestern Michigan are trying to identify a woman's body that was discovered in rocks off Lake Michigan more than 33 years ago. Police this week went to a grave in Berrien County to get a DNA sample. The body washed ashore in New Buffalo on April 8, 1988. Investigators believe the woman was 40 to 60 years old, 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 175 pounds. She was wearing jeans, a bra and black boots but no top. The woman had a porcelain bridge replacing a front tooth — dental work that was considered experimental at the time. Anyone with information can call (269) 683-4411 or (269) 469-1500.

BIDEN-JUSTICE NOMINEES

White House nominates 10 for US Marshals, US attorney posts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is nominating its first set of U.S. Marshals, including the first Black man to serve as the U.S. Marshal in Minnesota, along with a slate of other historic firsts for U.S. attorney posts across the nation. The Justice Department’s 93 U.S. attorneys, who are responsible for federal criminal prosecutions in their respective districts, are likely to be central to efforts to combat violent crime. The White House says the 10 candidates were “chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law" and commitment to the independence of the Justice Department. The announcement also means Biden has now nominated 37 people to serve as U.S. attorneys.

BENTON HARBOR-WATER

Lawsuit over Benton Harbor water seeks class-action status

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan and local officials have been targeted in a lawsuit over high levels of lead in Benton Harbor’s drinking water. The lawsuit was filed this week in federal court. It accuses the state and city of “deliberate indifference” in their response to the problem, which began to emerge in 2018. Doretha Braziel, one of many Benton Harbor residents in the lawsuit, says she only recently became aware that she should avoid drinking the water. Michigan has been supplying free bottled water for weeks and is pledging to help Benton Harbor replace lead service lines outside homes. Lead has been leaching from old pipes, although chemicals to reduce corrosion have been applied.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021