Friday, October 15, 2021 -

Man accused of aiding murder suspect headed to trial - Elisha Carmen Garozzo was supposed to be in the courtroom yesterday afternoon, but that was cancelled after he waived his right to a hearing to examine the evidence against him. He’s charged with accessory after the fact, a five-year felony; and tampering with evidence, a four-year felony, for his role in the murder of Alexa Lin Riley, 16, of Big Rapids. Just what he is accused of doing is unknown. That info was moved to the non-public part of his file on the grounds that Riley is a juvenile.

3 Alma commissioners file circuit court appeal regarding recall petition language - The three Alma city commissioners that had recall petitions filed against them have filed appeals regarding recall language against them. The recall language was approved on September 29^th, the three then had 10 days to file an appeal which they did on Oct. 8. The language says they’re being recalled for overruling the planning commission’s denial for a conditional rezoning request. All three are arguing that they did not “overrule” the planning commission because it’s that subcommittee’s job to make “recommendations” not final decisions The next step is a hearing where a judge will  decide the “clarity” of the petition language.

US Unemployment Claims Hit Pre-Pandemic Levels - The US saw the fewest unemployment claims last week since the start of the pandemic.  Normally that would be a good sign, but even with fewer people collecting unemployment, we still aren’t people going back to work. Experts say there they’re seeing a few reasons why

• People that are eligible for retirement are taking it
• Younger workers have family responsibilities at home and child care is a huge issue
• Lots of workers are taking advantage of the pandemic as a career restart.

Michigan ranked No. 4 in ghost sightings since 1972 - A new study shows that Michigan has had 2,576 ghost sightings since 1972, making us the 4^th highest state for ghost-sightings in the country.  While ghost sightings are high in some states, the chances of seeing a ghost may be different, but not in Michigan. Officials say your chances are actually seeing a  ghost in Michigan are higher than in other states who also have a high number of sightings. Not a fan of ghosts, you may want to think of relocating. Rounding out the bottom of the list with the least amount of ghost sightings are Delaware, Hawaii, Wyoming, Vermont and Alaska.

FDA Panel Recommends Moderna COVID Booster - In a unanimous decision, the FDA is now recommending the Moderna COVID booster. But as of now, only for those 65 and older, and those at high-risk. There are still a few more steps to go through before the rest of us can get our third Moderna shot

Former President Bill Clinton Hospitalized In SoCal - Former President Bill Clinton is in the hospital due to a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream. Docs say he’s responding well to the treatment and hope to have him go home soon.

Thursday, October 14, 2021

CMU investigation exonerates three employees it suspended - The results of an independent investigation have not only exonerated three CMU faculty members from charges that they knowingly sent interns and graduates to Lansing PR firm, Vanguard Public Affairs knowing that they may be mistreated, but also cleared one faculty member of any charges that he facilitated a pipeline of young women to the company. You can catch up with all the details of this story at themorningsun.com

Biden Confronts Supply Chain Gridlock - President Biden is trying to get a handle on bottlenecks involving the shipment of goods to the U.S due to COVID related problems with the global supply chain. He said that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will now run 24-7 in an effort to reduce supply ship traffic jams. He also said that some of the top U.S. shippers and retailers have agreed to do more offloading and stocking of supplies during off-peak hours.

Public Voices Concerns and Support for Proposed Line 5 Pipeline Tunnel - At a meeting yesterday, members of the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority got together to again express their concerns over the safety of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. Despite Governor Whitmer’s order to shut down the pipeline, Enbridge has continued operations and is still in talks to build a tunnel for the pipeline. Some of the public including Michigan Indian tribes want the pipeline shutdown because of the possibility of a leak in the Straits of Mackinac.  Others spoke in favor of the project saying it’s about time Michigan moved forward and started doing big things again.  Enbridge maintains the risk is nearly zero

Psych eval ordered for murder suspect; hearing for accomplice set - Legal proceedings against Union Township man Joel Patrick Dorlice-Travis are on hold pending a psych evaluation.  Travis, among a long list of charges, is accused of killing 16 year old Alexia Lin Riley after police found her body in Travis’ apartment while they were investigating a different crime. His roommate, Elisha Carmen Garozzo, is expected in court today on charges that he assisted Travis. Details and updates on this story are at themorning sun.com

Chippewa Hills to Remove Native American Logos, Keep Warrior Name - Same name, new logo. Back in 2019 the Chippewa Hills School Board starting looking into changing the schools logo.

This week, they voted to keep the Warrior name but remove the Native American images. They’re hoping to have a new logo picked by the end of the calendar year and all old logos gone by the end of the next school year.  

10 of the best haunted attractions in Michigan's Lower Peninsula - It may not feel like it outside, but Halloween season is here. If you’re looking for something haunted, the Midland Daily News has an online interactive map of the 10 best haunted attractions in Michigan including:

• Tee Lake’s Halloween Spooktacular in Lewiston
• Hinterland in Ashley
• Manistee’s Ghost Ship in Manistee
• Abandoned Acres Farm in Sparta
• The Haunt in Wyoming
• Minden City’s Haunted Hall in Minden City
• Wicked Woods of Terror in Caro
• The Howling Haunted Trail in Fenton
• Hysteria Haunts in Birch Run
• Edson Incident in Bay City

You can get the full list including addresses, hours, and details at ourmidland.com

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Shepherd buildings go to mask requirement after surge - Shepherd schools are now under mask mandates after an increase in COVID cases after Homecoming Week.  Masks will be required at all three buildings until the middle and high school are down to five cases and the elementary down to four

Mt. Pleasant approves pedestrian street lighting - After hearing a few objections last month, yesterday Mt. Pleasant city commissioners ok’d a pedestrian street light proposal. Set to start next year, the project will add street lights on Illinois Street between Main and Fancher streets.

Truck leaves road, hits and kills woman - A 76-year-old Mt. Pleasant woman was hit and killed yesterday afternoon by a pickup truck that had gone off the road. Police believe the woman was walking back to her house after getting her mail when the truck went off the road and hit her on Bamber north of Pickard.  The driver of the truck told police that he may have fallen asleep at the wheel

Retired Ithaca teacher honored by alma mater - Sue Meier, spent 32 years teaching Kindergarten at South Elementary in Ithaca before retiring in 2020.  And now she has to make a little room on her trophy shelf, her almamater, Northern Michigan University, named her the recipient of the 2021 Northern Michigan University Alumni Achievement Award.  Read more at the morning sun.com

Clare’s Ideal Theatre Has Big Plans for Reopening - New owners and plan to reopen. The historic Ideal Theatre in Clare is set to open its doors sometime in early 2022 after some much needed renovations and upgrades.  Plans include renovate the building to make it wheelchair accessible, open up the lobby, and make the 1930 theater safer for their visitors. The new owners goal is to continue to provide affordable movies and concessions to the Clare community.

U.S. Plans To Reopen Border For Vaccinated Canadians, Mexicans - After closing in March 2020, the US will finally reopen its northern border to fully vaccinated Canadians – the same for our neighbors to the South. Restrictions will begin loosening next month – though officials say a specific date hasn’t been set yet.

Autopsy Reveals Gabby Petito Died From Strangulation - The autopsy results are in. Teton County Coroner says that Gabby Petito died from strangulation roughly three-to-four weeks before her body was found.  In the meantime, police have been searching for her former boyfriend Brian Laundrie since last month. At this time Laundrie is only considered a person of interest in relation to Gabby’s demise