BENZIE
State trooper, 44, dies of cancer
HONOR -- Blair DuVall knew the names and faces of the Benzie County community, and folks there won't soon forget the familiar Michigan State Police trooper who was "good to everyone."
DuVall, 44, died of melanoma Monday after fighting the disease for about two months.
The 20-year state police veteran worked out of the tiny Honor detachment, where he partnered with trooper Rick Doehring for nearly 10 years.
"He fought it all the way ... he didn't want to give up," Doehring said.
As DuVall struggled with cancer, community support swelled around him. A June benefit for DuVall and his wife JoAnn drew more than 1,000 people, and as many as 2,000 people were expected at his Friday funeral in the Benzie Central High School gym.
DuVall, a Flint native, worked as a trooper in Gaylord before transferring to Honor.
Exemplary service marked his career, his superiors and law enforcement officers from other agencies said.
CRAWFORD
Man dies in traffic accident
GRAYLING -- A Roscommon man died in a Crawford County traffic crash.
A vehicle driven by Brian Hundley, 48, rolled over along Deerheart Valley Road near M-18 at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, police said.
The vehicle left the road, overturned and landed on its roof.
Hundley was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a police statement. The accident is under investigation.
GRAND TRAVERSE
United Way chapter picks director
TRAVERSE CITY -- A church employee with years of nonprofit sector experience is the local United Way chapter's new executive director.
Steven Wade, the lay ministry coordinator at Grace Episcopal Church in Traverse City, will lead United Way of Northwest Michigan beginning July 28.
He replaces Pam Prairie, who retired July 1.
Wade, 41, moved to the region eight years ago from Charleston, W. Va., and assisted with the church's operations since 2001.
He earned a degree in social work in 1988 from Shepherd College, now Shepherd University, in West Virginia.
In his career, Wade has worked with teenage and single parents, as a hospital social worker, for a nursing home trade association and for a festival "not dissimilar from the Cherry Festival."
United Way board members in May interviewed three candidates drawn from internal recommendations. Its top candidate declined the job, and the board announced in June they would conduct a public search.
Both remaining candidates were considered in the second round, board President Mike Hill said, but only one was interviewed. Wade was not among them.
He was chosen from a pool of 46 applicants, seven of whom were interviewed. He will earn a base salary of $65,000 per year, Hill said. Prairie made $41,000 in her first year.
Police seek info on theft suspect
TRAVERSE CITY -- Police are looking for a person who took a wallet from a Traverse City apartment.
A woman in an apartment on the 1500 block of Veterans Drive awoke at about 7:30 Tuesday morning to noises coming from her living room area. When she went to check, she saw a man standing outside of her window replacing her screen, according to a police statement.
The suspect left the scene, and the woman found her wallet had been taken from her purse.
Traverse City police checked the area with a dog, but officers couldn't find the man. The suspect is described as a white man wearing a red shirt and tan or white shorts. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Traverse City Police Department at 231-995-5151 or the Silent Observer tip line at 947-TIPS.
KALKASKA
Officer's conduct being reviewed
KALKASKA -- Kalkaska County Undersheriff Bruce Gualtiere is being investigated for allegedly assaulting his teen stepson.
A June 28 incident at Gualtiere's home in Grand Traverse County's Whitewater Township prompted an investigation by Michigan State Police. The case has been forwarded to the Grand Traverse prosecutor's office for possible criminal charges.
Gualtiere was suspended with pay shortly after the incident.
Lt. Kenneth Holmes, commander of the state police Kalkaska post, said the stepson, 17, didn't need medical treatment.
The stepson left Gualtiere's home after the incident and returned to Kalkaska County, where he lives with his girlfriend. His girlfriend's father called 911 and specifically asked for the state police to respond to the incident, Holmes said.
Troopers believe Gualtiere and his stepson argued prior to the alleged assault.
Troopers won't investigate the incident further.
In January, Gualtiere's stepson brought a knife to Kalkaska High School, leading to his eventual expulsion. His mother is Gualtiere's wife, Jan Gualtiere, who works as an administrative assistant at the Kalkaska Sheriff's Department.
Jan Gualtiere was suspended from the department for her role in covering up her son's weapon possession on school grounds. A corrections officer and a deputy also were suspended for their roles in hiding the incident from their superiors.
Authorities identify man killed in crash
KALKASKA -- Authorities identified a downstate man who died in a Kalkaska County traffic crash.
Oak Park resident Yitzhak Hirsh Mondroe, 24, died in a July 4 crash on M-72 near West Bear Lake Road. Kalkaska sheriff's deputies responded to the crash at about 6:40 p.m.
A vehicle traveling west on M-72 was behind a truck pulling a trailer. A tire came loose from the trailer, and the vehicle traveling west collided with a vehicle going east as both drivers reacted to the loose tire rolling down the road, according to a police statement.
Mondroe, a passenger in the vehicle headed west, was pronounced dead at the scene. Four other people were injured, but all had been released from the hospital by Tuesday morning.
LEELANAU
Local altruist dies at age of 66
Northport -- Harold "Buzz" Wilson spent his last day engaged in his passions -- working to improve the State Theatre in Traverse City and spending time at Lake Michigan.
Wilson, 66, died Monday evening. He drowned in Lake Michigan near his waterfront home on North Omigisi Beach Road in Northport.
Wilson devoted time and money to brain injury rehabilitation, the State Theatre, local land conservancy and other causes. He enjoyed fishing with his sons, listening to hard rock music, traveling and taking photos. He was a devoted sports fan and woodworker.
There were no witnesses Monday evening, so it's unknown exactly how he drowned, said Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Oltersdorf. Nothing suspicious was found during the investigation, he said.
Wilson lived in Lake Leelanau and had a second home in Northport. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children, Charlie, Ted and Richard; father, Harold Wilson; brother, Charles Wilson; and sisters, Jean Naramore and Emma Wilson.
Wilson was chief executive officer of Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers, an Ypsilanti-based company that offers services to patients with brain and spinal cord injuries.
He was a great leader who made a deep impact on many people in his more than 25 years with the organization, said Bill Buccalo, the center's president.
Wilson also had great interest in wetlands preservation and made "substantial" gifts to The Leelanau Conservancy as a 15-year member, said Executive Director Brian Price.
OTSEGO
Man killed in one-car crash
GAYLORD -- An Elmira man died in a one-vehicle crash on North Center Street near Shipp Street in Gaylord.
Lee Grasinski, 51, died around 12:50 a.m. Monday after colliding with a sign and some mailboxes, Gaylord police said.
Grasinski was alone in the vehicle.
The crash remains under investigation, police said. Autopsy results are pending.
Ex-DDA official gets prison term
GAYLORD -- Sherrie Schuster bought clothing, jewelry, electronics, rounds of golf and dinner party delicacies during the last seven years.
She paid for it all with stolen public tax dollars.
Ultimately, she also bought herself a stint in state prison.
Schuster, 46, of Gaylord, on Thursday was sentenced to three to 15 years following her conviction for forgery and embezzlement of upwards of $300,000 in public money.
She could have received a minimum sentence of 12 months, but 46th Circuit Court Judge Janet Allen ordered a prison term above minimum guidelines.
Schuster pleaded guilty last month to embezzling from the Gaylord Downtown Development Authority and the Michigan Downtown Association, thefts that began around 2001 and were discovered last year.
She had been the DDA's executive director since 1993 and for the last several years also was treasurer of the statewide umbrella organization.
Schuster will be held at the Otsego County Jail in Gaylord until she is transferred to the state Department of Corrections.
A separate restitution hearing will be scheduled.
WEXFORD
Teen is suspected in string of thefts
CADILLAC -- A tip led police to a Cadillac teen suspected of breaking into several Wexford County businesses.
Authorities believe the teen, 16, was involved in the theft of money, vehicles and other items from a host of businesses, including Kountry Kitchen, C & E Market, Steve's Repair, Star Truck Rental and Cadillac Revival Center, according to a Michigan State Police statement.
Three vehicles were recovered, but the money and a truck from Star Truck Rental are still missing.
Officials are still investigating, and it's not yet clear if other people were involved.
The teen is being held in a youth home pending probate court action.
