ANTRIM
Second Chance closing its doors
CENTRAL LAKE -- Second Chance Armor Inc.'s plant, which withstood bankruptcy to regain its status as a major employer in this Antrim County village, will close its doors, another loss to the local manufacturing sector.
Representatives of Safariland Inc., the parent company of Second Chance, said employees and management at the manufacturing plant were informed of the closure plans Wednesday. The work will be shifted to Safariland's operations in Jacksonville, Fla., and 88 jobs will be eliminated in Central Lake.
Operations will be phased out over the next few months and likely will wind down by late June, company spokesman Michael Munz said. Some workers will be offered positions in Florida, he said.
BENZIE
Land deal would link nature preserves
WATERVALE -- Two existing nature reserves along Upper Herring Lake's western shore in Benzie County may become connected by another preserved parcel.
A potential land deal between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy could link Fruithaven Forest and the Upper Herring Lake Nature preserves, while the state could gain a chunk of land at the nearby Betsie River State Game Area.
As part of the deal, the state would give up 23 acres south of Herring Creek, near the Upper Herring Lake boating access site in Blaine Township. In exchange, the state would receive about 9.5 acres north of M-22, south of the state game area in Gilmore Township. Both parcels are valued at $21,500.
The conservancy wants to prevent future developments in that rural spot by Upper Herring Lake, said Chris Sullivan, land protection specialist with the agency.
CHARLEVOIX
Chambers of commerce lose thousands
TRAVERSE CITY -- Several chambers of commerce in northern Michigan, along with scores of their members and consumers, lost big money in worthless gift certificates after an Ohio company shut its doors.
Last week's closing of Dayton, Ohio-based CertifiChecks Inc. left almost two dozen chambers around Michigan scrambling for answers, including business organizations in Charlevoix, Petoskey, Sault Ste. Marie and the Ludington-Scottville area.
Bob Thomas, of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, said it's identified 23 local chambers around the state that purchased certificates through the company. As of Tuesday morning, Thomas said 11 chambers reported around $960,000 in losses, an amount that will increase significantly as more totals are determined.
The problem did not affect the gift certificate program operated by Traverse City's Downtown Development Authority, which runs through a local bank. Gift certificate programs operated by chambers in Elk Rapids and Boyne City also are locally managed and not affected by the CertifiCheck closure.
Local chamber officials advise consumers or businesses who possess the certificates to hang on to them until they can learn more about the company's fate.
CHEBOYGAN
Troopers sentenced for deer poaching
CHEBOYGAN -- Two Michigan State Police troopers from the Cheboygan post were sentenced to jail, ordered to pay fines and will lose their hunting privileges for poaching deer while on duty.
The Cheboygan Daily Tribune reported that trooper Jeff Hadley was sentenced to four days in jail for shooting a buck with his hunting rifle Nov. 12 while on patrol in Cheboygan County's Benton Township. Trooper Don Bolen received a two-day jail sentence.
Judge Maria Barton told Bolen he broke the law on duty, in a police vehicle and while being paid by taxpayers to enforce laws.
The troopers will split $6,606 in Department of Natural Resources fines and each will pay $3,105 in court costs. Both eventually will be transferred from Cheboygan.
Both apologized during their sentencings.
GRAND TRAVERSE
Judge denies motions to dismiss suit
TRAVERSE CITY -- A Traverse City judge had harsh words for downstate developers who tried to manipulate a bankruptcy proceeding to avoid being sued by former Acme Township Treasurer Bill Boltres.
Grand Traverse County Circuit Court Judge Philip E. Rodgers denied two separate motions by the Village at Grand Traverse LLC to dismiss Boltres' lawsuit that alleges malicious prosecution and abuse of process. In one of the motions, the Village argued Boltres lacked standing to sue because he was in bankruptcy.
Meijer Inc. and the Village sued eight township officials in 2005, including Boltres, alleging they had a conflict of interest while they considered a development project off M-72. Meijer officials said they were seeking millions of dollars in damages.
Boltres alleged the personal lawsuits were used to threaten significant economic risk should he vote against plans for large commercial and residential development on M-72 anchored by Meijer.
He suffered a heart attack and other medical problems while being sued, then filed for bankruptcy.
Boltres subsequently sued Meijer in 2007 and settled for an undisclosed sum. His suit uncovered Meijer's illegal tampering in two township elections and funding of a citizen's group that harassed township officials.
Then, in early 2008, Boltres sued the Village. The developer then purchased one of his bankruptcy debts.
Rodgers, though, ruled that because Boltres paid all debts with interest and the bankruptcy trustee abandoned any interest in suing the Village, Boltres had standing to sue the developer.
School officials, union are mum
TRAVERSE CITY -- Administrators and teachers in Traverse City schools won't say what's causing an impasse after months of contract negotiations, keeping taxpayers out of the loop.
Professionals with the Michigan Education Association, the largest teachers' union in the state, also are mum.
Contract talks between Traverse City Area Public Schools and the Traverse City Education Association, which represents about 650 teachers, social workers, counselors and nurses, are intended to reach a deal to replace the one that expired Aug. 31.
Teachers continue to work under a one-year agreement reached in September 2007.
Taxpayers pay for the district's salaries and benefits, which make up more than 86 percent of TCAPS' general fund expenses.
Ankle injury at fest prompts suit
TRAVERSE CITY -- A woman is suing the National Cherry Festival, alleging she injured her ankle at the annual summer celebration.
Grand Traverse County resident Melissa Cook seeks at least $25,000 in damages in a suit recently filed in 13th Circuit Court.
Cook's suit alleges she sustained "serious and permanent injuries" to her left ankle when she slipped down "defective steps" at the festival midway July 5.
Festival Executive Director Tim Hinkley on Monday said he hadn't yet heard of the suit and couldn't comment. He said the festival experiences a relatively low number of lawsuits considering the thousands of people who visit it every year.
Woman sues over dismissal
TRAVERSE CITY -- A local health care worker contends she was fired in part because she tried to start a union at her workplace.
Kira Hudson recently filed a lawsuit against Bortz Health Care of Traverse City. Hudson, a former certified nurses' assistant at Bortz' nursing facility on Concord Street, said she was fired after she talked about forming a union with her fellow employees.
Hudson's suit also alleges Bortz violated the state Whistleblower Protection Act because her firing came days after she reported alleged violations at the facility to the State Department of Health and Human Services.
Hudson seeks at least $25,000 in damages in the suit, prepared by Traverse City law firm Smith & Johnson.
Attorneys for the nursing home deny the bulk of Hudson's claims and contend she was fired for "legitimate, non-discriminatory and non-retaliatory reasons," in a formal response filed with the court.
Bortz fired Hudson because she racked up five written disciplines and two suspensions in less than a year for a "pattern of insubordinate behaviors," the response reads, including the verbal abuse of a nursing home resident.
Removal of dam equipment considered
TRAVERSE CITY -- A pending decision about what to do with the Boardman River dams is becoming a bit more complicated.
Northport resident Charles Peterson said he's considering removing hydroelectric equipment he owns inside Boardman and Sabin dams, ostensibly to prevent wear and tear on the machinery.
The equipment wasn't designed to use at less than full capacity, Peterson said, and he wants Grand Traverse County officials to raise the river's water level, close penstocks and allow him to make repairs, or agree to let him remove the equipment altogether, he said.
Traverse City and Grand Traverse County officials must decide whether to restore Boardman, Sabin and Brown Bridge dams to hydroelectric use, breach the structures, remove them or make modifications, following a multi-year, $1 million-plus public study of the structures and the watershed. The city owns Brown Bridge Dam and the county owns the others.
Peterson would prefer city and county leaders choose him to return the dams to hydroelectric use and leave his equipment in place, but he's growing impatient.
Old Town parking deck receives $1M grant
TRAVERSE CITY -- A publicly funded parking structure in Old Town received a $1 million state grant.
The Traverse City commission on Monday officially accepted a grant that will pay for property and engineering for the parking deck.
State and local funds will cover $9.8 million to build the deck, and Hagerty Insurance Agency will donate a piece of land worth $685,000. The insurance company is expanding its business and will use additional parking.
The Community Development Block Grant requires Hagerty to create a minimum of 100 permanent jobs, with at least 51 percent for low and moderate incomes. Hagerty expects 360 retained and 226 new jobs.
The planned three-story structure, to have 410 parking spots, would be situated between Lake Avenue and Union, Cass and Eighth streets. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall.
Solar panels eyed for Civic Center pool
TRAVERSE CITY -- A little bit of sunshine on the Grand Traverse County Civic Center could save taxpayers $37,000 each year.
The county is preparing to seek bids to install solar heating panels on the Civic Center's roof to help warm the county pool. A local solar energy company estimates panels would cost about $157,000. Energy savings would cover that cost within five years, based on projections.
"If we could make it work it would sure be nice; this is a high-energy building," said Danny Brown, county director of facilities who's researched the proposal.
County Commissioner Larry Inman started the solar ball rolling after attending an energy conference last fall. Inman learned the City of Ann Arbor uses solar panels to heat its community pools.
Superintendent may return raise
TRAVERSE CITY -- The chief administrator of Traverse City Area Public Schools intends to return his next pay raise, a move he said would establish a tone of leadership through an upcoming budget crisis.
Superintendent James Feil would give back the increase, estimated now at $3,000, as part of draft budget cut recommendations he will offer during Monday's school board meeting.
The intention, he said, is to offset a lack of revenue at both the local and state levels by diverting money that would have gone toward his salary back into district programs.
TCAPS faces a roughly $3 million shortfall next year, with about $2.1 million in budget cuts expected to be decided later this month, and the amount of state per-student aid remains unknown.
Feil receives a base salary of $159,832 this year, up 3.5 percent from last year. His contract, set to expire in June 2010, includes at least a 3.5 percent cost-of-living increase for 2008-09 and 2009-10.
He said he will not return this year's raise.
TCAPS scraps biodiesel fuel
TRAVERSE CITY -- Biodiesel no longer is used in Traverse City school buses, but its remnants live on -- as about eight inches of sludge coating the bottom of a fuel tank.
The cost to clean the tank could be an additional general fund expense, said Phil Haldaman, transportation director for Traverse City Area Public Schools.
Biodiesel can congeal in colder temperatures and has been gathering for years, Haldaman said.
The fuel contains 5 percent "green" components and 95 percent diesel, and was phased out of service at the start of this school year. Higher costs and new devices aimed at reducing emissions led to the switch, Haldaman said.
Cleaning the tank coincides with a planned overhaul this summer of the district's fuel island. The work will repair cracking concrete, realign the pumping stations and attempt to prevent contamination.
Budgeted for $400,000, Haldaman estimated construction could finish closer to $325,000, to be paid for with bond revenue.
Man charged with snowmobile thefts
TRAVERSE CITY -- A man who police said was involved in the theft of two snowmobiles faces criminal charges.
Brian Craig Mayo Sr. is charged with larceny between $1,000 and $20,000 and receiving or concealing stolen property in the same amount. He hadn't been arrested Wednesday morning.
An owner of Blue Star Rentals in East Bay Township said two of the businesses' snowmobiles were stolen Jan. 3. A Grand Traverse sheriff's detective later recovered the snowmobiles from a residence where Mayo lived, court records show.
Mayo allegedly told a woman he, along with another man, stole the two snowmobiles.
Man accused in hit-and-run
TRAVERSE CITY -- A man who allegedly hit a pedestrian and didn't stop faces criminal charges.
Jon Stephen Head, 43, is charged with failure to stop after a personal injury accident and third-offense drunken driving. A preliminary examination is scheduled for March 17.
A woman told police she was a passenger in a minivan driven by Head Feb. 22. Head allegedly struck a pedestrian as he drove along 8th Street in Traverse City, but didn't stop, the woman said.
A Traverse City police officer went to Head's house after the incident, court records show. Head allegedly smelled of alcohol and said he drank alcohol at a bar and was driving home on 8th Street when the collision occurred.
The pedestrian was treated at the hospital for a head laceration and released, Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said.
Head previously was convicted of drunken driving in 1987 and 1988, court records show.
Police seek info on break-in
TRAVERSE CITY -- Police are investigating a break-in at a local business.
Police went to Kardes Self Serve Laundry on Division Street on Wednesday morning on a report of a burglary. Someone entered the business through a set of double doors and stole more than $150 from a cash register.
Anyone with any information can contact the Traverse City Police Department at 995-5151 or Silent Observer at 947-TIPS.
Justices vote to let Weaver keep office
TRAVERSE CITY -- A Michigan Supreme Court justice with roots in the region will retain her local office, the court voted.
Justice Elizabeth Weaver, a Glen Arbor resident, will keep her office in the Bayview Professional Centre near the intersection of M-72 and M-22 in Traverse City. The court under former Chief Justice Clifford Taylor in November voted to close Weaver's office and a Detroit office in what they said was an effort to trim costs.
Weaver recently moved to reverse the decision.
LEELANAU
County board hires new administrator
SUTTONS BAY -- Robert Sobie took a 12 percent pay cut, but now he's got the top administrative job in one of Michigan's most picturesque counties.
Sobie on Tuesday accepted an offer to become Leelanau County's next administrator.
Sobie, 46, of Olivet, is an assistant professor of public administration at Western Michigan University and director of information systems for Eaton County.
County board Chairwoman Mary Tonneberger said commissioners were impressed with Sobie's background in information technology and public policy.
Eaton County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sauter praised Sobie for his work in eliminating paper files in the prosecutor's office, saving taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars by using electronic documents.
Former county Administrator David Gill retired in December after six years in the position. His executive assistant, Georgia Robertson, is serving as interim administrator.
Electrical substation receives go-ahead
GREILICKVILLE -- Wolverine Power Cooperative on Thursday received permission from the Michigan Public Service Commission to bypass township ordinances and construct an electrical transmission substation at M-72 and Bugai Road in Elmwood Township.
Power lines for Cherryland Electric Cooperative, Traverse City Light & Power, Consumers Energy and Michigan Electric Transmission Company will connect to the station. Wolverine and Light & Power plan to share construction costs for the $6 million dollar project.
Several Elmwood Township residents were concerned with the substation's location, possible health risks, and visual and noise screening.
The MPSC ruled that the project doesn't present "an unreasonable threat to public health or safety," and the utilities agreed to a site plan with buffer zones and lighting considerations.
OTSEGO
Chamber to cover gift checks
GAYLORD -- Merchants or consumers holding gift certificates issued through the Gaylord/Otsego Chamber of Commerce can redeem them locally even though the company that runs the program is out of business.
The chamber board agreed last week to honor the certificates, after the Gaylord chamber was among almost two dozen in Michigan affected by last week's closure of Certifichecks Inc. The Dayton, Ohio, company runs a gift certificate program for 23 chambers scattered across Michigan, but it shut down recently and is expected to file for bankruptcy.
"Our board of directors firmly believe our merchants should not be impacted by that company's closing," said Paul Beachnau, the chamber's executive director.
Beachnau said around $14,000 of the certificates were distributed through the chamber last year. But he estimated around 90 percent of the certificates have already been redeemed, limiting the chamber's potential exposure to less than $2,000.
The chamber is asking its members to continue accepting the certificates, but not deposit them in a bank because they will be returned. They can be turned over to the chamber office at 101 W. Main St. in Gaylord for reimbursement, where consumers can also return the certificates for payment.
