ANTRIM
Tapawingo restaurant closes its doors
ELLSWORTH -- An upscale restaurant that put northern Michigan on the fine dining map won't re-open this season.
Tapawingo chef and owner Harlan "Pete" Peterson said Thursday he won't open the Ellsworth restaurant this spring, a "difficult decision" forced in part by a poor economic climate in the state and region.
"It's showing the trend of business in general over the past few years," said Peterson, who opened Tapawingo 26 years ago this spring in a historic home along St. Clair Lake on the north side of the village. The restaurant gained national acclaim for its unique menu, drew reviews from media outlets such as the New York Times, and attracted world famous chefs like Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.
Peterson said the restaurant continued to draw strong summer crowds, but off-season business was in decline and the restaurant closed over the winter.
EMMET
Injured cyclist to receive $1.25M
PETOSKEY -- A man who suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a truck while bicycling will receive a $1.25 million settlement.
Brandon Inglehart, 35, was bicycling along M-32 in Antrim County's Warner Township on April 24, 2007, when a truck driven by Darren Zimmerman slammed into him and his cycling partner, William Aten, 60.
Both men's spines were broken, and Inglehart sustained a brain injury, said their attorney, Blake Ringsmuth, of Traverse City.
GRAND TRAVERSE
Eighth-grader wins area spelling bee
TRAVERSE CITY -- With his competition down for the count, one word stood between Lukas Blakkan-Esser and a trip to Washington, D.C.
Lukas, 13, an eighth-grade student at Traverse City West Middle School, faced the judges on the stage of the City Opera House last Sunday afternoon at the Grand Traverse Regional Spelling Bee. Finalist Kalvis Hornburg stumbled on "bureaucracy" only seconds earlier, clearing Lukas' way for the win.
His word: "carafe." He didn't need a definition. He didn't need it used in a sentence. He knew it.
"C-A-R-A-F-E."
With an approving nod from the judges, Lukas' face lit up and the audience erupted in applause.
Lukas will represent the region at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in May. He beat more than 30 other middle school students from Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Leelanau counties.
Meijer, officials settle lawsuit
TRAVERSE CITY -- Acme Township officials who sued the Grand Rapids-based retail chain Meijer Inc., developer the Village at Grand Traverse LLC and their former attorneys, Dickinson Wright PLLC and Timothy Stoepker, agreed to a tentative settlement of the protracted legal dispute.
Thirteenth Circuit Court Judge Philip E. Rodgers issued an order dated March 12 suspending the lawsuit because of the pending settlement. The suit was filed in 2008 by township trustees Erick Takayama, Frank Zarafonitis, Ron Harden and township planning commissioners Robert Carstens and Clare David. They accused Meijer, the Village, and their former attorneys of malicious prosecution and abuse of court process.
The suit alleged that Meijer, the Village, and their attorneys intentionally harmed township officials through a frivolous lawsuit, illegal campaign activity and secret financial support of a citizens group that harassed township officials. Meijer and the Village were seeking to build a large, disputed development along M-72.
City scales back boat restrictions
TRAVERSE CITY -- City Commissioners scaled back their request to restrict boats on West Grand Traverse Bay in an effort to gain more public support.
The city commission on Monday decided to cut the proposed swim areas in half, but several area boaters maintained their opposition.
Current swim areas are 1,350 feet long by 125 feet deep, and the city last summer asked the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for permission to extend that to 4,450 feet. The DNR denied the request, and the city appealed to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.
The city will instead ask the NRC to lengthen swim areas to roughly 2,440 feet. The hearing before the NRC is scheduled for May 7.
Woman faces charge in drug theft
TRAVERSE CITY -- A Traverse City woman faces a felony larceny charge for allegedly stealing prescription drugs.
Tabbetha Ryan Klaft, 19, allegedly stole Percocet pills from a home in Grand Traverse County's East Bay Township on March 2. She could face up to four years in prison for the offense, and is charged with misdemeanor use of the prescription drug.
Klaft was not yet arrested on Monday.
Police find drugs during traffic stop
TRAVERSE CITY -- A Beulah man was arrested for drunk driving and possession with intent to deliver illegal drugs.
Traverse City Police stopped a minivan on Cass Street around 1:15 a.m. last Sunday after the driver failed to stop for a stop sign at 12th Street. The driver, 29, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, his second such offense, police said.
Officers searched the vehicle and found four plastic bags that contained suspected marijuana, police said. The suspect is held at the Grand Traverse County Jail.
Man allegedly steals equipment
TRAVERSE CITY -- A Kalkaska man faces two felony charges for allegedly stealing music equipment from Traverse City West High School.
Samuel David Theron Plamondon, 19, allegedly stole a Yamaha sound mixing board from the school. The equipment -- worth more than $8,000 -- was missing since October, court records show.
Plamondon was convicted last year of stealing other music department items and told investigators where they could find more, in hopes of leniency, court records show. Prosecutors did not offer a plea deal and Plamondon now faces larceny and receiving and concealing stolen property charges.
Kingsley looks into youth clinic
KINGSLEY -- This community in southern Grand Traverse County has about 1,500 people, but no doctor's office.
For some parents in Kingsley, taking their child for a check-up means driving nearly 20 miles into Traverse City and then 20 miles home.
Local health care could be on its way, if an effort to start a youth clinic is successful.
Kingsley Area Schools was among nine recipients around Michigan for a $50,000 planning grant from the state Department of Community Health, to be used to help the rural district establish a clinic for ages 10-21.
Beginning April 1, administrators and county health officials will spend close to six months working to develop a sustainable program.
At the end of the planning cycle, six of the nine sites will be chosen for additional start-up funding of up to $175,000, said Taggert Doll, coordinator of the Child and Adolescent Health Center program in the state health department.
MDOT delays Division Street work
TRAVERSE CITY -- The Michigan Department of Transportation was scheduled to begin work in May to repair curbs and resurface Division Street from Grandview Parkway to just south of South Airport Road.
But Mayor Michael Estes and local state legislators convinced MDOT to hold off on repaving the section from 14th Street to Grandview Parkway in favor of a major overhaul to improve pedestrian safety.
Estes on Monday met with MDOT Director Kirk Steudle, along with State Sen. Jason Allen and State Rep. Wayne Schmidt, both Traverse City Republicans.
MDOT spokesman Bob Felt said the department would closely work with the city to find the best solution for the road and make sure it's in line with the Grand Vision, a land-use and transportation study for six area counties.
"Whatever it is we do ultimately, it's going to improve the traffic flow and safety along the corridor," Felt said.
The city likely would need to help fund the project, Felt said.
Man facing charges in alleged beating
TRAVERSE CITY -- A man described by police as transient faces four felony and two misdemeanor charges after he allegedly beat and attempted to stab his former girlfriend.
Derrick Antonio Davis, 24, allegedly forced his way into his former girlfriend's apartment on Whitehall Lane in Garfield Township on March 12. He struck the woman repeatedly and tried to stab her with a steak knife before he left the scene, court records show.
The woman received a small cut on her finger.
Davis is charged with home invasion, assault with a dangerous weapon, interfering with a phone line, resisting a police officer, domestic violence and larceny. He could face up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.
Davis, who remains in custody at Grand Traverse County Jail, was arraigned on Monday. His bond was set at $250,000 and he is scheduled for a preliminary examination on March 27 in 86th District Court.
Support staff ratifies contract
TRAVERSE CITY -- Support staff in Traverse City Area Public Schools are working under a new two-year contract.
Under the deal, members of the Traverse City Clerical, Assistants, Paraprofessionals and Secretaries Association, known as TC CAPSA, will receive a 2 percent pay increase and new choices for health insurance.
The new agreement will be retroactive to July 1, 2008, when the previous contract expired. The roughly 300 members ratified it March 5, and school board members approved it recently.
Negotiations began in November and required mediation toward the end, through which some of the union's requests were met, union President Brenda Mortensen said.
Members of the Traverse City Education Association, which represents about 650 teachers, counselors, social workers and nurses, remain in negotiations. Their contract expired Aug. 31.
