BENZIE
Investigator for Joni Holbrook approved
BEULAH -- A judge will allow Joni Holbrook's defense attorney to hire a private investigator at public expense.
Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer on Friday granted defense attorney Jesse Williams' motion to hire a private investigator to help interview witnesses.
He also granted Williams' motion to hire a psychiatric expert to determine whether his client suffers from battered spouse syndrome, and hire a computer technician to examine Melvin Holbrook's computer, also at public expense.
Batzer granted the motions contingent upon receiving an affidavit that shows Joni Holbrook is indigent.
Holbrook faces an open count of murder in the Aug. 10 shooting death of her husband, Michigan State Police Sgt. Melvin Holbrook. Authorities believe Joni Holbrook shot her husband with his service weapon as he slept.
Williams previously told Batzer he wanted the investigator and experts to help him defend Holbrook..
Frankfort ponders biomass plant
FRANKFORT -- Another northern Michigan community wants to increase local renewable energy sources, including a possible biomass power plant.
Frankfort city officials are working on a new master plan, including guidelines for residential districts, future land use and transportation issues. Deep inside the draft master plan is a section on renewable energy that highlights the Benzie County city's goal of energy independence and how it could achieve that position through wind, solar and biomass technologies.
City Superintendent Joshua Mills realizes biomass energy -- whether generated from burning wood, other organic material or household rubbish -- is a contentious issue. He expects the issue to prompt plenty of debate, though no one has yet to propose such a facility in town.
"It's nothing the city is committed to. The city is committed to pursuing renewable energy," Mills said.
Its willingness to consider a biomass power plant puts Frankfort among the ranks of communities like Traverse City and Mancelona, where facilities have been approved or are under consideration. Wood-burning power plants already exist in Cadillac and Grayling.
Frankfort's potential flirtation with biomass troubles some residents of the Lake Michigan shoreline town.
GRAND TRAVERSE
Inaugural festival deemed a success
TRAVERSE CITY -- The first Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival made good on half its promises.
Its tag line predicted "A thousand laughs and 200 inches of snow." The weekend delivered the jokes but not the excessive flurries. The temperature reached a high of 39 degrees Saturday and was expected to top out around 36 degrees Sunday, balmier than the 31 degree normal highs for those days.
The three day festival was organized by the Traverse City Film Festival and wrapped up Sunday with four events at the State Theatre.
"It was a little like film festival in the winter," said Jill Beauchamp, events coordinator at the nearby Horizon Books.
Cathy Berman of Traverse City was back at the State on Sunday to see the silent film "The Cameraman." Berman caught festival headliner Roseanne Barr's act at the State the night before and raved about Barr's performance.
"She was topical. She was sharp," Berman said.
The theater was "packed," and the comedian joked about her age and weight loss and discussed the president, Berman said. Barr even sang.
"She was fantastic," said film festival executive director Deb Lake, of Barr. And, the audience was appreciative: "You could feel the love," Lake said.
Speaker: Biomass a 'colossal mistake'
TRAVERSE CITY -- Biomass? Try "biomess." That's the message Rachel Smolker had for a large crowd gathered to explore the local and statewide ramifications of a wood-burning power plant in Traverse City.
Smolker, a forest researcher and climate advocate, came as a guest of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council to speak about Traverse City Light & Power's biomass plans.
About 100 people gathered in a conference room at the Traverse Area District Library Monday night as she expressed her concerns. Biomass plants pollute no less than coal facilities, she said, and their proliferation is a significant threat to the nation's forests.
"These facilities are gaping maws just needing to be constantly stuffed with biomass," she said.
Light & Power, which currently uses coal and natural gas for 99 percent of its power, likely would build the plant on a seven-acre parcel off Parsons Road in Traverse City. Officials previously said it would consume about ten truckloads of wood each day.
Communities across the country and around the world need to take pause from a headlong rush into biomass, Smolker said. It's the "low-hanging fruit" of renewable-energy options because it's technologically simple, but it's not always the best option.
No deal on cuts to TCAPS school days
TRAVERSE CITY -- A school calendar change touted as a potential cost savings for Traverse City's public schools is jeopardized after talks broke down between teachers and administrators.
Administrators and Traverse City Education Association leaders could not agree Tuesday on how many half days to combine or how many full days to eliminate this year in order to cut costs next year.
The measure was part of roughly $6 million in budget cuts school board members approved for 2010-11.
District savings were projected to reach $140,000 this year and $127,000 next year, said Christine Davis, executive director of human resources.
Both sides met several times to negotiate the calendar changes. Any alterations would have taken effect March 1.
Board members approved combining up to eight half days, removing up to three full days and adding as many as 18 minutes to every day this year to allow flexibility in setting next year's calendar.
State law won't allow school districts to meet fewer days next year than they do this year.
Officials largely in favor of biomass plant
TRAVERSE CITY -- City commissioners have plenty of questions about a proposed wood-burning power plant, but largely believe it's a good idea for the region.
Traverse City Light & Power soon will decide whether to build a biomass plant. The plant would be fired on wood or other plant-based materials and likely be built on a seven-acre site off Parsons Road in Traverse City.
City commissioners must approve the project if Light & Power goes out for bonds, City Manager Ben Bifoss said, something the public utility is likely to do. Anticipated construction costs are about $30 million, though half could be covered by federal stimulus money.
Light & Power had a joint meeting with the city commission Monday to discuss biomass. No decisions were made.
Mayor Chris Bzdok, who regularly deals with energy and environmental issues, believes biomass is a "vital component" of an environmentally sensitive energy portfolio.
It's much more carbon friendly than coal, he said, and can be sustainable if properly managed.
"It's not the end-all solution, but it's a component, and we've got to figure out a responsible, sustainable fuel level," he said.
Grant to fund nonstop flights to Denver
TRAVERSE CITY -- Rick Stein flies to Denver a couple of times a year for business or recreation, but can't get there without first waiting elsewhere.
Stein typically cools his heels at Detroit or Minneapolis airports before making it to the Mile High City, but his layovers may soon be a thing of the past. Cherry Capital Airport is in line for a federal transportation grant to establish year-round direct flights to Denver, and Stein is glad it soon will be a nonstop trip.
"If you can fly direct, it's the only way to go today," said Stein, a Traverse City real estate agent. "When you're flying with skis or whatever, it's a lot easier to have one flight." The U.S. Department of Transportation approved a grant to the Northwestern Regional Airport Commission that will provide up to $400,000 for one year to help underwrite year-round direct flight service from Traverse City to Denver International Airport.
The grant includes a local match of $100,000 -- $75,000 from the airport and $25,000 pledged by the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce.
TC officer may still
be cited in crash
TRAVERSE CITY -- An off-duty Traverse City Police officer who crashed and burned his vehicle could yet face legal consequences, investigators said.
The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Department continues to investigate a Feb. 7 crash along Cedar Run Road in Garfield Township. City officer Joseph Soffredine ran his Dodge Durango off the road at about 3:20 a.m. and subsequently overheated and ignited his vehicle by continually revving the accelerator in an attempt to free himself.
Sheriff Tom Bensley and Undersheriff Nate Alger on Wednesday said Soffredine could be cited for one or more infractions. Sheriff's investigators continue to interview witnesses, and could gather enough evidence to take action.
But Bensley said his department's main concern is whether his employees -- Deputies Robert Sillers and Mark Noffke -- appropriately handled the crash.
"We want to know if our officers did the right thing out there," Bensley said. "If they did, good for them. If they didn't, we'll have to deal with it." Sillers and Noffke failed to cite Soffredine for driving with license plates that expired more than six months ago, and also didn't administer field sobriety or preliminary breath tests.
The deputies said icy roads caused the crash, but reports from witnesses and the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department said the road was clear.
Husband accused
in his wife's death
Traverse City -- Tedd Strieter wants to see his baby sister one last time.
"I want her back," he said. "She doesn't deserve this. Her life wasn't over yet."
Strieter's sister, Shari Lee Marvin, 46, died inside her Garfield Township apartment Thursday, and authorities charged her husband, Michael David Marvin, with an open count of murder after he allegedly stabbed her in the chest with a knife. Authorities found a knife at the scene, but would not say if it was the suspected murder weapon.
"We've been through everything," Strieter said. "Every time we were knocked down, we picked each other up."
That included their regular visits to a skating rink, a place they regularly visited in their younger years. Shari was the youngest of 14 siblings.
Strieter spoke with his sister this week to arrange an April trip to Allendale to watch her daughter graduate from college; Shari had five children.
Michael Marvin, 47, of Traverse City, remains in the Grand Traverse County Jail and faces up to life in prison, if convicted. He was arraigned and denied bond in 86th District Court on Friday.
Strieter said he liked Michael Marvin well enough, but did not trust him with his sister.
Shari Marvin often complained that her husband was abusive, but Strieter said she never reported altercations to authorities.
"We never thought it'd go this far," he said.
Shari Marvin's body was taken to Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids for an autopsy on Friday. Autopsy results were not readily available.
Authorities arrived at the couple's Garfield Township apartment around 7 a.m. Thursday after they received what they described as a panicked call from Michael Marvin.
Camp, Stupak toe party lines on health care
TRAVERSE CITY -- Two U.S. representatives from northern Michigan sit on opposite sides of the aisle in Washington and likewise disagree on national health care reforms.
U.S. Reps. Dave Camp, R-Midland, and Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, toed their parties' lines on Thursday as President Barack Obama's health care summit unfolded live on national television, often in confrontational fashion.
Camp, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, participated in the summit; Stupak did not.
Camp characterizes reforms proposed by Democrats as a "government takeover" of health care that will increase health insurance costs, explode the deficit and slash Medicare benefits. He wanted Obama to drop his proposal and start fresh, particularly requirements for all citizens to buy health insurance.
"The American people have told us they don't want to be forced to buy health insurance that they don't want and they can't afford. This is a significant issue across the country. The American people are telling us that the mandates, the requirements to buy insurance are something they want us to scrap and start over on," Camp told Obama during the summit.
