Kalamazoo Fugitive Caught

One of Kalamazoo County’s most wanted is in jail today.  Police captured Ronald Marlatt after they got a tip he was visiting a house in the 1400 block of N. Park Street.  They found him sitting in a car there.  He had been on the run since July 15 after eluding police in a high speed chase.  Marlatt is suspected to be involved with several area meth labs and police say Marlatt has a violent past, including several convictions.

Richland-AD Embezzlement

Prosecutors in Kalamazoo County will not press charges against the former athletic director at Gull Lake High School.  Mark Throop was fired months before he was set to retire.  He was let go after the school found financial irregularities in the athletic department and feared he had embezzled money.  Reports say prosecutors did not find enough evidence Throop committed a crime so they’re not moving forward with the case. Throop spent 27 years with the district and 20 years as A-D.

Portage Pedestrian OK

Portage Public Safety is investigating a crash after a car hits a pedestrian late Sunday night. It happened at the intersection of South Westnedge and Romence just after 11 p.m.  A 22-year-old man from Vicksburg was crossing the road when he was struck by a northbound vehicle.  Officials on scene say the victim was up and walking around after the crash but was taken to Bronson Hospital as a precaution.

Devil Statue in Detroit

Several hundred people attended a Mass at a Detroit Catholic church to protest an 8½-foot-tall bronze statue of Satan that crowds of people also lined up to see. Satanic Temple had said it would unveil the statue Saturday at a Detroit location that only people with tickets would know.

Gas Prices

Triple A Michigan says gas prices statewide have gone down by about 10 cents in the past week, making it the third straight weekly decline by at least that amount.  The lowest average price was about $2.41 per gallon in the Jackson area.  Prices in Battle Creek this morning are around 2.45 per gallon.

Gay Marriage Lawsuit

Lawyers for a Hazel Park couple who helped legalize same-sex marriage want a federal judge to force to state to pay nearly $2 million in legal fees. The state opposed April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse’s case, which went all the way to the U-S Supreme Court.

Kalamazoo STDs Up

Health officials in Kalamazoo County are concerned about an alarming increase in sexually transmitted diseases --especially among teens.  Public health officials say the numbers for 15-to-19 year olds who contracted gonorrhea nearly tripled between 2013 and 2014.

Tesla Charging Station Opens

Electric car company Tesla Motors is opening a new charging station southeast of Grand Rapids.  Reports say the charging station is set to open Monday at a Meijer store in Cascade Township. The charging station would work with Tesla's Model S electric sedan.  Tesla said in May that it purchased a tool-and-die maker in Cascade Township. The Palo Alto, California-based company said the purchase would help it with building new plastic parts.

Isle Royale - Wolves

The first steps in creating a plan to manage the wolf population on Isle Royale begins in earnest this week with a series of public hearings.  Nine wolves lived on the island, which is north of the Keweenaw Peninsula, two years ago.  Now only three do.  Park Superintendent Phyllis Green says, so far, they’ve been letting nature take its course to see if new wolves move on to the island.   But that hasn’t gone as planned. The hearings will be held on the island, in Houghton and in neighboring Minnesota. People can also chime in on the island’s website.  A final decision won’t be made until 2017.

Pigs OK at Van Buren Fair

The Van Buren Youth Fair had several livestock exhibits this year, including pigs. There were concerns that some of the pigs may have been sick with swine flu.  A sergeant with the Van Buren County Sheriff said the pigs’ illness was not swine flu, but heat related. Officials say the sick animals were taken home by their owners.

Chrysler Recall

Fiat Chrysler says it is recalling more than half a million more trucks in the U.S. to fix faulty impact sensors. The carmaker says in a statement posted on the U.S. Department of Transportation's website that the faulty sensors could cause seat belt pre-tensioners to activate and cause air bags to deploy unexpectedly, increasing the risk of crash or injury.

Kasich Visits

GOP Presidential hopeful and Ohio Governor John Kasich spent his weekend traversing Michigan. He made stops in Southfield, Grand Rapids and Grandville Saturday.  The three city jaunt comes just days after he formally tossed his hat into the ring for the GOP presidential nomination. Kasich is among 16 people vying for the nomination.  This is his third visit to the state this year albeit the first time as an announced candidate.  The presidential primary is March 8, 2016.

Pot Heals Bones

A new medical use has been found for marijuana -- healing broken bones. And a spokesman for a group trying decriminalize pot use in Michigan says he's not surprised by the finding.  The study, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, found a compound in marijuana helps heal broken bones in rats. Researchers say the discovery could lead to new treatments and medications to prevent osteoporosis.  Jeffrey Hank of MiLegalize says this is another reason to lift the state's restrictions on marijuana use and research.  MiLegalize is backing a ballot proposal that would tax retail sales of pot at 10-percent and allow residents to grow up to 12 plants at home.

Spring Lake Water Levels

Lake Michigan is on the rise and rebounding quickly from historically low water levels just a few years ago.   But that rebound is causing damage in Spring Lake, which is south of Muskegon.   Public Works Director Roger Belknap says a sea wall in the village has been compromised by the rising water levels, causing erosion in the underground storm water system and above ground on streets and sidewalks.  He says they had 40 feet of beach two years ago, which has shrunk to just 12 feet.   Lake Michigan is six-inches higher than average and ten-inches higher than this time last year.  While Spring Lake is having problems, officials across the Grand River in Grand Haven say they've seen beach erosion but have had no infrastructure issues.

Frankenmuth Carolers Fall Short

An attempt by carolers in Frankenmuth to set a world record for the most people caroling fell short over the weekend.  MLive reports over 1,300 people took part in Saturday’s run at the record book, which is about 500 people short of the record.  1,822 carolers in Waukesha, Wisconsin set the mark in November, 2013.

 

 

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