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Father: Charges coming after 5-year-old shot, killed by found gun
NEWAYGO COUNTY, Mich. — The father of a 5-year-old shot and killed by a gun found in his grandparents' house says charges are coming in connection to the incident. Braxton Marvin Scott Dykstra, 5, was at his grandparents' home in the area of West 68th Street and Bingham Avenue in Garfield Township on April 1, Michigan State Police say.
Prosecutor: No evidence parents are liable after police say student brought gun to Mt. Pleasant school
UPDATE 4/25/24 6:30 p.m. MT. PLEASANT — The Isabella County prosecutor said charges will not be filed against the parents of a 17-year-old student who took a gun to school That gun was found inside his backpack as he arrived at the alternative high school, Oasis, in Mt. Pleasant. Prosecutor David Barberi said the new safe storage laws that punish gun owners, if kids get a hold of those guns, don’t apply here. Barberi said the student purchased the gun, which Barberi said was stolen, from someone else.
Catholic priest resigns amid protests over his apology for gay author’s presence at school
BEAL CITY, MI — Following protests for apologizing for a gay author’s presence inside an Isabella County parochial school, a Catholic priest has resigned as pastor. The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw on April 16 announced the Rev. Thomas R. Held resigned as pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Beal City. Held decided “it would be impossible for him to bring unity to the parish, and therefore, he has tendered his resignation as the pastor, effective immediately,” according to a statement authored by Bishop Robert D. Gruss.
Annual Maple Syrup Festival kicks off Thursday in Shepherd
SHEPHERD — Shepherd in Isabella County is kicking off it’s largest event of the year, their annual Maple Syrup Festival. Patti Sandel, vice president of the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival Committee and this year’s parade Grand Marshall said the festival is steeped in tradition and involves the whole community. “It started about 65 years ago with a small group of people who decided they wanted to do a community event. So they started with a pancake breakfast and invited the community to join in,” said Sandel. Sandel said since then it’s taken on a life of its own with lots to do, including a parade, carnival pancake eating contest, and so much more.
Large hail, brief severe wind gusts possible with today’s Michigan thunderstorms
A zone of thunderstorms will likely move southeast across Lower Michigan this afternoon and evening. Conditions are such that some of these thunderstorms could produce brief severe weather. This shouldn’t be a widespread strong severe weather outbreak. This will be what we call pulse severe thunderstorms. They have a life...
Workforce Housing Projects on Deck
The developer behind a proposed 149-unit workforce apartment complex on US-31 just north of McRae Hill Road will appear before the Grand Traverse Brownfield Redevelopment Authority board today (Thursday) to seek brownfield reimbursement for the project. Garfield Township trustees Tuesday supported the reimbursement request, which will next go to county commissioners in May if it receives BRA support. Meanwhile, another workforce housing project – this one on LaFranier Road next to the new BATA headquarters – was approved for $12 million in state financing this week, paving the way for construction to start this summer.
Isabella County prosecutor says he will not seek reelection
The current Isabella County prosecutor will not be running for reelection. David Barberi made the announcement on Wednesday. He says the decision had nothing to do with the county’s current financial situation. Instead, he says he simply wants to spend more time with family and serve his community in other ways. Barberi says prosecuting attorney Mark Kowalczyk will be filing to run for the open position and is endorsing him as the next prosecutor.
Freeze Warning stretches across part of Lower Michigan tonight
Spring has certainly made itself known loud and clear over the past few weeks. From bitter cold conditions previously to warmth, humidity and thunderstorms much more recently, we have definitely seen it all during this particular season. As most Michiganders know, it’s not all that unusual to see a daytime high in the 60s then promptly dipping below freezing during the nighttime hours. In fact, Michigan ranks consistently in the top 5 in the whole country for freeze warnings issued by the National Weather Service.
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