Michigan
Michigan Matters: Embracing Canada and Michigan Central Station children’s endowment update
It’s a look at the critical relationship between Canada and Michigan/the U.S. as former Michigan Governor and U.S. Ambassador to Canada James Blanchard and Colin Bird, Canadian Consul General, appear on Michigan Matters to talk about the state of things.
Blanchard, who has been promoting bilateral trade between the U.S. and Canada for decades, talks about how important Detroit and Michigan are to all with their focus on manufacturing, autos and agriculture.
Bird, who oversees Michigan and three other states on behalf of the Canadian government, talked about how businesses in Canada have been impacted by tariffs for the past 18 months.
The two also discussed the importance of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is done and awaiting the all-clear sign from Washington before it can open.
Then Andrew Stein, of the Children’s Foundation of Michigan, talked about the Michigan Central Station Children’s Endowment initiative launched by Bill Ford and his wife, Lisa, almost two years ago.
The effort raised over $20 million as Stein discussed how 11 nonprofits were chosen to be part of the program from the 100-plus that applied.
Desiree Jennings of The Children’s Center, one of the 11 organizations, explained how the nonprofit — over 90 years old — will benefit as it helps more young people.
Pam Bailey, of Birth Detroit, a six-year-old organization, another selected for the endowment, explained what the non-profit does and how it will benefit.
Stein talked about endowments and how they help support the community.
(Watch Michigan Matters at its new time: 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and 9:30 a.m. Sundays on CW Detroit 50 WKBD).
(Carol Cain is the 13-time Emmy-winning senior producer and host of Michigan Matters).
TEXAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 20-year-old Kalamazoo man is dead after crashing his vehicle into a tree Friday evening in Texas Township, according to Michigan State Police (MSP).
It happened on South 3rd Street and West PQ Avenue around 6:50 p.m., troopers said.
While he was driving in a no-passing zone, the Kalamazoo man swerved off the road to avoid an oncoming vehicle and subsequently crashed into the tree, according to MSP.
The 20-year-old died at the scene. A passenger was hurt, but police said their injuries were non-life threatening.
Troopers do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor, and the two were reportedly wearing seatbelts.
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This incident remains under investigation by MSP.
A Southfield man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and equipment to create fake documents, federal prosecutors said.
Jerome Antwan Andrews, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing the driver’s license information and Social Security numbers of more than 250 people in a scheme that caused more than $550,000 in fraud losses, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.
As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors say Andrews admitted to having an embosser, a laminator, a card cutter and an ID card printer and admitted that his business model was aimed at creating and selling fake Social Security cards and driver’s licenses in the names of real people.
“Jerome Antwan Andrews and his criminal associates stole more than $1.5 million by submitting hundreds of fraudulent claims to a pandemic program intended to help unemployed American workers. Today’s conviction of Andrews represents yet another attack in our war against fraud. It sends a stern warning that my office will relentlessly investigate those bad actors greedily lining their pockets with U.S. taxpayer funds,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Andrews faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary gain or loss, according to prosecutors. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor investigated Andrews’ case.
Alcona county dam failure leaves a hole in a community
Buck’s Pond is now a muddy mess after floodwaters breached its dam
Barton City — This week’s flooding across northern Michigan is being blamed for the collapse of a privately owned dam in Alcona County, washing away the small lake that the structure held back.
Buck’s Pond was reduced to mud this week after its privately owned dam failed, destroying the gravel road over the 94-year-old dam structure.
The dam burst around 8 p.m. Monday, sending all of the water in Buck’s Pond north through Comstock Creek to Hubbard Lake, a large recreational boating lake in Alcona County that’s ringed by summer cottages and year-round homes, said James Plohg, who owns property on the lake.
“As it was rising, it started like just washing little parts of it away,” Plohg told The Detroit News on Thursday. “And then it just got so big that it wasn’t able to contain it. And it just opened up.”
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy classifies the Buck’s Pond Dam as a low-hazard dam because its rupture has little downstream impact on other water infrastructure and property.
Lakes in the Green Association, a local homeowners group, owned the dam, according to state records.
It was last inspected in August 2017, according to records in the Michigan Dam Inventory, the state’s catalog of data on the ownership, age and condition of 2,552 dams scattered across Michigan’s Lower and Upper peninsulas.
State records indicate the dam was in “satisfactory” condition, able to withstand a 100-year flood and that it “meets applicable tolerable risk criteria.”
Plohg said the demise of the Buck’s Pond Dam will leave a hole in his and his neighbors’ remote corner of rural Alcona County, located between Oscoda and Alpena.
Plohg said he’s been in contact with state lawmakers who represent Alcona County, hoping they could secure state funding to rebuild the dam — and restore Buck’s Pond.
“It was beautiful,” Plohg told The News. “I mean, people come here to fish. There’s the beach over there. Little kids came to swim, picnics, meetings, a lot of boats, pontoons go around the island. We had (boat) parades on the lake. It’s not much of nothing right now.”
“This doesn’t describe how nice it used to be,” Plohg added.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
DavidG@detroitnews.com
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