A man accused of diverting a national park river to ease boat access to Lake Michigan has been convicted of two misdemeanors.
Andrew Howard of Frankfort was found guilty of tampering and vandalism Wednesday during a brief trial in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Ray Kent.
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In August 2022, a National Park Service ranger witnessed Howard digging with a shovel so the Platte River in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore would be diverted into one of the Great Lakes, prosecutors said in a court filing.
“Within days, the natural power of the water and the constructed dam caused the river to divert and created a new channel to Lake Michigan that grew to approximately 200 feet wide,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Biksacky said.
A man accused of diverting a national park river to ease boat access to Lake Michigan has been convicted of two misdemeanors. (National Parks Service via AP)
“It stayed approximately that wide for the summer and fall season,” she added. “There was then an influx in the number of fishermen that came to Platte River boat launch to take advantage of the favorable conditions of access created by the new channel.”
The Associated Press left a voicemail and email seeking comment from Howard’s attorney Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said Howard had a policy dispute with the National Park Service and “took matters into his own hands.”
The Park Service no longer dredges the Platte River. As a result, sediment and sand build up, reducing the ability to get boats to Lake Michigan.
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Denny Hamlin made late pass for first Toyota NASCAR Cup Series win.
Denny Hamlin’s late move led to Toyota’s first NASCAR Cup Series win at Nashville Superspeedway.
Toyota was triumphant again last week in the NASCAR Cup Series, with Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing car winning at one of the few tracks they hadn’t won at before. He marked the occasion at Nashville Superspeedway with a bow in honor of Kyle Busch.
But now the 2026 season moves on to its annual stop at Michigan International Speedway, where American manufacturers had controlled Cup Series stops until recently. Hamlin is the defending champion at Michigan, and fellow Toyota driver Tyler Reddick won in 2024. Before that, however, Ford had won nine Cup Series races in a row at the company’s home state track.
The FireKeepers Casino 400 could be another test of how strong of a grip 23XI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing have on the rest of the competition with Reddick, who leads the season with five wins, and Hamlin sitting atop the 2026 driver points standings.
Hamlin has three career victories at Michigan as do Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) and Team Penske driver Joey Logano (Ford). Larson, the reigning Cup Series champion, and Logano, a three-time champ, are each looking for their first wins this season.
Who will take the checkered flag today? Here’s all the information you need to get ready for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway:
The FireKeepers Casino 400 starts at 3 p.m. ET at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.
There is no television broadcast of the FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Amazon Prime Video is streaming the FireKeepers Casino 400 and will have a pre-race show at 2 p.m. ET. The race can also be streamed HBO Max.
Watch FireKeepers Casino 400 with Prime Video
The FireKeepers Casino 400 features 200 laps around a 2-mile D-shaped oval course for a total of 399 miles. The race will have three stages (laps per stage) — Stage 1: Lap 45 (45 laps); Stage 2: Lap 120 (75 laps); Stage 3: Lap 200 (80 laps).
(Car number in parentheses)
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