|
12 big stories of 2019 in mid-Michigan
By Heather Jordan
The shooting of a police officer during a routine traffic stop in Saginaw Township. High water threatening Saginaw Bay shoreline homes. A sexual-abuse crisis sweeping the Catholic Church, including the diocese of Saginaw. A plan to privatize two of Bay City's drawbridges and charge tolls. The longest automotive strike in 50 years. As we look forward to 2020, here's a look back at these and other top stories of the year in mid-Michigan: Tornado rips through Michigan, leaves destruction in its wake A tornado left mid-Michigan shaken in March. The tornado was reported to be over Lennon at 7:04 p.m. March 14, moving quickly at 60 mph. It tore through the Durand and Vernon areas of Shiawassee County, leveling properties. Much of the region was left in the dark as first responders hunted for downed power lines and removed fallen trees from the roads. The storm came in violently. “It sounded like a loud roaring howl,” said Durand resident Patricia Rothney. See destruction in wake of Michigan tornadoes At 7:30 p.m. the NWS confirmed there had been a tornado in the town of Vernon in eastern Shiawassee County, a touch-down near South Maple Street and Bennington Road. In that same town, fire officials reported lots of debris, with at least two homes damaged. The tornado developed in Shiawassee County between Corunna and Bancroft, then moved northeast through Vernon, then into the western edge of Genesee County. It was part of a ‘bomb cyclone’ system that wreaked havoc in the Great Plains before aiming for the Midwest. Read the full story and see photos of the destruction here. Saginaw Catholic diocese ‘stonewalled’ investigators in alleged sex abuse case, prosecutors say When a beloved priest known as "Father Bob" was charged with sex crimes a year ago, the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw vowed to help investigators. Bishop Joseph Cistone said he had a “sincere desire for justice” and the diocese “would cooperate fully with law enforcement.” Prosecutors say it didn’t happen that way. In the year that followed, the diocese delayed a police investigation by failing to turn over documents. It enlisted a retired Michigan appeals court judge to act as its point person in dealing with prosecutors and the public. It waited to release information it had about the scope of the sex-abuse scandal, which so far has involved 19 priests and one deacon in the diocese. Beloved Catholic priest ‘Father Bob’ faces stunning fall in sex abuse scandal Shame and guilt haunt those who say Catholic clergy in Michigan sexually abused them The Saginaw Diocese was among several dioceses facing criticism for its handling of a sex-abuse scandal now sweeping the Catholic Church. Read the rest of this story and related coverage here. ‘New Dow’ separates from DowDuPont April 1, to trade on stock market as DOW DowDuPont’s materials science division spun off from its parent company, becoming the so-called “new Dow," on April 1. Dow Inc. replaced DowDuPont in the Dow Jones Industrial Average before the U.S. stock market opened on April 2, and Dow common stock began "regular-way" trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "DOW." Also on April 2, Dow Inc. joined Standard & Poor's 500 Index, replacing life insurance company Brighthouse Financial, CNBC reported at the time. "New Dow will be well positioned to drive best-in-class financial performance and shareholder returns,” Dow CEO Jim Fitterling said in a statement in February. “We have a focused playbook of cost and growth drivers, clear and disciplined capital allocation priorities and a strong balance sheet. Our path to shareholder value creation is straightforward and in our control.” DowDuPont was formed in 2017 by the $130 billion merger of chemical giants Dow Chemical and DuPont, with plans to separate into three independent companies called Dow, DuPont and Corteva Agriscience. Bay City's Mallory Rivard crowned Miss Michigan On June 15, Bay City resident and elementary school teacher Mallory Rivard was crowned Miss Michigan 2019. Rivard, 24, was crowned at the 69th annual pageant at the Frauenthal Center in downtown Muskegon after three days of competition. “Oh, my goodness,” Rivard said during an interview with MLive immediately afterward “I’ve been competing since I was 17 years old and to finally accomplish something I've worked so hard for is just truly amazing and I can’t wait to get started on this year as Miss Michigan.” Rivard was the first winner of the revamped Miss Michigan Scholarship Program after the Miss America Organization removed the swimsuit competition in 2018. The retooled pageant is meant to focus more on interview skills rather than appearance. Along with the crown and title Miss Michigan 2019, Rivard received a $12,000 scholarship, a spot in the Miss America 2020 pageant and the chance to advocate for her social impact initiative, “Read to Succeed.” In December, Rivard won the private interview award during the preliminary competitions for the 93rd Miss America competition. Tall Ship Celebration returns to Bay City Boat lovers, photographers, former sailors and a few hundred others gathered in downtown Bay City on July 18 to greet a fleet of 11 tall ships as they cruised into town for Tall Ship Celebration 2019. The vessels docked on both sides of the Saginaw River for the festival that continued through July 21 before the ships set sail again. “I’m really excited, it only happens every three years, " said Elizabeth Gwiazdowski, who turned out to see the arrival of the large and historical vessels. See MLive's complete coverage of Tall Ship Celebration 2019. Delta College expands into downtown Saginaw Delta College has expanded into downtown Saginaw and now offers classes at a satellite campus located at 319 E. Genesee. The first classes at the new facility began on Aug. 26 with eight certificate and associate programs: clinical medical assistant, criminal justice – loss prevention specialist, fire science technology, health foundations, office professions, youth services, associate of arts and Michigan transfer agreement. Construction of the $12.7 million Delta project began in April 2018, with half of the money coming from the state and the other half from the college. Read more about the new downtown Saginaw campus here. Saginaw NAACP celebrates its 100th anniversary In August, Saginaw’s chapter of the NAACP invited elected officials and citizens to a ceremony and press conference to launch the opening of a special exhibit that commemorates the group’s 100th anniversary. The event took place on Aug. 25 at the Castle Museum, 500 Federal Ave. in Saginaw. The 100-year history of the Saginaw NAACP was celebrated in a short statement highlighting the founding of the organization, the years of involvement in eliminating housing and employment discrimination and seeking fairness and equally in the criminal justice and education systems in the community, Saginaw NAACP officials announced at the time. The local chapter was founded in 1919, when Saginaw had made the complete transition from an economy largely based on the timber industry to a manufacturing hub. During this period, racial tension was high across the nation largely due to the start of the great migration of African Americans from the South to escape the KKK and Jim Crow and to seek employment in the industrial North, according to event organizers. In this Jan. 17, 2018, file photo, Terry Pruitt speaks at the podium at a press conference held by the NAACP's Saginaw chapter to discuss, among other things, revising the tax cap, at the Andersen Enrichment Center. UAW ratifies contract, ending weeks-long strike against GM On Oct. 25, the UAW ratified a new contract with General Motors, ending the union's weeks-long strike against the automaker. Nearly 50,000 UAW members across Michigan and throughout the country who had been on strike against GM since September voted on the proposed contract. Voting ended at 4 p.m. on Oct. 25, the strike's 40th day, after which nationwide results were tallied and announced. UAW officials ratified the new four-year contract less than an hour later, ending the longest automotive strike in 50 years. 10 things to know about the UAW strike against GM “General Motors members have spoken,” said Terry Dittes, UAW Vice President and Director of the UAW-GM Department. “We are all so incredibly proud of UAW-GM members who captured the hearts and minds of a nation. Their sacrifice and courageous stand addressed the two-tier wages structure and permanent temporary worker classification that has plagued working class Americans.” The new contract includes higher wages, an signing bonus of up to $11,000, performance bonuses, two 3 percent annual raises and two 4 percent lump sum payments, and an easier path to permanent employment for temporary employees. 34 days on the UAW picket lines Powerful waves threaten their Lake Huron dream homes On a stormy October morning, Dave and Cindy Ferrio gathered in the great room of their home on Saginaw Bay, looking out at the waves crashing into their seawall. Some of the water made it onto their patio, touching the steps leading up to their sliding glass door. “When we came here, as much as five years ago, this was all sand,” said Dave Ferrio, looking out on the water now threatening his home on Killarney Beach in Bay County’s Bangor Township. With Lake Huron at near record-high water levels, he and his neighbors watch weather reports every time it storms. Waves and high water are impacting homes, roads and state parks along the Lake Huron shoreline, and experts say it could get worse. Heavy rain and abundant snow melt over the Great Lakes drainage basin for the past few years have resulted in near record-high lake levels, according to MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa, and it's wreaking havoc on Michigan's Great Lakes shorelines. Read about how beach erosion is affecting some Bay County residents here. Parolee who shot police officer gets 75 years in prison The day before Thanksgiving, Joshua M. Rosebush learned he’d spend at least 75 years in prison for twice shooting a Saginaw Township police officer during a routine traffic stop on Jan. 22. Bearing a scar from the bullet he took to his own jaw during his arrest, a shackled 30-year-old Rosebush appeared before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Andre R. Borrello for sentencing the afternoon of Nov. 27. The judge handed down 26 terms, one for each of the charges a jury convicted him of in October: · 75 years to 115 years · 152 months to 90 years · 46 months to 15 years · Five terms of 76 months to 90 years · Five terms of 58 months to 90 years · 13 terms of a flat two years The two-year terms are concurrent to each other but consecutive to all other stints. The remaining stints are concurrent to one another. Man who shot police officer found guilty of assault with intent to murder “Citizens put their trust in police officers every day,” Borrello said. “The act of shooting an active police officer shocks the community.” In this Sept. 27, 2019, file photo, Saginaw Township Officer Jeff Koenig takes the stand to testify during the first day of the trial of the people verses Joshua Rosebush at The Saginaw County Courthouse, Judge Andre Borello's courtroom. Arrest in Bay City cold case doesn’t end mystery of 13-year-old’s murder in 1973 Nearly 46 years since Bay City middle-schooler Jan Rohrer disappeared on her way to school, investigators believe they finally found the man who killed her and dumped her body in a cold drainage ditch on the edge of town. The suspect, who was 17 at the time, told police last year that he had argued with the 13-year-old Rohrer before striking her with a baseball bat. But in an interview this month with MLive-The Bay City Times, the suspect claimed he lied to police and did not kill the girl. “I had absolutely no idea, at that time, what happened to that poor girl. I just started telling a story. All they wanted to hear was a story. I went by what they told me,” the suspect said. Police say their work on the case is done, but records show prosecutors feel more investigation is needed before issuing charges. Officially, the mystery of who killed Jan Rohrer is unresolved. Or is it? Bay City Commission approves selling 2 drawbridges; private company to charge tolls Independence and Liberty drawbridges in Bay City are on their way to becoming toll bridges after the Bay City Commission unanimously approved an agreement to sell them to a private company. The Commission on Dec. 16, approved an acquisition and development agreement between the city and United Bridge Partners after a motion by Commissioner Andrew Niedzinski. United Bridge Partners was one of three companies vying to take over Bay City's two city-owned bridges when it presented its proposal alongside Kiewit and American Roads during an informational meeting on July 11. The Commission ended up selecting United Bridge Partners' proposal and instructed City Manager Dana Muscott to work with United Bridge Partners on a development agreement. Muscott and the city’s legal team brought back the agreement for the Commission to consider and vote on during the Dec. 16 meeting. “I’ve heard a lot of comments today, I’ve heard a lot of comments for four years. And this is probably the hardest decision I’ve probably ever had to make in my entire life. What I’m about to do tonight with my fellow commissioners is vote on something that could change the city forever," Commissioner Brentt Brunner said before the vote took place. Memes and merchandise vent frustration with Bay City’s bridge closures United Bridge Partners will pay Bay City a total of $5 million — $2 million when the agreement is signed and $3 million when ownership of the bridges is transferred. Tolls will be implemented after work on both the Liberty and Independence bridges is completed, according to United Bridge Partner’s plan. Contact: heather_jordan@mlive.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.