Here are 10 stories from the past week that had a big impact on Northern Michigan.
1. Suspect arrested, charged for murder during June home invasion in Beaverton
Two months after a home invasion in Beaverton left one person dead, the Beaverton Police Department says the suspect has been arrested and charged. Officers say Scott Eckert was shot and killed on June 6. They also list Wendy Krohn as a victim of the incident. The suspect, Michael Brian Durbin II from Flint, has been in the Isabella County Jail since that day on other charges. They say he had always been a person of interest in the killing of Eckert, but through their investigation they determined he was their suspect.
2. Our weather experts explain what’s behind the leaves changing color in August
From Ishpeming to Lansing, Michiganders have started to notice that while it might only be mid-August, the leaves are starting to change. Some viewers even told us that they started to notice the change in mid to late July! No year is the same when it comes to “color changing season,” and there’s no doubt it’s happened “early” before, but what’s going on with some leaves changing super early this year? The reason behind color changes on the leaves (whether that’s a maple, oak, beech, or other plants) is a chemical process, based on photosynthesis.
RELATED: Take the 9&10 News Quiz for the week ending Aug. 18
3. AG Dana Nessel announces relocation of illegally sunken barge in the Grand Traverse Bay
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the towing and relocation of a twice-abandoned barge that was illegally sunk in the Grand Traverse Bay and left for over two years. Nessel said the barge was owned by Donald Balcom, the owner of Balcom Marine Contractors of Traverse City. Balcom first abandoned the barge in the Grand Traverse Bay near Greilickville in 2020. Nessel said that the barge sunk onto the bottomlands, became partially submerged and then released oil into the lake. In 2021, after being order by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the U.S. Coast Guard to move the barge, Balcom had it towed to a new location in the Grand Traverse Bay just off the shore in Northport. Nessel said after moving the barge here, Balcom abandoned it a second time.
4. Two seriously injured in Montcalm County when motorcycle tire blew out
The Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office says a woman and man were seriously injured when their motorcycle had a blow-out on Tuesday. They say the Greenville man and woman were riding west on Stanton Road around 4:30 p.m. when their back tire blew out. Witnesses told troopers the driver lost control and the two were thrown off the bike. The man and woman are in serious condition. Troopers say neither person was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
5. United Auto Workers union to vote on strike next week
About 146,000 members of the United Auto Workers union will vote next week on authorizing their leaders to call strikes against the Detroit automakers. Union President Shawn Fain said in a statement Tuesday that talks are moving slowly and have yet to get to wages and other economic issues. The union’s contracts with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis expire in about a month, at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.
6. Woman born and raised in Hawaii heading back to Maui from Cadillac to help with relief efforts
People in Maui need your help while they are facing a trying time. Sharina Husted was born and raised in Hawaii. She came to Michigan to study at Michigan State University, and she now lives in Cadillac. “Maui is completely devastated. Like what has happened there is horrific. And I think families are really hurting and struggling, so many people have lost loved ones and lost everything,” she says.
7. Newaygo County emergency preparedness drill mistaken for real emergency
An emergency preparedness drill about a failure at the Hardy Dam in Newaygo County went a bit sideways Tuesday after people thought it was a real emergency and they needed to evacuate. Valerie Duer has lived near the Hardy Dam for 25 years. She said that alert was a rude awakening. “All of a sudden my phone was making a noise I’d never heard before. And so I grabbed it and it said ‘evacuate,’” said Duer.
8. Man wielding a machete shot by Cadillac police officer
On Saturday night, the Cadillac Police Department was dispatched to a reported breaking and entering at a home that was occupied on Aldrich Street. Prior to arriving, officers were warned that the suspect had a machete, police said. When police arrive, officers spoke with the homeowner, who confirmed that someone had broken into their home and that the suspect was still inside banging the house with the machete. The officers said they found the suspect in a nearby yard, and the man was holding a machete to a dog’s throat.
9. Gas prices affecting local Northern Michigan businesses
Higher gas prices are having an impact for many drivers and businesses in Northern Michigan. According to Gas Buddy, the average price of gas has risen 16.8 cents per gallon in the past week. Area businesses like Patterson’s Flowers, which has locations in Cadillac, Reed City and Big Rapids, said the price of gas has a great impact on their bottom line. It not only affects what it costs to deliver flowers to customers, but the costs it takes to get them here. “As prices go up, our fuel surcharges and delivery rates go up from our vendors because, you know, we have to get things by airplane and then they’re top tier from Miami,” said the owner of Patterson’s Flowers, Bob Patterson. “So there is a lot of energy and fuel involved in getting the flowers into the U.S.”
10. Air show plane that crashed had engine problems, says pilot who ejected
The pilot of a Cold War-era jet noticed it was losing power and decided to eject himself and a crew member before the Soviet fighter plane crashed during a weekend air show in suburban Detroit, an official said Monday. The pilot, who also owns the plane, had serious injuries but nothing life-threatening, while a second person aboard the MiG-23 had mild injuries after they parachuted to the ground, said John Brannen, senior air safety investigator at the National Transportation Safety Board.
