Top News: Screaming in woods leads troopers to missing woman - and more

Here are 10 stories from the past week that had a big impact on Northern Michigan. Click the link in the headline below to read the full story.

1. MSP K9 team finds missing Alpena Co. woman in the woods

Michigan State Police say a missing 53-year-old woman was found in the woods of Sanborn Township. Troopers got two calls late Monday night, reporting the woman missing and saying that someone in the woods was yelling for help. The woman’s family told troopers she went out to look for her dog around 5 p.m. and never came back.

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2. NFL ref from CMU becomes internet sensation for ‘I’m talking to America here’ comment

An NFL referee stole the show during the Lions-Seahawks game on Sunday, and he has a connection to Northern Michigan. During the game, referee Alex Kemp was speaking into the microphone to explain a penalty to the stadium attendees and the TV audience. Two Seahawks players tried to argue with Kemp while he was speaking, and he calmly responded, “I’m talking to America here.”

3. Woman rescued from Otsego Co. outhouse, stuck trying to retrieve Apple Watch that fell in

Otsego County DNR officers, MSP troopers, and EMS worked together to rescue a woman from an outhouse toilet on Tuesday. Troopers say they were called out to the DNR boat launch at Dixon Lake around 11 a.m. A woman had been heard yelling for help inside the outhouse. She told first responders she had dropped her Apple Watch in the toilet and climbed in to get it back, but got stuck inside.

4. Questions remain after diesel leak in Wexford County

Cleanup is underway after diesel spilled into a creek in Wexford County. Wexford County Emergency Management director Randy Boike said they got a call about the diesel leak in Antioch Township this past weekend. Boike said the leak was caused by a diesel fuel tank that ran into an irrigation pump.

5. Traverse City man in jail awaiting arraignment after he’s accused of stabbing two people in one night

A 32-year-old Traverse City man was arrested after showing up at the 13th Circuit Court Lobby Tuesday afternoon. This comes after a stabbing at the Coin Slot Downtown Traverse City Sunday night. Officials said the suspect also stabbed the witness of the assault in a separate encounter the same night near the men’s trail on South Division Street before running into the pines.

6. Marentette withdraws from Traverse City city manager position

Benjamin Marentette, who was named the finalist for Traverse City city manager on Sept. 11, has withdrawn his interest in serving in the role. The city says he has decided to remain as city clerk as of Wednesday, Sept. 20.

7. If you see this bug in Michigan, kill it with extreme prejudice

Now is the prime time to be on the lookout for the invasive spotted lanternfly! Late summer to early fall is the most likely season to spot the colorful plant-hoppers, and the Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development are urging Michiganders to report any potential sightings of these destructive invasive pests.

8. Mecosta County’s animal shelter plans to pause critical services because of Gotion construction

The animal shelter in Mecosta County will be shutting down some critical services because of upcoming construction on a controversial battery plant. The Animal Rescue Coalition or ARC will be pausing their shelter services for the county for up to a year starting Oct. 1. That’s when Gotion plans to start clearing trees in preparation for groundbreaking for their battery plant.

9. Northern Michigan school districts question bill aimed at combating teacher shortage

As Northern Michigan School Districts continue to struggle with staffing shortages, state lawmakers are considering a new bill that they hope will solve staffing shortages plaguing school districts across the state. The new bill would do away with a previous law that prevented those in the state retirement system from returning to work at a school district for nine months.

10. Cherryland Humane Society in desperate need of dog food, other pet supplies

Shelves that were once full are now running empty at the Cherryland Humane Society. “Shelters across the country right now are beyond capacity. It went from being okay, to we’re getting pretty full, to I think it’s like kind of like across the country, shelters are full and that includes our shelter, including animal control, who we share a building with. And when you have, you know, 40 dogs to feed, it’s a lot of food,” says Communications and Marketing Manager, Naomi Washburn. The Humane Society not only cares for the dogs in the shelter, but helps out with foster home dogs and animal control.