The owner of two privately owned deer farms in Osceola County is pleading not guilty to 11 charges of not taking care of the facilities. Ryan Hopkins of Sears, owns Hopkins Trophy Whitetails in the town. Hopkins Trophy Whitetails, which operates both a breeding facility and a ranch in Sears, offers paying clients the opportunity to hunt whitetail deer. The…
A priest in the Diocese of Saginaw has been put on administrative leave as the church looks into allegations of misconduct with a minor. Father Dennis Kucharczyk was the pastor of St. John XXIII Parish and served churches in Hemlock, Merrill and Ryan. The diocese says the allegation involves a minor and happened many years ago. Kucharczyk is not allowed…
A group in the state just launched a ballot drive to ban abortions after a heartbeat is detected in a fetus. It’s not yet in the state’s Legislature, but with a few hundred thousand signatures the initiative could make its way to Lansing. The Michigan Heartbeat Coalition is pushing the anti-abortion measure. It’s the second committee to do so after…
Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has announced the creation of the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry. It’s a partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The new office will look to expand the state’s outdoor recreation economy and build awareness about the value of that business. It will promote outdoor recreation across the state and work to support the state’s…
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that makes it illegal to discriminate against a person based on sexual orientation or gender. It’s called the Equality Act. The legislation would extend protections to employment, housing, education, and other areas. It passed by a 236 to 173 vote. Every Democrat in the house voted for it and they were…
A Hart school bus was rear-ended Wednesday afternoon, sending the bus driver to the hospital. It happened on North Oceana Drive in Weare Township. The driver of the bus told police that she came to a complete stop at a bus stop when the bus was rear-ended by a truck. She had to be taken to Mercy Health in Shelby…
Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’s against a proposal to let people fully opt-out of mandated medical benefits covered by their car insurance premiums. The governor says, “Everyone needs to buy into the system at a certain level.” The proposal came from the Republican-led Legislature, which is considering whether to send an auto insurance overhaul to the governor’s desk. She says…
We can now show you the man accused of shooting near workers on a roof in Alpena from over the weekend. Benjamin Atwater of Alpena is charged with two counts of assault, including assault with a dangerous weapon. Alpena City Police say it happened near the decorative panel international building around 4:30 Sunday. They say employees were doing maintenance on…
A former Michigan State Police trooper was sentenced Monday for involuntary manslaughter against a black Detroit teenager. Mark Bessner will spend at least five years in prison. He says he shot 15-year-old Damon Grimes with a taser in 2017, after seeing him reach for what he believed was a gun on his waistband. That’s when Grimes crashed an ATV and…
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is joining a bipartisan group of nearly 40 states and territories asking Congress to allow legal marijuana-related businesses to use the federal banking system. She’s one of 38 attorneys general calling for the passage of the Federal Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, or SAFE. Nessel says as Michigan expands its market to recreational marijuana…
