I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
A Traverse City hotel owner who illegally bulldozed the beach and a portion of Grand Traverse Bay behind his hotel has been sentenced to 25 days in jail for failing to perform community service with local conservation groups.
The Traverse City Record Eagle reports:
Joseph Moffa, an owner of the Cherry Tree Inn on U.S. 31 North in East Bay Township, violated state environmental laws when he had a bulldozer drive more than 120 feet into the bay behind the hotel in November 2006.
Moffa was convicted on two misdemeanor counts and was sentenced in November 2008 to a year of probation and 30 days community service.
Moffa had until July 1 to complete his community service requirement but worked just five days by the deadline. He pleaded guilty on July 23 to a probation violation and 86th District Judge Michael Haley sentenced him to 25 days in jail.
An attorney for Moffa told the Record Eagle that he was unable to complete the community service because “the ground was covered in snow almost until April,” and because he was experiencing health problems.
Lowered lake levels have transformed beaches along Grand Traverse Bay and led to disputes over whether property owners should be permitted to groom beaches and remove vegetation.
In sentencing Moffa to a year probation and community service with environmental groups last November Judge Michael Haley tried to make business owners aware of the need to follow wetland laws.
He said:
“I would really like the idea out there that this type of reckless behavior is undesirable to the corporate community, is unattractive to the corporate community … to have other business people deterred from this type of activity would be a desirable consequence.”
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