COLD CASE-ARREST
Indiana man arrested in Michigan woman’s 1987 slaying
ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) — An Indiana man has been arrested in the 1987 killing of a woman whose husband found her dead in their southwestern Michigan home after a night of bowling. Sixty-seven-year-old Patrick Wayne Gilham of South Bend was arrested Thursday in the northern Indiana city, where he is awaiting extradition to Michigan to face charges in Roxanne Leigh Wood’s killing. The Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Gilham with open murder and breaking and entering of an occupied dwelling. Terry Wood found his 30-year-old wife dead in their home, her throat cut, on Feb. 20, 1987, after they had driven separately to go bowling and she returned home first.
MOSQUE FIRE-SHOOTING
FBI: No political, ideological motivations in mosque fire
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Investigators have found no indication of political or ideological motivations behind a fire at a Detroit-area mosque set by a man whom police later killed in a shootout. FBI Special Agent Josh Hauxhurst said Saturday that there is no evidence that Ahmed Taqi acted as part of any group. The Detroit News reports that Hauxhurst spoke during a community meeting at the Al-Huda Islamic Association in Dearborn. Officers on regular patrol noticed the fire at the mosque around 1 a.m. on Feb. 12. Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin says the 37-year-old Taqi shot at officers then ran away. Shahin says officers followed and shot Taqi when he shot at them again.
ALMA POLICE SHOOTING-TRIAL
Man accused of shooting at Alma officers to undergo 2nd exam
ALMA, Mich. (AP) — A man who allegedly fired gunshots at Alma police officers last fall will undergo a second psychiatric evaluation before a judge determines whether or not he will stand trial. The Morning Sun reports that all future court appearances for 28-year-old Tyler Moreno of Alma have been canceled until the results of the evaluation have been received. Moreno, who’s being held without bail, faces 18 charges, including three attempted murder counts for allegedly firing at three Alma police officers in October. During a Friday hearing, a Gratiot County judge granted a motion filed by prosecutors to retain an independent forensic psychologist to evaluate Moreno.
FATAL FIRE-CHESANING
Man, 71, dies after fire engulfs residence in mid-Michigan
CHESANING, Mich. (AP) — Police say a 71-year-old man died early Sunday after a fire swept a mid-Michigan home. State troopers who were called to the home about 3:15 a.m. Sunday after a caller reported to Saginaw County dispatch that a house was on fire in the village of Chesaning. Michigan State Police say troopers arrived to find the residence fully engulfed in flames before fire crews arrived. Police say responders later found the man dead in the debris of the home. MLive.com reports that the man’s name was being withheld pending notification of his relatives.
GRAND RAPIDS-LEAD SPECIALIST
Grand Rapids hires specialist for lead poisoning programs
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Grand Rapids has hired an advocate for healthier conditions for children to serve as a specialist to help reduce lead poisoning in the city’s homes. The city says Paul Haan will initially focus on opportunities to address lead-based paint hazards in residential rental properties as new lead programs specialist with the Community Development Department. Haan, founding executive director at Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan, also will serve as staff liaison to various city departments and programs, outside agencies and other governmental units. He has served on the state’s Child Lead Exposure Elimination Commission.
ODD-BIG BIRTHDAY-TATTOO
Michigan woman turning 100 adds another tattoo
ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan woman soon will celebrate a milestone birthday. How old? Well, look at her decorative upper arm. Gloria Weberg has “NY NY 1922” tattooed on her left arm, the year and place of her birth. Weberg is turning 100 on March 2, not a typical age to visit a tattoo artist. But that’s what she has done every 10 years since turning 80. Her birth year is under a goddess representing Mother Earth and among seven stars representing her children. Weberg and her late husband raised their family in the Chicago area. They moved to St. Joseph in southwestern Michigan 30 years ago. Her secret to a long life? Staying active and a regular glass of red wine.
SNOWMOBILERS RESCUED
Group of snowmobilers rescued from marshy area in UP
NEWBERRY, Mich. (AP) — A group of people on snowmobiles have been rescued after getting stranded in a marshy area in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. WPBN-TV reports Saturday that state conservation officers and a snowmobile patrol for the Luce County sheriff’s office found the four snowmobilers late Friday night in the Sleeper Lake Marsh area, southwest of Sault Ste. Marie. The sheriff’s office said rescuers battled deep snow and poor visibility and relied on GPS to reach the group. One of the snowmobilers was treated for possible hypothermia.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE-PARTNERSHIP
Detroit-area counties form water infrastructure partnership
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — County officials in the Detroit area have agreed to establish a group that will look at water infrastructure challenges facing the region. Commissioners in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties have adopted resolutions on the Regional Partnership for Water Infrastructure. They’ve also passed resolutions to establish a Regional Partnership for Broadband Infrastructure and Equity group that will look at establishing a framework to address a wide range of internet and broadband accessibility challenges. The counties will form steering committees with voting representatives from each commission to provide direction and oversight. The two groups will gather studies and create recommendations for action, which will culminate in a presentation to be made at a summit this year.
INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING-SOCIAL JUSTICE
White House spending targets social justice; criteria vague
WINSLOW, Ariz. (AP) — The Biden administration says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will spend $14 billion on a variety of infrastructure and environmental restoration projects that promote social, economic and environmental justice. A flood control project in Winslow, Arizona, and the restoration of a tidal channel in Puerto Rico are among the funding recipients. The White House says the funding decisions align with its promise to create benefits for disadvantaged communities. But some of the rules for allocating funding are still being written and some local officials and activists are worried about whether they’re being applied in a way that fulfills the administration’s promise. Experts say just how much environmental justice boosts a project’s funding chances is unclear.
EPA-BENTON HARBOR-WATER
Watchdog to probe EPA handling of city’s lead-tainted water
A federal watchdog will investigate the government’s handling of drinking water contamination in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general announced the study Friday. Advocacy groups have accused local, state and federal agencies of a lackluster response to several years of high lead readings in the southwestern Michigan city’s water. EPA says it will cooperate with the review. The problems in Benton Harbor follow a lead-in-water crisis in Flint, another majority-Black city that became a symbol of environmental inequity.
The Associated Press
