State Roundup

Saginaw Inmates knit their way to philanthropy FREELAND, Mich. (AP) -- A knitting contest is bringing together people from across the Great Lakes Bay Region. But not all competitors in the Mister Rogers' Sweater Contest are what one would expect. At the Saginaw Correctional Facility in Freeland, prisoners crowded around tables covered with children's sweaters last week, making sure the right entry tag was attached to each item. The contest is now in its second year. It's an offshoot of WCMU's annual Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Sweater Drive, which distributes sweaters to people in need. Boxes collecting sweaters will be set out throughout northern, central and southeastern Michigan by Saturday. WCMU program and outreach manager Linda Dielman tells The Bay City Times having the men at the Saginaw Correctional Facility participate is something new. She says "Mr. Rogers would be proud." Davison Marine from Michigan remembered for dedication DAVISON, Mich. (AP) -- A Marine from Michigan who was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan had a dedication to the military that went back to when he was a high school student, a former coach said. Staff Sgt. Nicholas Sprovtsoff, 28, of Davison, died Wednesday in Helmand province along with Sgt. Christopher Diaz, 27, of Albuquerque, N.M., the Defense Department said. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Sprovtsoff graduated in 2001 from Davison High School, about 50 miles north of Detroit. His former high school tennis coach at the school, Walt White told, The Flint Journal that Sprovtsoff always talked about wanting to be a Marine. "It doesn't surprise me that he died in honor because he was such a wonderful human being," White said. "He was a great kid." Sprovtsoff, a 10-year veteran of the Marines, is survived by his wife, Tasha, and a daughter, Lanie, who live near where he was stationed, the military said. Sprovtsoff, who most recently served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician, completed his Marine basic training following his graduation from high school. His mother, Sandee, told the newspaper in 2003 that she was impressed with her son's commitment. "That's a lot for a 19-year-old," she said at the time. "He thought he was doing the right thing and he's really committed to his nation and the people who have trained him -- we're behind him 100 percent." Sprovtsoff had been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom. A tribute was to be organized for Sprovtsoff in Davison, and City Council planned to hold a moment of silence during its Oct. 10 meeting. Diaz was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif. Detroit City police take over sex offender registration DETROIT (AP) -- Detroit's convicted sex offenders now must report to city police stations, rather than to Michigan State Police. The closing of the state police Detroit post means that effective now, offenders who are required to register and verify their addresses should do it at one of five Detroit police stations. The standard quarterly reporting periods for address verification are Jan. 1-15. April 1-15, July 1-15 and Oct. 1-15. Police say those with questions should call 313-596-2200. Covert Township Palisades nuke plant restarts after week shutdown COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Operators of the Palisades nuclear plant on Sunday restarted the power generator on the Lake Michigan shoreline after a one-week shutdown following a mechanical problem, utility officials said. The plant shut down automatically Sept. 25 when two small pieces of metal inside the breaker panel touched, causing a short circuit, authorities said. The Palisades Nuclear Power Plant is in Van Buren County's Covert Township, about 55 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. It's owned by New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said last week that the plant would remain offline until workers determine what happened and fixed the problems. Steam containing "a tiny amount" of tritium, a radioactive isotope, escaped after the shutdown but caused no safety risk and was far below regulatory limits, NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng said Wednesday. She said the steam quickly dissipated in the atmosphere. The plant "was returned to service and synchronized to the Michigan electrical grid ... at 11:43 a.m.," Entergy spokesman Mark Savage said in an email. "Palisades and Entergy teams are continuing their investigation into the breaker fault's cause," Savage said. He said the utility "will fully cooperate" with federal investigators. Palisades also shut down Sept. 16 because of loss of water in the cooling system. It was returned to the grid several days later. The NRC inspected the plant in August after a water pump component failed. Lansing Calley signs bill for Michigan railroad project LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A bill that would allow Michigan to move forward with some planned high-speed rail projects has been signed into law by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. The bill allocates money needed to buy and improve a 135-mile rail line from Kalamazoo to Dearborn. The state money helps secure federal grants for the project. The state says the improvements would allow passage of freight trains and speeds of up to 110 miles per hour for passenger trains. The same bill provides more than $38 million to make interest payments on money Michigan borrowed from the federal government to cover a shortfall in the state's unemployment insurance fund. Calley signed the bill into law because Gov. Rick Snyder was out-of-state on a trade trip to Asia. Published: Tue, Oct 4, 2011