State Roundup

Lakeport
Barge salvaged from waters of Lake Huron

LAKEPORT, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says crews have salvaged a partially sunken dredging barge in southern Lake Huron that went down earlier this month in stormy weather.

Crews re-floated the 100-foot Arthur J early Monday and were taking it to a maintenance dock.

The Arthur J went down July 19 more than a mile from the Michigan shore near Lakeport, roughly 65 miles northeast of Detroit. A 38-foot tugboat that capsized at the same time was recovered earlier. The barge recovery operation stalled last week because of strong winds and choppy waters.

No one was hurt when the two vessels went down nearly six miles north of the entrance to the St. Clair River. Some fuel escaped after the accident, leaving a sheen on the water that reached land.


Houghton
Michigan Tech to open Great Lakes Research Center

HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Technological University this week plans to dedicate a $25 million research facility that was created to address pressing Great Lakes issues.

Michael Abbott, the facility’s director, tells The Detroit News he has high hopes for the Great Lakes Research Center in Houghton. He says those interested in the Great Lakes — from government agencies to educational institutions — will come together at the facility.

A dedication is planned for Thursday at the facility in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Issues on the center’s plate range from invasive species to climate change.

The center includes laboratories, aquatic labs, a computer center, underwater robots and a dock for the center’s 37-foot research vessel, the Agassiz.


Traverse City
Dam removal bid for Boardman River gets an OK

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A $2.9 million contract has been approved to dismantle the first of three dams as part of an effort to restore the Boardman River to a more natural state.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports the contract was approved this month involving AMEC Engineering & Infrastructure to remove the Brown Bridge Dam powerhouse, restore the river to its historic channel and reseed exposed bottomlands and construction areas.

The dam blocked the natural flow of river sediment for 90 years and created a sand delta. The project is awaiting a state permit before moving ahead.

The river flows into Grand Traverse Bay in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. The work due to start this year follows years of planning and study.

Boardman and Sabin dams also are expected to be removed.


East Lansing
Workshop focuses on safety of water and food supplies

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The FBI is among the agencies hosting a workshop this week at Michigan State University focusing on the safety of the water supply and the agriculture sector.

The “Multi-Sector Infrastructure Protection and Threat Workshop” takes places Wednesday and Thursday at the East Lansing campus. The FBI says similar workshops have been held in other parts of the country.

The workshop will include presentations from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

FBI Detroit Interim Special Agent in Charge Edward Hanko noted in a statement there is “no known threat to our food and water supply.


Traverse City
Services are set for Marine from northern Michigan

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Services are planned for this weekend for a U.S. Marine sergeant from Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula who was killed in Afghanistan.
The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports visitation for 26-year-old Justin M. Hansen of Traverse City will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kingsley High School, followed by a 1 p.m. service.

The military says Hansen was killed July 24 in combat in Badghis province. He was part of the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion.

Hansen joined the Marines in 2005, served a combat tour in Iraq and was on his second posting to Afghanistan. 


Whitehall
West Michigan student wins WWII Museum award

WHITEHALL, Mich. (AP) — A West Michigan student has been named one of the National WWII Museum’s “Salute to Freedom” award winners.

As a result, Mackenzie Brandel of Whitehall will be one of 51 students from across the U.S. to take part in January’s grand opening of the museum’s new U.S. Freedom Pavilion in New Orleans.

The Muskegon Chronicle reports the ninth-grader was invited to participate in the museum’s essay contest due to her “Billie the Riveter” project’s statewide win in the National History Day Contest.

Mackenzie interviewed women who had worked in Muskegon’s World War II defense plants.


South Bend
Mich. man dies in dune buggy crash at Indiana race

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Police are investigating the weekend death of a Michigan man killed when his dune buggy crashed during a “mud bog” race.

Forty-eight-year-old Steven DeLeeuw of West Olive, Mich., was pronounced dead Saturday night at a South Bend hospital after his vehicle flipped several times and crashed into a concrete barrier at the fairgrounds.

DeLeeuw, who suffered massive blunt force trauma, had been competing in a “Summer Thunder Mud Bog” event.