Kalamazoo
Cerebral palsy teen making 250-mile bicycle trip
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A teenager with a form of cerebral palsy plans will make a 250-mile round trip bike ride across western Michigan this week after getting the gift of a new set of wheels.
Chris Brandt, 14, outgrew a modified tricycle that he used more than a decade ago, the Kalamazoo Gazette reports. On Tuesday, the teen from the Van Buren County village of Lawton plans to ride with a group of kids and adults from his church.
“I feel a lot more confident than the days before because I thought I wasn’t going to be able to ride a bike, but I can now,” Chris said.
“I’m excited, but a little bit anxious.”
Watermark for Kids, an organization that helps under-served children, awarded Chris a specially designed $1,055 bike that he can pedal that attaches to a regular or tandem bike. It also covered the $180 price of the trip and threw in $200 in gift cards to buy gear.
“This is wonderful,” said Gary Brandt, his father. “This is great, because other kids can do stuff and he can’t, a lot of times. This gives him that ability.”
Chris has been spending the past few weeks practicing four times a week for the trip that calls for about 50 to 60 miles a day. The 250-mile ride, dubbed “The Bike Trip,” has been held each summer for 30 years, said Jeff Merasco, co-director of the trip.
The group will leave from Southridge Reformed Church and head to the Grand Rapids area for the night before going to Muskegon State Park, taking a day off to visit Michigan’s Adventure. From there, they’ll travel from Muskegon to Holland, from Holland to South Haven and arrive back at the church on Sunday.
“To have Chris involved is just a wonderful opportunity for the students and the other adults,” Merasco said.
Dearborn
Arab-American group takes aim at cyberbullying
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has created a program to support victims of online harassment.
The Cyber Civil Rights Monitor program announced Monday provides guidance, education and advocacy for victims of cyberbullying regardless of age, ethnicity or religion.
The program’s organizers say it focuses on cyberbullying as a civil rights violation and is a response to suicides attributed to cyberbullying. Efforts include lobbying legislation criminalizing cyberbullying and helping law enforcement identify potential cases for prosecution.
ADC-Michigan Director Fatina Abdrabboh said in a statement that the program “is a new dimension in our overarching goal of combatting all forms of hate, online and in our daily lives.” Victims of cyberbullying are encouraged to contact ADC-Michigan.
Adrian
Judge orders break in sailor’s child custody case
ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge has called a time-out in a child custody dispute involving a sailor aboard a U.S. submarine.
Lenawee County Judge Margaret Noe released an order Sunday, delaying some matters until at least Oct. 22.
The judge cited a federal law that suspends court action when a member of the armed services is away. Noe says she didn’t know Matthew Hindes was in the Pacific Ocean until June 16 when he was supposed to appear or have someone bring his 6-year-old daughter to court.
Hindes, his wife and daughter live near Seattle. The judge says ex-wife Angela Hindes of Ohio still is allowed parenting time. She’ll consider that Monday.
Noe has been criticized for her handling of the case. She says facts have been sacrificed for “sensational stories.”
Traverse City
New ferry service is now approved for Power Island
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation Commission has approved ferry service to Power Island.
The 200-acre island on Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan is maintained as a park by Grand Traverse County. It has a dock, swimming beach, hiking trails and four rustic campsites.
A business plan for the island included adding ferry transportation, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported Sunday. The ferry boat is owned by the parks and recreation department. It will take visitors from the Bowers Harbor Boat Launch to Power Island.
“This is really a special place and it’s right smack-dab in the middle of our county,” parks commission president Alisa Kroupa told the newspaper. “We are really lucky to have an island among our county parks and it’s important for everyone to have access to all of our parks.”
Up to six people can use the ferry. The cost is $30 for the first rider of a group and $15 for each additional passenger.
Passenger fees will cover the cost of gas for the ferry boat, Kroupa said.
“This is all still new,” she said. “We’ll do a trial run this year and see what the response is, see if there are changes we need to make.”
Fred Tank, the ferry boat captain, also is the island’s park ranger. He and his wife live on Power Island during the summer months.
