State Roundup

Shelby Township Energy company to stop Shelby Township drilling SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - An energy company said it will indefinitely shut down oil well operations in Shelby Township after residents expressed strong opposition to the drilling. West Bay Exploration Vice President Patrick Gibson said Monday the Traverse City-based company would halt operations by the end of the week. It had been running a test well in the Macomb County township and was going to decide whether to advance to production operations. Shelby Township's board passed a six-month moratorium last week against drilling in residential areas. Roughly 700 residents attended an emergency town hall to express frustration with the drilling. The company aims to be a good community partner and will address concerns before moving forward, Gibson said. Scio Township officials near Ann Arbor passed a similar moratorium last week after the company started drilling there. Gibson said he had received notice of the moratorium but hadn't read it closely. The company has no plans to stop drilling in Scio Township, he said, because of the status of activities at the site. "We're into the drilling phase now and there's a safety factor that becomes involved in the drilling where we need to continue circulating mud in the hole," Gibson said. "To keep the integrity of the hole, to keep the hole the round shape that the bit created it, to keep the sides from caving in we need to keep pressure on the sides of the hole." Scio Township Supervisor Spaulding Clark agreed that safety could be compromised if the company stops drilling halfway through the process. He said the city's board of trustees has yet to set a timeline for West Bay to stop operations at the site. "I think part of it is a wait and see attitude about what's actually going on out there," Clark said. Warren GM starts bike sharing program at Tech Center WARREN, Mich. (AP) - General Motors Co.'s Tech Center is starting a bike sharing program for the 19,000 people who work at the suburban Detroit site. The Detroit-based automaker says the program will allow workers to commute on and off the Tech Center campus in Warren. GM is working with Zagster, a private bike sharing company that has developed similar programs for other locations. Employees can use Zagster bikes stationed throughout the Tech Center to travel between its 61 buildings around the 330-acre site. To participate, an employee registers online, then reserves a bike through text message or a smartphone app that provides a bike access code. Each bike comes equipped with a basket that can be used to transport a laptop and other small belongings. Lansing @ROUND UP Briefs Headline:Pure Michigan tourism campaign becomes tattoo LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The state's Pure Michigan tourism campaign is getting a little ink - on people's bodies. Michigan Economic Development Corporation spokeswoman Michelle Grinnell told MLive.com that a colleague spotted a nearly exact rendering of the Pure Michigan logo as a tattoo. It features a blue "M," signifying the tourism brand. "I think it is kind of a signal of how passionate our fans are and how passionate people are about the state of Michigan," Grinnell said. Tattoo artists said that others have tattoos incorporating the words "Pure Michigan." Tattoos of the state of Michigan or other state themes are relatively common. The MEDC has no knowledge of other tattoos specifically of the logo, but Grinnell didn't rule out the possibility. "It's the first one that I have seen," Grinnell said. "I would not be totally shocked if there were others out there. I know we have done in the past pure Michigan temporary tattoos at events that were very popular." Technically, those seeking to use the logo are supposed to go through an approval process that includes submitting an example of how the logo will be used. In the case of tattoos, however, Grinnell the state doesn't plan to go after those who get inked. Flint Man sentenced in 2005 slaying of stepfather FLINT, Mich. (AP) - A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to a mandatory term of life in prison without parole in the 2005 slaying of his stepfather in Flint. The Flint Journal reports Terrell Dejuan Roche was sentenced Monday in the death of 49-year-old Ralph Matthews, who was found fatally shot Oct. 23, 2005, in the kitchen of a burning home. Roche was charged in November as part of the state and federal prosecution of the Howard Boys gang. He was convicted in July of first-degree murder and second-degree arson. Defense lawyer Tricia Raymond has said that Roche loved his stepfather and that he maintained his innocence throughout the trial. She says an appeal is expected. Roche already was in behind bars after pleading no contest in a 2006 armed robbery and assault. Lansing Biden to speak in Detroit after Labor Day parade DETROIT (AP) - Vice President Joe Biden will be Detroit on Labor Day for the second time in three years. Biden will make his 15th trip to Michigan since taking office to speak following the Labor Day parade. He last participated in Labor Day events in Michigan in 2012. The vice president also will meet with local labor leaders during his third visit to Detroit this year. He was in the city in July to tour a training program with Mayor Mike Duggan and hold a fundraiser for Michigan Democrats. The event is designed to honor the American worker and usually draws prominent state Democrats. It has served as an unofficial launch pad for political campaigns in Michigan. Published: Wed, Aug 27, 2014