Blackman Twp.
Police: Boy, 16, accidentally kills brother, 21
BLACKMAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Police say a 16-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 21-year-old brother with a handgun that he believed to be unloaded when he pointed it at the man.
Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Jon Johnston tells the Jackson Citizen Patriot in an email that the younger brother went into his brother's room Saturday night and reportedly asked "Do you feel lucky?" before pulling the trigger.
Names of those involved haven't been released. Johnston says their parents were at the grocery store at the time and the brothers were the only people home. The 21-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene in Jackson County's Blackman Township.
Johnston says this is "clearly tragic situation for the family" and police will "complete an in-depth investigation to determine what actions are appropriate from there."
The younger brother called 911 after the shooting. Johnston says investigators are working to determine who owned the gun, but it didn't belong to either parent or the brother who was killed.
Kalkaska
Trial begins in 1996 slaying of woman, 68
KALKASKA, Mich. (AP) - A man accused of raping and killing a northern Michigan woman is scheduled for trial after an investigation cleared another man who served 16 years in prison in the case.
Thirty-six-year-old Jason Anthony Ryan of Davison is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Trial began Monday.
Jamie Peterson was released in September after DNA tests showed he didn't attack 68-year-old Geraldine Montgomery, whose body was found in the trunk of her car outside her Kalkaska home in 1996.
Peterson recanted his initial confession but was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to life without parole.
Lawyers with organizations that support people they believe were wrongly convicted looked into the case. They persuaded local authorities to conduct DNA testing, which prosecutors say placed Ryan at the crime scene.
Detroit
City's 'Hugs Not Bullets' youth effort launches
DETROIT (AP) - Detroit's Neighborhood Service Organization is continuing a decade-long effort to reduce dangerous New Year's Eve gunfire in the city with a campaign called "Hugs, Not Bullets."
The Group's Youth Initiatives Project starts the campaign at 10 a.m. Monday at the Spirit of Detroit statue in downtown Detroit. The group says that 50 Youth Initiatives Project participants and students from the Osborn Campus and Central Collegiate Academy will attend.
Organizers say that speakers will address the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, and youth violence in metropolitan Detroit.
Besides reducing New Year's Eve gunfire, the project also seeks to cut down on gun violence in general.
Project leaders work with elementary, middle and high school students "on the importance of conflict resolution and productive ways to settle disputes."
Muskegon
City considers urban agriculture rules update
MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - Officials in Muskegon are considering updating regulations on urban agriculture, including whether a ban on sales of produce should be relaxed.
The Muskegon Chronicle reports the idea of allowing sales from urban farms was considered by the city's planning commission a few months ago without resolution. On Monday evening, members of the Muskegon City Commission hold a work session.
Supporters of community gardens earlier appealed to the planning commission to allow sales because they say it could help create jobs and promote healthy eating.
City Manager Frank Peterson says officials agree that community gardens are great, but they worry about the possibility of bigger commercial operations. He says that there's the potential for nuisances from such uses that the city would be unable to address.
Battle Creek
Police: Woman finds unknown child in her bed
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) - Battle Creek police say a woman called them after waking up to find a 1-year old child that she didn't know in her bed.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports police said Sunday morning that the woman awoke during the night to find the child sleeping.
She told police that she didn't know the child. The child was taken to the police department and officers determined that the woman's 18-year-old son had left the child at home before going out. It wasn't his child, however, but police located the child's mother.
Child Protective Services has been asked to investigate.
Published: Tue, Dec 09, 2014
