Port Huron
St. Clair River energy-harnessing project proceeds
PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) - A project to generate energy from the St. Clair River's strong current is moving forward with plans to install four energy-harnessing devices in the river this year.
Vortex Hydro Energy will install the devices between August and September near Dunn Paper in Port Huron, the Times Herald of Port Huron reported. The river is used by commercial traffic and recreational boaters and connects Lake Huron with Lake St. Clair.
Vortex Hydro Energy, a spinoff company hoping to commercialize technology invented and patented at the University of Michigan, placed prototypes in the St. Clair River near the paper mill north of the Blue Water Bridge in August 2010 and September 2012.
The devices - which stand about 18 feet high, 10 feet wide and nearly 12 feet long - have cylinders that move back and forth, creating energy on the river bottom. That energy is harnessed by what those involved in the $1.25 million project call an oscylator and is sent to a generator that converts it to electricity.
The devices are expected to be a few feet from the surface and buoys will indicate their presence to boaters.
Eight more are to be installed in May 2016 and will stay in the water two to three months.
Michael Bernitsas, a professor of naval architecture, marine engineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, invented the technology that's being used in the St. Clair River. It's called VIVACE, or Vortex Induced Vibrations for Aquatic Clean Energy.
Judy Ogden, a member of the Blue Water Sport Fishing Association, voiced concern that the devices could pose a hazard to recreational boaters.
"This is a high traffic area at certain times of the year," she said. "There are people from outside the community who would not be aware of these buoys."
There were no navigational issues in 2012 when a device was left in the river for about three months, Bernitsas said.
Southfield
Man gets 10 days in jail in wreck that killed woman
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) - A 70-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 days in jail for a fiery crash that killed a pregnant Detroit-area woman who was driving a Jeep Liberty that had been recalled because of the placement of the gas tank.
Clarence Heath's Cadillac rear-ended Kayla White's SUV during afternoon rush hour on a suburban Detroit freeway in November. The 2003 Jeep exploded in flames, killing the 23-year-old.
"I can't imagine the feelings they have by losing their daughter and the unborn child," Heath told a judge, referring to White's family.
"Kayla White had her whole life in front of her," he said. "I'm approaching the twilight (and) would gladly have exchanged my life for hers."
Southfield Judge William Richards said the remorse was "genuine." But he said the crash was no accident, noting that Heath was probably driving just below 70 mph when he was distracted during heavy traffic. White's car had stopped or was barely moving.
"He was going far too fast for conditions. ... This would have been a tremendously serious accident with tremendously serious injury even if Ms. White's car had not erupted in flames," the judge said.
Heath, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, causing a death while driving, was sent to jail for 10 days with credit for a day already served. He was placed on probation for two years. He has a record of drunken driving but alcohol wasn't a factor in the crash.
White is one of more than 70 people killed in fires involving older Jeeps with plastic fuel tanks mounted behind the rear axle. Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.56 million Jeeps in 2013. The remedy involves installing trailer hitches on the rear as an extra layer of protection.
White's Jeep hadn't been repaired at the time of the crash, although experts say it's uncertain if a hitch could have prevented the fire based on the speed of Heath's car.
Attorney Gerald Thurswell accompanied White's family to court. He repeated his pledge to file a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler in the months ahead.
Heath "caused the accident, but he did not cause her death," Thurswell said outside court. "The fire caused her death."
Ann Arbor
Mother charged after shooting of 4-year-old boy
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - The mother of a 4-year-old boy who was wounded when a gun accidentally discharged at an Ann Arbor home is facing misdemeanor charges.
The Ann Arbor News reports the 33-year-old faces a May 28 hearing in Washtenaw County 15th District Court on charges of fourth-degree child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Police say her 4-year-old son's head was grazed by a bullet after a child playing with a gun discharged the weapon. Police say he was home with three other children at the time.
Ann Arbor police say Children's Protective Services is involved with the case. The woman has been released from custody.
Published: Thu, May 14, 2015
