Fall into hole gets attention of Michigan Supreme Court
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — A frozen pipe, a deep hole and a curious woman in the Upper Peninsula — it all adds up to a case for the Michigan Supreme Court.
The court is hearing arguments Wednesday in a dispute between the city of Sault Ste. Marie and resident Alice Brown. She sued the city after falling into a 6-foot (2-meter) hole that was excavated to repair a water pipe near her home.
Brown's lawsuit was dismissed by a Chippewa County judge who said she failed to provide details of her injuries, as required under state law. But the appeals court reversed that decision, saying Sault Ste. Marie had police and ambulance reports with the information.
Sault Ste. Marie says Brown's notice didn't meet the strict conditions of state law.
Attorney steps down as director of Michigan Agency for Energy
Gov. Rick Snyder this week announced a restructuring of the Michigan Agency for Energy (MAE) and the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) as well as a change in the chair of the Pipeline Safety Advisory Board in response to MAE Executive Director Valerie Brader’s resignation from the administration, effective Feb. 10.
MAE Deputy Director Madhu Anderson will serve as the agency’s acting executive director after Brader’s departure.
“Valerie has done an outstanding job leading the Michigan Agency for Energy and guiding state policy to ensure a stronger energy future for Michigan,” Snyder said.
Under Snyder’s Executive Order, the MPSC will take over some of MAE’s responsibilities. MAE will retain the responsibility and personnel necessary to represent Michigan’s interests on national, regional and regulatory policy.
“It’s been an honor to serve the citizens of Michigan and Gov. Rick Snyder,” Brader said. “I’m proud of the work the Agency for Energy has done with so many of our partners toward a more reliable and affordable energy future for Michigan. Together, we passed energy legislation that will be a national model, were recognized nationally for our leadership in energy infrastructure and security issues, ensured that the Upper Peninsula could have a bright energy future that they could control, re-invented our grant-making programs in response to feedback from stakeholders, and helped thousands of customers with their utility issues.”
Brader, a lawyer, plans to join Rivenoak Law in March and also will be heading a new consulting company. She was named executive director of MAE in 2015, and among other efforts, led negotiations for the administration on the 2016 energy law package that garnered bipartisan support from more than two-thirds of the legislators in both chambers and was signed into law in December 2016. She began serving the Snyder administration in 2011 as deputy legal counsel and senior policy advisor to the governor.
Brader also has resigned her position as Special Legal Counsel, effective Feb. 10. In that position, she led the legal team for recent negotiations to secure Flint a responsible, long-term water contract. In her prior legal role, Brader was the point person for the governor’s legal team on the Detroit bankruptcy and played a key role in the Detroit lighting legislative package.
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