| THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2025 |
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In today's newsletter, Michigan offers $25K in down payment assistance to first-generation homebuyers, suspect arrested in 1989 cold case murder of mother of five and U.S. chickens need vaccine amid bird flu spike, Michigan’s largest egg producer says. |
Another week is almost in the books. |
We are one day closer to the weekend, making it the perfect time to start making plans as we round out the week. The Chippewa Nature Center in Midland is hosting a free snowshoeing event on Saturday, Feb. 22. The "Snowshoe Sampler" is open to all ages and includes a winter scavenger hunt. If you want to leave the cooking to someone else this weekend and try a new restaurant, grab a wood-fired pizza from St. Joe’s Café in downtown Hillsdale. The recently opened spot features fresh sourdough bread, sandwiches, seasonal salads, and cocktails. Whether you're looking for a sweet treat, including the trendy Dubai chocolate bar, or craving shawarma, swing by Zaman’s Middle Eastern Bakery in Grand Blanc. |
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Amanda Mae Downey of Lake City, Mich., lost her job with the U.S. Forest Service on Feb. 14, 2025 as part of a Trump administration mass firing of federal workers. Downey is a mom of three who was hired in 2023 in administrative support at the agency's Cadillac office. She took down photos of her children from her desk area on Saturday. (Courtesy photos: Amanda Downey) |
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Trump jobs purge hits Michigan. ‘Why did the president fire you, Mommy?’ |
Fired by President Trump: Amanda Mae Downey has found it difficult to fully explain to her 8-year-old daughter why she lost her job with the U.S. Forest Service this weekend. But the girl does understand who gave the order. The Trump administration fired Downey, a Missaukee County mother of three, from her job as an administrative support assistant at the Forest Service this weekend amid a mass purge of federal workers that’s being called a “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” She was among dozens, potentially hundreds, of federal workers in Michigan across multiple agencies fired in what union leaders are calling an illegal nationwide termination of civil servants who were notified that their firing was performance-based despite many having recent positive reviews. What readers said: The question of whether Grand Rapids should become a sanctuary city has sparked a passionate debate among residents, stirring up a range of opinions on immigration, law enforcement, and the city’s responsibility to its immigrants. MLive/The Grand Rapids Press asked its readers last week whether Grand Rapids should become a sanctuary city, and the responses were varied. Here's how they responded. |
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U.S. chickens need vaccine amid bird flu spike, Michigan’s largest egg producer says |
Michigan’s biggest egg producer, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch CEO Greg Herbruck, has called on the federal government to take “urgent and critical” measures to address the H5N1 bird flu crisis by implementing an aggressive vaccination strategy. Unlike other countries like Mexico, Indonesia, China, Vietnam and Egypt, the U.S. doesn’t vaccinate its egg-laying hens against the bird flu. Instead, its response of choice for an outbreak is eradication of the infected flock. Not happening: The only Michigan county without a Dollar General will stay that way after a lakeshore township recently paused plans for a new store. Cleveland Township, located on the northern coast of Leelanau County, passed a resolution earlier this month for a six-month moratorium on permits, applications and rezoning requests for new developments in its business districts. Grocery run: Budget-friendly grocery store chain Aldi says it will open 225 new stores across the U.S. this year as it continues to expand its footprint. While many of the new stores will be located in the Southeast, Aldi plans to open locations throughout the country, including here in the Midwest. |
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Suspect arrested in 1989 cold case murder of mother of 5 |
Decades later: A man has been arrested in the 1989 killing of a Northern Michigan woman whose murder has remained unsolved for 36 years. The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 63-year-old Leelanau County man on Tuesday, Feb. 18, on open murder charges related to the killing of Linda Meteer, said Sheriff Michael Shea. A 68-year-old woman was seen on a security camera going into her fifth-floor apartment in Kalamazoo for the final time on Nov. 22, 2024. Police believe she was killed by a visitor who came to her door two nights later. Two Detroit Police officers will face trial in a child abuse case in Flint. Jared and Liana Shaw were charged in May with four felonies and two misdemeanors in the case. The two are accused of putting two underage victims in choke holds and threatening to put a gun in a child’s backpack then calling police to get them in trouble, according to court documents. |
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NFL won’t discipline Lions’ Jameson Williams for traffic stop gun possession |
Case closed: Coming off a season filled with career highs — and some off-the-field lows — Jameson Williams can breathe a sigh of relief regarding one incident that hung over his head. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, a league spokesperson said the Lions wide receiver will not face disciplinary action stemming from a traffic stop in Detroit, where Williams was found in possession of an unlicensed gun during the season. The spokesperson said the matter is considered “closed.” Moving on: The Detroit Lions are set to lose another key figure from their organization, but this time, it won’t be from the coaching staff. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Michigan State is hiring Jon Dykema as its executive senior associate athletic director for student-athlete management and assistant general counsel. On the field: Veteran right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda will start the Detroit Tigers' Grapefruit League opener on Saturday afternoon, manager A.J. Hinch announced on Wednesday. It’s the latest indication that the Tigers plan to give Maeda every opportunity to win a spot in the starting rotation after he struggled through much of 2024. |
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We are one day closer to the weekend! |
Jamie will be here tomorrow with more news from around Michigan. In the meantime, catch up on the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming a subscriber. Until next time, Cara Hackett |
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