Man who blames lake for house woes loses case

ATLANTA, Mich. (AP) -- A northern Michigan man upset over the level of an inland lake has failed to turn it into a federal case. Frank Van Wulfen says his lakefront home has been damaged by Avery Lake in Montmorency County, 75 miles southeast of the Mackinac Bridge. He wants officials to lower it more during the winter. The home's in Albert Township, south of the county seat of Atlanta. Van Wulfen says it's an unconstitutional taking of his property and asks to be compensated. But experts have said the problem is how the home was built, not the level of Avery Lake. A federal appeals court in Cincinnati dismissed the case Tuesday. The three-judge panel says it's going to stick to the conclusions of the state court, which had ruled against Van Wulfen. Published: Thu, Jun 23, 2011