Troy
Chickens in Detroit, Flint under scrutiny
TROY, Mich. (AP) — People keeping chickens in suburban Detroit and Flint are among those facing efforts by local governments to send their birds packing.
Kevin Donovan’s 9-year-old daughter Emma and 3-year-old son Avery help care for chickens and ducks in their Troy backyard. Donovan tells The Detroit News he thought it would be a great way to teach his children where food comes from, but he was cited and sued by Troy.
Troy is awaiting a judge’s decision on whether it’s a municipal civil infraction. Donovan says they’re trying to be good neighbors.
In Flint, Roxanne Adair wants to keep 10 chickens. The Flint Journal reports the city says it’s a zoning issue.
In response to growing interest in urban agriculture, Michigan plans to develop guidelines for communities to avoid conflicts between neighbors.
Ann Arbor
Football player pleads guilty to misdemeanor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan offensive lineman Graham Glasgow has pleaded guilty to a charge of operating a vehicle while visibly impaired.
Glasgow appeared Monday in front of 15th District Court Judge Joseph Burke, who set sentencing for July 14. The misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to 93 days in jail.
As part of the plea deal, the government amended the charge from operating while intoxicated to operating while visibly impaired. Monday’s plea stems from a March 15 incident. Glasgow did not comment on the case while leaving the courtroom.
Michigan coach Brady Hoke suspended Glasgow for part of spring practice and the season-opening game against Appalachian State. As a sophomore last season, Glasgow made nine starts at center and four at left guard.
Livonia
Parents sue Wal-Mart over shoplifting stop
LIVONIA, Mich. (AP) — The parents of a mentally disabled woman are suing Wal-Mart and police after she was stopped for suspected shoplifting at a Detroit-area store.
Wendy Kozma of Novi tells the Detroit Free Press her 25-year-old daughter, Jodi, who has the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, now is terrified of police after being handcuffed and questioned at a Wal-Mart in Livonia. Records show she didn’t steal anything.
Wendy and John Kozma want an apology along with unspecified financial damages and assurance that police and store security follow proper procedures when dealing with disabled people. They filed a complaint with police in August 2012, when their daughter was stopped, and recently sued.
Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart says it believes its associates acted appropriately. Livonia police sent a letter to the Kozmas denying wrongdoing.
Copemish
Cucumber growers to get back wages
COPEMISH, Mich. (AP) — The government says a northern Michigan farmer has agreed to pay $11,250 in back wages to three dozen people who picked cucumbers.
The agreement follows a March ruling by Grand Rapids federal Judge Gordon Quist. He says the workers were employees, not contractors, and were covered by federal wage law. The U.S. Labor Department sued Darryl Howes and his farm in Copemish in Manistee County. He was accused of violating laws during the cucumber harvest three years ago. The farm grows cucumbers that are turned into pickles.
The government said migrant workers got less than the minimum wage and were given poor housing.
