Blackman Twp.
Closed part of old state prison open as new museum
BLACKMAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Part of the former Southern Michigan Correctional Facility in the Jackson area is opening to the public on Saturday as a home for history.
The Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History partnered with the Michigan Department of Corrections to create the prison museum within the 7 Block portion of the prison that closed in 2007. A preview was held Monday, the Jackson Citizen Patriot reported.
Corrections Director Dan Heyns formerly served as Jackson County sheriff and was a longtime member of the sheriff’s department before taking his current job with the prison system in 2011. The opening “marks a new and honest reality for Jackson,” he said.
“It marks Jackson’s acceptance of its history, and it embraces it,” Heyns said. “No more hiding the obvious. We are substituting a negative with a positive.”
The Southern Michigan Correctional Facility had operated in some capacity since the 1930s. After it closed it was used in 2009 for filming of the Robert De Niro and Edward Norton movie “Stone.” The 7 Block portion was including in the Jackson Journeys prison tours from 2011-13.
The prison museum will allow the public to wander the five-floor, 515-cell 7 block building, which will feature exhibits, artifacts, pictures and documented stories.
Mindy Bradish-Orta, head of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Experience Jackson, said the addition of the prison museum will boost area tourism.
“This is a wonderful addition to our attractions,” Bradish-Orta said. “This will really put Jackson County on the map as a tourist destination.”
Admission to the museum in Blackman Township is $15 for adults, $8 for ages 5 to 12 and $10 for Ella Sharp Museum members, seniors and military personnel. Children younger than 5 are free. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
Centreville
2-week trial is expected in case of slain acountant
CENTREVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A two-week trial is expected for a southwestern Michigan certified public accountant in the slaying of a prominent 70-year-old colleague.
The Kalamazoo Gazette reports jury selection began Tuesday in St. Joseph County Circuit Court for Andy Brown, who is charged with first-degree murder.
David Locey was found shot to death Oct. 2 in his accounting office in Sherman Township, near Sturgis. Prosecutors say Brown was in a business dispute with Locey at the time of the killing. Court documents show
dozens of potential witnesses could testify.
dozens of potential witnesses could testify.
Defense lawyer Michael Hills has said that the case is highly circumstantial, there was no weapon found and there was no motive.
Bay City
Police: Suspected impersonator of trooper arrested
BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) — Police say they’ve arrested a 17-year-old who is described as infatuated with law enforcement for pretending to be a state trooper at a downtown Bay City hotel.
Bay City Public Safety Director Michael J. Cecchini says that officers arrested him on Monday on a misdemeanor charge of false representation of a police officer.
The Bay City Times reports the teen stopped by the Budget Inn late Saturday, telling staff that he was responding to a fight in a room. Police say the teen was wearing a makeshift uniform, including a badge and Michigan State Police shoulder patches.
The teen was arrested after police put a photo of the suspect on its Facebook page. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail.
Traverse City
Federal grant will help protect vital shoreline systems
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan will receive $2.5 million from the federal government for efforts to protect shore lands and coastal ecosystems, along with public access and recreation.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the funding this week to the state’s coastal management program. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will administer the grant, which will generate an additional $2 million in state and local spending.
Supported projects will include identifying how climate change is affecting Great Lakes coastal wetlands and what might be done about them, and training staffers to incorporate climate change measures into the process of wetlands regulation.
The grant also will support outreach to local communities and management of dunes and areas especially vulnerable to erosion.
