saginaw

Buena Vista school district to use federal funds for 'summer camps'

Rick Pluta — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:46:31 +0000

The Buena Vista school district will try to run summer camps to help students affected by the sudden cancelation of classes for the balance of the school year.

That's one of the decisions today from a meeting of state and local education officials.

The shut-down will not stop eligible seniors from graduating, or other students from advancing to the next grade. The district in Saginaw County will try to run four- to six-week camps over the summer break to help students make up what they missed, and prepare for the coming school year.

The money for those camps will not come from the state, but from federal funds.

The Buena Vista district abruptly ceased operations earlier this month. That was after the state cut off aid payments because of debts owed by the district.

After four days of no classes, Saginaw district prepares for financial emergency

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:35:16 +0000

It’s day four of no school for Saginaw-based Buena Vista School District, as the district prepares to declare a financial emergency.

As Mark Brush reported on Tuesday, the school district canceled classes earlier this week after teachers were laid off. The layoffs come after the district of about 450 students learned the state was withholding funding for April, May and June.

Michigan school district out of money, closes doors today

Mark Brush — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:14:18 +0000

The financial storm has been brewing at the Buena Vista School District outside of Saginaw for some time, but it came to a head today.

The Buena Vista School District announced that the school is closed today and that teachers will be laid off.

A community meeting is expected to be held at 6 p.m tonight.

The District has faced declining enrollment at a time when public education funds are being cut in the state.

Several local cities rank high on a list of the best places to rent out single family homes

Steve Carmody — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:14:00 +0000

A new report finds three regional cities are good places to buy and rent out single family homes.

A new Realty Trac survey lists Detroit, Saginaw and Toledo among the 20 best markets in the country to own and rent single family homes. Florida cities dominate the rest of the list.

The top 20 are based on the markets with the most potential cash flow and capitalization rates on a 3-bedroom home.

A new class of Michigan State Police troopers is sworn in

Steve Carmody — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:21:29 +0000

Ninety new Michigan State troopers will soon be on the road.

The troopers were officially sworn in today in Lansing.

Governor Rick Snyder told the new troopers they are part of reinventing Michigan, in part by helping those communities hit hard by violent crime.

'It's not just Detroit,' hundreds of Michigan cities face huge unfunded liabilities

Steve Carmody — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:11:50 +0000

Hundreds of Michigan cities are not saving enough to cover their future retiree health care costs.

A new report says more than 300 Michigan municipalities have in excess of $13 billion in unfunded liabilities for health care costs of retired public employees.

Michigan State University researchers found only half of the municipalities are prefunding retiree health care. The rest are setting aside no money despite longer lifespans and rapidly rising health costs.

While the collective bill of funding those benefits is $12.7 billion, the bulk of it, almost $11 billion, is attributable to local governments in a 10-county region of Southeast Michigan including Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. The city of Detroit alone will owe $5 billion in retiree health care costs.

But MSU professor Eric Scorsone says cities like Grand Rapids, Flint, Lansing and Saginaw also face difficult choices.

“That’s already happening today….these cities…are paying millions of dollars in retiree premiums so it’s already having an effect and it will have an even bigger effect in the future,” says Scorsone.

Scorsone says the new national health care law may help some. But tax increases, budget cuts or broken promises to retirees are inevitable, unless the state takes action.

For Saginaw County, no running around right-to-work law

Kate Wells — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:14:59 +0000

Unions are rushing to sign contracts before Michigan's right to work law takes effect this month.

But one county is worried Republicans might retaliate.

In Saginaw County, the biggest public union wants to get a 10-year contract signed ASAP.

If that happens before March 28^th, it can still require workers to pay for union dues – which will be illegal under the new law.

But county officials say they’re afraid Republicans will yank state dollars from the county as retribution.

Saginaw’s Catholic Diocese consolidating parishes

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:35:21 +0000

Because of diminishing membership, Saginaw’s Catholic Diocese is beginning a three-year process to consolidate parishes.

The diocese includes 105 parishes spread across almost 7,000 square miles in 11 counties around Saginaw, Bay City and Midland.

State lawmaker may push for higher city income tax rates in Michigan

Steve Carmody — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:16:00 +0000

Some Michigan cities that collect an income tax might soon see a revenue boost.

A state lawmaker wants to increase the tax rate cities can charge.

State representative Andy Schor is looking at lifting the current state cap on city income tax rates. Four cities (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Saginaw and Highland Park) are already allowed to collect more than the 1% limit on city residents and .5% on non-city residents.

Local government and religious leaders in Michigan call for more federal gun control laws

Steve Carmody — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:58:15 +0000

Government and religious leaders from Lansing, Flint and Saginaw came together today to call for new federal gun control laws.

All three cities saw an increase in murders in 2012.

The group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, wants the federal government to require background checks for all gun sales. It also wants a ban on assault weapons and an expansion of gun trafficking laws.

Darnell Earley is Saginaw’s city manager. He says something must be done to stop what he calls “neighborhood warfare.”

Saginaw police officers disciplined in wake of homeless man shooting, mother still looks for answers

Mark Brush — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:56:21 +0000

Earlier this month it was announced the Saginaw police officers who shot and killed a homeless, mentally ill man would not face criminal charges. 49-year-old Milton Hall was killed by Saginaw Police July 1, after police say he refused to drop a knife. Six officers fired several dozen shots at Hall.

Now we hear that some officers will be disciplined internally by the Saginaw Police Department.

Emotions still running high after Saginaw fatal police shooting

Kate Wells — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:37:59 +0000

Justice still hasn’t been done in the case of a fatal police shooting of a mentally ill man in Saginaw this summer.

That was the message at a community forum this week, where some 200 residents came out to express frustration with local law enforcement, and with the county prosecutor for declining to press criminal charges against the officers.

Among the mostly African American crowd at the forum, the primary question seemed to be: why was so much lethal force used on July 1^st, the day Milton Hall was shot by police 11 times?

World Trade Center artifact goes on display at Saginaw history museum

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 20:02:40 +0000

A permanent exhibit commemorating the events of September 11, 2001 opens today at the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, reports Emily Pfund at Mlive.com.

A piece of aluminum cladding about 5 feet long and 4 feet wide is the latest addition to the lobby of the museum, 700 Federal in downtown Saginaw.

No answers yet in police shooting of mentally-ill man

Kate Wells — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:01:29 +0000

Two months after Saginaw police fatally shot a mentally-ill man, his family and community are still calling for answers.

On July 1^st, Milton Hall was gunned down in a parking lot during a confrontation with police. It was captured on a cell phone video and made national headlines, with some media reporting the officers fired 46 times.

Hall reportedly held a knife, though the video appears to show he was several feet away when police opened fire.

First 2012 West Nile Virus case confirmed in SE Michigan man

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:26:28 +0000

Oakland County health officials say they've received Michigan Department of Community Health confirmation of West Nile virus in a 44-year-old man, the first such case reported in the state this year.

Today, the Oakland County Health Division announced that the man was hospitalized earlier this month after showing symptoms and he is now at home recovering.

On July 3, the MDCH announced it detected the virus in a mosquito pool sample in Saginaw County, and a wild turkey in Washtenaw County.