Daily Briefs (Dec 7)

Michigan Supreme Court to hear golf course case
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in a case seeking to get three holes of an 18-hole Benton Harbor golf course out of Jean Klock Park on the shore of Lake Michigan.

The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reports lawyers will argue the case in January. Carol Drake and Clellen Bury sued over the use of the park and lost in lower courts.

The centerpiece of the Golf Club at Harbor Shores project is a Jack Nicklaus-designed course. An event to officially open the course was held in August.

Benton Harbor agreed to lease a portion of Jean Klock Park to the Harbor Shores development team, angering some who fought plans for the course. They claim it’s illegal for public park land to be used for private interests.

Judge drops interest in vacancy on federal court
DETROIT (AP) — A Wayne County judge says he no longer wants to be considered for a vacancy on the federal court in eastern Michigan.

In a letter to Michigan’s two senators, David Allen says he’s worn down by the nearly two-year delay. He says the confirmation process in the U.S. Senate is “broken.”
Allen says a “strong and independent judiciary is at risk.”

A screening committee set up by Democratic Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow had recommended Allen for the federal bench. The senators in turn recommended him to President Barack Obama.

The senators released Allen’s letter Friday. They say they’re disappointed but they understand his decision.

Lawsuit over faulty TP cover gets green light
DETROIT (AP) — A Monroe County woman whose hand was broken by a toilet paper dispenser during a New Year’s Eve dinner will get a chance to sue the restaurant.

The case is greatly dividing the Michigan Supreme Court. The court’s liberal majority says a jury should decide whether the dispenser created an unreasonable risk of harm at Texas Roadhouse in Taylor.

The court’s three conservative justices say there should be no liability for ordinary accidents.

Sheri Schooley says it’s a “bizarre story.” She was reaching for toilet paper when the cover on the dispenser fell on her right hand, breaking it in 2007.

The 58-year-old South Rockwood woman says she can’t work anymore. Schooley says her bowling average dropped by 40 pins after she was forced to switch to her left hand.

Holiday Hours
The Wayne County Clerk’s Office will be closed Friday, Dec. 24 through Monday, Jan. 3 and will re-open Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Open Dec. 28, 29 and 30 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will be: Circuit Court Civil Filings (Rm. 201) and Family Filings and Personal Protection Orders (Rm. 928) located in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center; Criminal Division in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice; Juvenile Division in the Lincoln Hall of Justice. Filings for Department of Human Services and Juvenile Assessment Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. only.

The Office of the City Clerk (200 CAYMC) and the City Clerk Archives and Records Division (65) Cadillac Tower, Ste. 1600) will shut down for the holiday beginning Monday, Dec. 20 through Monday, Jan. 3. The City Clerk offices will reopen during its regular business hours on Wednesday, Jan. 5. (Tuesday, Jan. 4, is a budget-required furlough day.)

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