State Roundup

Detroit Ford to recall more than 20,000 trucks and SUVs DETROIT (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 20,000 pickup trucks and SUVs because a defective switch can cause the turn signal, tail lights and brake lights to fail. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday on its website that the recall affects certain 2004 through 2011 Ranger pickups, 2002 through 2005 Excursion SUVs, and 2002 through 2007 F-250, 350, 450 and 550 trucks. About 20,450 trucks in the U.S. are affected, plus Ford is recalling more than 6,000 of the switches that were sent to dealers as replacement parts. Ford says it knows of no accidents or injuries caused by the problem. The company will notify owners and dealers will replace the switches free of charge. East Lansing Plan would expand bus service to Detroit airport EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A shuttle service between East Lansing and Detroit Metropolitan Airport is seeking $1.5 million to help double the number of trips it makes each day. Officials announced Tuesday that Michigan Flyer wants to add an Interstate 96 route. The shuttle service run by Indian Trails Inc. and Okemos Travel says it's seeking a grant from the federal Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Program. The grant would help fund start-up operations. Officials say the route would become self-sustaining in its second year of operations. Michigan Flyer would contribute $390,000 and invest $1.5 million for new buses. With the new route, Michigan Flyer would offer 14 trips a day instead of seven. Currently, Michigan Flyer offers service from East Lansing that includes Jackson, Ann Arbor and the airport along the I-94 corridor. Harris Township 17-year-old UP boys accused of impaling cattle HARRIS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Authorities in Michigan's Upper Peninsula have filed animal torture charges against two teenage boys they accuse of using a steel bar to impale beef cattle, two of which were euthanized because of severe injuries. Menominee County Sheriff Kenny Marks says deputies got a call Monday morning about the attack on a farm in Harris Township, north of Menominee. He says the cattle were herded into a chute and a bar used to impale them. He says some cattle also were beaten with a steel rod and a shovel. Marks says two young cows were euthanized because of severe internal injuries, and a two-year-old bull was being treated for life-threatening injuries. Deputies arrested two 17-year-old Escanaba boys, who were arraigned Tuesday. One is free on bond, while the other remains jailed. Lansing Snyder signs construction contract legislation LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation that supporters say could allow non-union contractors to bid on more public construction projects in Michigan. The bill approved by the Republican governor on Tuesday prevents governments from either requiring or prohibiting collective bargaining agreements for companies that bid on construction projects. Snyder says the legislation is important because it provides equal opportunity to compete for construction jobs while governments make decisions based on competitive bidding and value for taxpayer money. The bill was approved this year by the Republican-led Michigan Legislature, mostly along party lines. Democrats say the legislation could effectively end the use of project-labor agreements that have been used to maintain or upgrade worker skill requirements. Lansing Submerged oil a challenge at Michigan spill site LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Oil that has settled at the bottom of the Kalamazoo River poses a major cleanup challenge nearly a year after a spill in southern Michigan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday. Enbridge Inc., the owners of an oil pipeline that spilled more than 800,000 gallons near Marshall last July, is under orders from the EPA to clean up the submerged oil by Aug. 31. But regulators say it's possible pockets of oil could move or haven't been identified yet, meaning some cleanup could continue for a couple of years. "The footprint of oil is bigger than we anticipated seeing," said Mark Durno, an EPA official involved in cleanup efforts. There are roughly 200 acres of submerged oil along the river bottom. Much of the remaining oil is concentrated in natural collection points along the river such as a dam near Ceresco, a pond near Battle Creek and approaching Morrow Lake in Kalamazoo County. Enbridge reported the spill from one of its pipelines on July 26, 2010. Nearly 40 miles of the Kalamazoo River and a nearby creek were affected in Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties. An Enbridge spokesman said last week that more than 90 percent of the overall oil has been recovered, and the company is committed to finishing the cleanup work. EPA officials said they hope to reopen part of the affected river segment to recreation this year. "That is our goal, but we're not there yet," said Susan Hedman, an EPA regional administrator. Local health officials have said some sections of the river possibly could reopen by mid-to-late August depending on results of ongoing studies and how the cleanup progresses. More than 500 workers are assisting the cleanup effort, down from a peak of roughly 2,500 last year. The affected Enbridge pipeline stretches from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario. Published: Thu, Jul 21, 2011