Pontiac: Mich. woman gets prison sentence for sex with son
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area woman who pleaded guilty to having sex with the biological son she gave up for adoption and later tracked down on the Internet has been sentenced nine years to 30 years in prison.
Thirty-six-year-old Aimee L. Sword of Waterford Township apologized at her sentencing Monday in Oakland County Circuit Court. She had pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in a deal with prosecutors.
Police say Sword used Facebook in 2008 to find her son, who’s now 16. She gave him up for adoption as an infant.
He testified they had sex in Waterford Township and Grand Rapids.
Waterford Township is 30 miles northwest of Detroit.
Middleville: 2 teen farm workers killed in Mich. accident
MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say two teenage workers at a western Michigan dairy farm have died after falling into a silo.
The Barry County Sheriff’s Department says the accident happened Monday evening. The farm is about 125 miles west of Detroit.
Authorities identified the victims as 18-year-old Victor Perez and 17-year-old Francisco M. Martinez. Authorities say they were using a power-washer to clean a 10-foot high silo when they fell in. The silo was used to store a molasses-type mixture used in cow feed.
Farm worker Bob Forbes told The Grand Rapids Press the teens weren’t doing something particularly dangerous and they knew how to do it.
Sheriff Dar Leaf says authorities may never know exactly what happened.
Detroit: Greektown Casino sues original investor Papas
DETROIT (AP) — Greektown Casino in Detroit has filed a $7 million civil suit against original investor Dimitrios Papas.
The Detroit News reports Tuesday that the suit claims at least $1.5 million in unpaid gambling debts.
The suit was filed last week in Wayne County Circuit Court. It claims the casino could not collect Papas’ gambling debts because his checking account had “insufficient funds.”
Papas’ wagering line of credit began in 2000 after he sold his stake in the casino.
He tells the newspaper the lawsuit is “baseless.”
Papas’ attorney says casino owners owe him up to $12 million, which can’t be recovered because Greektown filed bankruptcy.
The casino recently exited bankruptcy.
Detroit: Council to receive petitions calling for mayoral control
DETROIT (AP) — A group of parents and community leaders plan to ask the Detroit City Council to put a proposal on the November ballot calling for the mayor to run the public schools.
Members of Change for Better Schools presented 30,704 petition signatures to council members Tuesday morning.
Only the council can put the matter on November’s ballot. The Change for Better Schools group hopes approval of the measure by Detroit voters will persuade the state Legislature to make such a change.
Petition language calls for Mayor Dave Bing to appoint a superintendent to oversee operations of the 87,000-student district. An appointed advisory board would replace the existing school board.
Some school board members oppose a public vote.
Detroit: Federal govt. looks to unload three Mich. lighthouses
DETROIT (AP) — Looking for lakefront property? The federal government wants to unload three Michigan lighthouses that it no longer needs, and is looking for local communities, museums or nonprofit groups that want to take over their upkeep.
The U.S. Coast Guard wants to find new owners for the Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse; the Middle Island Lighthouse, across Thunder Bay from Alpena; and the South Haven south pier lighthouse, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.
“These lighthouses are still an important part of our heritage,” said Jennifer Radcliff, president of the Michigan Lighthouse Fund. The three lighthouses are among several nationwide recently made available under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. For the past decade, the act has allowed lighthouses to be transferred to those with the means and commitment to maintain them.
With other modern navigation aids being used, lighthouses like those in the Great Lakes are now valued more for the role they played shaping maritime history and their significance as a symbol of communities where they stand.
“They draw tourism and economic development to the community, so they have a broader importance than just being historic monuments,” said Martha MacFarlane-Faes of the State Historic Preservation Office.
If no local communities, museums or nonprofits want them, they could be sold at auction to the public.
