State Roundup

Portage Family hopeful for man missing on Mount Fuji PORTAGE, Mich. (AP) -- The father of a missing Michigan man who disappeared this month while visiting snow- and ice-covered Mount Fuji in Japan says family members remain hopeful he'll be found. Jerry Johnson tells The Associated Press on Tuesday morning that the family remains in regular contact with officials in Japan. He says "horrible" weather conditions have made search efforts more difficult. He says the family is praying for Matthew Johnson as well as searchers at the 12,388-foot peak. Jerry Johnson asked others to continue their prayers. The Consulate General of Japan in Detroit said Matthew Johnson was last seen Jan. 13, and the avid hiker and outdoorsman's car was later found parked at Mount Fuji. The 33-year-old is from the western Michigan community of Portage. Dearborn Group: Mich. revved for growth after tough decade DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- A group of chief executives from many of Michigan's prominent companies says the state's improving financial picture, tax policy and regulatory environment are creating the right conditions for growth after a decade of turmoil. The Business Leaders for Michigan gathered Tuesday in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn to discuss the progress being made on its Michigan Turnaround Plan launched in 2009. It called for creating a more efficient government and atmosphere for entrepreneurship. Leaders announced a new step that urges the state to capitalize on its strengths and become a global hub for engineering, higher education, natural resources, life sciences and mobility. They say boosting efforts in these areas could make Michigan one of the fastest-growing states, lower the unemployment rate below the national average and raise residents' personal income. Grenville Man tells police that woman, 83, set fire at home GRENVILLE, Mich. (AP) -- A 65-year-old man who was rescued from a fire in Michigan told police that an 83-year-old woman who also was rescued had set the blaze. The Grand Rapids Press and The Daily News of Greenville report arson-related charges could be filed in the Jan. 13 fire in Greenville, about 25 miles northeast of Grand Rapids. The case was under investigation this week. The man was trapped in an upstairs bedroom but was rescued through a window by Greenville public safety officers and firefighters. Rescuers also helped the 83-year-old woman from the home's downstairs level. Police say the man told them that the woman set clothes that belonged to him on fire. Investigators have determined that the fire was arson and started in the upstairs bedroom where the man was rescued. Muskegon $1M settlement ends lawsuit over snowplow death MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) -- A $1 million settlement has ended a lawsuit over the death of a 19-year-old who was struck by a snowplow last year. The Muskegon Chronicle reports that a judge in Muskegon on Monday approved the settlement between lawyers representing the family of Corey McNett and a landscaping business that owned the truck with an attached plow. McNett died after being hit Feb. 13 in Muskegon County's Fruitport Township. His family filed the wrongful death claim. The truck's driver Jeremy Griffin of Muskegon Township pleaded no contest Dec. 22 to moving violation causing death, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. The 33-year-old's sentencing is Feb. 10. Published: Wed, Jan 25, 2012