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CAMPGROUND FLOODING

Much of Bay City rec area campground is flooded

BANGOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Much of the Bay City State Recreation Area campground is flooded heading into the Memorial Day weekend

Park manager George Lauinger tells MLive.com that 129 of the park's 189 camp sites have various amounts of flooding.

The flooding is the result of some heavy mid-week rain.

The campground had been due to reach full capacity beginning Friday and stay there through Memorial Day. Lauinger says customers who reserved spots in flooded areas have been contacted and given the option of receiving a full refund, which can range from $20 to $23.

According to Lauinger, 68% of the campground was flooded as of Thursday.

While the flooding is no longer as severe, officials haven't estimated what percentage of the park remained under water as of Friday.

OKLAHOMA TORNADO-MICHIGAN

Mich. area hit by 2012 tornado aims to help Okla.

DEXTER, Mich. (AP) - Residents of a Michigan community hit by a tornado last year are donating food, money and supplies for relief efforts in Oklahoma.

The Detroit Free Press reports a trailer including items such as clothing, diapers, dog food and cleaning supplies has been sent to Moore, Okla.

Hands of Light in Action founder Nancy Malone is bringing the trailer, and much of the donation came from Dexter-area residents.

Malone says she's "amazed by the response" in Dexter and elsewhere in Michigan.

No one was injured in the March 15, 2012, tornado in the Dexter area, northwest of Ann Arbor, but the storm prompted officials to take a fresh look at severe weather preparedness. The storm affected hundreds of homes and caused millions in damage.

TROUBLED SCHOOLS-MICHIGAN

Report: New state school district overstated power

DETROIT (AP) - A published report says the state district set up to turn around Michigan's lowest-performing schools overstated its authority to take over failing schools in a bid to win a $35.4 million federal grant.

The Detroit News reports that the application to the U.S. Department of Education for a 5-year teacher merit pay program was made six weeks before the Education Achievement Authority district began operating in September.

The application said the district with 15 Detroit schools had legislative permission to grow to 60 schools in 10 urban districts by 2017, which it doesn't. The grant application also stated that the district was an IRS-authorized charitable organization.

EAA spokesman Bob Berg says the inaccuracies were mistakes in a hastily written application submitted in late July and approved in October.

AUTO PARTS-EXPANSION

Auto parts supplier to invest $40M in Marysville

MARYSVILLE, Mich. (AP) - An auto industry parts supplier says it's investing $40 million to expand its Marysville facility and plans to add more than 350 jobs during the next three years.

The Times Herald of Port Huron reports the announcement was made Thursday by SMR Automotive Systems.

Sai Tatineni, managing director of the Marysville facility, says sites in other states and Mexico were considered, but the company decided on Michigan after working on the project for several months.

SMR received a $4 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant through the Michigan Strategic Fund and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Marysville also is expected to provide property tax abatements to support the expansion.

The company, which specializes in exterior mirrors for vehicles, also plans to buy a 100,000-square-foot warehouse in Port Huron.

PROM PARTY-SHOOTING-WARNING

Students at Saginaw school get warning before prom

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) - Students at a high school have been warned not to hold any unofficial gatherings before their prom following a shooting during pre-prom party for another Saginaw school.

The shooting happened about 6 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot at Florence Event Hall in Saginaw, about 85 miles northwest of Detroit. Saginaw High School's prom took place later Thursday night at another facility located about 8 miles away.

MLive.com reports the prom for Arthur Hill High School is scheduled to take place Friday night at Swan Valley Banquet Center.

Police Sgt. Reggie Williams says students at both schools were previously warned, during a meeting with both schools, not to gather before prom events.

CHILDREN THREATENED-KNIFE

Probation for man charged with threatening kids

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) - A man has been sentenced to probation in Livingston County for threatening to cut off his children's fingers with a kitchen knife at a Thanksgiving family dinner.

Circuit Judge Michael Hatty called Henry Spisz's behavior "abhorrent" Thursday when he sentenced the 35-year-old former Handy Township man to three years' probation and six months of electronic monitoring.

WHMI-FM reports Spisz pleaded no contest last month to two counts of felonious assault.

Spisz also was ordered to serve 55 days in jail, but was given credit for time served.

Police say he held a knife to the fingers of his then-5-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son last year and threatened to cut them off for misbehaving.

According to the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, Spisz told the judge he "made a mistake."

DOGS REMOVED-MICHIGAN

Officials: 150 dogs removed from Mich. facilities

LAKE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Officials say they've removed more than 150 dogs from locations owned by a breeding facility in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula.

The Michigan Humane Society says about 20 of the dogs will be cared for at its suburban Detroit site following the Thursday removal in Missaukee County.

The case involves JRT John's Jack Russell and Shiba Inu Kennel near Lake City, about 170 miles northwest of Detroit.

John Jones tells the Detroit Free Press he started the breeding business years ago, took good care of the dogs and sold them to his daughter this year.

Jones described the dogs as his "kids" and called the seizure illegal.

Officials say the dogs are primarily Jack Russell terriers and Shiba Inus, and were living in outdoor enclosures with little protection.

CALVIN COLLEGE-CUTS

Calvin College cuts 22 faculty, staff positions

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - Calvin College is cutting 22 faculty and staff positions as the Christian liberal arts school looks to cut long-term expenses and its 2013-14 budget.

The Grand Rapids Press reports the staffing reductions were done through layoffs, not renewing contracts for some temporary faculty and attrition. The cuts were announced in a letter Thursday by school President Michael Le Roy.

Calvin College has about 750 faculty and staff. The cost-cutting measures come as the Grand Rapids school looks to reduce long-term debt that grew to $115 million between 1997 and 2012. It's also trimming its 2013-14 budget by $4.7 million.

DETROIT FINANCES-MUSEUM

Museum art collection at risk amid Detroit's woes

DETROIT (AP) - Officials say the Detroit Institute of Arts' collection could be sold to help satisfy creditors if the financially troubled city of Detroit seeks bankruptcy protection.

The Detroit Free Press reports Friday the city's state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr is considering whether the collection should be considered city assets that could be sold to cover Detroit's long-term debt. The debt is estimated at more than $14 billion.

Orr spokesman Bill Nowling tells The Detroit News that Orr told the museum it may face exposure to creditors if Detroit seeks bankruptcy protection. Nowling says the notification is a "precautionary measure" and there's "no plan on the table to sell any asset of the city."

The museum says it's hired a bankruptcy attorney to suggest ways to protect the collection from possible losses.

NCAA-MICHIGAN-EXPLOSIVES

2 Mich. men charged with making Molotov cocktails

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Authorities say two Ann Arbor men had Molotov cocktails the night the University of Michigan basketball team lost in the NCAA championship game to Louisville.

Justin Dozier and Rosario Bruno are charged with two counts each of possessing/manufacturing explosives, a 4-year felony.

The 20-year-olds were arraigned Wednesday in Ann Arbor district court and have a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 30.

Ann Arbor police responding to a report of a mattress fire last month found a bottle with a flammable liquid in it, an item popularly known as a Molotov cocktail.

Lt. Robert Pfannes tells AnnArbor.com investigators linked Dozier and Bruno to several of them.

A university website indicates both men are Michigan students.

MICHIGAN CAPITOL-CARPET

Michigan House, Senate chambers to get new carpet

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The state House and Senate are getting new carpet for their chambers at the Capitol as part of a $370,000 project to spruce up the aging floor.

The Detroit Free Press and MLive.com report the carpeting featuring the state seal last was replaced more than 20 years ago. It's held together in places with tape. The replacement is to take place during summer break, which runs from mid-June into September.

A British company Brintons that was used during a Capitol restoration project in 1989 was awarded the bid for the carpet.

The carpet also will be replaced in galleries above the House and Senate chambers, and in fourth-floor meeting rooms. During the replacement, technology upgrades will include new computer wiring installed in the floor, telecommunications cabling and electrical adapters.

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