Lansing Activates Code Blue Emergency Plan Amid Freezing Temperatures

With below-freezing conditions settling into Mid-Michigan, the City of Lansing activated its Code Blue cold weather emergency plan overnight, extending through Tuesday at 7 a.m. Several facilities are opening as warming centers, including the Letts Community Center, which will operate overnight from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

 

Motorists are being urged to use caution during the Monday morning commute after weekend snowfall created slick and icy spots, particularly on bridges and overpasses.

 

In Meridian Township, drivers will also face a closure on Comanche Drive between Woodhill and Mount Hope beginning today for emergency storm pipe repairs. Traffic to and from the Woodhill condominiums and Heartwood subdivision will be detoured onto Copper Hill Drive. Work is expected to continue through Friday.

 

Parma Township Man Arrested on Child Abuse, Domestic Assault Charges

Authorities in Jackson County have arrested a 32-year-old man from Parma Township on allegations of child abuse and domestic assault. Officials say the child showed signs of neglect and was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Formal charges are pending.

 

Court documents also revealed that a man connected to the disappearance of his three sons near the Michigan-Ohio border 15 years ago is set to be released from prison later this month. John Skelton, 53, was convicted of unlawful imprisonment in Lenawee County. The children—ages nine, seven, and five at the time—were never found.

 

Senate Advances Funding Resolution as Michigan Senators Vote “No”

The U.S. Senate advanced a resolution last night that could reopen the federal government, funding operations through January 30 of next year. Michigan Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Alyssa Slotkin voted against the measure, citing health cost concerns.

 

Michigan Remembers Edmund Fitzgerald Tragedy 50 Years Later

Today marks 50 years since the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the most famous shipwreck in Great Lakes history. The ore carrier, once the largest vessel on the lakes, departed Superior, Wisconsin on November 9, 1975, carrying taconite destined for Detroit before encountering 35-foot waves and hurricane-force winds.

 

The ship reported a bad list, storm damage, and the loss of both radars before disappearing from radar shortly after 7:10 p.m. without issuing a mayday. It was later found in two pieces on the bottom of Lake Superior, about 17 miles from Whitefish Point. All 29 crew members were lost and never recovered.