Grand Haven Tribune

1:00 PM Jul 21, 2011

Fleet maintenance collaborative to be submitted for funding

A collaborative agreement to study fleet maintenance service among five Northwest Ottawa County communities will be sent to the Michigan Municipal League for possible grant approval. However, an agreement for police/fire collaboration remains on hold, as it has not received complete support.

12:10 PM Jul 21, 2011

Family looking for information on missing relative

Thirty-eight-year-old Walter Wojahn left his grandfather's house in the Grant area about 11 a.m. Saturday to drive to his job at Sintel Inc. in Spring Lake Township. Family members in the area said they have not heard from him since. "He didn't show up for work Saturday,' said his step-brother, Harry Wojahn of Nunica. "He didn't call his daughter. He didn't call his grandfather, or his mother who he helps care for.'

11:22 AM Jul 21, 2011

Cecchetti Summer School to present concerts on Saturday at Knickerbocker

For a 17th year, young dancers are spending two weeks at Hope College to advance their artistic talent through the International Summer School of the Cecchetti Council of America. The summer school will culminate with two concerts on Saturday - at 10:30 a.m. and noon - at the Knickerbocker Theatre, 86 E. Eighth St. in downtown Holland. The public is invited to the concerts and admission is free.

11:16 AM Jul 21, 2011

Man buys contents of storage unit, finds grenade

Authorities said a Muskegon County man who bought the contents of a storage unit found that his purchase included a live hand grenade. The man found the grenade inside a handgun case and promptly took it Wednesday afternoon to the Egelston Township Fire Department. A bomb squad was called to dispose of the grenade. No injuries were reported. Deputy Fire Chief Dan Willea said the man had the grenade in his car, and showed it to firefighters after telling them he had something they were going to want to see.

11:08 AM Jul 21, 2011

Hudsonville man hurt in crash with bulldozer trailer

A Hudsonville man was injured in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday morning on Adams Street, west of 60th Avenue, according to Sgt. Steve Austin of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department. Kevin Lakowski, 33, was in critical condition with severe lower extremity injuries following the 7 a.m. accident, Austin said. He was airlifted by West Michigan Aircare to Spectrum Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids. Lakowski was in serious condition today, a hospital spokesperson said.

11:02 AM Jul 21, 2011

Coast Guard to be celebrated during Saturday picnic in Ferrysburg

The Tri-Cities community can come celebrate the history and heritage of the U.S. Coast Guard this weekend during an annual picnic at Coast Guard Park in Ferrysburg. The Coast Guard Community Picnic celebrates 221 years of U.S. Coast Guard service. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the park, located off North Shore Drive, and concludes at midnight. Ferrysburg City Clerk Debbie Wierenga said there was a rain storm during the morning portion of the 2010 picnic.

10:56 AM Jul 21, 2011

‘Hometown Idol’ contest scheduled for July 29

A new vocal talent show mirrored after the hit TV show "American Idol' will kick off a week of entertainment during the 2011 Coast Guard Festival. "Hometown Idol' will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 29, at Waterfront Stadium. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the stadium's gate. The event gives local residents an opportunity to compete in three age categories as they sing "crowd-appropriate' tunes for cash prizes, said Coast Guard Festival Executive Director Mike Smith.

10:54 AM Jul 21, 2011

Strikers juggle for dollars

A basic fundamental drill in soccer has proven to be a beneifical fundraiser for the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital - thanks tot he Tri-Cities Strikers U-10 girls soccer team.

10:51 AM Jul 21, 2011

BEUSCHEL: Is handicap accessibility what it seems?

10:42 AM Jul 21, 2011

Berlin Fair is this week

The Berlin Fair opened Monday and runs through Saturday. The fairgrounds are at 2008 Berlin Fair Drive in Marne, off exit 23 of Interstate 96 between Grand Rapids and Muskegon. For more information, call 616-677-1140 or visit www.berlinfair.org. Here is the schedule for the rest of the week, subject to change: TODAY, JULY 21

10:38 AM Jul 21, 2011

‘Car guys’ honor fallen GH officer

The Sunset Coast Cruisers raised more than $800 Wednesday in memory of a Grand Haven public safety officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty 17 years ago. The 16th annual Scott Flahive Memorial Cruise drew in 112 cars old and new. "Last year I had 150 (cars),' said Kurt Pravda, president of the Sunset Coast Cruisers and organizer of the event. "I think the heat's keeping people down.' The drive is kind of like a funeral procession, Pravda said.

10:36 AM Jul 21, 2011

MBVT to make 3rd Grand Haven stop

The Midwest Beach Volleyball Tour makes its third and final stop at Grand Haven State Park on Saturday for the MBVT Barefoot Wine Open. With several of the tour's top men's pro players absent from the field, the amateur side could receive a lions' share of the attention for once.

10:35 AM Jul 21, 2011

Grand Haven to host 7-on-7 football tourney

Grand Haven's varsity football team scored 305 points last fall, the most in the history of the program. Putting points on the board might be more of a challenge this fall as the Buccaneers will be without graduated seniors Adam Poel (QB), Dalton Stenberg (RB) and Alec Smith (WR), who accounted for a bulk of the team's scoring a year ago. In fact, according to coach Mike Farley, the Bucs return just one player from the offensive backfield.

10:21 AM Jul 21, 2011

Teens safe after scare at Grand Haven State Park

Two teenagers are OK after after getting caught up in the currents of Lake Michigan at Grand Haven State Park. Rescuers were called to the park shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on reports that two teens - ages 14 and 15 - were in distress. Grand Haven Department of Public Safety Sgt. Randy Poel said the teens were swimming in the waves and got caught in the current, which began carrying them unknowingly toward the pier. He said two off-duty lifeguards were able to swim to the two teens and determined that they were OK.

9:46 AM Jul 21, 2011

Jailed bride charged with Michigan identity theft

A woman arrested on her wedding day and jailed while wearing a white gown and veil has been arraigned on identity theft charges. The Jackson Citizen Patriot reported Wednesday that 53-year-old Tammy Lee Hinton is accused of using or trying to use her son's identification to get phone and utility service, and a credit card. Jackson District Court Magistrate Frederick Bishop ordered Hinton held on a $100,000 bond.

9:15 AM Jul 21, 2011

Michigan jobless rate rises to 10.5 pct. in June

Michigan's unemployment rate rose again in June - this time to 10.5 percent, its highest rate since January. The seasonally adjusted figures released Wednesday by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget show an increase of 0.2 percentage points since May. The state figure remains above the national rate of 9.2 percent. Michigan saw its second-quarter average job total decline by 4,000 from the first quarter.

7:12 AM Jul 21, 2011

Fire doused at foundry in Spring Lake Twp.

Firefighters from seven departments battled a series of small fires inside a Fruitport-area foundry Tuesday night after hydraulic fluid apparently leaked and started a fire in the center of the plant, according to Spring Lake Township Fire Chief Rick Nuvill. No injuries were reported. Second-shift employees evacuated the Casting Technologies Co. building at 14638 Apple Ave., just east of Fruitport, when the fire started just before 9:30 p.m. One of the employees said it was hard to tell how big the fire was because there was so much smoke.