Class ring owner found after 3 decades; 911 call unheeded; lawnmower DWI
- Updated
Odd and interesting news from the Midwest.
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TALLMADGE, Ohio (AP) — A Florida man who chewed off his fingerprints in an effort to avoid being identified during a traffic stop has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges in Ohio.
Twenty-four-year-old Kirk Kelly, of Tampa, pleaded guilty this week to charges including escape and tampering with evidence.
A message seeking comment was left Wednesday for his attorney.
Police say Kelly overheard officers discussing their hand-held fingerprint identifier during the Feb. 21 traffic stop in Tallmadge and decided to chew skin off his fingertips. They say Kelly also gave fake names before he was arrested.
He was wanted on multiple warrants in Florida, where police say firearms sold by Kelly have been linked to 15 homicides.
He'll serve his sentence in Ohio before being returned to Florida.
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DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan pancreatic cancer survivor has exacted some revenge.
Sheila Sky Kasselman used a hammer Wednesday to smash to pieces a 3-D-printed replica of her tumor.
The 75-year-old West Bloomfield resident looked at the 3/4-inch facsimile and said "that little guy created a lot of havoc."
Kasselman, who is an 8½-year cancer survivor, said the tumor-smashing exercise at the Henry Ford Hospital complex in Detroit was "therapeutic."
Eric Myers, a product designer with Henry Ford Innovation Institute, created the tumor replica using Kasselman's CT scan from almost 9 years ago.
Kasselman at first tried to crush the model using a baseball bat, but later opted for the hammer.
Myers says he hopes to have more cancer patients take part in what he's calling the "crushing cancer" program.
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SENECA, Mo. (AP) — More than 65 years after he was killed during the Korean War, a soldier from Oklahoma has been buried with military honors.
Cpl. William Eldon Ervin was 21 when he died in November 1950, near the Chosin Reservoir at the beginning of a 17-day battle. More than 1,300 American soldiers were reportedly captured or killed by the attacking Chinese forces.
His family didn't hold a funeral after his death because there was no body to bury. But in 2011, a team from an Army lab excavated the bones of at least seven people from a site near the reservoir. Some of the remains were later identified as Ervin's.
A funeral was held Tuesday at Seneca Cemetery in Missouri, along the Oklahoma border a few miles from Ervin's hometown of Wyandotte, Oklahoma. A bugler played taps during the service, and his relatives received a folded American flag and plaques from the Patriot Guard Riders, the Joplin Globe newspaper reported (http://bit.ly/1VTb4fW ).
Ervin's five surviving siblings were among those in attendance, as was Raymond Vallowe, an Illinois man who served alongside Ervin. Ervin's father, stepmother, three brothers and two sisters died before a funeral could be held.
The Rev. Geoff Buffalo said the federal government has kept its promise to bring home American soldiers who were killed overseas.
"I don't know if they play cards in heaven, but I'm sure that if they do, they've got a table set up and Eldon is doing pretty good for himself," Buffalo said.
One of Ervin's brothers, John "Butch" Ervin, said there's no closure for the families of soldiers whose bodies remain missing.
"'No one left behind' isn't just a saying," Ervin said. "It's a solemn vow."
___
Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com
- By JOHN DYKSTRA The (Kankakee) Daily Journal
- Updated
By JOHN DYKSTRA
The (Kankakee) Daily Journal
DANFORTH, Ill. (AP) — For the past 12 years, this game has preserved the youth of several retired Iroquois County farmers.
Every year, from November to April, Roger Wilken invites five of his friends to his garage in Danforth for weekly bull sessions and games of ping pong.
"Old guys like us need to exercise or else we're going to get fat," the 81-year-old joked. "We also need to stick together and have fun."
"It beats doing nothing and putting yourself in a nursing home," added George Tammen, 85, of Danforth. "It gets you out of the house and gets you moving. It's a good time."
The group strives to have four people at the weekly matches, but that depends on some busy schedules.
"You have to work around doctor appointments when you're this old," said Bill Miller, 77, of Gilman.
The old-timers use a peg scoreboard to keep track of matches. When they're not playing, they're closely watching the net.
Only the sounds of a ping pong ball and squeaking shoes can be heard during a match. Occasionally, the retirees erupt with cheers for a stellar play.
"There's not much talking during a game, it's that competitive," said Ken Redeker, 74, of Crescent City. "But you never hear a swear word. This is a nice bunch of guys."
Miller, who played ping pong while serving two years in the Army, brings his own paddle. He got a new paddle for Christmas to replace a 25-year-old paddle he used to play with.
Win or lose, the men rejoice in sportsmanship. Just ask Duane Tammen. As the young man of the group, the 68-year-old from Danforth graciously accepts his defeats in the name of camaraderie.
"I get whupped by a bunch of old men," Tammen said with a laugh. "Somebody has to be the whupping dog. Every once in a while, they let me win so that I keep coming back."
But it's not just about ping pong and exercising. It's also about socializing. After a few rounds, the men take a break for cans of Sprite and a batch of brownies. That's when they talk about sports, farming and their grandchildren, in addition to comparing notes from their churches.
"I don't make it to all the coffee shops like these other guys do," Tammen said. "So I have to come here and get what's new."
"We haven't really gotten into politics yet," added Steve Krones, 79, of Gilman.
The ping pong frenzy wraps up around April. Some of the retirees help their families with their farms.
Nonetheless, they eagerly wait for November, when Wilken pulls his truck out of the garage and sets up the ping pong table again.
"It started with just a few of us and we've added people over the years," Wilken said. "Bob Dieken kept playing until he was 89 years old. It just goes to show that this is a game you can play no matter how old you are. This keeps us young."
___
Source: The (Kankakee) Daily Journal, http://bit.ly/24VsjAZ
___
Information from: The Daily Journal, http://www.daily-journal.com
This is an AP-Illinois Exchange story offered by The (Kankakee) Daily Journal.
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A central Indiana pastor has admitted to using his congregation as a virtual employment agency for a large synthetic drug operation.
Robert Jaynes Jr., 45, of Irvington Bible Baptist Church in Indianapolis pleaded guilty Tuesday to producing almost 100 tons of synthetic marijuana and conspiracy to commit fraud through the mislabeling of the controlled substance, The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/231bKSr ) reported. He sold the drugs for $2.6 million, according to his plea agreement, which was filed in federal court in St. Louis.
Under the agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek a prison sentence of more than 12 ½ years. Jaynes agreed to forfeit at least $41,000 and more than 800 pounds of "silver colored" coins and bars that, investigators say, were obtained through the illegal drug operation.
Jaynes initially faced a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine.
On Tuesday, Kirk Parsons — the pastor's brother-in-law, close friend and a church member — pleaded guilty to the same charges. But the details of his plea were kept under seal. Parsons also is 45.
Investigators said Jaynes and Parsons were among 13 people from multiple states who were arrested in an international drug ring. Jaynes admitted to being at the center of the Indiana operation that produced thousands of pounds of synthetic marijuana for the scheme.
Several other members of the Bible Baptist Church also face charges for their involvement in the Indiana operation. The charges against some of them, including the wives of Jaynes and Parsons, were deferred after they completed a one-year program.
Jason Woods, a former Hendricks County sheriff's deputy, was charged in January with six felonies, including bribery, official misconduct and dealing in synthetic drugs. He's accused of using his position at the sheriff's office to provide security at the farm where the synthetic marijuana was made and to escort the drug-making operation when it relocated from a farm in New Palestine to an Indianapolis warehouse.
Woods and his wife, Teresa, who also was a sheriff's deputy, were charged in 2014 with misdemeanor counts of possessing a synthetic drug. Both were fired earlier that year.
Another suspect, David Neal of Carmel, hanged himself Feb. 23 while in a Seattle prison, according to the King County medical examiner.
Jaynes and Parsons were released on bond. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on July 8.
___
Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com
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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that police can pull over motorists whose license plates are obstructed by an object such as a bike rack or trailer hitch.
The unanimous opinion filed Tuesday concluded that the Michigan Vehicle Code requires motorists to attach their plates in a place where they can be seen without obstruction.
The high court overturned a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling that suppressed evidence seized from a truck that was pulled over because the license plate was obstructed by a towing ball and police couldn't read all of it. The court reinstated evidence in the felony gun and drug case against Charles Almando-Maurice Dunbar.
In October 2012, Muskegon County sheriff's deputies pulled over Dunbar and said they smelled marijuana, leading to a search in which they found drugs and a gun. As a result of the search, Dunbar was charged with possession of between 50 and 450 grams of cocaine, carrying a concealed weapon, second-offense marijuana possession and felony firearm, as a fourth-time habitual offender.
In the initial court case, defense attorney Michael L. Oakes filed a motion to suppress the evidence deputies seized, arguing that the traffic stop violated Dunbar's Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
Muskegon County 14th Circuit Judge Timothy G. Hicks dismissed the attorney's motion. But the Michigan Court of Appeals in September 2014 overturned the lower court's ruling.
The new ruling by the state Supreme Court reinstates the original ruling by Hicks, so the evidence against Dunbar can be used in the case.
The justices restricted attorneys' arguments to the issue of whether Dunbar's license plate violated the state traffic law. They didn't consider Oakes' argument that police pulled over Dunbar because he's black or the prosecutor's argument that excluding the evidence was necessary to deter police misconduct.
Dunbar and his attorney plan to meet Wednesday to discuss whether they want to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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RISING CITY, Neb. (AP) — As Rising City's only middle school prepares to close, residents of the rural Nebraska village are worried about their community's future.
The Columbus Telegram (http://bit.ly/1PFuCNn ) reports that it's difficult to predict whether any of the village's 365 residents will relocate after the middle school of approximately 90 students closes at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year.
Rising City merged with Shelby five years ago to create Shelby-Rising City Public Schools. The district consolidation shifted elementary and high school students from Rising City to Shelby, which is about 7 miles west. Then in 2015, voters approved a nearly $15 million bond issue to expand the school in Shelby and create a single site for the district.
The community hasn't decided what to do with the outdated building after the school closes.
The school's closing worries Billie O'Dell, the owner of a local bar.
"They start closing schools and the rest of the town follows," she said. "Once you don't have activities, sports going on in town, people aren't coming to the bar."
Rising City's population has dropped by nearly 30 people since 1980, when there were 392 residents. The village has had a school in town since 1921.
Bill Curry, principal at the middle school, says there have been cases where residents leave when schools move. However, he believes the consolidation is beneficial, particularly for students, who will have more class, sports and extracurricular opportunities.
Janice Braasch, a resident of Rising City since 1963, wears many hats at the school, as an administrative assistant, bus driver and lunch secretary. A job awaits her when the school closes, just like the middle school's teachers.
Braasch said the school closure is a sign of the times. She describes Rising City as a "bedroom community" because many of its residents who live there work in Columbus or other cities.
"It will be sad to see it close," Braasch said.
___
Information from: Columbus Telegram, http://www.columbustelegram.com
- Updated
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The South Dakota Board of Regents is considering a proposal that would extend in-state, undergraduate tuition rates to new Iowa students at four of its public universities.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen (http://icp-c.com/1PFkUKN ) reports that the board is scheduled to vote this week on the proposal that would affect Dakota State University in Madison, Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota State University in Brookings and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.
"That shows you the power of Iowa enrollment," said Scott Pohlson, vice president of enrollment, marketing and university relations at the University of South Dakota. "Schools want Iowa students."
Officials at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City and Black Hills State University in Spearfish say they don't believe joining in on the proposal would affect their enrollment rates.
Pohlson said the state already has a reciprocity agreement with Minnesota, but that the Iowa proposal would be "one-way only."
In the past five years, the University of South Dakota's in-state student population has been stable at about 60 percent, but enrollment of Iowa students has dropped from 15 percent of the freshman class to 11 percent. The number of transfer students from Iowa has also decreased.
Although most of the university's Iowa students are from the northwest corner of the state, Polson said university officials hope the lower tuition rate attracts students from as far as the Des Moines and Mason City areas.
"It's a reflection of the competitive landscape in higher education," Pohlson said.
South Dakota regent officials say the effort is necessary to counter Iowa's push to retain their students in the state.
"With what Iowa schools are doing in terms of tuition — both for public and private schools — the competitiveness of price is becoming more and more apparent," Pohlson said. "This is a long-term strategy to ensure that we stay affordable to Iowans."
Iowa Board of Regents spokesman Josh Lehman said the board no comment on the South Dakota proposal.
___
Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/
- Updated
FULTON, Mo. (AP) — A central Missouri man with a history of drunken driving offenses faces a new charge after he was spotted driving a lawnmower recklessly.
Forty-four-year-old Jeremy Cochran, of Fulton, was charged Tuesday with driving while intoxicated, tampering with evidence, resisting arrest and assault on a law enforcement officer. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
The Columbia Daily-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1UUk0C7 ) reports that he was taken into custody Monday in Fulton. Maj. Roger Rice said officers had to fight with Cochran to arrest him but that nobody was injured in the scuffle.
He was taken to the Callaway County Jail and was being held on a $15,000 cash-only bond.
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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com
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SWARTZ CREEK, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan woman who found a class ring three decades ago on a high school football field says she's unraveled the mystery of its owner.
Donna Stadel of Swartz Creek tells WJRT-TV (http://bit.ly/1PFeKu7 ) that the ring found at Durand High School indicated it was from Swartz Creek High School and had the initials "K.L.C." engraved inside. She says she searched old yearbooks and used word of mouth, but didn't find the owner.
She kept the ring in her jewelry box until 2013, when she posted about it on Facebook. She says her search led her to Jessica Campbell, whose mother Kaye Lynn Campbell died in 2005.
Jessica Campbell says the ring represents a piece of her mother's accomplishments and she plans to pass it along to her own daughter.
___
Information from: WJRT-TV, http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Visitors to Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will get a chance to see artifacts from the 16th president's life, including a promissory note and a ticket to his funeral.
The "Unfinished Work" exhibit will be open at the Springfield museum from April 15 to May 15.
The artifacts come from the extensive Taper collection, which the museum acquired in 2007.
In a news release Tuesday, museum officials say they've raised almost $14 million for a campaign to ensure the artifacts have a permanent home at the museum. They still need to raise $11 million.
The exhibit will be divided into sections, including "career," ''family," ''presidency" and "assassination."
TALLMADGE, Ohio (AP) — A Florida man who chewed off his fingerprints in an effort to avoid being identified during a traffic stop has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges in Ohio.
Twenty-four-year-old Kirk Kelly, of Tampa, pleaded guilty this week to charges including escape and tampering with evidence.
A message seeking comment was left Wednesday for his attorney.
Police say Kelly overheard officers discussing their hand-held fingerprint identifier during the Feb. 21 traffic stop in Tallmadge and decided to chew skin off his fingertips. They say Kelly also gave fake names before he was arrested.
He was wanted on multiple warrants in Florida, where police say firearms sold by Kelly have been linked to 15 homicides.
He'll serve his sentence in Ohio before being returned to Florida.
DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan pancreatic cancer survivor has exacted some revenge.
Sheila Sky Kasselman used a hammer Wednesday to smash to pieces a 3-D-printed replica of her tumor.
The 75-year-old West Bloomfield resident looked at the 3/4-inch facsimile and said "that little guy created a lot of havoc."
Kasselman, who is an 8½-year cancer survivor, said the tumor-smashing exercise at the Henry Ford Hospital complex in Detroit was "therapeutic."
Eric Myers, a product designer with Henry Ford Innovation Institute, created the tumor replica using Kasselman's CT scan from almost 9 years ago.
Kasselman at first tried to crush the model using a baseball bat, but later opted for the hammer.
Myers says he hopes to have more cancer patients take part in what he's calling the "crushing cancer" program.
SENECA, Mo. (AP) — More than 65 years after he was killed during the Korean War, a soldier from Oklahoma has been buried with military honors.
Cpl. William Eldon Ervin was 21 when he died in November 1950, near the Chosin Reservoir at the beginning of a 17-day battle. More than 1,300 American soldiers were reportedly captured or killed by the attacking Chinese forces.
His family didn't hold a funeral after his death because there was no body to bury. But in 2011, a team from an Army lab excavated the bones of at least seven people from a site near the reservoir. Some of the remains were later identified as Ervin's.
A funeral was held Tuesday at Seneca Cemetery in Missouri, along the Oklahoma border a few miles from Ervin's hometown of Wyandotte, Oklahoma. A bugler played taps during the service, and his relatives received a folded American flag and plaques from the Patriot Guard Riders, the Joplin Globe newspaper reported (http://bit.ly/1VTb4fW ).
Ervin's five surviving siblings were among those in attendance, as was Raymond Vallowe, an Illinois man who served alongside Ervin. Ervin's father, stepmother, three brothers and two sisters died before a funeral could be held.
The Rev. Geoff Buffalo said the federal government has kept its promise to bring home American soldiers who were killed overseas.
"I don't know if they play cards in heaven, but I'm sure that if they do, they've got a table set up and Eldon is doing pretty good for himself," Buffalo said.
One of Ervin's brothers, John "Butch" Ervin, said there's no closure for the families of soldiers whose bodies remain missing.
"'No one left behind' isn't just a saying," Ervin said. "It's a solemn vow."
___
Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com
- By JOHN DYKSTRA The (Kankakee) Daily Journal
By JOHN DYKSTRA
The (Kankakee) Daily Journal
DANFORTH, Ill. (AP) — For the past 12 years, this game has preserved the youth of several retired Iroquois County farmers.
Every year, from November to April, Roger Wilken invites five of his friends to his garage in Danforth for weekly bull sessions and games of ping pong.
"Old guys like us need to exercise or else we're going to get fat," the 81-year-old joked. "We also need to stick together and have fun."
"It beats doing nothing and putting yourself in a nursing home," added George Tammen, 85, of Danforth. "It gets you out of the house and gets you moving. It's a good time."
The group strives to have four people at the weekly matches, but that depends on some busy schedules.
"You have to work around doctor appointments when you're this old," said Bill Miller, 77, of Gilman.
The old-timers use a peg scoreboard to keep track of matches. When they're not playing, they're closely watching the net.
Only the sounds of a ping pong ball and squeaking shoes can be heard during a match. Occasionally, the retirees erupt with cheers for a stellar play.
"There's not much talking during a game, it's that competitive," said Ken Redeker, 74, of Crescent City. "But you never hear a swear word. This is a nice bunch of guys."
Miller, who played ping pong while serving two years in the Army, brings his own paddle. He got a new paddle for Christmas to replace a 25-year-old paddle he used to play with.
Win or lose, the men rejoice in sportsmanship. Just ask Duane Tammen. As the young man of the group, the 68-year-old from Danforth graciously accepts his defeats in the name of camaraderie.
"I get whupped by a bunch of old men," Tammen said with a laugh. "Somebody has to be the whupping dog. Every once in a while, they let me win so that I keep coming back."
But it's not just about ping pong and exercising. It's also about socializing. After a few rounds, the men take a break for cans of Sprite and a batch of brownies. That's when they talk about sports, farming and their grandchildren, in addition to comparing notes from their churches.
"I don't make it to all the coffee shops like these other guys do," Tammen said. "So I have to come here and get what's new."
"We haven't really gotten into politics yet," added Steve Krones, 79, of Gilman.
The ping pong frenzy wraps up around April. Some of the retirees help their families with their farms.
Nonetheless, they eagerly wait for November, when Wilken pulls his truck out of the garage and sets up the ping pong table again.
"It started with just a few of us and we've added people over the years," Wilken said. "Bob Dieken kept playing until he was 89 years old. It just goes to show that this is a game you can play no matter how old you are. This keeps us young."
___
Source: The (Kankakee) Daily Journal, http://bit.ly/24VsjAZ
___
Information from: The Daily Journal, http://www.daily-journal.com
This is an AP-Illinois Exchange story offered by The (Kankakee) Daily Journal.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A central Indiana pastor has admitted to using his congregation as a virtual employment agency for a large synthetic drug operation.
Robert Jaynes Jr., 45, of Irvington Bible Baptist Church in Indianapolis pleaded guilty Tuesday to producing almost 100 tons of synthetic marijuana and conspiracy to commit fraud through the mislabeling of the controlled substance, The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/231bKSr ) reported. He sold the drugs for $2.6 million, according to his plea agreement, which was filed in federal court in St. Louis.
Under the agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek a prison sentence of more than 12 ½ years. Jaynes agreed to forfeit at least $41,000 and more than 800 pounds of "silver colored" coins and bars that, investigators say, were obtained through the illegal drug operation.
Jaynes initially faced a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine.
On Tuesday, Kirk Parsons — the pastor's brother-in-law, close friend and a church member — pleaded guilty to the same charges. But the details of his plea were kept under seal. Parsons also is 45.
Investigators said Jaynes and Parsons were among 13 people from multiple states who were arrested in an international drug ring. Jaynes admitted to being at the center of the Indiana operation that produced thousands of pounds of synthetic marijuana for the scheme.
Several other members of the Bible Baptist Church also face charges for their involvement in the Indiana operation. The charges against some of them, including the wives of Jaynes and Parsons, were deferred after they completed a one-year program.
Jason Woods, a former Hendricks County sheriff's deputy, was charged in January with six felonies, including bribery, official misconduct and dealing in synthetic drugs. He's accused of using his position at the sheriff's office to provide security at the farm where the synthetic marijuana was made and to escort the drug-making operation when it relocated from a farm in New Palestine to an Indianapolis warehouse.
Woods and his wife, Teresa, who also was a sheriff's deputy, were charged in 2014 with misdemeanor counts of possessing a synthetic drug. Both were fired earlier that year.
Another suspect, David Neal of Carmel, hanged himself Feb. 23 while in a Seattle prison, according to the King County medical examiner.
Jaynes and Parsons were released on bond. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on July 8.
___
Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that police can pull over motorists whose license plates are obstructed by an object such as a bike rack or trailer hitch.
The unanimous opinion filed Tuesday concluded that the Michigan Vehicle Code requires motorists to attach their plates in a place where they can be seen without obstruction.
The high court overturned a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling that suppressed evidence seized from a truck that was pulled over because the license plate was obstructed by a towing ball and police couldn't read all of it. The court reinstated evidence in the felony gun and drug case against Charles Almando-Maurice Dunbar.
In October 2012, Muskegon County sheriff's deputies pulled over Dunbar and said they smelled marijuana, leading to a search in which they found drugs and a gun. As a result of the search, Dunbar was charged with possession of between 50 and 450 grams of cocaine, carrying a concealed weapon, second-offense marijuana possession and felony firearm, as a fourth-time habitual offender.
In the initial court case, defense attorney Michael L. Oakes filed a motion to suppress the evidence deputies seized, arguing that the traffic stop violated Dunbar's Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
Muskegon County 14th Circuit Judge Timothy G. Hicks dismissed the attorney's motion. But the Michigan Court of Appeals in September 2014 overturned the lower court's ruling.
The new ruling by the state Supreme Court reinstates the original ruling by Hicks, so the evidence against Dunbar can be used in the case.
The justices restricted attorneys' arguments to the issue of whether Dunbar's license plate violated the state traffic law. They didn't consider Oakes' argument that police pulled over Dunbar because he's black or the prosecutor's argument that excluding the evidence was necessary to deter police misconduct.
Dunbar and his attorney plan to meet Wednesday to discuss whether they want to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
RISING CITY, Neb. (AP) — As Rising City's only middle school prepares to close, residents of the rural Nebraska village are worried about their community's future.
The Columbus Telegram (http://bit.ly/1PFuCNn ) reports that it's difficult to predict whether any of the village's 365 residents will relocate after the middle school of approximately 90 students closes at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year.
Rising City merged with Shelby five years ago to create Shelby-Rising City Public Schools. The district consolidation shifted elementary and high school students from Rising City to Shelby, which is about 7 miles west. Then in 2015, voters approved a nearly $15 million bond issue to expand the school in Shelby and create a single site for the district.
The community hasn't decided what to do with the outdated building after the school closes.
The school's closing worries Billie O'Dell, the owner of a local bar.
"They start closing schools and the rest of the town follows," she said. "Once you don't have activities, sports going on in town, people aren't coming to the bar."
Rising City's population has dropped by nearly 30 people since 1980, when there were 392 residents. The village has had a school in town since 1921.
Bill Curry, principal at the middle school, says there have been cases where residents leave when schools move. However, he believes the consolidation is beneficial, particularly for students, who will have more class, sports and extracurricular opportunities.
Janice Braasch, a resident of Rising City since 1963, wears many hats at the school, as an administrative assistant, bus driver and lunch secretary. A job awaits her when the school closes, just like the middle school's teachers.
Braasch said the school closure is a sign of the times. She describes Rising City as a "bedroom community" because many of its residents who live there work in Columbus or other cities.
"It will be sad to see it close," Braasch said.
___
Information from: Columbus Telegram, http://www.columbustelegram.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The South Dakota Board of Regents is considering a proposal that would extend in-state, undergraduate tuition rates to new Iowa students at four of its public universities.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen (http://icp-c.com/1PFkUKN ) reports that the board is scheduled to vote this week on the proposal that would affect Dakota State University in Madison, Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota State University in Brookings and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.
"That shows you the power of Iowa enrollment," said Scott Pohlson, vice president of enrollment, marketing and university relations at the University of South Dakota. "Schools want Iowa students."
Officials at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City and Black Hills State University in Spearfish say they don't believe joining in on the proposal would affect their enrollment rates.
Pohlson said the state already has a reciprocity agreement with Minnesota, but that the Iowa proposal would be "one-way only."
In the past five years, the University of South Dakota's in-state student population has been stable at about 60 percent, but enrollment of Iowa students has dropped from 15 percent of the freshman class to 11 percent. The number of transfer students from Iowa has also decreased.
Although most of the university's Iowa students are from the northwest corner of the state, Polson said university officials hope the lower tuition rate attracts students from as far as the Des Moines and Mason City areas.
"It's a reflection of the competitive landscape in higher education," Pohlson said.
South Dakota regent officials say the effort is necessary to counter Iowa's push to retain their students in the state.
"With what Iowa schools are doing in terms of tuition — both for public and private schools — the competitiveness of price is becoming more and more apparent," Pohlson said. "This is a long-term strategy to ensure that we stay affordable to Iowans."
Iowa Board of Regents spokesman Josh Lehman said the board no comment on the South Dakota proposal.
___
Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/
FULTON, Mo. (AP) — A central Missouri man with a history of drunken driving offenses faces a new charge after he was spotted driving a lawnmower recklessly.
Forty-four-year-old Jeremy Cochran, of Fulton, was charged Tuesday with driving while intoxicated, tampering with evidence, resisting arrest and assault on a law enforcement officer. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
The Columbia Daily-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1UUk0C7 ) reports that he was taken into custody Monday in Fulton. Maj. Roger Rice said officers had to fight with Cochran to arrest him but that nobody was injured in the scuffle.
He was taken to the Callaway County Jail and was being held on a $15,000 cash-only bond.
___
Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com
SWARTZ CREEK, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan woman who found a class ring three decades ago on a high school football field says she's unraveled the mystery of its owner.
Donna Stadel of Swartz Creek tells WJRT-TV (http://bit.ly/1PFeKu7 ) that the ring found at Durand High School indicated it was from Swartz Creek High School and had the initials "K.L.C." engraved inside. She says she searched old yearbooks and used word of mouth, but didn't find the owner.
She kept the ring in her jewelry box until 2013, when she posted about it on Facebook. She says her search led her to Jessica Campbell, whose mother Kaye Lynn Campbell died in 2005.
Jessica Campbell says the ring represents a piece of her mother's accomplishments and she plans to pass it along to her own daughter.
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Information from: WJRT-TV, http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Visitors to Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will get a chance to see artifacts from the 16th president's life, including a promissory note and a ticket to his funeral.
The "Unfinished Work" exhibit will be open at the Springfield museum from April 15 to May 15.
The artifacts come from the extensive Taper collection, which the museum acquired in 2007.
In a news release Tuesday, museum officials say they've raised almost $14 million for a campaign to ensure the artifacts have a permanent home at the museum. They still need to raise $11 million.
The exhibit will be divided into sections, including "career," ''family," ''presidency" and "assassination."
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