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Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sweetwater residents supporting each other after tornado in Loudon County
SWEETWATER, Tenn. (WATE) — An EF0 tornado moved through Loudon County Friday morning, damaging multiple structures and injuring five people. Most of the damage was found off Holt Road near the border of both Loudon and Monroe Counties. In a matter of moments everything changed for this community. Richard L. Bean to retire after mayor calls out problems at juvenile detention center 'Just total shock, because there was no warning like it hit so fast and it was over so fast, I've never been through something like this,' said Leslie Guilford. Guilford said the tornado was like nothing she had ever experienced before. 'We came running outside and there's a camper next door, and it had flipped over four times, and there were people trapped inside, so we ran down there in the rain to help try to make sure they were okay,' she said. 'We had the neighbors call 911 and then everybody started showing up to help and assess all the damage.' Four people were in the camper that flipped over, in talking to their family 6 News learned despite some minor injuries, they were doing okay. However, like many other residents, they weren't the only ones who were home when it happened. 'It was early this morning, and I think it was around 8:30, It just got really loud and the ceiling started creaking and all that other stuff,' said Craig Brackett. 'Next thing I know, I'm getting a call as a responder for the camper that had rolled over and I knew exactly, it was on our property.' National Weather Service surveying damage in Loudon County Brackett works as a first responder and also co-owns Grain Bin Commodities off Holt Road. He said multiple parts of his property were damaged, including two Airbnb's and two barns, one of which they use for events like 'Fall at the Farm.' 'It's all about people, the buildings are replaceable and we've got a lot of buildings to replace, but that's okay. The people are okay, that's what matters,' said Brackett. He said now that they know everyone off the road is safe, they will help each other rebuild. 'We have some of the best neighbors, they've been so supportive through everything, and they were the first ones down here right after it happened,' said Guilford. 'So we're thankful for Callie and Craig and all the other neighbors that have come by.' Five injured after EF-0 tornado in Loudon County When the tornado came through, Brackett's business was used as a post for first responders, the National Weather Service, the Red Cross, and as a place for the people displaced. While it will take a while to rebuild, they tell me they are glad everyone seems to be okay. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
MSU vets treating MSP K9 after possible poisoning, second time in 6 months
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Veterinarians at Michigan State University are treating a Michigan State Police K9 after authorities say he may have ingested some poison. In a post on X, police say a dog named Thor was helping deputies in Lapeer County with a breaking and entering call. They say the dog was helping search a barn when he 'ingested suspected poison.' He was initially taken to a veterinarian for emergency treatment, but was then taken to the MSU Veterinary Clinic. The MSU facility is generally regarded as one of the best in the state. A 6 News staffer saw more than half a dozen state police cars outside the vet school. State police asked for 'paws-itive healing thoughts for a quick recovery.' It's not the first time Thor has been in this situation. Back in December, MSU veterinarians after police say he had been exposed to illicit drugs during a search in Flint. At the time, he tested positive for opioids, cocaine, and THC. He was treated with interventions such as Narcan and recovered. A spokesperson for the veterinary school did not immediately respond when 6 News sought comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police respond to shooting in Meridian Mall parking lot
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Multiple police agencies rushed to the scene of a shooting in the parking lot of the Meridian Mall in Okemos around 1:20 p.m. Friday, involving multiple people being injured, according to the Meridian police chief. Police from Meridian Township, East Lansing and Michigan State University responded to the scene. As of 2 p.m. Friday, police are not saying on the record what led to the response and are not saying how many people were injured or the extent of their injuries. Meridian Township police posted the following statement on its Facebook page: 'The Meridian Township Police Department is investigating a shooting at the Meridian Mall. Please avoid the East side of the Mall near the Dicks Sporting Goods entrance at this time. It is not believed that there is a continued threat to the public.' Police tell 6 News the shooting happened outside the mall and the mall remains open for business. 6 News has a crew on the scene and will update this story as information is confirmed from law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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Residents at unsafe townhomes demand time, money to move
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – The remaining residents at the Sycamore Townhomes in southwest Lansing are pushing the federally-appointed receiver to give them more time and more money to leave the property, deemed unsafe and hazardous. 'The residents need another two months to be able to safely relocate, and they need $3,500 to $5,000 in order to relocate,' says William Lawrence, secretary of Rent Is Too Damn High. 'We're in an economy where if you put down deposit and first month's rent, that's $3,000 right there. And we're talking about application fees. We're talking about the costs of moving – moving expenses. And then the lost wages that people are suffering, having to deal with the situation, child care they may have to get in order to be able to, you know, deal with the housing search, especially right when school's ending.' The situation Lawrence references dates back months in court proceedings and years in housing safety compliance issues and concerns. City officials of the property in court seeking a receiver. A receiver is a court-appointed official, usually an attorney, who oversees the restoration of a business. 'Based on the record before the court, including the documentary evidence and testimony presented at the evidentiary hearing, the Court finds that the conditions at Sycamore have been, are currently, and absent judicial intervention will continue to be incompatible with human health and safety,' Judge Jane Beckering of the U.S Federal District Court Western District of Michigan, Southern Division , 16-page decision and order appointing John Polderman as receiver. Polderman sought approval from the federal court in February to initiate a $15 to $16.5 million improvement plan for the property. In her April 10 order approving Polderman's plan, Bickering concurred that relocating all the remaining residents from the approximately 350-unit property was necessary. She approved offers to residents who were current on rent to assist in relocation costs and $1000 to move, plus security deposits. Late Thursday afternoon, Polderman told 6 News he has agreed not to pursue court evictions against residents currently on the property until June 20. He's also agreed to forgive 'back rent for anyone who voluntarily vacates.' Lawrence tells 6 News that residents are happy with concessions from Polderman. He says they are looking forward to further conversations with the receiver in the coming weeks. Polderman tells 6 News that 'around 50 units' remain occupied, representing between 60 and 70 people facing an imminent deadline to move in days. Polderman's April filing and update to the court in Grand Rapids, representing the month of March, shows 60 residents owed over $218,000 in unpaid rent obligations and were facing eviction proceedings in Lansing's 54-A District Court. Those records show one tenant owed $18,784.18. The lowest amount was just over $177. When Polderman took over operations in September, he says he was not given access to all the records from the company. 'We have some – some of those records we have, some of those we don't,' he says. 'So when I took over in September, I received some records, but I would not say they were complete or full records. So, some of the we've had to try to reconcile and it's been difficult.' While some residents seeking an exit route from the unsafe housing at Sycamore may have provided a security deposit, Polder says he did not receive an account for the security deposits. Michigan rental laws require landlords to put security deposits in a separate banking account and inform renters of the name and address of the financial institution where the money is being held, the reports. In press events, activists like Lawrence from , and residents have claimed some the residents' facing eviction had put their monthly rental payments into escrow. Escrow is a legal tool for tenants to pay their rent, but withhold it until a landlord addresses concerns about the property. Polderman says only two residents have provided evidence that they have an escrow account, and he is considering allowing those residents to use that money as part of their housing relocation funding. Troubled Lansing housing complex tenants would be removed before renovation, Mayor Schor says He says about half of the remaining residents are paying rent and are current with payments. That's a requirement under the court order for residents to obtain moving assistance and the $1,000. 'Some, you know, are in good standing and some are not in good standing,' Lawrence from The Rent Is Too Damn High says. 'But we're not here to play good tenant, bad tenant. The fact is, these are all human beings, and they all need the help to be able to relocate.' Doug Fleming, executive director of the Lansing Housing Commission, tells 6 News his agency had 34 people with Housing Choice Vouchers – formerly known as Section 8 – renting at Sycamore in October. 'All but five have new housing,' he tells 6 News. He also tells 6 News it was initially difficult to work with the receivership, specifically in obtaining references for residents to use in preparing to move to other locations. He says his agency stopped paying subsidies on May 1, when the April 29 30-day notice to quit was mailed to residents on the voucher system and other residents. Fleming says that for the 60 to 70 people remaining in the complex, finding housing is going to be 'extremely difficult.' The reason? A housing shortage in the city and region. This lack of housing and difficulty in finding a place to move to is fueled by the urgency to move within the 30 days required in the notice letter from Polderman, says Lawrence, the advocate. 'So, absolutely, that was not enough–not enough notice,' says Lawrence. 'There's hearsay, there's this place may have to get shut down. There's obviously, if you look around and look out here, you can see that it hasn't been a good situation. And so people have wondered what's going to be happening. But moving is expensive. People have their families out here. People have their friends and neighbors out here. And so some people haven't wanted to leave, and other people haven't had the means to be able to leave.' Lawrence, whose organization has been involved in 'a deep way for the last three weeks,' says there has been a communications failure by the receiver and particularly the city. 'Frankly, it should have been the city that put in place a comprehensive relocation, you know, case management plan months ago,' he says. 'If the city knew that this was going to be happening. There should have been an organized plan to with all the tenants, figure out who had which needs in which situations and prevent people from falling through the cracks. That was utterly failed. Whoever was supposed to take responsibility for that did not do so. And that's why we're here in the 11th hour trying to pick up the pieces and get people that support they deserve.' Scott Bean, spokesman for the city of Lansing, sent this statement to 6 News responding to the criticisms. City officials have been actively involved and onsite for the past four years. When the receiver was first appointed in September 2024, representatives from Code Enforcement, HRCS, the Mayor's Office, Refugee Development Center, and the Lansing Housing Commission knocked on all doors with the Receiver over the course of 8 days in an attempt to reach everyone there and provide information and then, city officials have remained involved and on-site daily monitoring ongoing serious building conditions and health hazards while also engaging with residents. The Receiver has informed the city of its plans to invest up to $16 million to renovate this complex and bring back online nearly 340 rental units. The Receiver is required to provide notice to residents under the court order. We are encouraged that the Receiver is going to transform this complex and make it safe for hundreds of families once the receiver, says he thinks there has been appropriate communication throughout the process. Lansing City Spokesman Scott Bean, email May 29 'The management company posted notices on everyone's door. There's been multiple news stories about the situation at Sycamore. We've had 24-hour security that's on site at all times over the past month. We did have someone in the office a few hours as well,' Polderman tells 6 News. 'So, I do believe that there has been communication. There's been a phone number. There's been an email for residents to call.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor Whitmer gives keynote address at Mackinac Policy Conference
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is scheduled to address the at 3:10 p.m. Thursday, which 6 News will be streaming in the player above. The conference is an annual event where state and business leaders gather to lay out their plans for the road ahead regarding Michigan's workforce and economic growth. Some of the main topics this year included artificial intelligence and energy. The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity presented its AI and the Workforce Plan, which aims to adopt AI statewide and create 130,000 jobs. The state also announced a public-private partnership with DTE Energy and Consumers Energy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
