Latest news with #Thexton
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Milford driver, 94, charged with misdemeanor in death of Novi woman killed in crash
NOVI — The 94-year-old driver who police say ran over and killed a Novi woman in October has been charged with a misdemeanor. Phyllis Stafford of Milford was charged with a moving violation causing death, which is punishable by up to one year in jail, after investigators said she rear-ended and then fatally struck Sarah Thexton, 59, who had exited her vehicle after the crash in Wixom. Stafford was arraigned in 52-4 District Court in Troy on Feb. 12, said Jeff Wattrick, public information officer for the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. Stafford entered a plea of not guilty. The case was moved to Troy after 52-1 District Court officials in Novi recused themselves. Stafford has been employed by the 52-1 District Court in Novi as a clerk for more than 50 years, Oakland County PIO Bill Mullan said on Thursday. Attorney Spencer Bondy said he is representing Stafford and was reviewing her case. "Ms. Stafford is currently charged with misdemeanor Moving Violation Causing Death, not murder or manslaughter," Bondy wrote in an email on Thursday. "She has been cooperating with authorities throughout their investigation and will continue to cooperate as this case progresses. Ms. Stafford has never been in trouble before and has an exemplary record. She is devastated by this incident, it is significantly tragic for everyone involved." Chris Thexton, who was married to Sarah Thexton for 24 years, has been grieving his wife's death and waiting for answers for more than four months. He said the charge against Stafford should be vehicular homicide, or reckless driving causing death, a felony punishable by up to 15 years, not the misdemeanor charge she is facing. "This is a miscarriage of justice. Or at least the absence of it," said Thexton, who filed a civil suit against Stafford on Feb. 12 in Oakland County Circuit Court. "I am disgusted... What I know is that Sarah was killed and she was killed brutally and unnecessarily. It changed my life and things will never be the same. There is a void in my life and my family's life that will never be healed, caused by a 94-year-old woman who should never have been on the road." More: Novi man wants Michigan to adopt elderly driving laws after wife killed in crash Wattrick said McDonald's office has spoken with Thexton and is aware of his concerns. Thexton confirmed someone on McDonald's staff reached out to him before issuing the misdemeanor charge. "She offered an explanation for this that I did not understand,' he said in a text. He said because he didn't understand the explanation, he asked that it be sent to him by email. He hasn't heard from McDonald's office since. Police say Stafford was driving a 2010 Nissan Versa on South Wixom Road near Sam's Way on Oct. 3 when she rear-ended a 2024 Honda CR-V driven by Sarah Thexton, who was stopped in traffic. When Thexton stepped out of her vehicle to inspect the damage, police said Stafford, still in her Versa, accelerated, running over Thexton and pushing the Thexton's SUV into a nearby truck. Sarah Thexton was transported to the hospital where she died, leaving behind her husband and daughter. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald did not respond to multiple requests to speak about the decision to charge Stafford with a misdemeanor. Instead, Wattrick issued a statement by email on behalf of McDonald's office: "The death of Sarah Jane Thexton was a tragedy," he wrote. "The charging decision in this case was not made lightly. Based upon the investigation conducted by the Oakland County Sheriff's Crash Reconstruction Unit, Moving Violation Causing Death (a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail) was the only appropriate charge against Phyllis Stafford according to current Michigan law." On her 90th birthday in March of 2020, Stafford was honored by Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter with a proclamation recognizing that she had worked for the 52-1 District Court in Novi for half of her life, starting in 1975. Although she retired from her full-time position in 1993, Stafford still works part-time at the courthouse and has served in every division, including probation, civil, criminal and traffic. Oakland County Public Information Officer Bill Mullan said Stafford remains employed by the 52-1 District Court as of Thursday. Stafford also retains an active driver's license, Wattrick said. Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@ This article originally appeared on Milford driver, 94, faces misdemeanor in crash that killed Novi woman
CBC
12-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Multinational food and beverage firms push Canadian-made products amid tariff spat
Social Sharing Amid a "buy Canadian" push inspired by trade tensions with the U.S., some multinational food and beverage companies are working hard to highlight their Canadian-made products. Canadian viewers of the Super Bowl over the weekend may have noticed a new ad from Kraft Heinz. The ad, set in the company's Montreal factory, was put together in less than a week, said Simon Laroche, president of Kraft Heinz Canada. The factory employs more than a thousand people and has 42 production lines, he said. "Brands like Philadelphia cream cheese ... Kraft peanut butter, Heinz ketchup, Kraft salad dressing or Kraft singles, even Classico pasta sauce. All of those brands are made in Canada by Canadians, and people didn't know that," said Laroche. "We make 70 per cent of what we sell in Canada, in Canada." WATCH | New ad by Kraft highlighting its Canadian-made products: After U.S. President Donald Trump announced he intends to implement sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would retaliate with tariffs of its own. Now, the two sides are in the midst of a month-long truce. But in the meantime, many Canadians are looking for ways to support domestic businesses that could be hurt if tariffs do come into play. It's a good time for brands to promote Canadian products, said Rachel Thexton of Thexton Public Relations. But consumers looking to shop patriotically are finding it's not cut-and-dried, she said. There are several different labels depending on how a product was made, and many international companies such as Kraft Heinz make products in Canada, so brands are clamouring to prove their Canadian-ness to shoppers in the grocery store. "They're certainly investing a lot in this," Thexton said. Multinational brands are likely concerned their sales could suffer because they're not seen as Canadian, said Thexton. WATCH | Why it might be harder than you think to buy Canadian: Why it might be harder than you think to buy Canadian 14 days ago Duration 5:30 Other large U.S.-based food companies with a manufacturing footprint in Canada include Hershey, PepsiCo and its subsidiary Frito-Lay, and Mondelez International, the maker of Dad's cookies, Oreos, Ritz crackers and other well-known snacks. Many big-name alcoholic drinks are also manufactured in Canada. Molson Coors, which was formed through the merger of Canadian company Molson and American company Coors, brews a slew of beverages domestically including its namesake beers as well as Blue Moon, Arizona Hard Tea, Miller and Rickard's. The company has nine brewing locations across the country, employing thousands of people, said spokeswoman Alex Sockett in a statement. "While we are a global business, the vast majority of our beers and beverages are made in the market in which they are sold." In recent comments urging shoppers to seek out Canadian-made products, Trudeau noted that when the country was in a trade tiff with the U.S. in 2018, Heinz ketchup was on the chopping block. "The example from last time was Heinz's ketchup being replaced by French's ketchup because French's was still using Canadian tomatoes in its ketchup," Trudeau said. The Chicago-based multinational food company was quick to respond. Though it closed its Leamington, Ont. factory in 2014, it returned to producing ketchup in Canada in 2020, and now its ketchup is again made with Canadian tomatoes. "We wanted to make sure that Heinz was not going to be the example," Laroche said. Kraft Heinz is currently looking at its packaging, aware that shoppers are looking for labels indicating a product's Canadian-ness, said Laroche. Some, like Philadelphia cream cheese, are getting a packaging refresh soon, he said. It's also working with retailers on stickers, flyers and other ways to highlight Canadian-made Kraft Heinz products, Laroche said. However, he understands it's easier said than done for Canadian shoppers to figure out what it even means to buy Canadian. "The truth is, the entire supply chain in North America is very integrated," he said. U.S.-based food and beverage companies aren't the only ones working to reassure Canadians they're buying local products. Dr. Oetker Canada, whose parent company is located in Germany, put out a press release last week saying it's committed to domestic manufacturing, and that most of its products are made in Canada using locally sourced ingredients. It said its London, Ont., facility employs 430 people and uses 53,000 pounds of Canadian cheese daily. Lactalis Canada, which is owned by French parent company Lactalis, launched a guide for shoppers that includes information on what the labelling on their products means, such as "Made in Canada," "Product of Canada" and the blue cow logo for Canadian dairy. Yoplait Canada is also under French ownership, having been newly acquired by dairy co-operative Sodiaal. The brand put out a statement saying that for more than 50 years its products have been made in Quebec with milk from local farms. Thexton expects brands will continue to spend in the short term on ads, marketing and other ways to push their Canadian connections, whether they're Canadian-owned or multinationals with a manufacturing presence in Canada. It's up to shoppers to decide whether those efforts resonate, said Thexton.
