Free Republic

MUSKEGON, MI – Today is judgment day for 21-year-old Julia Charlene Merfeld, who thought she was hiring a hit man to murder her husband but really was being video-recorded with an undercover police officer. Merfeld’s sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. today, July 30. Chief Muskegon County Circuit Judge William C. Marietti earlier committed to cap her minimum sentence at six years in state prison, but he has the discretion to set her maximum sentence at anything up to life. Merfeld pleaded guilty June 27 to solicitation to murder. MLive and the Muskegon Chronicle will cover the sentencing live online...

JACKSON, MI – While efforts to terminate her parental rights were pending, Bridget Marks, a mother of three, appeared as a stripper on The Jerry Springer Show. “They don’t watch Jerry Springer in my house,” Marks, 23, responded when Assistant Prosecutor Kati Rezmierski asked her if she would want her children to see the show, which aired May 3. There is no nudity in the episode, titled “Strippers Go Round and Round,” and Marks said she was paid for her appearance. Marks, who said she no longer works as a dancer, was testifying Monday, July 29, during a family court...

After falling for five consecutive years, the number of violent crimes across the United States rose by 1.2% in 2012. Based on data published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the increase was even greater in some of America’s largest cities. In 2012, for the third year in a row, Flint, Michigan had the highest violent crime rate in the country. According to the FBI, violent crime includes murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. In some cases, the cities with the highest violent crime rate, including Flint and Oakland, had high rates in all four categories. However,...

The strange part of the circus that surrounds Tim Tebow's every move – including reports Monday that he's going to sign with the New England Patriots – is that he does so little to keep it alive. He doesn't court the media. He doesn't say outlandish things. He doesn't complain about coaching decisions or teammates. He doesn't publicly beg for another chance. Even the quarterback's outward displays of faith (Tebowing, for instance) are nothing that dozens of other NFL players don't do each week after scoring a touchdown. Tebow is a good soldier, a young player who never said he...

LANSING, MI -- It's official: Former Congressman Mark Schauer is running for Michigan governor. The Battle Creek Democrat announced his candidacy online Tuesday and filed paperwork with the Michigan Secretary of State establishing a candidate committee, Mark Schauer for Governor, which will allow him to begin raising funds as he seeks the party nomination in 2014. He's the first Democrat to declare for the race and is the clear party favorite to challenge first-term Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who has not yet confirmed his own re-election plans but is widely expected to run. "We need a governor who will protect...

Michigan’s local governments would have the option to put cameras at intersections to spot drivers running red lights under proposed legislation in the state House. A measure recently introduced by Republican Rep. Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City would give local communities the power to put cameras in place. “This legislation will give more local control to our municipalities while offering a safer environment for the people who live in these communities,” he said in a statement. The bill has gained the support of local law enforcement officials, who say the cameras will act as an extra deterrent to prevent drivers...

A California billionaire is pledging to spend as much of his fortune as necessary to make climate change “the defining issue of our generation.” Tom Steyer, who made his riches as a hedge fund manager, told The Hill on Tuesday that he wants to make climate change a campaign issue for years to come and Democratic support for environmental protections as widespread as support for gay marriage and immigration reform. “The goal here is not to win. The goal here is to destroy these people. We want a smashing victory,” Steyer said of candidates he judges to be on the...

FLINT, MI -- Flint isn't alone when it comes to battling high rates of arson. Although Flint led the nation in per capita arsons for cities with at least 100,000 in 2011, some cities across the nation, and particularly the Midwest, are dealing with elevated arson rates, according to the most-recent data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Like Flint, many of the other cities experiencing high arson rates also have a plethora of vacant homes. Here is a brief statistical look at the cities with the highest arson rates in the country: 1) Flint Population: 102,357 Total arsons:...

FLINT, MI – Matthew Dewayne Williams became Flint's record-setting 67th homicide victim in 2012 when he died five months after he was shot at a Flint gas station. Williams was critically injured when he was shot Nov. 6 at a BP gas station at Clio Road and Myrtle Avenue. Williams, 24, was taken to Hurley Medical Center in a personal vehicle. Flint police released his name to the media the next day. Michigan State Police said Williams died earlier this month – becoming Flint’s record-setting 67th homicide for 2012. “This stat is affirming that the gun violence in Flint is...

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., is adding his name to the list of possible Republican contenders for the Wolverine State's open-seat Senate race in 2014. "I am giving the Senate race serious consideration," he said in a statement. The House Intelligence Committee Chair is considered a top-tier GOP candidate, but some have doubted his interest in the race due to his high-ranking position in the lower chamber. A number of big names on the Republican side have already taken their names out of the running following Sen. Carl Levin's Thursday announcement that he would not seek re-election. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich.,...

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJBK) - A federal judge is expected to make a decision this week that could eventually overturn on Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage. Judge Bernard Friedman of the U.S. District Court is expected to hear arguments on the legality of the ban during a hearing Thursday morning at Wayne St. University. A lesbian couple from Ferndale, April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, originally filed suit last year in their fight to jointly adopt their three special needs children. "There's no way for them to both adopt the children together as a couple which leads to endless complications," said...

DETROIT -- Everybody got their five minutes with Dave. Everybody got to pet the bunny. Everybody but poor ol' me. After his Wednesday State of the City speech, Mayor Dave Bing's men passed him around to the media, each outlet getting a whopping five minutes to feed Hizzoner carrots -- five minutes is an old-school political way of keeping the q & a superficial. That's how you interview Hollywood starlets, not serious public servants. My bosses nominated me for the chore. But Dave was a scared rabbit. Dave said no. Dave's guy told my boss: "This is not the right...

LANSING, MI — The Lansing Police Department's second gun buyback program earned more than 100 guns Saturday, an achievement officers called "a great success." About 128 guns were purchased from the official sale, Lansing Police Department public information officer Robert Merritt said. He estimated most of the guns collected at Saturday's sale, held at Lansing's Tabernacle of David church, were hand guns. Several long guns and two assault weapons were also collected. The city's first gun buyback returned about 100 firearms and was held in August after Lansing Eastern High School student LaVon Wilson, 16, was killed in a July...

........... We know Schauer, having watched him as a state senator and congressman representing Jackson County for a total of eight years. So, at the risk of speculating too much — Schauer has only put out signals he will run — here are sone thoughts on his potential candidacy. — He is a tough campaigner. Schauer singlehandedly rewrote Jackson County's electoral map in 2002 when he comfortably defeated Jackson County politician Mickey Mortimer for the Senate. Schauer did so even though he lived in a different county and was running in a district that narrowly leaned Republican. By the time...

MELVINDALE, Mich. (WJBK) -- It's a video seen all over the world. An attack on a Fox News contributing reporter at the right to work protest in Lansing earlier this week was caught on video. Now, one of the union members seen in the footage is speaking out to FOX 2. By now, almost everybody knows who he is, reporter Steven Crowder, the guy who got sucker-punched outside a pitch tent where the pro-right to work crowd had gathered. (See the video above in the upper right corner) "I'm under rested and overworked right now and still tough enough to...

Six newly refurbished, bi-level commuter rail cars made their first test run from Pontiac to Jackson and back Tuesday night, passing through Ann Arbor. Officials involved in the Ann Arbor-to-Detroit commuter rail initiative are hoping to hear back sometime next week whether the cars passed the test, which is required to be cleared for service. And if that happens, the public could be invited to ride demonstration trains starting next year. "Things seemed to go well," said Carmine Palombo, director of transportation programs for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. Tuesday's train, led by an Amtrak locomotive, made stops in...

Another Michigan freeway shooting took place Monday morning on southbound US-23 just north of I-96, according to media reports. Within minutes of those reports, Michigan State Police converged on southbound US-23 near North Territorial Road in Washtenaw County. The Associated Press reported police were not confirming a new shooting and there were no injuries immediately reported Monday. Traffic was backed up on US-23 southbound as police reportedly closed a lane and were investigating multiple vehicles. Officers were observed taking a driver into custody at gunpoint at the location a few miles north of Ann Arbor at about 9:20 a.m., according...

On Nov. 6, Washtenaw County voters will fill the first vacant circuit court judge position in nearly two decades. With your vote, you may help to decide the futures of dozens, if not hundreds, of young women dealing with unwanted pregnancies, even those resulting from rape or incest. How can this be? Aren’t these matters determined by the Michigan Legislature and federal and state appellate courts? In fact, whether a minor obtains an abortion may be determined by the decision of a single judge, acting under a state law that gives virtually total discretion to the judge. There is a...

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WJBK) - A city officials says more than 800 of the 1455 absentee ballots mailed out earlier this month were unaccounted for nearly two weeks before Election Day. Auburn Hills City Clerk Terri Kowal says the issue came to light after less than half of the mailed ballots, which were sent out on Oct. 3, were returned as of Monday. "We do know that at least 650 did receive them because they have been returned," said Kowal. "Most voters immediately return their ballots so we have reason to be concerned about the 800 not returned, especially considering...

This Nov. 6, Michigan voters will have the opportunity to decide on a number of proposals on the statewide ballot including Proposal 5, which is commonly referred to as the 2/3 Amendment. Michigan taxpayers should vote yes on Proposal 5 to make it more difficult for politicians in Lansing to take away their hard-earned money through tax increases. It is time for us to demand more accountability from our elected officials. The 2/3 Amendment does that. The 2/3 Amendment isn’t complicated. It requires a two-thirds vote of the Michigan House and Senate to increase or create new taxes. If legislators...