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Chad A. Michalski, left, and James M. Paulick

SAGINAW, MI The sentences for two men charged with a criminal enterprise of defrauding tree-removal customers will depend on how much they can pay back their victims by this time next month.

Chad A. Michalski and James M. Paulick appeared before Saginaw County Chief Circuit Judge Fred L. Borchard on Monday, Dec. 15, and accepted plea agreements in their cases.

Michalski, 33, and Paulick, 36, pleaded guilty to obtaining between $1,000 and $20,000 through false pretenses.

Prosecutors added the charge, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as part of the plea agreement. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors will drop an initial charge of conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

After Cobbs hearings, Borchard indicated he will hand down a minimum sentence for the 33-year-old Michalski within his state sentencing guidelines, scored at 10 months to three years and 10 months. He'll do the same for the 36-year-old Paulick, whose guidelines were scored at one year to four years.

Borchard will determine the exact length of the sentences on how much restitution the men have paid by their Jan. 21 sentencing date, court records show.

With the defendants' guidelines extending past one year, Borchard could sentence them to prison. Both men acknowledged their fourth-or-subsequent-time habitual offender statuses, which increases the possible maximum for the false pretenses charge to life in prison with parole.

Prosecutors filed the criminal enterprise charge based on a police investigation that determined they committed seven counts of a misdemeanor charge of obtaining between $200 and $1,0000 through false pretenses from May 2012 to February 2014 in multiple townships in Saginaw County.

Their arrest warrants listed seven false pretense misdemeanors police allege one or more of the men committed at locations in Saginaw, Tittabawassee, Thomas and Richland townships.

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Clare County men charged in tree-removal fraud scheme take plea deals; could face prison time

COEUR d'ALENE - Maintenance work on Coeur d'Alene's Rosenberry Drive flood levee has been underway for more than a week, with city crews focusing on tree removal and slope restoration.

Coeur d'Alene City Engineer Gordon Dobler said the work done this winter is the first step in an estimated year-long process to get the levee certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

With the exception of a few large trees that will need to be removed by an outside contractor, Dobler said the maintenance work is going "well" and he doesn't foresee the need for any additional labor.

"We wanted it to be a pilot project to see if it was something our city crews could really even handle, and it turns out we can," Dobler said.

Dobler added that the city does not plan on having its employees perform the maintenance work on the North Idaho College side of the levee and will meet with the college to see how those repairs will be accomplished.

Ruen Yeager and Associates, a third-party engineering firm hired by the city to certify the levee, identified approximately 380 trees that need to be removed. Some of the trees slated for removal are dead, diseased or thinned, Dobler said.

"Other trees require removal because they would jeopardize the integrity of the levee should they fall over during a major storm event," he added.

Additional trees might need to be removed due to the slope restoration efforts, which involve "scraping off" shrubs, grass, or topsoil on the Coeur d'Alene levee - commonly known as Dike Road - and filling in the holes and depressions left behind. Any trees in the path of where city crews need to fill will be removed, since filling on the trunk of a tree would kill it.

"I don't anticipate a ton more, but there will be a few more for that reason," Dobler said.

During the maintenance, the Coeur d'Alene Street Department has been routing traffic around the work areas and for safety reasons, parking has been prohibited in areas where city crews are working.

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Work starts on city flood levee

Pool Side
Hanging out in the AMAZING pool at the Beach House in Kona Hawaii. Take a look at the amazing tile work done on the inside of the pool!

By: McKibbey

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Pool Side - Video

Cases heard at Coventry Magistrates Court on Wednesday, November 26, included:

Elizabeth Dunn, 26, of Roosevelt Drive, Tile Hill North, admitted assault. She was jailed for 12 weeks - suspended for 12 months - with activity and supervision requirements, and told to pay 180 compensation.

Kay Jones, 26, of Winceby Place, Tile Hill North, admitted stealing a CD worth 11 from Asda and breaching a community order. She was given a 12-month community order with a four-week curfew and activity and supervision requirements, and told to pay a 60 victim surcharge.

Vladimirs Maksimenko, 24, of St Michaels Road, Stoke, admitted driving with the wrong licence, no insurance and no MOT, and drink-driving (131mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. Legal limit is 80mg). He was banned from driving for 12 months and told to pay a 365 fine, a 35 victim surcharge and 85 costs.

Terry Vaughan, 51, of Woodlands Road, Binley Woods, breached a community order by failing to attend supervision. He was given a 10-day activity requirement and told to pay 85 costs.

Philip Curley, 60, of Dulverton Avenue, Chapelfields, admitted breaching a breach of the peace. He was bound over for 200 for 24 months.

James Russell, 22, of Binley Road, Stoke, admitted damaging a car, and a gate and a fence. He was told to pay a 200 fine, 125 compensation, a 20 victim surcharge and 85 costs.

Mark Hamilton, 45, of Laneside, Willenhall, admitted two counts of benefit fraud. He was given a 12-month community order with 200 hours unpaid work, and told to pay a 60 victim surcharge and 85 costs.

Cases heard at Coventry Magistrates Court on Thursday, November 27, included:

Nikara Beech, 28, of Roseberry Avenue, Bell Green, admitted stealing 38 cans of Lynx worth 95.20 from Sainsburys. She was given a four-week curfew and told to pay a 60 victim surcharge.

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Coventry Magistrates Court: Stealing 28 cans of Lynx and sending threatening text messages among cases heard

CRESCO | An Osage company has been ordered to pay a rural Elma man $118,900 in damages after a jury found the mans farmland was damaged and trespassed on when the company removed trees and fencing.

After two days of hearing witnesses, on Dec. 12 theHoward County District Court jury found defendants Mayers Digging Co. of Osage and part-owner Mark Wagner liable for damage to the farmland of plaintiff Melroy Dean Buhr at 13727 Howard Ave., rural Elma.

The jury awarded Buhr, represented by attorney Ted Sporer of Des Moines, $118,900 damages plus interest, which includes $55,000 for loss of use and enjoyment, $40,000 for trees and shrubs, $18,900 for a fence and $5,000 for drain tile repair.

A claim for lost profits from crop production from 2012 through 2014 caused by failure of field drain tile to work properly was not awarded.

The land adjoining Buhrsis owned by Samuel and Marilyn Hasapopoulos of Clear Lake and farmed byJames Koenigs, the primary owner of Pinicon Farms Inc. In fall 2011, Hasapopoulos and Koenigs discussed the removal of trees, rocks and brush along the fence line bordering the Buhr property, court documents state. The vegetation was said to be plugging field drain tile lines and causing other problems in connection with farming.

Koenigs contacted Mayers Digging, and he and Mark Wagner drove to the fence line Nov. 14, 2011, to discuss the removal of problem items, documents state.

Wagner was told by Koenigs he had the permission of all landowners to perform the work, the defendants trial brief states. Wagner removed the tree, rock and brush with a bulldozer Nov. 21-22, 2011.

When the work was complete, Buhr approached Wagner.

Wagner then learned for the first time that no express permission was obtained by Koenigs from Buhr, documents state. Buhr demanded payment.

Koenigs offered Buhr, by letter dated Feb. 21, 2012, to re-establish the property line, grade the soil and perform other work required to restore the productivity of the land affected.

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Osage firm ordered to pay farmland owner

Published: Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 9:28 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 9:28 p.m.

Perhaps as early as May, certainly by June, the Leland Town Council will meet in new council chambers at the new town hall. At least that is the hope after Thursday's vote to accept a $457,300 bid to complete unfinished repairs to the troubled structure.

Four companies expressed interest in taking on the job, Town Manager David Hollis told the board, with three companies attending a pre-bid meeting and one ultimately submitting a bid.

The council could accept the lone bid, readvertise the job, or, perhaps, remove some of the aesthetic repairs, a temporary savings of about $45,000, Hollis explained. The board opted for the first, with a wearied acceptance of the belief that it was time to put problems in the rearview mirror and move forward.

Progressive Contracting Co. has promised the repairs including major tile work, glass replacement, leveling floors, replacing carpet and necessary electrical repairs can be completed in 150 days, and Hollis vowed that the work would start "tomorrow."

The tab can be covered without dipping into general fund reserves, he told council, using about $258,000 in cash on hand, and another $200,000 or so from uncommitted cash acquired in drug arrest forfeitures, which, if carefully done, can be spent on this project.

Moving forward on town hall was the third of three positive developments deep into the Thursday agenda. Just prior to that vote, council got a positive update on both the new Cultural Arts Center, which is set to open early in 2015, and the Westgate Nature Park, for which it approved the master plan.

Council also gave final approvals for a pilot park and ride program in Leland, which will have three locations in town at Brunswick Forest, Food Lion and on Mt. Misery Road. The program is scheduled to roll out Jan. 5 in conjunction with a North Carolina Rideshare program.

"We will now become the first area in the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization that will launch these park and ride locations," said Council Member Pat Batleman, who has worked with the organization on the project. "People will be able to go onto the website, get partnered with other people who are traveling to the same location."

The council also honored Daniel Teachey, owner/manager of the town's Piggly Wiggly, as the Mayor's Citizen of the Year.

The rest is here:
Leland council approves completion of town hall

SIDE BY SIDE BURN DEMONSTRATION OF RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLER SYSTEM
Description.

By: jim erwin

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SIDE BY SIDE BURN DEMONSTRATION OF RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLER SYSTEM - Video

Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2014 4:36 pm | Updated: 5:27 pm, Thu Dec 18, 2014.

Sprinkler system nearly puts out fire before firefighters arrive By James Gilbert, Yuma Sun staff writer Yumasun.com

A sprinkler system had mostly extinguished a fire in a commercial building in Yuma Wednesday night by the time firefighters arrived on scene.

Yuma Fire Department spokesman Mike Erfert said that shortly after 10 p.m., a water flow alarm was received, indicating a fire sprinkler system had activated in a commercial building located at 475 W. 32nd St.

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Sprinkler system nearly puts out fire before firefighters arrive

Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2014 4:36 pm | Updated: 5:27 pm, Thu Dec 18, 2014.

Sprinkler system nearly puts out fire before firefighters arrive By James Gilbert, Yuma Sun staff writer Yumasun.com

A sprinkler system had mostly extinguished a fire in a commercial building in Yuma Wednesday night by the time firefighters arrived on scene.

Yuma Fire Department spokesman Mike Erfert said that shortly after 10 p.m., a water flow alarm was received, indicating a fire sprinkler system had activated in a commercial building located at 475 W. 32nd St.

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

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Sprinklers nearly put out fire before firefighters arrive

Winter will officially begin at 6:03 p.m. New York time on Dec. 21.

That marks the point at which the least amount of sun falls across the northern half of the globe, and dark means cold.

Obviously with daylight pretty much absent in the northern latitudes, the days are getting very short and that is the nursery for our polar and arctic air masses, said Michael Schlacter, a meteorologist with Weather 2000 Inc. in New York.

In New York City, Dec. 21 will have 9 hours, 15 minutes and 16 seconds of daylight, according to Timeanddate.com. When the new work week begins, things will already be looking up because daylight will have increased by a second.

In Boston, the daylight on the 21st will be about 10 minutes shorter than in New York, while Chicago will have about seven minutes less. As depressing is that sounds to people who like sunshine, Torontos daylight only lasts 8 hours, 55 minutes and 43 seconds, which is still more than an hour of what will fall on London.

Well refrain from using the colloquial shortest day of the year because even Dec. 21 will have 24 hours.

The cold will wax and wane through the course of the winter for a variety of reasons. One is that after truly frigid air drops out of the Arctic into the more temperate latitudes of North America, it takes time to rebuild the supply.

Schlacter said for the U.S. to have a winter that lasts, cold snaps have to be interspersed with milder periods.

You dont want every week to be freezing cold if you want to have a long winter, he said. You have to recharge that Canadian freezer.

Snow on the ground can also influence temperatures. The suns energy is used up melting the frozen crust rather than heating the air.

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Winter Dark Sheds Light on What Makes Coming Days Cold