BREAKING NEWS - Hurricane Rita makes landfall Sat, 24 Sep 2005 05:05:09 -0000 Winds are whipping apart roofs and showering the streets with debris. The winds are around 120-miles per hour as the storm came ashore around Sabine Pass Texas. Fortunately the area is not a heavily populated one. The National Hurricane Center's Max Mayfield says the storm is not as strong as Katrina was, but they still expect upwards of 25 inches of water and possible surges of 20 feet.
Aid agencies stay put in South Sat, 24 Sep 2005 05:00:00 -0000 Relief agencies are going to hunker down and stay put in Louisiana and Mississippi. International Aid is working in both states with relief teams delivering supplies and medical equipment. In a press release, the Spring Lake based agency says they decided to stay since the people they came to help can't go anywhere. IA is also working with local churches to partner them with other churches to rebuild and assist.
Testing positive for equine encephalitis Fri, 23 Sep 2005 09:46:26 -0000 Two deer found in the Grand Rapids area have tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis. Mosquitoes transmit the deadly viral disease. The DNR says the infected deer were found in Cannon Township. 6 deer were tested and two came up positive for the disease and 2 others appeared to have contracted it. People bitten by infected mosquitoes can become sick and die.
Republicans head north to Mackinac Island Fri, 23 Sep 2005 09:18:09 -0000 Michigan Republicans have all but settled on a candidate for governor, and there are just two major contenders for the party's U-S Senate nomination. And the G-O-P is getting ready for the 2006 elections. About 3,000 people are expected to flood Mackinac Island for the start of the 3-day biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. Gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos will address the conference on Saturday.
Suicide bombing kills at least 5 Fri, 23 Sep 2005 08:56:55 -0000 The U-S military reports two more American deaths in Iraq. Both soldiers have died overnight in Anbar province, the western region that has been the scene of some of the worst trouble of the war. One died in a roadside bomb attack. The other was killed by small arms fire. In Baghdad today, at least 5 people were killed and 8 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus.
Rita on the move Fri, 23 Sep 2005 08:56:55 -0000 Hurricane Rita is a Category 4 storm Friday morning and is about 325 miles SE of Galveston, Texas, with winds of 140 mph. The highways are jammed with Rita evacuees. Friday morning a bus carrying Rita evacuees explosed on a highway near Dallas. Several people died.
Pre-season hockey Fri, 23 Sep 2005 08:42:11 -0000 The Detroit Red Wings lost to the Blue Jackets in Columbus, 3-2. Thursday's overtime loss leaves the Red Wings 1-2 in exhibition play. Detroit takes on the Stars tonight. Meanwhile, the Grand Rapid Griffins begin training camp Friday at Belknap Park. All training camp sessions at Griff's IceHouse are open to the public. The official season begins October 8th.
Most of the budget items are finalized Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:49:30 -0000 The bulk of next year's roughly $40 billion-dollar state budget is on its way to Governor Granholm. But work continues on a few unresolved items. Republican legislative leaders are working with the Democratic administration to come up with a compromise spending plan for several state police posts, including Grand Haven. The House voted to keep the posts open, but the Senate voted to close them. A conference committee is scheduled to discuss the issue.
Lowell man accused in bomb making Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:49:30 -0000 A Lowell man has been accused of making a 4th of July bomb that injured a woman. The incident occurred on the 4th of July along Grand River Drive in Lowell Township. 20-year-old Nicholas Stormzand of Lowell, shot off the homemade device which then hit a passing car and injured a 65-year-old passenger. Francis Thomas has had several surgeries as a result and friends and family have been holding fundraisers to help with the costs.
Rita to hit Saturday Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:20:40 -0000 With landfall likely still a couple days away, Hurricane Rita is a monster of a storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Top sustained winds are still 175 miles-an-hour. That makes it a Category 5 storm, the worst there is. Rita is heading toward the Texas coast at 9mph. Nearly a million and a half residents in Texas and Louisiana are fleeing Hurricane Rita and highways are clogged along the coast. The government is already moving rescue teams, evacuation buses and hospital beds to areas that could be hit by Hurricane Rita. The Bush administartion has vowed to be more prepared for the storm than it was for Katrina. The President is getting constant updates.
