Cows Killed By Deputies In Dixboro Area Thursday.

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

As reported in Purple Walrus Press Thursday evening, January 4, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department sent out an alert to the community that a cow was on the loose near the intersection of Dixboro and Plymouth Roads in Superior Township Thursday afternoon. In fact, the Sheriff's Department has stated that at 11:20 am two cows escaped through a broken trailer door near the intersection of Dixboro and Plymouth Roads while the owner of the steer was taking the animals to be butchered in Milan. According to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department, the owner felt she had no way to safely retrieve the the two steer. According to the Sheriff's Dept, all involved agreed that because of the size and aggressiveness of the steer, their proximity to neighborhoods and the fact that the cows were on their way to being butchered in Milan, the animals should be "dispatched at the scene and later transported by the owners.

Deputies and local residents searched for and located the animals.Shortly, both animals were located and dispatched due to their size and aggressiveness, according to the Sheriff's Department.

According to the Washtenaw Coiunty Sheriff's Department, once the animals were located the owner resumed possession and decisions regarding how and when to dispose of the steer were solely up to her.

The following is the statement from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department that was posted on their facebook page.

Washtenaw Sheriff SHERIFF'S OFFICE STATEMENT ON RECENT INCIDENT INVOLVING TWO STEER IN ANN ARBOR TOWNSHIP. 

On Thursday, January 4th at 11:20 AM Washtenaw Metro Dispatch received a call of two cows running loose near the intersection of Plymouth Rd. and Dixboro in Ann Arbor Township. 

Deputies arrived on scene and met with the owner of the animals. The owner clarified that these animals were large steer and as she was transporting them to Milan to be butchered her trailor door was broken and the steer got loose. The owner also advised that she had no way to corral the animals. Subsequently, all parties involved agreed that due to their size, aggressiveness, proximity to residential neighborhoods, and that they were previously set to be butchered the animals would need to be dispatched on scene and transported by the owners afterwards. 

Deputies, along with the owner and several local citizens worked together to locate the animals. The first animal was located a short time later and a Sheriff’s Office Supervisor was able to dispatch the steer. The second steer however, was more difficult to locate and required the use of the Michigan State Police helicopter. Again, due to the size, aggressiveness, and proximity to residential neighborhoods the decision was made to utilize the neccessarey resources in order to locate and dispatch of the animal. 

The Sheriff’s Office role was to ensure public safety by assisting the owner in locating and dispatching of her animals in a timely and safe manner. Once both animals were located the owner resumed possession and the decisions of how and when to dispose of the animals are sole hers.

Cow on the lam in Superior Township Thursday.

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

Thursday afternoon, January 4, the  Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department sent out an intriguing statement to community. According to the Sheriff's Department, "Superior Township Deputies are looking for a loose cow in the area of Dixboro and Plymouth. Any citizen who sees this animal please contact Washtenaw Metro Dispatch 734-994-2911.

A Loose cow around Dixboro and Plymouth Road?! Wow! As 5:00 pm rolled around the cow apparently, hadn't been located. Strange. How can a cow manage to stay out of sight in a pretty highly populated area? I mean, how quickly can a cow move, and how much territory can they cover in a couple of hours? I have absolutely no idea. By 5:30 pm Thursday, I couldn't resist grabbing my camera to head over to nearby Dixboro by car to see if I could find the cow, or least, cover the capturing of the runaway cow. My 9 year old daughter was as intrigued as I was about the runaway cow and was eager to come with me. Although it was close to dinner time, my wife gave us her amused blessings. Off my daughter and I went in the car in search of the Dixboro cow.

Within 10 minutes of Ypsi we were in the heart of Dixboro, with camera in hand. All the way over to Dixboro my daughter had her eyes trained on the wooded areas off of Dixboro Rd, eyes peeled for the runaway cow, of course.

I don't know why, but I decided to drive over around the Humane Society on Cherry Hill. I mean, maybe the cow sensed there were some fury friends over there in the vicinity. Nope, no cow.

Next, we went back to Dixboro Rd and headed to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens off of Dixboro. Lots of woods and fields over there surrounding the main building...perfect place for a runaway cow to hang out. Nope, no cow

Then my daughter pointed up. She spotted a helicopter that was circling around and around the vicinity of Dixboro and Plymouth Road. Maybe the chopper spotted it! It had a spotlight and everything. My hunch is that it was a news helicopter. Hell, if we could afford it, Purple Walrus Press would have a news chopper, also! Anyway, the chopper soon left the area, and so did we.

I sure hope they find that cow soon. Cold out there! We'll keep you updated.

Michigan State Police conduct two-day sex offender sweep in Lansing.

Photo michigan.gov

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

The Michigan State Police have completed a two-day sex offender sweep that was conducted in Lansing. During the two day compliance check of over 320 registered sex offenders within the city of Lansing, 30 violations of the Michigan Sex Offenders Registration Act were found. The Michigan State Police announced this information on January 3.

According to the announcement from MSP, warrants will be sought for the infractions through the Ingham County Prosecutor's office. Further, investigators will revisit 107 addresses where no one was home during the sweep.

The U.S. Marshal's Service and the Lansing Police Department participated in the sweep.

University of Arizona fires head football coach Rich Rodriguez Tuesday.

photo ABC 15 Phoenix, Arizona.

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

As of 11:20 PM Tuesday night, January 2, 2018, ABC 15 News Phoenix, Arizona has reported that head football coach Rich Rodriguez has been fired by the University of Arizona. According to ABC 15 Phoenix, a letter was sent to university students by the athletic department Tuesday evening. The letter states that there is an investigation into alleged sexual harassment by Rich Rodriguez from a former employee of the Arizona athletic department.

Rodriguez was head football coach at the University of Michigan between 2008-2010.

The following is a letter to the Arizona campus community from University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke.

Dear students, Faculty and Staff: Today is a difficult day for the University of Arizona but also a day on which we reaffirm our commitment to our values — and to ourselves. This evening, we informed Head Football Coach Rich Rodriguez that we have terminated his employment effective immediately and will honor the separation terms of his contract. The decision is based on several factors, including the direction and climate of our football program. Let us share with you what we are able to at this time. In October 2017, the University’s Office of Institutional Equity retained outside counsel to investigate allegations of sexual harassment against Mr. Rodriguez, after a former employee in the Department of Athletics alleged that Mr. Rodriguez harassed her on multiple occasions. Like all University employees, Mr. Rodriguez is entitled to a fair investigation and due process and at no time has the University believed that Mr. Rodriguez posed any danger to a member of the community. The law firm of Cohen Dowd Quigley was retained by the Office of Institutional Equity to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations made by the former employee, and that investigation began in October. After her initial report to the University in October, the former employee retained counsel and declined multiple requests from the University to participate in the investigation into her allegations. In addition, she was unwilling to turn over communications that she alleged provided support for her allegations and recently filed a notice of a financial claim against Mr. Rodriguez. The investigation, which concluded on December 28, 2017, found that the original specific harassment allegations against Mr. Rodriguez could not be substantiated based on the evidence and witnesses available to it. However, Arizona Athletics did become aware of information, both before and during the investigation, which caused it to be concerned with the direction and climate of the football program. As a result, we have been reviewing the findings and deliberating our course of action. While this is a difficult decision, it is the right decision. And it is a decision that lives up to the core values of the University of Arizona. We have outstanding young men in our football program and tremendous employees who will continue to work hard on behalf of the Arizona family. We are confident that we will find a new leader of our program who will take us to great heights with men and women of character and talent, on and off of the field.

Sincerely, Robert C. Robbins President Dave Heeke Director of Athletics

Flint Mayor Weaver Responds To Motion filed against City In Federal Court

By Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

 Flint Mayor Karen Weaver released the following statement in response to a motion filed December 27, 2017, regarding the Concerned Pastors settlement agreement.

“The City of Flint remains committed to replacing all lead and galvanized water service lines leading to homes in Flint. It is important to note, nothing in the motion filed yesterday jeopardizes, in any way, the City’s efforts or the funding commitments included in the settlement agreement for service line replacements.  The motion deals only with proposed changes to how status reports are provided, which to date, the City has worked collaboratively to adhere to.

The few individuals the City has had working on the Fast Start pipe replacement program have been focused, first and foremost, on the effort to replace lead tainted pipes leading to residents’ homes. They have made it a priority to get contractors and residents what they need to ensure the progress and productivity of the effort.

We commend our team for the work they continue to do, and are pleased that service lines to more than 6,229 homes have been replaced since FAST Start launched in March 2016.  In addition, crews have identified copper service lines at a total of 1,439 homes which did not need to be replaced. Also this year, workers began checking the composition of service lines using hydro excavation. Through this process, crews have checked lines at an additional 4,656 homes.

No one wants to get the lead out of Flint more than me. My administration and I are doing all we can to ensure the health and safety of residents, which includes continuing the work of removing and replacing lead-tainted residential service lines in 2018 and 2019, with the funding guaranteed by the Concerned Pastors settlement agreement. “

Concerned Pastors is a membership of religious leaders in Flint and the surrounding area who fight for the rights of the underserved and neglected. The organization believes that it is their duty to unify against all injustices and to provide a voice for those without resources.