THE LATEST TOP HEADLINES

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DAVISON TWP. (CCN) — The Davison Township Board of Trustees delayed any decision on the future of Lake Callis until at least its next meeting on Oct. 7.

It will be at 6 p at the Township Hall where a packed house greeted board members on Monday (Sept. 9, 2024) when the item was placed on the agenda to possibly lay off Parks & Recreation Department employees and close the facility.

Trustees Mat Karr and Lori Tallman drew applause by speaking out in favor of keeping Lake Callis open. They need one more vote to do it and must find a way to keep funding operations.

 Ben Callis announced in a Facebook group called "Pulse of Davison" that he has teamed up with former board member Travis Howell to support citizens who don't want to see Lake Callis closed.

Callis posted: "Hello. In order to keep the momentum going into next month’s meeting, Travis Howell and I have teamed up to sell Davison Township Parks & Recreation 'Support Our Parks' t-shirts. We will sell each shirt for $20. Proceeds will go to our township parks department!  We will present the money at next month’s meeting to Ca1sey (and) her team. If you would like one, please let me know. You can Venmo me @Ben-Callis-1 to purchase. Or we can figure out another payment method if Venmo doesn’t work for you. Please let me know your shirt size and message me your address. As long as it’s within Davison, Travis or I will deliver to your home. If you dont live in Davison, you will need to come pick up your shirt at my house. We will make a shirt order each week on Tuesday. We will deliver to you on Friday or Saturday.  THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!:

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN)  —  The Detroit Sports Commission has announced its high school football matchups for the 19th annual Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic.

This fall's event will take place for the 12th straight year at Tom Adams Field on the campus of Wayne State University. The two-day event will be staged on Thursday, Aug. 29 and Friday, Aug. 30.

Two teams from The Daily Gazette coverage area will be featured in this year's event that began with six seasons in a row at Eastern Michigan University until the Detroit Sports Commission attracted it to Downtown Detroit.

The Xenith Prep Kickoff CLassic returns after seeing record-breaking attendance in 2023 with more than 14,700 fans at Wayne State which plays Division II college football in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Activities Conference (GLIAC). Wayne State only attracted 13,732 fans for its entire season — averaging 2,285 per game.

Since 2005, the event officials have focused on providing a "bowl game" atmosphere for participating teams, school bands, and cheer squads from across the Midwest.

Since the event's inception, Detroit Sports Commission officials have focused on an inclusive approach to team and match-up selection by inviting more than 90 schools from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to play in the signature event.

"The Detroit Sports Commission is proud to once again kick off the high school football season in Michigan with an exciting lineup of games in the city of Detroit," said Marty Dobek, Detroit Sports Commission Deputy Director. "This year's event will feature a tremendous collection of prep football programs, and also the colorful pageantry of school bands and cheerleaders for fans to experience at this signature event in Detroit."

The 2024 event will transpire over two days  with Davison playing  in the second game of an opening night doubleheader at 7 pm and Clarkston playing in Friday's opener at 4 pm against 2023 Division 1 state runner-up Belleville.

The Thursday opener before the Davison-De La Salle matchup pits Southgate Anderson against Trenton at 4 p.m. Action on Friday will feature Detroit King facing Cleveland Heights at 7 pm after the Clarkston-Belleville game.

The Davison Cardinals rolled to a perfect 9-0 regular season record last fall and made it all the way to the Division 1 state semifinals. They finished 12-1 on the year. Davison's Aug. 29 opponent — Warren De La Salle Collegiate — lost 31-26 to Davison in last year's opener at the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Flint's historic Atwood Stadium. De La Salle rallied from 2023's opening night loss to Davison with 11 straight victories before losing 33-21 to Muskegon in the Division 2 state championship game at Ford Field.

The Clarkson Wolves  lost a 21-20 nail-biter last season in the regional finals to West Bloomfield to finish with un-Clarkstonlike 6-6 record. Clarkson lost 24-10 to Northville in last year's opener which was in the Battle of the Big House event at Michigan Stadium on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. Belleville's 2023 run to the state finals in Division 1 featured a 13-1 record before losing 36-32 to Southfield Arts & Technology.

Among the other competitors in the Xenith Prep Football Kickoff Classic, Southgate Anderston was  7-3 last season, Trenton was 5-5, Cleveland Heights 11-2 and  Detroit King 7-6 although making a run to the Division 3 state semifinals where losing an exciting 26-20 affair to Mason..

 
Tickets are $12 and are available for purchase at detroitsports.org/pkctickets. A portion of the proceeds from tickets will benefit each school. One ticket will grant admission to all games on that particular day. 

(CCN) — State Rep. David Martin of Davison issued a statement today (July 12, 2024) on the passing of former State Rep. Tim Sneller — his opponent in the upcoming November election.

Sneller had previously served in the State House with Martin before term limits ended his six-year stay in his seat representing Burton, Grand Blanc and Davison.

Sneller, bidding to return after a change in the term limits law, was a Democrat. Martin is a Republican but that didn't stop his praise for the many years of public service by his former colleague and current opponent.

The statement issued by Rep. Martin after learning about the passing of Sneller was as follows:

 “I am deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing of former Representative Tim Sneller. Tim and I served together in the Legislature representing Genesee County, and while we found ourselves on opposite sides of the political aisle, I always respected his dedication to public service. Tim devoted his life to serving the people of Genesee County, both as a legislator and as a longtime legislative staffer. His commitment and passion for our community were evident in everything he did.  We attended countless events together around Genesee County, stood side-by-side to support our community, and listened to the concerns of residents. One of the moments I will always cherish is when we proudly stood together on the House floor to recgnize White Shirt Day, both of us wearing white to mark the end of the famous Flint sit-down strike and the anniversary of the first United Auto Workers contract with General Motors.  “My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of working with him. Tim’s legacy of service will not be forgotten.”
 

(CCN) —  No intersections across the Metro Flint regional area made an annual list of the top 20 most dangerous ones in Michigan, and none in the M-15 coverage area cracked Genesee County's top 10 list.

(See Story in State News of My Am Advantage)

(See Another Related Story in Today's Metro Section of The Daily Gazette)

 Michigan Auto Law of Farmington Hills compiled a top 10 list of the most dangerous intersections in Genesee County based on crash data reported to the Michigan State Police, and found that Corunna Road and I-75 in Flint Township to be No. 1. State Police data showed 55 crashes there.

FLINT TWP (CCN)  — The Genesee County Board of Commissioners, alongside members of the Genesee County 7th Circuit Court, unveiled the long-awaited new Juvenile Justice Center Wednesday (June 13, 2024) in Flint Township.

The $27 million facility will officially open its doors in late July, as the staff transitions from the old facility next door.

Genesee County Board of Commission Chairman James Avery of Grand Blanc, who represents District 5, spoke about the facility and what it means for the entire community.

"As we cut this ribbon today, let us re-commit ourselves to the work ahead," Avery said. "Let us be proud of the fact that Genesee County is now, and has been for years, a model for juvenile justice. Let us stake our claim today that this facility will further our mission to empower young people to transform their lives for the betterment of our entire community."

Construction on the 54,000 square foot facility in Flint Township (on Pasadena Avenue in District 8) began in September 2020. District 8 Commissioner Dale Weighill said the new facility represents the "best of Genesee County and its dedication to young people."

Commissioner Weighill added: "Genesee County, and my colleagues on the (Genesee County) Board of Commissioners, have an unwavering commitment to youth empowerment. We remain dedicated to restorative practices that aim to heal and rehabilitate youth to promote safe communities across the county."

More than 100 people were in attendance for the ceremony, including many of the visionaries who made this new facility a reality, including Genesee County 7th Circuit Court Chief Judge David  Newblatt and Judge Judge John Gadola from the (Family Division of the court.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is a photo of Genesee County leaders at an unveiling ceremony for a new 54,000 square foot juvenile justice center in Flint Township.

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