A 52-year-old woman died following injuries from a two-car crash in Lake County two weeks ago.

The crash occurred on Friday, June 26, at about 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of South Saddler Road and East 40th Street in Pinora Township.

According to published details of the investigation, a 17-year-old man from Chase was traveling northbound and failed to stop. His vehicle then traveled into the intersection, colliding with a westbound vehicle driven by the 52-year-old woman. She was transported via AeroMed to the hospital in Grand Rapids with serious injuries, but died a short time later.

"At this time, investigators have not determined whether speed was a contributing factor," the Lake County Sheriff's Office said. "Drugs and alcohol do not appear to have been factors in the crash. The crash remains under investigation."

No additional details have been released regarding the identities of both individuals.

Assistance was provided by the Reed City Fire Department, Life EMS, Mecosta County EMS, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Lake County 911 Central Dispatch.

_{Release information courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.}

In part of the fiscal year 2027 state budget, Ferris State University has secured $22.1 million towards the renovation of the Allied Health Sciences Building. 

Initially proposed in 2021, the project would add about 20,000 square feet to the building at a total estimated cost of $29.5 million. Ferris State plans to fund the remaining $7.4 million and will not require a tuition increase. 

“Ferris State leaders deeply appreciate receiving planning authorization funding for the Allied Health Building,” said Dave Murray, vice president of communications and marketing. “This is an important first step and allows us to move forward with formal preconstruction, engineering and design work. Updating the Allied Health Building will modernize these learning spaces for generations of Ferris State students who graduate to become critical health care workers in communities all across Michigan.”

The project is currently in the funding and planning phase. No official renderings have been released at this time.

Located at 200 Ferris Drive, the building was constructed in 1979 and supports students and faculty in nursing, dental hygiene, health information technology and management, radiography, sonography, nuclear medicine technology, medical laboratory science, and health care system administration. 

Notable improvements include updated mechanical and infrastructure systems, enhanced instructional spaces, and renovations to the university’s nursing simulation lab.

State Rep. Tom Kunse, who helped secure the funds on the House floor, said the investment will help address the state’s health care workforce needs.

“Ferris State University plays a vital role in preparing the next generation of health care professionals,” Kunse said. “This investment gives students access to modern classrooms and hands-on training while helping ensure our communities have the skilled workforce they need for years to come.”

The Allied Health program is one of Ferris State’s largest, with the broader College of Health Professions and related health programs graduating nearly 900 students annually. University officials have noted that demand exceeds current capacity, with students often waitlisted due to limited space.

For more information on the project, visit here: ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES BUILDING PROJECT PURPOSE.

Photo courtesy of Ferris State University.

Following a trial in Mecosta County Circuit Court, Ryan Cox was acquitted of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.

Cox, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer from Mancelona, was sued for $250 million in a federal lawsuit after a shooting at Merrill-Gorrel County Park in Barryton.

The incident occurred May 13, 2023, when Cox — 22 at the time — was off duty and camping with his father, David Cox, and other family members. After reportedly hearing a woman scream, Cox and his father intervened in a verbal argument that turned physical between David Cox and Brandon Davis of Mount Pleasant. Ryan Cox then identified himself as a DNR conservation officer.

According to the defense, Davis was shot after he refused commands and raised his arm to continue assaulting David Cox. According to the prosecution, Davis was walking away when he was shot without justification. Davis was hospitalized and lost a kidney.

Cox was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, prompting a Michigan State Police investigation. He was charged in December 2023 by Attorney General Dana Nessel with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and felony firearm. He was bound over for trial in May 2024, in which the felony firearm charge was later dismissed.

The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning a not-guilty verdict. The case was decided in the 49th Circuit.

On Monday afternoon, Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz announced he will remain at the school.

“Over the past several weeks, there has been considerable discussion and speculation about the future of Michigan State University and what another leadership transition could mean for this extraordinary institution,” Guskiewicz wrote in a message to the university community. “I know this period has created uncertainty and raised important questions across our community. It also prompted a period of deep personal reflection about my own commitment to Michigan State and the future we are building together. After much thought, countless conversations and careful consideration, I have decided to remain at Michigan State University and continue serving as your president.”

Guskiewicz had previously accepted the presidency of Clemson University on May 27. Terms of his contract to return to Michigan State are unknown.

Former Michigan State athletic director J. Batt announced his departure for the University of Kentucky shortly after Guskiewicz’s original announcement. Batt is expected to stay at Kentucky, which now may double his buyout to $5 million under the terms of Batt’s contract with Michigan State due to Guskiewicz staying.

Read more from Guskiewicz' letter here: https://president.msu.edu/communications/2026/07/7-6-2026-message-to-the-spartan-community.

_{This story is developing and may be updated upon learning further details.}

_{Headshot courtesy of Michigan State University.}

Construction is set to begin Tuesday, July 7, along Fuller Avenue for a multi-month water main and repaving project.

The first section will be the 100 block, located between State Street and Clark Street. As a result, Fuller Avenue between Division Street and State Street, as well as both northbound and southbound crossings on Clark Street, will be closed during the work.

“We have a 2-3 week time frame for the first block,” Project Manager Matt Ruelle said. “The rest of the project will continue until mid-October, with intersection closures occurring sporadically.”

Overall, the water main repair project will include the replacement of approximately 2,000 feet of ductile iron pipe, as well as milling and repaving the road to follow. The existing 8-inch-diameter water main will be replaced with a new 12-inch ductile iron system.

The project stretch along Fuller Avenue extends as far west as Escott Street. Big Rapids Department of Public Works, along with contractor Morning Star Enterprises, will proceed block by block through a fall completion target. 

The contract was approved in June 2026 by the Big Rapids City Commission.

Monday, June 29

• At 4:10 p.m., deputies responded to an assault complaint at a residence in Morton Township. A female subject was arrested for Assault. She was lodged at the Mecosta County Jail.

• At 8:01 p.m., deputies made a warrant arrest at a residence in Mecosta Township. A male subject was arrested on an undisclosed warrant. He was lodged at the Mecosta County Jail.

Calls for Service: 16

Traffic Accidents: 6

Tuesday, June 30

• No arrests reported.

Calls for Service: 17

Traffic Accidents: 4

Wednesday, July 1

• No arrests reported.

Calls for Service: 10

Traffic Accidents: 3

Thursday, July 2

• No arrests reported.

Calls for Service: 9

Traffic Accidents: 5

Friday, July 3

• At 8:18 p.m., deputies made a traffic stop in Big Rapids Township. The traffic stop resulted in the male driver being arrested on an undisclosed warrant. He was lodged at the Mecosta County Jail.

Calls for Service: 14

Traffic Accidents: 1

Saturday, July 4

• At 6:25 a.m., deputies responded to a car crash in Martiny Township. Additional investigation resulted in the female driver being arrested for Operating While Intoxicated.

• At 10:49 p.m., deputies made a traffic stop in Wheatland Township. The traffic stop resulted in a female passenger being arrested on an undisclosed warrant. She was lodged at the Mecosta County Jail.

• At 11:59 p.m., deputies made a traffic stop in Big Rapids Township. The traffic stop resulted in the female driver being arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine. She was lodged at the Mecosta County Jail.

Calls for Service: 16

Traffic Accidents: 2

Sunday, July 5

• At 8:57 p.m., deputies responded to a domestic incident at a residence in Martiny Township. A female subject was arrested for Assault. She was lodged at the Mecosta County Jail.

Calls for Service: 11

Traffic Accidents: 4

Big Rapids Commissioners will meet this coming Monday, July 6, to vote on multiple resolutions and hear from notable individuals.

A main event on the meeting's agenda will be a "State of the City" address from Big Rapids Mayor, Fred Guenther. This will include status updates on the city's finances, developments, infrastructure, and other notable future initiatives. 

The meeting will the introduction of new firefighter captain Bethany Hamilton and new firefighter Cooper Thomas. There will also be a proclamation honoring Big Rapids Lumber & Hardware for the 2026 Beacon Award for best new store.

Other agenda items include:

• Authorizing the lease of the Old Jail Apartment to Grant Newhall

• Authorizing an Application to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority-MI Neighborhood Community Development Block Grant Funding Program

• Awarding a bid for tree trimming, tree removal, and stump removal services to Krisch Tree Removal

• Awarding a bid for ling of sanitary sewer mains (cured-in place) to GFL Environmental Services

• Accepting a proposal from Peerless Midwest Inc. to pull and overhaul two wells for the Water Treatment Plant

• Approving a change order from Grand Traverse Construction for grit valves, digester blower electrical, enviromix electrical, aeration tank do probe, and controller replacement, digester compressor and receiver tank location, grit system changes, headworks lighting, grease/grit building lighting, and RAS VFD’s

• Accepting the 2027 Emergency Commercial and Industrial Demand Response Customer Agreement with Consumers Energy

All City Commission meetings are open to the public and streamed live on the City of Big Rapids YouTube channel. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, June 22

• An officer was dispatched to a retail fraud complaint. The suspect had already left, but their identity was already known by the complainant. Contact was made with the suspect and the complaint will be forwarded to the Prosecutor's office.
• An officer conducted a traffic stop on two motorcycles for speeding. One operator was arrested on multiple outstanding reports.

Tuesday, June 23

• An officer was dispatched to a larceny complaint. The complaint remains open pending further investigation.
• A subject came to the Evart Police Department to discuss threats directed towards them. The subject provided the officer with screenshots of the threats. The investigation remains open pending further review. 
• An officer was dispatched to assist the Osceola County Sheriff's Office with a property damage accident that occurred outside of the city limits.

Wednesday, June 24

• An officer was dispatched to a local residence to assist in investigating a child neglect complaint. The complaint remains open pending further investigation.
• An officer was dispatched to a civil complaint regarding property.

Thursday, June 25

• No incidents were reported.

Friday, June 26

• An officer was dispatched to a fraud complaint. The complaint remains open pending further investigation.
• An officer was dispatched to a fraud complaint. The complaint remains open pending further investigation.

Saturday, June 27

• An officer stopped a vehicle for a moving violation. The driver was found to have a suspended license. The driver was issued an appearance citation for the violation.
• Officers were dispatched for a domestic assault in progress. The victim suffered injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment. The suspect was placed into custody without incident.
• An officer was dispatched to assist the Osceola County Sheriff's Office with a disorderly persons complaint.  

Sunday, June 28

• No incidents reported. 

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association recently announced the addition of women's flag football to the conference.

Debuting in the spring of 2027, four current GLIAC schools plan to compete in the inaugural conference season: Davenport University, Purdue University Northwest, Saginaw Valley State University, and the University of Wisconson-Parkside. Full-time Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) member, Lewis University, will also join as the fifth member in the GLIAC for specifically flag football. The University of Illinois-Springfield also plans to join the conference as the sixth team for 2027-2028 campaign.

"The GLIAC is proud to announce the addition of women's flag football, a sport that continues to experience tremendous growth and momentum across the country," said Commissioner Kris Dunbar in a release. "This decision reflects our commitment to providing new competitive opportunities for student-athletes while supporting the evolution of collegiate athletics. We are excited to partner with our member institutions as we help shape the future of women's flag football and provide a platform for these student-athletes to excel both on the field and in the classroom."

While they've won four out of the last five football Division II National Championships, Ferris State University will not be competing in women's flag football in the near future. According to Athletic Director Steve Brockelbank, the school may consider it later down the road.

"It is always positive to see the growth of a sport and I am pleased to see our conference sponsor one of the fastest growing female sports in the U.S.," Brockelbank said. "We are always studying the sport landscape to see what might make sense to add to our varsity athletic program."

Ferris State recently added their 18th NCAA-sponsored sport last year in STUNT. The team competed in the GLVC this past year and reached as high as 15th in the Division II STUNT national polls.

Grand Valley State, who leads the conference with 22 varsity sports programs, will also not be fielding a women's flag football team in 2026-2027.

_{Logo credit to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.}

America’s 250th birthday is this weekend. Having fun is a key part of the weekend, but being safe and aware is just as important.

During July, and especially around the Fourth of July, police agencies will step up speed enforcement. While no local agencies like Big Rapids Police or the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office will participate in the increased enforcement, the Michigan State Police is planning to crack down on speeding this month.

Travelers on freeways and highways anywhere in the state, especially near inactive construction sites, can expect to see more patrol on the roads in July. For a full list of inactive and active sites, visit here: LIST OF MDOT 4TH OF JULY ROAD WORK.

With high traffic anticipated on the water and roads this weekend, the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office plans to use more staff to serve county residents this weekend.

“We will have full staffing for this holiday weekend for both the road and our marine patrols,” Sheriff Brian Miller said. “Our staff takes great pride in keeping our roads and waterways a safe place to be, so they will continue to be cognizant of any unsafe activity by those using them.”

Fireworks are the main attraction this weekend, but they can be very dangerous if mishandled or misused. City of Big Rapids rules regarding fireworks include the following:

• Fireworks should be lit only after 11 a.m. under these rules around the Fourth of July: from June 29 to July 4 until 11:45 p.m. each of those days, and on July 5, if that date is a Friday or Saturday, until 11:45 p.m. 
• A person shall not ignite, discharge or use consumer fireworks on public property, school property, church property or the property of another person without that organization’s or person’s express permission to use those fireworks on those premises.
• A person shall not use consumer fireworks or low-impact fireworks while under the influence of alcoholic liquor, a controlled substance or a combination thereof.
• A person shall not recklessly endanger the life, health, safety or property of another person by the ignition, discharge or use of consumer fireworks.

A violation of these four rules is a municipal civil infraction with a fine of $1,000 for each violation of the section and no other fine or sanction. Five hundred dollars of the fine collected under this section shall be remitted to the local law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing this section, which is the Department of Public Safety.

With millions of people across the state and thousands in the area expected to celebrate the Fourth of July this year, law enforcement agencies are reminding people to be safe and smart this weekend. Watching your speed and using fireworks responsibly can help prevent accidents and keep everyone safe this holiday.

On Wednesday, June 1, at 8:02 p.m., a 79-year-old woman from Lakeview was taken to the hospital following a two-car crash in Mecosta County.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Northland Drive and 5 Mile Road near Borland Gas & Grocery between Morley and Stanwood.

According to the investigation, the woman, who was driving a 2020 Chevrolet Sonic, was traveling eastbound on 5 Mile Road and failed to stop at the intersection. She then was struck by a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado driven by a 56-year-old woman from Howard City.

"The driver of the Silverado sustained no injuries while the driver of the Chevy Sonic complained of chest pains and memory loss due to the crash," said the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office. "The driver of the Sonic was transported to Corewell Health Center in Big Rapids for further medical evaluation."

Deputies were assisted by Meceola Central Dispatch, Mecosta County EMS, Mecosta Township Fire and Rescue and Consumers Energy.

Monday, June 22

• An officer investigated a motion alarm at a local store. No one was found, all doors were securely locked, and the offending suspect turned out to be balloons moving. The balloons were placed into a locked room.

• An officer was dispatched for people loudly arguing and disturbing neighbors. The individuals were advised to go to separate rooms and stay clear of each other. A warning was issued for the noise. They were advised that if things should become physical, it would be a crime and action would be taken.

Tuesday, June 23

• An officer was called for a tenant/landlord dispute over property. The property items were resolved between the two and the tenant left the location.

• An officer observed two violations of the swimming pool ordinance. Both were improper fencing and one was also not set back from property line far enough. Both places were supplied the ordinances, as well as given dates to resolve the situation within.

Wednesday, June 24

• An officer observed a bonfire that didn’t comply with city ordinance. The individual was advised and put the fire out.

• An officer was called for a missing juvenile. While gathering details from the complainant, the child returned home.

Thursday, June 25

• Officers responded to a possible domestic incident in progress. It was found to have been only a verbal argument.

• Officers arrested a 30 year-old man with an active warrant out of Reed City. The man was transported from Grand Traverse County to the Osceola County Jail without incident.

Friday, June 26

• Officers were dispatched for a well being check. Contact was made and the individual was okay.

• An officer on patrol contacted residents of a home regarding grass and vehicle abatement violations. Copies of those ordinances were provided as well as a date to bring the items into compliance.

• An officer contacted an elderly individual about riding their electric scooter in the road. The person was advised to use sidewalks unless there were obstructions present for their safety, and the safety of others.

• An officer took a complaint of someone knocking on a door, and then walking around a home. It was determined the individual was hired to mow the lawn prior to the property being sold. He was advised the home had sold, and the new owner would take care of  the lawn.

• An officer was dispatched for a well-being check due to a missed appointment with a doctor. They were found to be okay.

• An officer was dispatched to a domestic incident. Interviews, statements, and evidence were gathered. This case has been sent to the prosecutor’s office and forwarded to CPS.

Saturday, June 27

• An officer transported a 39-year-old man from Kent County to Osceola County Jail for an active warrant of Failure to Appear. Transport was made without incident.

• An officer was called for a suspicious individual. The person was located and identified. It was found that they were trying to get a ride to a family member’s home out of town. The person proceeded on in their desired direction.

Sunday, June 28

• An officer took a complaint of a PPO violation. All attempts to contact the suspect were unsuccessful. The violation was forwarded to the court.

• An officer observed a person throwing a solar lawn light into the street. The individual was identified, and asked where they got the item. It was admitted that the item was from a yard up the road. The person was not able to identify the exact location. The matter is under investigation.

The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted portions of west-central Michigan for the risk of severe storms over the next 24 hours.

Current guidance suggests multiple storm complexes will cross the northern half of Lake Michigan, bringing an elevated risk of damaging winds at the surface. The first complex is expected to arrive sometime Wednesday afternoon or evening, while a second and potentially a third will arrive overnight into early Thursday morning.

Tornadoes and hail will not be as much of a concern with these systems. However, winds in areas north of the M-55 corridor up to the Mackinac Bridge will pose the greatest risk of damage.

Here’s a list of risk areas by severity, according to the SPC:

• Moderate Risk (Level 3 of 5): Missaukee and Wexford Counties

  • Damaging Winds: 30-44%

  • Hail: 5-14%

  • Tornadoes: 2-4%

• Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5): Clare, Lake, and Osceola Counties

  • Damaging Winds: 15-29%

  • Hail: 5-14%

  • Tornadoes: Less than 2%

• Marginal Risk (Level 1 of 5): Isabella, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Newaygo Counties

  • Damaging Winds: 5-14%

  • Hail: Less than 4%

  • Tornadoes: Less than 2%

For more forecast information, visit https://bigrapidsdailynews.com/forecast.