Fraudsters face sentencing in fake green energy venture
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By Georgia Hill
Two men who admitted conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud await sentencing for cheating 22 investors out of more than $2 million from June 2016 to April 2018. Former Pittsburgh resident Jonathan Freeze and Kevin Carney of Euclid, Ohio, have pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh. Freeze, Carney, and a third defendant, Robert Irey, who died after also pleading guilty, created a business called Alternative Energy Holdings to use investments from their victims to build plants that would convert biodegradable waste into renewable energy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the department, they promised high rates of returns to prospective investors who made short-term loans.
Recreation
Michigan’s winter festivals adapt as warmer winters test traditions
By Donté Smith
Capital News Service
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting “warmer-than-average” temperatures for parts of the Great Lakes, Michigan’s winter festivals from Metro Detroit to the Western Upper Peninsula are preparing to adapt. Many, such as Detroit’s Noel Night, Grand Haven’s Winterfest, the Magical Christmas Parade in Zeeland and Holland’s Winter Dutch Fest, count on seasonal cold to enhance their winter ambiance and allure. Detroit resident Dorrian Brooks, a frequent winter festivalgoer, reflected on warmer weather’s impact on these long-standing traditions.
Recreation
Audit: Michigan must do better monitoring recreational trails
By Eric Freedman
Capital News Service
Michigan boasts thousands of miles of trails for snowmobilers, hikers, off-road vehicle operators, dog-walkers, bicyclists, snowshoers and horseback riders, but the Department of Natural Resources needs to improve how it monitors them. That’s the conclusion of the state Auditor General’s Office, which said DNR fell short in monitoring and inspecting the trail system. The office is a nonpartisan legislative agency that assesses how well state programs and departments operate.
Water
How a famous Great Lakes shipwreck became trendy on TikTok
By Clara Lincolnhol
As the gales of November approach, social media users are channeling a famous Great Lakes shipwreck as tongue-in-cheek inspiration for a new fall aesthetic. It began with a video comedian Django Gold posted to TikTok in September. “Brat Summer is over.