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Great Lakes Echo - Environmental news of the Great Lakes region

Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/green-gavel/page/3/)

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Green Gavel

Green Gavel is an occasional series of stories about court decisions affecting the Great Lakes environment.

Echo

New York man gets 16 months in border patrol incident

By Karen Hopper Usher | April 5, 2017

A New York man who tried to flee and then threatened border patrol agents is sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Energy

Indiana man appeals sentence in $55 million biodiesel fraud case

By Lucy Schroeder | March 27, 2017

It’s the state’s largest tax fraud case.

Echo

Ohio man pleads guilty to dogfighting-related charges

By Natasha Blakely | March 7, 2017

After getting caught during a long-term investigation, a man from Columbus, Ohio, plead guilty to conspiring to participate in a dogfighting ring.

Forests

VA bests legal challenge over controversial cemetery expansion

By Ian Wendrow | February 23, 2017

A proposed expansion of the Indianapolis Crown Hill National Cemetery by the Department of Veterans Affairs survived a legal challenge by the Indiana Forest Alliance and construction preparation is now underway.

Green Gavel

Exotic menagerie runs afoul of Ohio regulators

By Eric Freedman | February 20, 2017

Officials obtained a court order and removed 11 animals from Kenneth Hetrick’s property.

Forests

Grinch busted for stealing Christmas — really

By Eric Freedman | February 2, 2017

The U.S. Forest Service busts a 70-year-old Minnesota man for stealing thousands of black spruce tree tops from the Chippewa National Forest in northern Minnesota and selling them for Christmas decorations. Edminster — whose birthday coincidentally falls on Christmas Day — pleaded guilty to stealing federal government property and faces sentencing by U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright later this year.

Agriculture

Man spent federal crop loan on boat, Mexican vacation

By Karen Hopper Usher | January 30, 2017

A $210,000 federal crop loan wasn’t a big deal at first. Now a former Wisconsinite is on probation.

Echo

Court rules against Sleeping Bear trail critics

By Eric Freedman | January 11, 2017

Challengers to a segment of the 17-mile long trailway say the National Park Service failed to fully disclose the environmental impacts of the trail.

Energy

New wind generators a no-go in the U.P.

By Natasha Blakely | December 14, 2016

Heritage Sustainable Energy’s missing paperwork gave Schoolcraft County a reason to reject a new wind farm.

Nearshore

New York man sinks boat in Black Rock Canal, gets probation, fine

By Morgan Linn | December 9, 2016

A yacht club maintenance man who sank a boat in the Black Rock Canal will pay restitution to the U.S. Coast Guard.

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About Great Lakes Echo

Environmental news of the Great Lakes region from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.

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