Here are the top five most interesting stories from around the Hartland area this week.

1. Testimonies began this week in the Green Oak murder case against George Robert Tanner and Brian Jeffrey Stafford who are accused of murdering a South Lyon man after he kissed Tanner's girlfriend, according to a story in the Livingston County Press and Argus. The hearing was continued to Feb. 16.

2. A Livingston County woman avoided jail time in a case where she was charged with embezzling thousands of dollars from the Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency, according to a story from WHMI. Laura Lynn Turner of Fowlerville formerly worked as head of the guardianship program and was sentenced to five years probation.

3. An Oakland County lesbian couple is fighting a law that prohibits adoptions by umarried couples, reported the Detroit Free Press.

4. A tragic accident struck in White Lake this week as a tree fell on the roof of a SUV driving on Pontiac Lake Road, causing a West Bloomfield man to lose control of his vehicle, which fell into a ravine. He died as a result of his injuries, reported White Lake Patch.

5. Brighton Schools plan to put an $88 million bond on the ballot in May, according to Brighton Patch.