Livingston Named One of Healthiest Counties in Michigan

This year's County Health Rankings show Livingston County ranked fourth.

Livingston County is the fourth healthiest county in Michigan, according to the 2013 County Health Rankings released Wednesday. The County Health Rankings are published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute The County Health Rankings shows that how long and how well people live depends on multiple factors beyond just their access to medical care. It examines 25 factors that influence health, including rates of childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians and dentists, rates of high school graduation and college attendance, access to healthy foods, levels of physical inactivity, and percentages of children living in single …

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Talks to Resume Regarding Hartland's Road Patrol Contracts

A meeting between Hartland and Tyrone Townships and the Livingston County Board of Commissioners will take place next week regarding road patrol contacts.

Officials of Hartland Township will be resuming talks next week with the Livingston County Board of Commissioners regarding road patrol contracts for Hartland and Tyrone Townships.  According to a letter sent by Hartland Township Manager James Wickman to county commissioners and Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte, Hartland officials stated they were “open to further dialogue about the possibility of contract road patrol in the future.” On March 6, Hartland and Tyrone Township officials announced they were declining a proposed contract with the sheriff’s department after questions arose in February regarding the rising costs of the police contracts.  No formal communication has taken place between the parties involved since Feb. 21, …

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Sequestration Budget Cuts: Where Do Federal Employees Work?

There are more than 90,000 federal employees in Michigan. Click on Livingston County in the interactive chart below to find out how many there are here and hover over the bars to see which departments they work for.

Unless Congress reaches a last-minute agreement on the sequester by Friday, the huge budget cuts slated to kick in have the potential to affect nearly 5,000 federal employees working in Livingston County. Barring any kind of deal, the Obama administration will have to impose $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts to military and domestic programs on Friday, according to The New York Times. Those cuts would be the start of $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade. The numbers in the graph above show the number of federal employees in Michigan by county in 2012, according to the latest figures from Eye on Washington, a DC-based lobbying firm that tracks federal employment. It compiles the data from the U.S. Office of Personnel …

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Michigan Law Enforcement Agencies Arrest 45 Drunk Drivers During Super Bowl Weekend

Livingston County had one drunk driving arrest during a three-day enforcement blitz.

Livingston County law enforcement joined 20 other Michigan counties in a drunk driving crackdown during Super Bowl weekend earlier this month. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning reported that the three-day enforcement blitz netted 45 drunk drivers, including 11 who were arrested for a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .17 or higher under Michigan's High BAC Law. Livingston County had one operating while intoxicated (OWI) arrest and three High BAC arrests. Wayne County had the most drunk driving arrests than any other county with 10 OWI arrests and 3 High BAC arrests in Detroit, Grosse Ile, Taylor, Wyandotte, Garden City and Northville Township. The Michigan State Police made 10 OWI arrests and 3 High-BAC arrests. The counties the …

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Million Dollar Bond Set for Hartland Man in Shooting Incident

WHMI reports that a Hartland man is jailed under a million dollar bond after firing a gun outside his home earlier this week and threatening to use it at his wife’s workplace.

I-96 Shooting Suspect Arraigned on Weapons Charges in Howell Incident

Wixom resident Raulie Wayne Casteel was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on charges relating to one of 24 shootings that took place last month along the interstate corridor; more charges are expected.

Raulie Wayne Casteel, 43, of Wixom was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in 53rd District Court in Howell on charges related to one of the three I-96 corridor shootings that happened in Livingston County. Casteel was charged with six counts in connection with the shooting that happened at 2:43 p.m. Oct. 18 on westbound I-96, near mile marker 135 in Howell, The Detroit News reported. A total of 24 shootings took place between Oct. 16 and Oct. 27 in four counties: Livingston, Oakland, Ingham and Shiawassee. [Take a look at our interactive map to see where all of the shootings occurred.] Casteel was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, a four-year felony; carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, a five-year felony; …

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Livingston County Real Estate is a Seller's Market

The median sale price of a home or condo was up in September from the same month last year by 28.7 percent, according to figures released Monday by Farmington Hills-based Realcomp.

Metro Detroit home sales were down slightly in September for the first time in a year, but prices continue to climb, according to figures released Monday by Farmington Hills-based Realcomp. The good news is the median sale price of a home or condo in Metro Detroit was up in September from the same month last year by 17.3 percent. Oakland County led the way with a 28.7 percent increase, followed by Wayne County with a 14.9 percent increase and Macomb and Livingston with increases of 11.1 and 10 percent, respectively. Realcomp defines Metro Detroit as Oakland, Wayne, Livingston and Macomb counties. [View homes for sale in Brighton and Hartland.] Brighton Realtor Scott Bohlen of Preview Properties said it is a seller's market. "My opinion is …

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Brighton Center for Recovery: Communities Still Seeing K2, Spice

The Brighton Center for Recovery hosted a day-long Synthetic Summit Thursday.

About 150 medical professionals, law enforcement officials, first responders and other community members gathered at Brighton Center for Recovery Thursday for its Synthetic Summit, designed to educate the public on the continuing epidemic of synthetic marijuana. Scott Masi, referral-outreach specialist and program analyst for the Brighton Center for Recovery, said that because synthetic drugs hit us so quickly, now is the time to stay on top of it and stay informed because of all the unknowns - such as the long term effects. "We want to address the issue," Masi said of synthetic drugs. "We know there is some type of legislation in about 41 different states, and they've all seen an increase in use - even after legislation has passed. So it'…

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William Vailliencourt Will Face Matt Evans in November

Assit. Prosecutor Bill Vailliencourt wins the race for republican candidate over Carolyn Henry and Lyle Dickson.

In the closest election race on Tuesday, William Vailliencourt pulled away from his closest opponent Carolyn Henry to win the race for republican candidate for Prosecutor of Livingston County.  After all precincts were reported, unofficial results show Valliencourt received 10314 votes, Henry received 9103 votes and Lyle Dickson received 2061 votes. Running in his first election, Vailliencourt thanked the voters of Livingston County for their support. “I think they (voters) agreed with my positive campaign and agreed with my message of experience matters,” Vailliencourt said. Vailliencourt will face democrat candidate Matt Evans and says the experience he gained from the “spirited” primary will help him be a stronger candidate. “I look …

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