Author: Doug Donnelly

Ottawa Lake native Doug Donnelly is the editor and publisher of The Advance and Overtime, the Lenawee County Sports Weekly.

Water over roads after steady Saturday rains

By Melissa Burnor
Flooding problems continue to rise in the area after nearly 24 hours of steady rain dumped several of inches of water on already sodden ground and swollen waterways. Several county roads were closed due to water over the road. Places like the curves on Palmyra Road south of Deerfield Road are covered in water and are marked but several places are not. As of Sunday morning, Palmyra Road had been reopened. Lenawee County Road Commission had run out of road closed signs by early Saturday evening as law enforcement and citizens continued to report flooding conditons throughout the county.

The National Weather Service is predicting minor flooding will occur along the River Raisin. The NWS said that the river should crest at 683.4 feet Tuesday morning. This is rated as a minor flooding occurrence but Blissfield will likely flood more than neighboring communities along the banks of the River Raisin. The river is predicted to crest about two feet lower than the event on Dec. 1, 2011, that closed the bridge on US 223 in Blissfield.

The River in Adrian is expected to crest Sunday evening with less flooding possibly than at Blissfield. The river at Monroe is expected to rise 1.5 feet Sunday and remain there for two to three days, according to the National Weather Service with a slight chance of minor flooding.

No more significant rainfall is expected for the next few days. There is currently no flood warning for either Lenawee or Monroe counties.

Former Revco plant on fire in Deerfield

DEERFIELD – Several fire crews are on the scene of a large blaze at the former Revco plant in Deerfield on the west end of the village.
Smoke can be seen for several miles.
According to the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office the road is shut down and traffic is being rerouted down Stearns Highway.
At this time no more information is available. Please check back or read Wednesday’s Advance for more information.

Blissfield softball, Whiteford baseball lose after delays

The rain postponements of Saturday’s Blissfield softball and Whiteford’s baseball finals did the teams no favors when play resumed on Tuesday.
Blissfield fell 5-2 to the Clinton Lady Redskins on their home field. They had trailed 2-1 at the time the game was called due to weather three days earlier.
The Whiteford Bobcats were scoreless against the Summerfield Bulldogs, going down in district action 4-0.
Only the Whiteford Lady Bobcats softball team advances to regionals from The Advance’s coverage area.

District baseball, softball play at Blissfield delayed until Tuesday

Both the baseball and softball district championship games from Blissfield’s Division 3 district tournament have been delayed an additional day.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday Whiteford will resume the district baseball game Monday.
Rain on Saturday caused the initial delays.
Both the baseball game between Clinton and Madison, and softball district game between Blissfield and Clinton team will be played at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Blissfield.
Whiteford and Summerfield had four-and-a-half innings completed when the rains came and forced a delay in the final game of the district tournament. The Bulldogs were leading 3-0 at the time. The game is scheduled to resume at 4 p.m. Monday.

Blissfield softball, Whiteford baseball districts delayed to Monday

Whiteford High School’s baseball team and Blissfield High School’s softball team will have to wait until Monday to find out whether their seasons will continue after weather forced postponements of both of their games.
Blissfield’s Lady Royals beat Madison 3-1 in their semifinal game, but the final against the Clinton Lady Redskins was called in the second inning as Clinton held a 2-1 lead, with the game rescheduled to Monday afternoon.
The Whiteford Bobcats were trailing 3-0 to Summerfield in the middle of the fifth inning of the district final when the baseball game postponement to 4 p.m. Monday was announced due to rain.
For final results, watch www.blissfieldadvance.com and pick up the June 3, 2015, Advance which will also have graduation coverage for Blissfield, Whiteford and Britton Deerfield.

Blissfield falls in district baseball semifinal

The Blissfield Royals rolled into baseball district play with a league title under their belts. But they fell to the Madison Trojans 5-4 as the Trojans knocked in the winning run breaking the tie in the bottom of the seventh inning of the semifinal game. The game had been under a three-hour rain/weather delay and resumed play under heavy rain.
For Brad Heineman’s complete story, please see the June 3, 2015, edition of The Advance.

Police chase ends in apparent suicide of driver

By Melissa Burnor
Three children were uninjured after the driver of a vehicle they were in led police on a low-speed chase that lasted nearly a half hour Friday afternoon. The driver of the vehicle allegedly shot and killed himself after stopping the vehicle possibly firing at police, including a Blissfield police officer, before turning the gun on himself.

According to information released Friday afternoon from the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office, a passing motorist reported a possible domestic assault in progress in a southbound vehicle on Crockett Highway south of Gorman Road. According to the press release, the woman was waving her arms and appeared to have blood on her face. The vehicle continued southbound and into Ohio. Meanwhile, Lenawee County dispatch put out a broadcast on the vehicle and alerted the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office whose officers spotted the vehicle and began pursuing it. The driver returned back across the state line and and Lenawee County began the pursuit on Thompson Highway. Blissfield Police also joined in the chase minutes later.

The pursuit, led by the county sheriff and a Blissfield Police officer along with troopers from the Michigan State Police, continued northerly through Riga, Ogden and Palmyra townships. Eventually the driver headed west on Deerfield Road, north on Parr Highway and then west on East Maumee Street in Madison Township.

According to the sheriff’s office, he pulled into a driveway on East Maumee Street, stepped out of the car and shot himself with the gun. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The female victim told police she observed the man fire shots at police officers before shooting himself. Two spent shell casings were found at the scene. No officers were injured and they did not fire their weapons, according to Sheriff Jack Welsh.

During the pursuit. officers determined there were three children in the car. The woman in the vehicle had been assaulted. She had minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

The Lenawee Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Blissfield Police, the Michigan State Police, Adrian Police, Madison Township Police, Madison Township Fire Department and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. A helicopter ambulance was also dispatched to the scene.

Whiteford hires Orr as new superintendent

The Whiteford Board of Education voted a unanimous 7-0 Wednesday night to hire Valerie Orr, Monroe High School principal and former Wayne Memorial principal as the new school superintendent to replace Larry Schilling.
Orr will assume the position July 1. Contract negotiations were also discussed and approved at the special meeting. A transitional team will work with Orr as she moves into her new position.

Orr interviewed alongside Andrew Shaw, former Pittsford High School superintendent, and Rick Heitmeyer, Buckley Schools superintendent.

For the complete story, please pick up the June 3, 2015, edition of The Advance.

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