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Winter storm keeps road commission busy

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) - Sunday's mixture of heavy accumulating snow and random bouts of freezing rain forced Kent County Road Commission truck drivers to clock-in at noon - about an hour before the storm rolled into West Michigan.

"We'd rather have a foot of snow than three-quarters of an inch of ice because that's certainly harder to deal with," said Jerry Byrne, who is the Director of Maintenance and Local Construction for the Kent County Road Commission. "The big blizzard [three weeks ago] was easier because it all came in about a six or eight hour period of time in the middle of the night when there was very little traffic. This [storm] isn't in the middle of the night so it has its own challenges."

Salt truck crews started putting down heavy applications of material, with the hope of preventing the snow from bonding with the pavement.

Wall of building collapses in high wind

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM)- People in Northeast Grand Rapids apartments are out of their homes after strong winds brought down one of the walls of their building Friday.

Crews were called to the 1500 block of Plainfield around 6 p.m.  Firefighters believe an open window on the third floor may have created a wind tunnel that put pressure on the wall.

Nobody was injured.  The Red Cross is providing shelter for the residents of two units.

Mom of slain girl loses custody of son

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - The mother of a murdered two-year-old girl has lost custody of her other child.

The state took Connie Martinez's one year old son when her older daughter, Jozlynn was murdered last winter.

In a custody hearing this morning, a judge terminated Connie's parental rights.

In December, the judge gave Martinez more time to improve her life so she could regain custody of her son, but she did not meet those demands.

Martinez's former boyfriend, Jeffrey Malmberg killed two year-old Jozlynn Martinez last February. He is currently serving a life term in prison.

Jozlynn's body was never found.

Cornerstone play opens

From Cornerstone University:

 

Cornerstone University’s theatre program is proud to present Proof, His Girl Friday and two student-directed shows: The Death of Zukasky and Beneath the Willows, an annual student-directed production, this spring.

Proof , which begins this weekend Feb. 18 -27, is the story of a young woman who must confront her own fears of inheriting her father’s madness after his death. Along the way, she must deal with one of her father’s former students and her estranged sister.

“(Proof is) a more intellectual show, one that makes you ponder truth and faith,” said Jennifer Hunter, director of the theatre program at Cornerstone.

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Meijer Scholar Athlete - Northview's Jon Koelzer

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)- WZZM and Meijer proudly recognize Northview High School senior Jon Koelzer as our Meijer Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of February 14th.

Jon has a 3.7 grade point average and has earned three varsity letters for skiing at Northview. He helped start the Northview ski team, which now has eight members.

An avid video gamer, Jon says he intends to study computers at Ferris State with the eventual goal of earning a masters degree in computer science.

He also tells WZZM 13 he loves to sing but refuses to karaoke.

Keep up the good work Jon and keep having fun on the slopes! 

Plow driver nearly lost job after 2003 incident

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- Records released Tuesday show a Grand Rapids plow driver accused of leaving his route to clear snow from his own street nearly lost his job in 2003 after covering up his attempt to bill the city for parts for his personal truck.

The city Tuesday released the personnel records of Michael Riordan. 

Last week, city manager Greg Sundstrom put Riordan on suspension without pay pending a dismissal hearing for leaving his assigned route to plow his own street.  Sundstrom said it was a violation of city rules pertaining to using his position to directly gain benefits.

The latest charges against Riordan came to light on February 3, when neighbors called 13 On Your Side complaining that Riordan was using a city plow to clear the front of his own home on Rowe Ave. NE, and pushing the snow in front of their homes and driveways.  A neighbor also filed a complaint with the city.