The Argus-Press

02/11/2025

CORUNNA – Owosso Capital Area Community Services Center Manager Becky Zemla is retiring on Feb. 28.

The 76-years-old 2024 Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce Community Champion Award winner has been serving Shiawassee County in many ways and roles with CACS for 40 years.

CACS, a community action agency based in Lansing, works toward eliminating the causes and conditions of poverty in Ingham, Eaton, Clinton and Shiawassee counties by providing programs in childhood education, nutrition, weatherization, housing and financial counseling. Its goal is to provide services and support for individuals to achieve their own definition of success and quality of life, according to the CACS website,

“I started here 40 years and five months ago, Sept. 23, 1984,” Zemla said. “That was in the Corunna office. That closed a long, long time ago. I’ve been an aid, a coordinator for a senior employment program, I ran the community service center in Lansing for 10 years and then back (in Corunna) as center manager.”

Zemla managed to obtain her coordinator role, a position she held in multiple locations, in an unexpected way.

“I walked into the center office in Owosso, it was in a different building then, for an interview just as the director of the program was in (the office) firing the (coordinator),” Zemla recalled. “So, she said, ‘Guess what?’ and I became a coordinator. It was really quite an experience. She said, ‘Just sit down there.’ I sat down at the desk there and that’s how it all started.”

CORUNNA – Owosso Capital Area Community Services Center Manager Becky Zemla is retiring on Feb. 28.

02/10/2025

One of Chesaning’s largest employers, Lippert Components, Inc., appears set to close its doors by summer, affecting more than 100 jobs.

Employees were notified in a letter dated Feb. 2 that both of Lippert’s Chesaning facilities — Plant No. 96, located at 1103 W. Pearl St. and 200 S. First St. — will shut down by July 1.

The company manufactures components and windows for RVs and trailers. The two Chesaning facilities work in tandem: one cuts, edges, and creates silk screens on the glass, while the other assembles and finishes the frames.

CHESANING — One of Chesaning’s largest employers, Lippert Components, Inc., appears set to close its doors by summer, affecting more than 100 jobs.

02/07/2025

OWOSSO — After two years of serving up smoked meats on wheels, Smokin Jack's BBQ is taking the next big step in its journey — opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the city of Owosso.

Smokin Jack’s BBQ, 220 N. Park St., will open today with hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

OWOSSO — After two years of serving up smoked meats on wheels, Smokin Jack’s BBQ is taking the next big step in its journey — opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in

02/05/2025

New royalty was crowned Sunday evening at the 2025 Curwood Festival Pageant.

Twenty contestants from the Owosso area vied for the titles of Miss Curwood, Curwood Teen, and Curwood Princess inside the Owosso Performing Arts Center at Owosso High School.

In the end, Ella Osantoski was crowned Curwood Princess, Sloan Hotchkiss earned the title of Curwood Teen and Mackenzie Strauss was crowned Miss Curwood. The court will serve as ambassadors for the Curwood Festival throughout the year, volunteering their time in the community and representing the festival at local events and parades across the state.

OWOSSO — New royalty was crowned Sunday evening at the 2025 Curwood Festival Pageant.

02/04/2025

Ovid-Elsie is squarely in the mix for a fourth straight Mid-Michigan Activities Conference crown and senior Ellyanna Carman has a big hand in that.

Carman, who regularly features as O-E’s starting point guard, has consistently popped up in box scores this season. In games against Birch Run and Montrose last month, she scored a team-high 15 points. Against Otisville-LakeVille on Jan. 14 — a narrow 51-47 O-E victory — she scored 10 points.

The 17-year-old senior is a three-sport athlete at Ovid-Elsie High School. She also plays varsity volleyball and tennis but said that basketball is her favorite sport. It’s a sport she’s played since third grade and for O-E’s varsity squad for three seasons.

https://www.argus-press.com/sports/article_29da7d2e-1d8e-59c0-9da3-30b1f9d0856c.html -source=login

02/03/2025

Two Owosso Public Schools employees were recently recognized for being assets to their school system.

During OPS Superintendent Steve Brooks’ Jan. 20 State of the District address at Owosso Performing Arts Center, Central Elementary support staff member Kim Klapko was announced as Support Staff Member of the Year and Owosso Middle School teacher Lance Little was named Teacher of the Year for the 2024-25 school year.

OWOSSO – Two Owosso Public Schools employees were recently recognized for being assets to their school system.

01/30/2025

The Trump administration rescinded its executive order to pause federal loans, grants, and financial assistance Wednesday, following widespread confusion that reached the local level and resulted in short-lived layoffs for Capital Area Community Services Head Start employees.

CACS Executive Director Miguel Rodriguez told The Argus-Press that those employees have since been called back to work.

“We had no confirmation that Head Start would be open, and we could not access our payment management system,” Rodriguez said. “It wasn’t until later that we received a notice that Head Start was not one of the programs that should have been included. By that time, we had already sent out the closing notice as well as the layoff notice. I guess you could chalk it up to the information and the communication that came out … This is something that none of our staff has experienced before. We’ve learned some lessons as far as communicating properly and more effectively.”

SHIAWASSEE COUNTY — The Trump administration rescinded its executive order to pause federal loans, grants, and financial assistance Wednesday, following widespread confusion that reached the local level and resulted in

01/30/2025

Owosso Public Schools is searching for an athletic director following a string of events that began with bullying allegations and ended with an investigation and subsequent resignation.

Steve Irelan, former athletic director for the school district, resigned earlier this month following allegations by district administrators that he displayed “appearances of retaliation” toward the parent of a student who was kicked out of a sporting event last fall for unruly behavior.

According to a Friday press release from OPS Superintendent Steve Brooks, Irelan resigned after accepting an agreement negotiated between Irelan and school officials.

Irelan said he disputes that he displayed any questionable or retaliatory behavior toward the parent or any of the students involved, and questions the support he received from administrators during and after the incident, which occurred in October.

OWOSSO – Owosso Public Schools is searching for an athletic director following a string of events that began with bullying allegations and ended with an investigation and subsequent resignation.

01/27/2025

School teacher gets prison term for s*x acts with student

CORUNNA – A teacher who engaged in s*xual acts with one of her students was sentenced Friday to seven years, one month to 15 years in prison.

In December, 40-year-old Tasha N. Fernet was found guilty by a jury in Shiawassee Circuit Court of the four felony counts she faced – three counts of third-degree criminal s*xual conduct and one count of obstruction of justice.

The Owosso woman stood accused of entering into a relationship with the victim in December of 2022, when Fernet was 38 and the victim was 16. At the time, Fernet was a teacher and athletic coach at Life in Christ Christian School in Owosso Township, and the victim was one of her students. The jury found that Fernet committing s*xual misconduct against the youth between December 2022 and April 2023, both at the victim’s Owosso-area home and Fernet’s Owosso home.

Although the age of consent is 16 in Michigan, it is illegal for an adult authority figure to engage in s*xual relations with children age 17 and under. Third-degree CSC includes the crime of pe*******on and carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The obstruction count was connected to text messages from Fernet to the victim asking her to tell authorities she fabricated the details of the relationship.

On Friday, in the same courtroom in which she faced a jury, Circuit Court Judge Matthew J. Stewart sentenced Fernet to 85 to 180 months in prison for each of the CSC counts and 30 to 60 months in prison for obstruction. The sentences are to be served concurrently, or at the same time. Fernet was given credit for 52 days already served.

CORUNNA – A teacher who engaged in s*xual acts with one of her students was sentenced Friday to seven years, one month to 15 years in prison.

01/25/2025

Rainbow Bar shooter gets 23 to 75 years in prison

While serving a 15-year prison sentence, Christopher B. Stubbs decided to gamble with his freedom.

He lost.

The 32-year-old man, listed in court documents as being an Owosso resident, was sentenced Friday in Shiawassee County District Court to 23 years, nine months to 75 years in prison for charges associated with Stubbs’ shooting up Owosso’s Rainbow Bar in December 2021.

Stubbs faced two attempted murder charges, and other felony counts, after the incident, which occurred in the early morning hours of Dec. 18, 2021 at the Rainbow Bar, 905 W. Main St. In June 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder and in July 2022, Stubbs was sentenced in the same courtroom in which he appeared Friday to 15 to 40 years in prison.

He appealed the sentence, and in June 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals denied the appeal. In December 2023, a motion to withdraw his plea due to a technicality was granted by Circuit Court Judge Matthew J. Stewart, and Stubbs was transported in January 2024 from Bellamy Correctional Facility in Ionia, where he was serving his sentence, to the Shiawassee County Jail. In the meantime, the Shiawassee County Prosecutor’s Office refiled charges against Stubbs.

Stubbs’ case was heard by a Shiawassee County jury in December. He was found guilty as charged of two counts of assault with intent to murder, four counts of discharging a firearm in or at a building, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a firearm while committing a felony (felony firearm).

On Friday, Stewart sentenced Stubbs to 23 years, nine months to 75 years in prison for both intent to murder counts, 12 to 20 years in prison for each of the discharging a firearm counts and five to 10 years in prison for carrying a concealed weapon. Conviction of felony firearm carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence. All sentences are to be served concurrently (at the same time) as the 23 years, nine months to 75 years sentence Stubbs received for the first assault with intent to murder charge.

CORUNNA – While serving a 15-year prison sentence, Christopher B. Stubbs decided to gamble with his freedom.

01/23/2025

OWOSSO — The Owosso City Council voted Tuesday to deny a rezoning request for a downtown property proposed for use as a ma*****na processing facility for Owosso’s HomeGrown Cannabis Company.

Council members voted 6-1 to deny the request, based on the planning commission’s recommendation from its Dec. 9 meeting that it is inconsistent with the city’s master plan.

Mayor pro tem Jerry Haber, along with council members Chris Owens, Rachel Osmer, Carl Ludington, Janae Fear and Emily Olson, voted to deny the request. Mayor Robert Teich Jr. cast the yes vote.

OWOSSO — The Owosso City Council voted Tuesday to deny a rezoning request for a downtown property proposed for use as a ma*****na processing facility for Owosso’s HomeGrown Cannabis Company.

01/22/2025

Efforts to bring a building in Owosso’s historic district into compliance will extend into 2025.

According to Owosso City Manager Nathan Henne, since 2021, the Owosso Historic District Commission has issued four demolition-by-neglect notices for the building at 110 W. Main St., which is currently home to Aviator Studio.

Henne said misinformation about the matter has been spread on social media, where community members questioned why action was being taken against the owners of 110 W. Main St., but not against the owners of the boarded-up building at 123 N. Washington.

OWOSSO — Efforts to bring a building in Owosso’s historic district into compliance will extend into 2025.

01/21/2025

A new era for the arts in Durand will begin next month when the community gathers to celebrate the grand opening of the district’s $9.8 million Performing Arts Center.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. at the state-of-the-art facility, which is attached to Durand High School, 9575 E. Monroe Road.

DURAND — A new era for the arts in Durand will begin next month when the community gathers to celebrate the grand opening of the district’s $9.8 million Performing Arts

01/15/2025

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid reached a settlement with Baker College, which included a $2.5 million fine, for misrepresenting job placement rates and potential salaries for its graduates.

In a Jan. 7 news release, the department said the private, nonprofit institution, which has five campuses across Michigan, including one that has facilities in Owosso and Owosso Township, violated the Higher Education Act of 1965 by misleading students who relied on the college’s website and marketing materials.

In a statement to The Argus-Press, Baker College President & CEO Dr. Jacqui Spicer said the college maintains it did not commit any misrepresentations and said the resolution agreement is not an admission of wrongdoing.

Read more ⤵️

OWOSSO — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid reached a settlement with Baker College, which included a $2.5 million fine, for misrepresenting job placement rates and

01/14/2025

For the second consecutive year, Perry High School’s varsity quiz bowl team is headed to the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Michigan State Championship.

Reaching the state tournament in 2024 was an achievement for the Perry Ramblers, but after narrowly avoiding last place in the final standings, the team is determined to make a stronger showing in 2025, said Nathan Hawley, who has coached the PHS quiz bowl team for the past five years and also teaches chemistry and physics at the school.

“I think our first big step last year was just making it to the state tournament,” Hawley said. “Now that we’ve been able to do that again, if we can start winning rounds at the state level, that would be the next step.”

The team secured its spot in the tournament by going undefeated in the Mid-Michigan Academic League this season, knocking off teams from Laingsburg, Bath, Fowler, Pewamo-Westphalia and Portland St. Patrick throughout the year.

PERRY — For the second consecutive year, Perry High School’s varsity quiz bowl team is headed to the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Michigan State Championship.

12/21/2024

Police: Democratic headquarters, local bar were targets of Owosso man who planned hate crimes

OWOSSO — A local bar and a political party’s headquarters, though unrelated in most ways, share an unsettling link: both were marked for a premeditated, violent attack, according to investigators.

On Tuesday, Mack A. Davis, 22, of Owosso, pleaded guilty in U.S. Federal Court to one count of committing a hate crime by attempting to carry out a mass killing.

Owosso Director of Public Safety Chief Kevin Lenkart said Davis had specifically targeted a pair of Owosso locales, the Shiawassee County Democratic Party headquarters, 820 W. Main St., and Rainbow Bar, 905 W. Main St., and had outlined his plans for the attack.

“He made references to other locations in various writings six to eight months prior to his arrest,” Lenkart said. “Maybe he changed his mind, I don’t know, but there was a video posted in late May on Discord that specifically mentioned those two locations and what he planned to do in those locations.”

Davis was arrested on June 17 after law enforcement responded to a report of shots fired near Stewart and Lyon streets in Owosso. At the time, Lenkart stated that while there was no specific victim, the incident was part of a larger pattern of similar complaints the department had received over the previous two days. Shell casings and other evidence found at the scene led to Davis’ arrest.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Davis had an arsenal of fi****ms, ammunition and bomb making parts that he intended to use to carry out the mass killing of groups he believed to be associated with the LGBTQ+ community. From April until his arrest in June, Davis had checked off every item on the list, the release said.

OWOSSO — A local bar and a political party’s headquarters, though unrelated in most ways, share an unsettling link: both were marked for a premeditated, violent attack, according to investigators.

12/21/2024

On Tuesday, Mack A. Davis, 22, of Owosso, pleaded guilty in U.S. Federal Court to one count of committing a hate crime by attempting to carry out a mass killing.

Owosso Director of Public Safety Chief Kevin Lenkart said Davis had specifically targeted a pair of Owosso locales, the Shiawassee County Democratic Party headquarters, 820 W. Main St., and Rainbow Bar, 905 W. Main St., and had outlined his plans for the attack.

OWOSSO — A local bar and a political party’s headquarters, though unrelated in most ways, share an unsettling link: both were marked for a premeditated, violent attack, according to investigators.

12/18/2024

Breaking news last night — An Owosso man pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of committing a hate crime by attempting to carry out a mass killing.

More to come in the Argus-Press.

December 17, 2024

For more information contact:

Kevin Lenkart – Public Safety Director
Phone: 989-725-0580
Email: [email protected]

Below is a press release from the United States Office, Eastern District of Michigan.

The success of the joint investigation into the arrest of Mack Davis is as a direct result of the alertness and diligence of the members of the Owosso Police Department. As a result of the immediate arrest of Mack Davis, a potential catastrophic event was prevented. Their immediate work on this case saved innocent lives in our community.

Kevin Lenkart; Owosso Public Safety Director.

Press Release: United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan.

A Michigan man pleaded guilty today to one count of committing a hate crime by attempting to carry out a mass killing.

According to court documents, Mack Davis, 22, of Owosso, admitted that he attempted to conduct a mass killing of individuals at a political party headquarters and a nearby bar in the Eastern District of Michigan because he associated both locations with gay people.

“This defendant amassed an arsenal of fi****ms, rounds of ammunition and bombmaking parts that he intended to use to carry out the mass killing of gay people. This kind of vile and heinous hate-fueled violence, intended to target innocent people based on their s*xual orientation, runs contrary to our values as Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Bias-motivated crimes targeting the LGBTQI+ community will not be tolerated. The Justice Department will continue using every tool at our disposal to protect communities from the scourge of hate-fueled violence by prosecuting those who carry out or attempt to carry out such crimes.”

“Davis’ plans were chilling. He intended to commit mass shootings at two locations — destroying countless lives and devastating our community — all because of his fanatical hatred for gay people,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “I applaud the work of law enforcement in disrupting this awful plot and arresting Davis before he could carry out his planned attacks. Today’s guilty plea is a reflection of my office’s commitment to prosecuting bias crimes and is a critical step in holding this defendant accountable for his actions.”

“Mack Davis’ guilty plea to a federal hate crime highlights the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to uphold the safety and security of every community in Michigan,” said Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of FBI Detroit Field Office. “This case serves as a stark reminder that there is no tolerance for hate-fueled violence. Davis confessed to devising a plan motivated by his deep-seated hatred, targeting innocent individuals associated with the LGBTQIA+ community. The FBI’s Detroit Field Office, Flint Resident Agency, in collaboration with the Owosso Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, To***co and Fi****ms (ATF), and the Michigan State Police, acted swiftly to prevent this malicious scheme from being carried out. Our collective action disrupted a serious threat and reaffirmed our commitment to protecting vulnerable communities from harm. Michigan law enforcement remains committed to ensuring all individuals live free from fear of violence or discrimination. We are dedicated to combating hate, protecting the safety and well-being of Michigan residents, and fostering a safe environment where everyone, regardless of identity, can thrive in peace.”

According to court documents, from at least July 2023 through June 2024, Davis accessed search engines and social media sites to research, post about, and pay tribute to mass killers, and wrote about dozens of mass killers in journals and on other items in his home. During that period, Davis also began to plot his own mass killing, by, among other things, drafting lists of weapons and tactical gear he owned and intended to acquire for use in his mass killing. By June, Davis had crossed off every item on the list of weapons and tactical gear he intended to acquire, and had amassed an arsenal that included two fi****ms, magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow and arrows, assorted bomb-making parts, smoke grenades, tactical gear and clothing and several knives. Davis inscribed one of the knives with the anti-gay slur, “FAGGOT Killer.”

From April through June, Davis solidified his plan to commit the mass killing. Among other acts, Davis posted on a social media site that he intended to commit a mass killing at a political party headquarters, which Davis referred to as “Location 1,” that Davis wrote was “filled with far-left liberal, fa**ot scum.” Davis wrote that he would continue the mass killing at “Location 2,” a nearby bar that Davis wrote was “a fa**ot bar.” Davis researched both locations online, conducted physical surveillance of both locations and posted about his research and surveillance on the social media site. During that period, Davis also vandalized two cars that belonged to his neighbors, whom he knew to be gay, by spray-painting the word “fag” on one of the cars. Days later, Davis also test-fired one of his fi****ms, an illegal short-barreled rifle, by firing approximately 60 bullets into several of his neighbors’ properties, including one of the cars that he had previously vandalized.

The Owosso Police Department arrested Davis for that shooting. Davis was later transferred to federal custody, where he has remained since.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date. Because Davis’s hate crime involved an attempt to kill, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Detroit Field Office investigated the case, with assistance the from the Owosso Police Department, ATF and Michigan State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances Lee Carlson and Christopher W. Rawsthorne for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.