People familiar with the newest definition of the term “catfish” might think that a story about catfish and Craigslist might involve some unlucky romantic being hoodwinked via the site’s personal ads, but this is a story where a Michigan man was arrested for attempting to sell actual catfish through the website. [More]
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If A Cop Stops You For DUI At The Burger King Drive-Thru, Don’t Try To Drive Through Him
By 6.20.13
A Michigan man has been sentenced to 2-5 years in prison for an incident at a Burger King drive-thru, during which the man attempted to drive his car through the police officer that was checking him out for a suspected DUI. [More]
Homeowner Tries To Get Mortgage Adjustment, Ends Up Owing $14,500 More On Her House
By 2.19.13 — Updated: 2.20.13
When a retired Michigan homeowner applied for a mortgage adjustment back in 2009, little did she know that it would result in years of ongoing legal wranglings, a sizable increase in the amount of her mortgage and possible eviction. [More]
MGM Grand In Legal Fight With Michigan Over “Virtual Beer Pitchers”
By 10.1.12
If you’re splitting a pitcher of beer between pals and you’re all imbibing at a decent enough rate, the beer in said pitcher will stay reasonably fresh. But how about a device that lets you buy a pitcher’s worth of beer, but only pours it out when you want more to drink? The folks at the MGM Grand Detroit think it’s a pretty cool idea. Unfortunately, the state of Michigan seems to think it would violate the state’s ban on alcohol vending machines. [More]
Walmart Customer Says Store Stuck Her With Bogus $100 Bill
By 9.17.12
Here’s a nice companion piece to this morning’s story about the Walmart employee who allegedly tore up two legitimate $100 bills claiming they were counterfeit. This afternoon’s tale is from a Walmart customer in Michigan who says the store gave her a bogus $100 bill and refused to take it back. [More]
13-Year-Old Aspiring Hot Dog Vendor Shut Down By City, Sells Cart At A Profit
By 7.31.12
A Michigan teen’s hot dog cart is a more complex operation than your garden-variety lemonade stand. Wanting to earn some money to help out his disabled parents, the 13-year-old saved up to purchase a hot dog cart, then set up business in downtown Holland. The city promptly shut him down. Thanks to zoning laws designed to protect downtown eateries, food carts can’t set up in the city unless they’re part of an existing restaurant operation. The young entrepreneur is too young for a street vendor’s license, which could have kept the business running. So what did he do next? After attracting national media attention, he sold the cart to a local business, but retains the right to borrow it back for special events that might require hot dogs. [More]
Probation For Lottery Winner Who Continued To Collect Food Stamps
By 7.24.12
Remember the Michigan woman who was charged with fraud because she continued to collect welfare and food stamps even after she won the lottery? Well, a decision has been reached in the case and she has been sentenced to six months’ probation. [More]
13-Year-Old Left In Parked Car Goes On Destructive Rampage, Parks On Top Of Another Car
By 7.19.12
Just about everyone has done it: leave kids in the car, even for just a minute or two, with the keys still in the ignition so the air conditioning, heat, or radio can keep running. For people without kids, surely your own parents left you in the car with the keys at some point. Or maybe they never did, fearing that something would go terribly wrong. Like when a Michigan teen with the keys to her grandmother’s car launched a one-girl demolition derby in the parking lot of a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. She hit a utility pole and a few parked cars before eventually nestling the vehicle sideways between two other parked cars. [More]
Michigan Medical Marijuana Users Gain Ability To Defend Themselves In Court
By 6.1.12
People in Michigan who use marijuana for medical purposes now have the right to use their health issues to defend themselves in court — even if they don’t have a medical marijuana card — thanks to a Michigan Supreme Court ruling. [More]
Michigan Lottery Winner Charged With Welfare Fraud
By 4.17.12
There’s been another development in the saga of the Michigan woman who won $1 million in the lottery but continued to collect food stamps. The state’s attorney general announced today that the woman had been charged with welfare fraud. [More]
Displaced By A Tornado? Comcast Considers You "On Vacation"
By 3.29.12
They must not get too many tornadoes in Kabletown. Or maybe the folks at Comcast think that twisters really do whisk people away to magical lands with witches and flying monkeys. Regardless, residents of one tornado-damaged Michigan town say they’ve had a hard time convincing the cable company that they are not “on vacation.” [More]
Theater Owner: I Charge So Much For Popcorn Because You Spill It All Over The Place
By 3.20.12
Earlier this month, a man in Michigan attained minor Internet folk hero status when he sued his local movie theater for charging sky-high prices at the concession stand while refusing to let customers bring in their own grub. But now one theater owner has tried to explain just why he and others charge the so much. [More]
Michigan Bars Using Coasters With QR Codes To Help Drunk People FInd A Ride Home
By 3.15.12
There will be lots of green beer going down (and unfortunately coming back up) the throats of drinkers around the country this weekend. But a new initiative in Michigan is hoping to keep drunk bar-goers from getting behind the wheel by giving them a way to find the number for a nearby taxi service. [More]
No More Food Stamps For $1 Million Michigan Lottery Winner
By 3.8.12
Remember that story about the woman in Michigan who won $1 million in the lottery but also managed to keep receiving $200/month in food assistance? Apparently people at the Michigan Dept. of Human Services also read the news, because they’ve now cut off her benefits. [More]
Man Sues Movie Theater Over Price Of Snacks
By 3.6.12
Unless you smuggle your nibbles and beverages into a movie theater, grabbing a bite to eat at the movie theater can easily double or triple the cost of your ticket. But one Michigan man is fed up with being gouged at the concession stand and has filed suit against his local AMC theater. [More]
Secret Santa Picks Up Kmart Customers' Layaway Tabs
By 12.7.11
This time of year, it’s not out of this world to hear about generous folks going around and dropping coins in parking meters or picking up a round of drinks for strangers at the bar. But some truly secret Santa has helped out three Michigan Kmart customers by picking up their layaway tabs. [More]
Woman Sues Car Dealership Over Dead Body Smell
By 12.5.11
When buying a motor vehicle, many customers want that “new car smell.” But we’re going to go out on a limb here and assume that most car buyers don’t want something you’d refer to as “dead body smell.” [More]
Michigan Lottery Won't Let Anyone Else Play 1111 Today
By 11.11.11
There has been a lot of talk about today being 11-11-11 (or if you’re European, 11-11-11) and how a number of people somehow think that this might be a good number to play in any number of lottery drawings. But the folks at the Michigan Lottery Commission have stopped any more people from selecting these digits because the state wouldn’t be able to pay everyone who picked them. [More]
