Delta College brings Bay City native Patrick Yandall home for night of music and memories

File | The Bay City TimesPatrick Yandall

A picture of contemporary jazz guitarist Patrick Yandall hangs on the wall at Bay City's Water Front Deli and Market, and owner Greg Schultz has a story to go with it. He and Yandall grew up together, playing in a band, and Yandall was so talented, he said, that he decided then and there that he wasn't going to make music a career. "Greg is far too modest," Yandall said, laughing, in a phone call from his home in San Diego. "I remember that band, and he was good." But Schultz isn't the only one singing his classmate's praises these days. Bay City musician Larry Hammond filmed Yandall's last few concerts at Bay City's State Theatre, "and it came out so nice," Yandall said. "It sounded great and he made it look really awesome, even better than some I've seen done in Los Angeles."

Nearly 60 traffic crashes reported in Bay County in last 24 hours

Area police and emergency responders were dispatched to nearly 60 traffic crashes throughout Bay County since yesterday morning. The season's first heavy snowfall resulted in 58 crashes, said staff at Bay County Central Dispatch. There were no fatalities reported. "It looks like in the last 24 hours we've had 20 traffic crashes, and another dozen or so just cars that slid off the road where there was no damage," said Trooper John Kellerman of the state police's Bay City post. He added that it didn't appear as though any regions of the county had a higher concentration of crashes. A fellow trooper, Sgt. Tim Robbins, was injured in a crash Tuesday morning when a 1998 Oldsmobile rammed into the back of his 2010 Chevrolet Suburban while it was parked along Interstate 75 in Zilwaukee Township. The trooper was released from an area hospital later the same day. The driver of the Oldsmobile and a passenger were hospitalized but stable as of yesterday.

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State police vehicle rear-ended at 'big mess' on I-75 in Saginaw County near Bay County border

State police responding to a multiple-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 75 closed down two lanes here as medics and emergency personnel alike arrived. A state police trooper at the scene, just south of the Bay County border and less than a half-mile north of Interstate 675's northernmost junction, said officials were dealing with "a big mess" before asking a reporter to leave the scene, where sharp sleet was making the roads dangerous for motorists. State police at the Bay City Post confirmed that a state police vehicle was rear-ended at the site, but said it might be "a few hours" before officials could release details about the crash. State police first responded to a vehicle crash shortly before 9 a.m. Less than an hour later, a Saginaw County 911 dispatch indicated a second crash at the same scene.

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Bay County Christmas tree farms ready for the rush

December is time to pick that perfect Christmas tree in Bay County. Jim Bruzewski, owner of Jim’s Tree Farm, 733 W. Parish Road, is ready for the rush. The 30-year-old, family-run business sells trees ranging $17.99 to $31, depending on the species and its size. Bruzewski said the cheapest, fastest growing trees are the Scotch pines, but the most popular are blue and Fraser firs. Bruzewski said he isn’t concerned that artificial trees are taking over the Christmas-tree business. He sees many of the same people year after year, seeking the pine scent the trees offer and the family time of cutting or buying a pre-cut tree for Christmas together.

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Bay City downtown businesses offering Christmas wreaths to lucky shoppers

It took Christie Killey 20 minutes to paint a tiny toy soldier onto a saxophone reed. But once she got the hang of it, decorating the remaining reeds adorning Herter Music Center’s Christmas wreath went smoothly. “Once I knew what the soldiers looked like the rest of the project took as long as the first reed,” said Killey, a Linwood resident and employee at Herter Music Center, 901 Washington Ave. “Hopefully someone who loves saxophones is the winner.” Herter Music is one of 32 downtown businesses this year that created a one-of-a-kind wreath for The Festival of Wreaths. Shoppers have a chance to win one on Dec. 19.

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Michigan Sugar finishes up harvest, officials say crop better than expected

Michigan Sugar growers had a sweet ending to a rough growing season. Paul Pfenninger, vice president of agriculture for Michigan Sugar, said the cooperative harvested 3.97 million tons of sugar beets with an average of 18 percent sugar content. The last beets were harvested Nov. 17, although Pfenninger said they are still receiving some beets at the Bay City facility. “We are very happy with where we ended the season,” he said. “We had a difficult harvest season with it being wet. Our numbers weren’t quite what we were hoping for when we planted this spring, but we’re not disappointed with them at all.”

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Bay City man killed in Bangor Township crash remembered as 'a guy with a heart'

Robert J. King left an ineffaceable imprint on the hearts of many who knew him. “He was my best friend,” said Gary Manns, of Troy. “Everything he touched turned to gold, or at least he made it seem that way.” King, 34, of Bay City, died Monday in a two-car crash at South Huron and Wheeler roads in Bangor Township. Funeral arrangements remain incomplete. “No matter what the situation was, (King) would come into the room and change the mood,” said Manns. “He was like a light. An amazing, amazing guy.”

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