The Atrium puts a European spin on the Bay City food-scape

Walking into the Atrium is like stepping into a European courtyard, a gypsy wagon in the corner, piled high with evergreen boughs, and a gazebo raised a few feet from a towering fountain capped with a pineapple finial, the symbol of hospitality. Quaint storefronts surround the cobblestone-floored dining area, one topped with a collection of German steins, leading into the adjacent Stein Haus. And if the candle-lit glow of the room is a little too overcast for your liking, despite the bright blue of the lofty ceiling, the nearby Solarium offers a sun-drenched option to the mid-afternoon crowd.

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Trenton Robinson investigation should wrap up this week, police chief says

The question was simple enough. At the Town Hall meeting that Bay City leadership hosted at the State Theatre tonight, Herman Marshall asked to direct his question not to the mayor or the Bay City Commission, but to law enforcement. "Has the Trenton Robinson situation been cleared up?" asked Marshall, who is president of the Bay City NAACP chapter. The Bay City Central High School graduate who took his football skills to Michigan State University filed a citizen's complaint after he was stopped while driving in Bay City on Dec. 22 for failure to signal a turn, then issued a ticket an hour later at a restaurant across town. The $120 ticket has been paid and Robinson's complaint has been under internal investigation.

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Bay City to see snow showers, but don't expect accumulation to last

While Bay City missed wintry conditions that struck southern Michigan yesterday, the National Weather Service is predicting the area will receive precipitation today. Bay City can expect one and one-half inches of snow accumulation, beginning to fall between 10 a.m. and noon. Precipitation is expected to continue until 7 p.m. with a current temperature of 20 degrees increasing to 30 degrees this afternoon. "It will be a wet, slushy snow," said Matt Mosteiko, National Weather Service meteorologist. "As long as the road crews are out there, any salt or plowing should clear things up." The heaviest snowfall is predicted from noon until 3 p.m., with a drop in visibility to two miles and 15 mph wind gusts.

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Region's first full-length marathon expected to draw 4,000

The Great Lakes Bay Region will have its first full-length marathon this year as racers cut a 26.2-mile path from Midland to Bay City during The Qualifier in May. Organizers expect the marathon and half-marathon races will draw 4,000 runners to the community. Along with the runners will come families and friends who could provide an economic boost to the region, said Ann Gasta, race director for The Qualifier. "As we go forward in the years to come, the economy in the Great Lakes Bay Region is going to see a large impact," Gasta said, with runners needing hotels, food and supplies. "It starts with the local community supporting the event."

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Southbound lanes of Independence Bridge to reopen today; northbound lanes will close

The southbound lanes of the Independence Bridge will reopen at 9 a.m. today following about two weeks of construction work. The northbound lanes of the bridge are now expected to close for two weeks for similar work. Crews have been performing hydro demolition of the bascule lift spans — meaning deteriorated concrete on the bridge is being removed and replaced. The Independence Bridge runs across Truman Parkway and connects Woodside to Wilder Road. City officials have said the type of work on the bridge and the size of the equipment made it impossible to keep the lanes open.

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Bay City pastor provides background on man charged with phoning-in bomb threat to Dore Enterprises

A Bay City pastor has shed some light on a man charged with threatening to bomb an Art Dore-owned business, claiming the incident resulted from the defendant’s mental disabilities. Pastor Darrel Tacey said he has known Christopher C. Northcott, 51, for four or five years. Northcott is charged with a six-year felony count of false report of a bomb or harmful device and a misdemeanor count of malicious use of a telecommunications device.
“He attends a lot of churches, not on regular basis, but he pops into several in Bay City,” said Tacey, of Calvary Chapel Open House, 1301 Leng St. “Chris is a tender-hearted man with good intentions, but he has some mental and emotional difficulties.”

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Dow Bay Area Family Y to hold dedication ceremony

The Dow Bay Area Family Y is scheduled to host a dedication ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at the new facility. Community leaders are scheduled to speak during the ceremony. Those on the line-up are Dom Monastiere, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Management Officer for Chemical Bank; Bo Miller, director of Corporate Citizenship and president of the Dow Chemical Company Foundation; Chris Shannon, mayor of Bay City; and Scott Carmona, president of the Dow Bay Area Family Y Board of Directors. In addition, three Bay City students will read excerpts from their winning essays about why the new Y will benefit the community.

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