Matt Wojda News Today

ALPENA — Voters in Northeast Michigan now have a clearer picture of who they can vote for during the Aug. 6 primary election. No matter how the primary a

jriddle@thealpenanews.com News Photo by Julie Riddle A dog’s paws, seen in Alpena on Sunday. In Presque Isle County, two dogs accused of mauling a horse await a state Court of Appeals decision. ROGERS CITY — The owner of two dogs accused of mauling a horse must pay $25,000 to keep the dogs alive until a state court decides their fate, a Presque Isle County judge decided last month. Two American bulldogs — found covered in blood near a gravely wounded horse in October 2019 — have been ho...

sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Emma Gagnon, an employee at Mangos Tequila Bar, pours a large frozen Margarita on Wednesday. Downtown Alpena could become a social district, which would allow businesses to serve cocktails to customers, who then can take drinks with them and consume them outdoors in common areas owned by the public like parks. Alcohol could also be allowed in some businesses that don’t serve food or drinks. ALPENA — Visitors to downtown Alpena this ...

jriddle@thealpenanews.com News Photo by Julie Riddle Defendant Christopher Olsen waits behind plexiglass in the jury box of Alpena’s 26th Circuit Court courtroom on Monday. Olsen was sentenced to 430 days time served and 5 years’ probation for possession of thousands of images of child pornography. ALPENA — Christopher Olsen, of Alpena, was sentenced Monday to time served and 5 years probation for possession of child pornography. Arrested in January 2020, while he was employed as custodia...

jriddle@thealpenanews.com News Photo by Julie Riddle Alpena County Assistant Prosecutor Megan McKeon addresses a jury during closing arguments at a trial in Alpena’s 88th District Court on Thursday. Judge Benjamin Bolser, pictured, presided over the trial. ALPENA — Jury summons have hit mailboxes in Alpena County as courts resume jury trials in Northeast Michigan. Felony trials at Alpena’s 26th Circuit Court scheduled for this week didn’t materialize, but a six-member jury heard a domes...

jriddle@thealpenanews.com News Photo by Julie Riddle Judge Thomas LaCross and defendant Nathan Benton wait for a court hearing to resume in Alpena’s 88th District Court on Thursday. ALPENA — An Alpena County man took the next step toward trial following a court hearing on Thursday in Alpena’s 88th District Court. Nathan Benton, 37, is accused of sexually assaulting a child on multiple occasions, when the girl was 8. The News does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault. Defense att...

jriddle@thealpenanews.com News Photo by Julie Riddle Defendant Nathan Benton waits to hear testimony about accusations he sexually assaulted a child during a court hearing in Alpena on Thursday. ALPENA — A man accused of sexually assaulting a child heard accusations from his alleged victim in Alpena’s 88th District Court on Thursday. During a preliminary exam — at which a judge decides if there is enough evidence for a case to continue to trial — a 10-year-old girl described repeated se...