Loy Norrix High School's principal resigns amid a federal sexual harassment lawsuit. WMU advances to the quarterfinals of the MAC volleyball tournament. The Broncos' men's basketball team loses to Tulsa in the first game of the Puerto Rico tip-off.
Loy Norrix High School Principal Rodney Prewitt has resigned, less than a month after he was placed on administrative leave. The Kalamazoo Gazette says Kalamazoo Schools’ Superintendent Michael Rice announced Prewitt’s resignation during Thursday night’s school board meeting. A district employee is suing Prewitt, and KPS, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Prewitt was previously disciplined in other states before coming to Kalamazoo. Rice has said the district is re-evaluating its process for screening job applicants.
Four school officials in Berrien County will get probation after failing to report suspected abuse of a student. MLive says the principal, a counselor, and two teachers at Three Oaks Elementary pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor. The 12-year-old boy's parents are in prison after pleading no contest to first-degree child abuse charges. Prosecutors say the educators were aware of evidence that the boy had been abused but didn't report it to child welfare officials. A new report says more than 30 Michigan cities don't have the ability to provide critical services to their residents.
The Gongwer News Service (subscription) says the study by Michigan State University found several causes. One is spending cuts that balanced budgets during lean years but haven't left enough money for public services. Another is a big drop in property tax revenue. The report's authors say many of the cities could go bankrupt during the next economic downturn. Most of those affected were larger cities in southeastern Michigan.
In men’s basketball, Western Michigan opened the Puerto Rico tip off with an 81-74 loss to Tulsa Thursday night at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Thomas Wilder led the Broncos with 19 points. Josh Davis, Brandon Johnson and Bryce Moore also scored in double figures for Western. The Broncos face Appalachian State at 5 o’clock this afternoon. The game will be shown on ESPNU.
Western Michigan has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Volleyball tournament. The Broncos dropped the first two sets to Central Michigan before rallying for a 3-2 winThursday night. Western moves on to play Ball State Friday evening. The MAC tournament is being played in Oxford, Ohio.
Western Michigan University’s final regular season football game will kick off at 11:30a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. The Mid-American Conference announced that the Broncos’ game at Toledo on November 24th will be shown on ESPNU. Western is 6-5 overall this season with a 4-3 record in the MAC.