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Online:See Haiti through the lens ofLivingston County photographerVictor Banta in our online photogallery at livingstondaily.com.

Inside: Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpat-rick’s attorney tried to postponea hearing that could send Kilpat-rick back to jail. See page 7A.

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INDEX

Thursday, February 25, 2010 www.livingstondaily.com 50¢BUSINESS

Inside: Brighton grad scores big oneSan Jose player gets his first goal of the season versus Wings — Sports, 1B

Volume 165 Number 48

By Leah BoydDAILY PRESS & ARGUS

About 150 people will losetheir jobs by the end of next yearwhen a Howell automotive sup-plier, Alpha Technology Corp.,moves its manufacturing opera-tions to Mexico, a company offi-cial said Wednesday.

The company, which is ownedby the Japan-based ALPHA Corp.,plans to move the majority of itsmanufacturing operations by Dec-ember with a complete move ofthe production department by theend of 2011. The company’s sales,design engineering and qualitycontrol departments will remain inHowell.

A company official, who spokeon condition of anonymity be-cause leadership has been in-structed not to broadcast thefuture plant closure in the media,said the planned move to Mexicois a result of economics and toughcompetition in the auto industry.

The official said the companycannot compete with labor costsin Mexico, especially after theHowell operation’s health-carecosts increased by 21 percent thisyear.

Employees of the plant saidthey learned of the company’s

relocation plans Friday.“It was very upsetting at that

meeting,” said Debbie Harper ofHowell, who will lose her jobafter working for Alpha Technol-ogy for more than 32 years. “Iknow everybody’s worried aboutlosing their houses and cars andstuff like that.”

She said many plant workerswere shocked by the news andhad hoped the company’s finan-cial situation would improve afterunion employees made conces-sions last year. She said workerstook cuts in benefits and agreed topay more for health care.

Apparently, she said, it wasn’tenough.

“I don’t know what I’m going

to do,” she said. “I have a badback after working in that factoryfor all them years. I don’t thinkanyone is going to hire me aftertaking a physical.”

Her husband is a retiree ofAlpha Technology who worked atthe plant for 17 years. He said hewas very angry to learn the com-pany will move to Mexico.

“We can’t compete with theMexican labor,” Jim Harper said.“That’s what they would say. Yougot to do it faster, and you got todo it cheaper.”

He added: “A lot of people aregoing to lose their jobs. Where arethey going to get a job at? There

About 150 to lose jobs at auto supplierHowell company moving its manufacturing operations to Mexico

Comment on this story at livingstondaily.com.

Photo by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

About 150 people will lose their jobs by the end of nextyear when a Howell automotive supplier, Alpha TechnologyCorp., moves its manufacturing operations to Mexico.Continued on page 4

By Sarah K. NorrisDAILY PRESS & ARGUS

The electrodes in Brightonresident Cindy Warren’s brainprobably saved her life.

In 2005, Warren’s chronic de-pression had grown so severe thatno treatment options seemed pos-sible. Since a serious suicideattempt in 1999, she had receivedmore than 100 shock treatmentsand had been prescribed 10-15different medications and combi-nations of medication.

In 2005, a doctor offered her achance for an experimental newsurgery.

“Apparently, I was going to

(the University of Michigan) atthe time,” Warren, 58, said. “Andapparently, my psychiatrist therefound out about a study being

done at Cleveland Clinic fortreatment-resistant depression.”

Warren said “apparently” be-cause after her course of shocktreatments, she lost much of herlong-term memory. She couldn’tremember a three-week trip toChina with her husband of 35years. She also couldn’t rememberher mother’s death or where to putthe dishes in her dishwasher.

“I didn’t think I would livemuch longer if I didn’t have thesurgery,” Warren said. “It waslike a no-brainer.”

That’s where the electrodescome in. The treatment Warrenreceived at Cleveland Clinic wasdeep-brain stimulation, where

electrodes are placed in the brainin order to stimulate areas whichmay be causing problems.

Dr. Donald Malone, a psychi-atrist at Cleveland Clinic whoworked with Warren before thesurgery, said when he first mether, she was withdrawn andnearly nonverbal. He also saidWarren had a history of depres-sion, and that it is common fordepression to intensify withtime, and it did in her case.

By the time she entered thedoctor’s care, she had frequentsuicidal thoughts and was under-going several shock treatments a

AN EXPERIMENT GONE RIGHT: RESIDENT OVERCOMES SEVERE DEPRESSION

Photo by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

Brighton resident Cindy Warren works on period costumes in her light-filled project room. Warren is working asa costumer with the Community Theatre of Howell production of “The Music Man,” an undertaking she would nothave attempted prior to her receiving deep-brain stimulation for treatment of severe depression.

Continued on page 4

OUR NEIGHBORS

Brain treatment lifts woman’s spirits“I didn’t think I

would live muchlonger if I didn’t

have the surgery.”

— Cindy WarrenOn the deep-brain stimulation she

received to battle her chronic depression

POLICE

By Lisa Roose-ChurchDAILY PRESS & ARGUS

The “handful of leads” on thebicycle bandit who robbed theHartland Township branch ofChase Bank last week has “turnedinto nothing,” the Livingston Coun-ty sheriff said.

The bicycle bandit’s successfulescape may have been helped by asecond robbery that occurred anhour later at a Deerfield Townshipcountry store, Sheriff Bob Bezottesaid.

“It’s rare that you get two rob-beries within an hour apart,” hesaid. “Our thinking, rightfully so,was they were connected. It took awhile to decipher what was goingon with both cases and rule outthe fact they weren’t connected.

“We’re back at square one,”the sheriff said about the Chase

Bank robbery.The robbery occurred at about

2:30 p.m. Feb. 18. A man walkedinto the bank on M-59 near OldU.S. 23 and handed the teller anote that indicated he had aweapon and wanted money.

The clerk gave the robber a lit-tle more than $1,000 in assorteddenominations before the robber

Leads on bikebandit ‘turnedinto nothing’Officers: Man’s escape waslikely aided by second robbery

By Jim TottenDAILY PRESS & ARGUS

Do you dream of a famous trioof singing chipmunks in the denof your home?

It can come true if you’re thehighest bidder in an auction toraise funds for a program thathelps feed Livingston County resi-dents. The winner will get to takehome Alvin, Simon and Theodore.

The Brighton Towne SquareDigital Cinema 20 will be auction-ing off 5-foot-tall statues of Alvinand the Chipmunks, who were fea-tured in their second movie inDecember. The Livingston CountyDaily Press & Argus will be con-ducting the auction, and all the pro-ceeds will go to Gleaners Com-munity Food Bank. The auctionstarts today and runs throughMarch 5.

MJR Digital Cinemas, whichoperates the Brighton cinema, andthe Daily Press & Argus have

Bank robbery suspect

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

COMMUNITY

Chipmunks statuesgo on auction block

Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

Brighton Towne SquareDigital Cinema 20 managerDan Szarama adjusts thehat of Alvin on a display ofAlvin and the Chipmunks atthe theater.

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TODAY’S BEST BETS• Ray Schmidt from Wooly

Bugger Fly Fishers shareshis passion for Michigansteelhead and some historyand fly patterns he hashelped develop at 7 p.m. atthe Paul Bennett RecreationCenter, 925 W. Grand RiverAve. in Howell. A variety offly-fishing items will be raffledoff. Admission is free. Call(517) 861-0107 for moreinformation.

• Gamers ages 10-19 canbring, share and playNintendo Wii games from 3-4:30 p.m. at the FowlervilleDistrict Library, 131 Mill St. inFowlerville. For more informa-tion, call (517) 223-9089.

See a full calendar of eventsin Sunday’s Lifestyle sectionand at www.livingstondaily.com.

To submit items to BestBets, contact the Daily Press& Argus Information Center at(517) 552-2828 or at info@livingstondaily.com.

fled the area on a red mountainbike.

Bezotte said the robber wascaught on video in the nearbyWalgreens drugstore parking lot.Police suspect the bicycle bandithad a vehicle waiting at a nearbypark-and-ride lot or a nearby gasstation and that he tossed the bicy-cle in the vehicle and fled in theestimated five minutes it took offi-cers to arrive at the scene.

At about 3:30 p.m., officers werediverted from the bank to VentureCorners country store at Argentineand Faussett roads when a secondarmed robbery was reported.Initially, officers believed theChase Bank robber was on a crimespree.

“It certainly changed our

focus,” Bezotte said. “For abouttwo hours, it deflected our atten-tion away (from the bank).”

The bank robber is described asa white male in his 30s. He waslast seen wearing a knit cap, cam-ouflage overalls, winter boots, darkwool gloves and dark aviator glasses.

Anyone with information onthe robbery at Chase Bank inHartland Township is asked to callthe Livingston County Sheriff’sDepartment at (517) 546-2440 orthe tip line at (517) 546-TIPS or(517) 546-8477. Anonymous tipsalso can be made by callingCrimeStoppers at (800) SPEAK-UP or (800) 773-2587.

Contact Daily Press & Argusreporter Lisa Roose-Church at(517) 552-2846 or at lrchurch@gannett.com.

week to keep the thoughts at bay.Often the experimental proce-

dure known as deep-brain stimula-tion is a last resort from peoplewho suffer debilitating depression,according to Malone.

“We’re not talking about youraverage run-of-the-mill depres-sion here,” he said.

Although Warren was only thefourth person to receive the treat-ment for depression at ClevelandClinic, DBS was already appr-oved by the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration for the treatmentof Parkinson’s disease.

“This not a normal procedure,by any means,” said Malone. “Thepatients we’ve enrolled so far,they’re the most ill patients who’veever been studied.”

For Parkinson’s and depression,DBS works the same way — theelectrodes in the brain emit pulsesof energy to affect activity in spe-cific areas of the brain. Forpatients with Parkinson’s, thetreatment targets the areas respon-sible for the tremors associatedwith the disease.

While the electrodes are beingimplanted in the brain, patientsremain awake so surgeons canfind the proper area of the brain tostimulate.

Warren vividly remembers hersurgery.

“It was so unreal,” she said. “Iremember, when they touched onespot, I felt like laughing, I felt likegetting off the table and callingpeople and talking to people,which was something I hadn’t feltin a long, long time.”

Two days after the electrodeswere implanted in her brain, the

pacemaker devices that controlthe flow of energy to the elec-trodes were inserted underWarren’s collarbones. The nextday, she left the hospital to beginthe two-and-a-half-week healingprocess.

But once she healed from sur-gery, Warren’s depression wasn’tinstantly cured. She returned to theclinic, where doctors activated her

pacemakers and fine-tuned the set-tings over five days.

“They’re going up and down,and up and down to find the opti-mal level where you’re not manicand you’re not crying,” she said.“They could take you to both lev-els easily.”

Warren added that aside fromthe mental and emotional effectsof the pacemaker, she also experi-enced physical symptoms likesweating and tingling.

After her settings were final-ized, Warren continued to attendthe clinic for adjustments.

Several times since the initialsurgery, her pacemakers’ batterieshave failed, instantly affecting hermood.

“At those times, I go down real-ly quickly to depression,” shesaid. “By the time I get there, itwas like, ‘What’s the use, just letme die,’ because I couldn’t standthe thought of going up and goingback down again.”

That kind of thinking is what

makes chronic depression so crip-pling. Warren said.

Although Warren had the sur-gery four years ago, she said, thepast eight months have been thebest and happiest of her life.

“I’ve built four years of memo-ries, so that helps a lot,” she said.“The first couple years, I felt likeI had nothing to talk about. I did-n’t know anything.”

Rebuilding routines for her lifenot associated with her depressedbehaviors, continuing therapy andlearning new ways to react to con-flict and emotional situations havehelped Warren return to normalcy.

She and her husband, who loveoutdoor activities like cross-coun-ty skiing and biking, have takentwo incredible trips in the pastyear — to Vietnam and Antarctica.

“They were both the trip of alifetime,” Warren said.

Contact Daily Press & Argusreporter Sarah K. Norris at (517)552-2828 or at sknorris@gan-nett.com.

ain’t much left in LivingstonCounty.”

Beyond the loss of about 150jobs, the plant closure will be yetanother hit to the city’s tax base.City Manager Shea Charles said hewas concerned about the closure.

“We are very disappointed tosee them go,” Charles said.

“As we understand it, the situa-tion is being driven by the pres-sures of the larger automotivecompanies,” he added.

Alpha Technology Corp. pro-duces door handles and lock sys-tems primarily for Nissan andSubaru vehicles. The company, at251 Mason Road, employs about200 people.

Alpha Technology PresidentSteve Sweda declined to commenton the plant’s relocation plans.

Contact Daily Press & Argusreporter Leah Boyd at (517) 552-2857 or at ldboyd@gannett.com.

teamed up previously to auctionoff the movie figures, known asstandees.

John Utter, Daily Press &Argus retail advertising manager,said the auctions have raised over$1,000 for local nonprofits.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Uttersaid.

“Rather than throw these fig-urines out, the MJR cinema is gra-ciously donating them,” Uttersaid.

Robin Hansen, director of mar-keting and promotions for MJRcinemas, said the chipmunks havebeen very popular since theirarrival at three of the company’stheaters.

“I thought they were absolutelyfabulous,” Hansen said.

She said many theatergoers

have had their pictures taken withthe plastic figures. She said themovie company typically picks upthe figures after the film hasplayed, but she asked to keep themfor auctions. Besides Brighton,MJR has two other locations thatwill auction off the figures.

Instead of destroying them,Hansen said she’s happy the fig-ures will be put to a good use.

“We just want to be out therefor the public, help someone withit,” she said.

The bidding starts today, andthe starting bid is $50.

Bids should be sent toinfo@livingstondaily.com. Theauction closes at 5 p.m. March 5.

Contact Daily Press & Argusreporter Jim Totten at (517) 548-7088 or at jtotten@gannett.com.

Treatment lifts woman’s spiritsContinued from page 1

WHAT IS DEEP-BRAIN STIMULATION?• Deep-brain stimulation is a surgical treatment for patients with a

number of neurological diseases. It has been approved by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Parkinson’s dis-ease, essential tremor, and can be used to treat obsessive-compulsivedisorder, depression and tremor due to multiple sclerosis.

• During DBS surgery, electrodes are implanted in targetedregions of the brain. However, it’s not as simple as turning cer-tain areas on or off, according to Dr. Donald Malone of ClevelandClinic. The electrodes affect areas of the brain directly and indi-rectly, since neurons are like a net of interconnected circuits. Theelectrodes can both repress and encourage activity in the brain— which Malone calls “normalizing the circuit.”

• Pacemakers are placed under the collarbones, then connected tothe electrodes in the brain via wires under the patient’s skin. Doctorscan adjust the settings of the pacemaker remotely, by placing a trans-ducer over the pacemakers and making small changes to the battery.

• Deep-brain stimulation, like the kind Cindy Warren receivedfor depression, is still highly experimental and only available topatients with exceptionally debilitating cases of depression.

An Argentine Township manaccused of attempting to rob aDeerfield Township countrystore with a starter pistol willhead to trial in Circuit Courtafter waiving a preliminaryhearing on the charges.

David Michael Malinowskiremains in the county jail on a$100,000 bond after DistrictJudge Theresa Brennan deniedhis attorney’s request Wednes-day to lower the bond to$50,000.

Police allege Malinowski wasarmed with a starter pistol whenhe walked into the VentureCorners store on the corner ofArgentine and Faussett roads

about at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 18 anddemanded money.

The 70-year-old clerk, how-ever, knocked the bandit’sweapon away and pulled outhis own handgun while order-ing the would-be robber to thefloor.

Instead of complying, therobber fled in a 1998 PontiacGrand Prix, which the clerksays he shot “full of bulletholes” in an effort to stop him.Police caught Malinowski onLatson Road, a couple of milesfrom the country store.

Malinowski faces up to life inprison if convicted as chargedof armed robbery.

• The Livingston County DailyPress & Argus will assist Bright-on Towne Square Digital Cinema20 to auction off its Alvin and theChipmunks statues.

• The auction will raise fundsfor the Gleaners CommunityFood Bank.

• The starting bid is $50, andthe bidding starts today. Thedeadline for bids is 5 p.m.March 5.

• Updates on the bids will beposted on livingstondaily.comSend bids to info@livingstondaily.com.

WALTER E. PETSCHAge 82, of Webberville, died Tues.,Feb. 23, 2010. Services 11AMFriday, Feb 26, at Oak Grove UnitedMethodist Church. Arrangements byNiblack Funeral Home, DillinghamLiverance Chapel. 517-223-8656.

Call 888-999-1288 orEmail lcp-obits@gannett.com

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*Deadline for obituaries is4:30 p.m. Monday throughThursday for publication in thenext morning’s newspaper.Obituaries received Friday orSaturday by 1 p.m. will bepublished in Sunday’s newspa-per.

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LOTTERY

Statues go on auction block

About 150 to lose jobsat HowellcompanyContinued from page 1

MAN IN DEERFIELD INCIDENT GETS TRIAL

GET YOUR BIDS IN NOWContinued from page 1

Bike bandit still at largeContinued from page 1