Man gets jail for sexual assaulting dog, county commissioner salary increases and other Bay County news

BAY COUNTY, MI – A judge in Bay County sentenced a Grand Rapids for sexually assaulting a dog.

Meanwhile, records show how much Bay County commissioners will make in 2025 after getting a small raise.

Those headlines and more are included below in this week’s roundup of news you may have missed.

Grand Rapids man gets jail time for sexually assaulting dog in Bay County

A Bay County judge has ordered a Grand Rapids man to spend more time in jail for sexually assaulting a dog, a crime captured on video.

In doing so, the judge exceeded the recommended sentence, saying the defendant’s criminal history was among the most substantial he’d ever seen.

His head freshly shaved of its previous mohawk, a shackled 62-year-old Terry D. Kirkland on Monday, Dec. 30, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran for sentencing.

Read the full story here.

Here’s how much your Bay County Commissioner will make in 2025

Bay County commissioners across the board will make more money in 2025 than they did in 2024.

Wages for Bay County commissioners effective Jan. 1 will begin at $12,791.57, according to data obtained by MLive/The Bay City Times through a Freedom of Information Act request. Committee chairs and the board vice chairperson will make $14,710.31. The commission chairman will make the highest salary at $15,349.89.

These numbers are up from 2024, when commissioners made $12,419, the committee of the whole chairman and vice chairman made $13,219 and the commission chairman made $13,419.

Read the full story here.

Couple welcomes first baby born at Bay City hospital in 2025

A faint line on a pregnancy test midway through 2024 was one of the first indications of what was to come for Julia Tribble and her fiancé, Matt Taylor.

She told him of the news while they sat together in their car, Tribble just months removed from delivering her second child.

Three days later, the line developing on the tests grew darker. Nine months later, the couple stood together in a recovery room at McLaren Bay Region, staring down at their newborn son.

Read the full story here.

Breaking Bread Village’s final Bay City show to focus on ‘The Greater Good’

The final show of The Breaking Bread Village will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 7, and founder Erin Patrice is urging anyone interested in hearing from a diverse panel to attend.

“We create spaces for different points of view to come together and have conversations,” Patrice said.

The Breaking Bread Village is ending it’s second year of hosting the talks, which took place in Bay City in 2024.

Read the full story here.

Top 100 photos that showcase the life and times of Bay and Saginaw counties in 2024

Another year has come and gone, and thousands of images were taken throughout 2024.

The year brought the Saginaw, Bay and surrounding communities several festivals, campaign event and so much more.

MLive photojournalists Kaytie Boomer, Jake May, Julian Leshay Guadalupe and Nico Mendoza were there capture the many moments.

Read the full story here.

Snowflake Soiree Winter Bridal Event coming to DoubleTree in Bay City

DoubleTree by Hilton Bay City – Riverfront hosts its fair share of brides and grooms over the course of the year as one of the more prominent wedding venues in the area.

But this weekend, the spot will be the destination of numerous brides and their friends, visiting the site for a popular event connecting brides with a plethora of wedding resources.

Bay City’s DoubleTree venue will host its Snowflake Soiree Winter Bridal Event from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5. The event will take place at the hotel and event center’s Grand Ballroom, which will play host to bridal professionals, including caterers, photographers, florists, make-up artists, bridal salon shops, and others.

Read the full story here.

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