Karma Castonia 2

[XLFD]

About three and a half years ago, the Ludington Torch reported some supplemental material added to the public record in the article called Karma Castonia.  It related how Ludington's Sixth Ward City Councilor Gary Castonia's grandson was arrested and arraigned for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) at a traffic stop by the Michigan State Police (MSP). 

It related how earlier that year in 2012, a mere three months earlier, that former policeman Gary Castonia voted against the extremely (I would say illegally) restrictive Ludington Medical Marijuana Ordinance, which all but made Ludington off-limits to any MM dispensaries.  At the meeting, he said the Federal Government already had sufficient rules to deal with marijuana possession that was effective in dealing with the proliferation of marijuana.  There was plenty of irony in that his grandson was almost immediately caught with weed, by state law enforcers.

Coming across this morning's news is that a house that Gary Castonia passed down to his son Tim Castonia just outside the Ludington city limits has burned down.  The Mason County Press denotes that the house owned by three generations of Castonias erupted in flames early this morning, and was a total loss.  Tim Castonia escaped without injury, but his three dogs and two cats were not so lucky, perishing in the blaze.  His wife, Brooke, was not home.

The house located at 5442 West Sixth Street, an older house with a taxable valuation of $20,000, is a total loss.  Tim Castonia has stated that he was woken by an explosion just after 7:00 AM, and by the time the first fire trucks had arrived the strong winds had helped stoke the flames making the house fully engulfed. 

While the Ludington Torch commiserates with the loss of animal life and the loss of the ancestral home of the Castonia clan, and the undoubted loss of irreplaceable possessions within the house, we cannot help but point out the irony and karma involved in the situation.

The irony and karma here is that just a little over three months ago, Councilor Castonia enthusiastically passed a rental inspection ordinance in the City of Ludington, ostensibly to make fires such as the James Street fire of 1991 a thing of the past, and because he did not like the attitude of some of the landlords.  In his old home, he had no landlords present and could have had modern protections against fires put into this old house before he sold it to his son a little over ten years ago.

Provided it had those protections, the report of an explosion precedent to the main conflagration, indicates that there may be explosive materials within the house.  Whereas an explosion may have many sources, there are some recent posts on Tim's Facebook pages that show a disturbing pattern of recreational marijuana endorsements:

And:

And as a former policeman, current city councilor may tell you, marijuana is a 'gateway' drug leading to more dangerous drugs.  More dangerous drugs whose manufacture could cause an explosion in the wee hours of the morning capable of making short work of a house.

[AQUAMAN]

Meth labs have been increasingly reported in our areas, and are the cause of such explosions more often than not. Anyone think Tim may have had this? Hard to tell, maybe daddy should have been inspecting the house like any normal dad would, or perhaps he just lost contact with him in recent years. Either way, RIP inspections were sure not being done here. Talk about a slum house, this was it if you ever saw it, terrible.

[XLFD]

If it's the house I think it is, it did look rugged from the outside. 

Understandably, Tim Castonia had a bad day, but the difference in reports he made as to how he was alerted make one suspect that he's not being 100% truthful.  He told MCP that he was wakened by an explosion, but then tells the COLDNews reporter that he heard sounds like a wind turbine, and no explosion is mentioned.  This could be just bad reporting on either one of those media, but the stories he told to each seem pretty different.

Also on a whim yesterday, while checking other court records, I came across a 2016 initiated lawsuit by a collection company named Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC versus Tim Castonia in our local court, which has already gotten them a default judgment against Mr. Castonia for $1367.  If they are interested in the cause of the fire, investigators may want to look and see whether Tim Castonia was paying for more fire insurance coverage while letting other debts get default judgments.  It wouldn't be the first time 'too much insurance' was the cause of a fire.

[jfc123]

Shame is that all did not get out safe! Drugs are a bigger problem in cities that have nothing to offer to their youth so they grow up and make bad decisions. My experiences have been that cop kids are usually trouble since they get away with more then everyone else because the parents clear them. Not saying it is the issue here though, I do not know.

That home looks to be a 60-70k value so by 20k I am wondering do you mean SEV? The city needs to worry about building its infrastructure and trying to attract business that will bring more jobs and residents to build this city not worry about a FANCY west end bullshit! The allure of Ludington is its fishing, beaches, dunes, fishing tournament's of old, and good old ole town feeling! This council is setting up this city to fail and loose what many go there for. If we want a stuffy Somerset Mall type feeling or a downtown Birmingham feel, why travel 4 1/2 hours?

ASLO, IT IS WAY PAST TIME TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESS IN THE PU BAYOU THAT GOV GANHOLM AND BUSH SET FUNDS ASIDE FOR THAT YOU SPENT ELSEWHERE!!!

I cant not add that since it means so much to me!

[AQUAMAN]

"Shame is that all did NOT get out SAFE"? Where did you see that? I see where dogs and cats were fatalities, not humans. Bad for the pets, I totally agree, but, I always think in terms of humans first, but feel for the pets too of course. Thanks.

[AQUAMAN]

Btw, anyone talk to any 6th Ward successors to Castonia? Before he hand picks them and we are stuck again with only a single candidate? That's what got us another cronie on the City Council to begin with in the 6th.

[jfc123]

I also think of humans first but would be very upset as would my wife and kids if we also lost any pets, not to mention our home, to a tragedy like this. Our dog is a big part of our family. IMHO

[XLFD]

The TV and SEV are right around $20,000, so one presumes the house and land's value would be around twice that.  TV 9 & 10 had an interview with Councilor Castonia about the house on their telecast yesterday evening, which shown some bad fire damage to rifles that were housed in a safe, among other damage. 

Castonia's seat will not be up for re-election until 2018, barring any recall efforts which I doubt will happen from the placid Sixth Ward.

[stump]

I don't know Tim and don't really know his dad only that he is on the city council. It seems that there seems to be some witch hunting going on in this post just because Tim Castonia is related to his dad. There are a lot of people that live in older homes, owe somebody money and do drugs. I don't condone the drugs , can't say any were involved , but to put it out without first hand knowledge is not being a good citizen of our community.

[AQUAMAN]

Maybe it was some gas leak and explosion there stump. Do you know which it is? One of Gary's brothers also was a druggie, long ago, he's dead now. He also was an ahole, tried to stab me, and also a friend, in a fourth ward bar in the mens room about 25 years ago. Bespeaks highly of the Castonia family, don't you think stump? I do have first hand knowledge of that, and more, so it's not so much slander, as fact, and in this case, conjecture based on aforementioned experiences.

[XLFD]

I can understand your concerns, stump, because I would not have wrote this post in this way had not this house once belonged to Gary Castonia and kept in the family, because frankly, the underlying irony and karma would not exist. 

In that respect, I did not write it with any 'witch-hunting' motive.  I do not know Tim, the few local Castonias I have brushed shoulders with left me with similar perceptions that Aquaman shares of his.  I only provide some of the facts and speculate inconclusively on why those facts may matter.

The provocative facts:  Tim claims to be woken by an explosion then changes his story to one without, the house erupts in flame when only he is there and at a rather unusual time for fires to start without noticeable cause, his pro-recreational-drugs Facebook posts and other family involvement in that culture, his financial circumstances, etc. 

Any fire investigation is likely to be withheld from the public, and they may be suspect anyhow when you consider Gary's pull in the local public safety networks.  Yet, the focus here is not on accusing Tim or Gary of doing anything bad or illegal, it is to point out the irony in Councilor Castonia's RIO stance and what he had with this ancient house that had nothing to stop the place from going up like a tinderbox and apparently no smoke detectors since Tim was awoke by either explosions or turbine-sounds-- depending on what version you prefer. 

If this was a rental house in the city, you would hear him rant about it at the next meeting and to TV 9 & 10 News.

[Jasper]

Curious if the State Fire Marshall was contacted to determine the exact cause. Hope this tragic fire is treated the same as any other fire regarding the fact Gary is a retired police officer and his role in the COL. On a brighter note.....one of the cats was found today and escaped the fire.

[shinblind]

Never fear Jasper

It was in today's edition of City Of Ludington Daily Snews that, as a professional courtesy to  Councilor Castonia, the PM Fire Chief is NOT requesting that a State Fire Marshall be called in to investigate. 

Councilor Castonia was quoted as saying,"We don't need no stinking Fire Marshall crawling around the ancestral Castonia manor. There is no telling what paraphernalia might have been planted by now by my political enemies.  As one of the selected Gentry of the City of Ludington,  it is paramount that no ah embarrassing details be discovered nor that this info be released to the er local constituents."          

                                                                                                                                  Perky Patsy Klevorn.

Well Ok, everything beyond the Fire Marshall Not being called in is made up. Consider the rest to be reading between the lines of the  newspaper.

So nothing to see here, move along.  And no stink'n insurance investigator either.