Wednesday News Summary 10-05-22Wed, 05 Oct 2022 12:14:18 EDT
(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)
Congressman Dan Kildee participated in a congressional candidate forum hosted by Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, where he spoke directly to Genesee, Saginaw, Bay and Midland County voters about key issues in this years election. Some of the topics discussed included protecting abortion rights, bipartisanship and lowering gas prices. Congressman Kildee is a Flint native running in Michigans new Eighth Congressional District, which includes Genesee, Saginaw, Bay and the eastern part of Midland County, including the city of Midland.
The Ottawa County Public Defender Office is hosting a second expungement clinic for those wishing to have a criminal conviction set aside. The first clinic in April helped 61 residents begin the process of expunging their criminal convictions. At the clinic you can: Obtain conviction records; Be fingerprinted; Schedule a court date. Complete the registration form at tinyurl.com/hollandexpunge to make an appointment. Not all offenses are eligible to be expunged, so pre-registration paperwork is necessary. The criminal record will not be cleared at the the event; the expungement process can take several months.
With five weeks until Election Day, Michigan voters have made it clear that improving K-12 public schools, investing in the states roads and bridges, closing the skills gap and making sure Michigan has the right tools to lure businesses and jobs are their top priorities for state leaders to focus on to make Michigan more competitive, according to a poll commissioned by Business Leaders for Michigan. More than 39% of voters also say the governor and Legislature are most important to fixing Michigans challenges.
The voter poll of 600 likely voters also shows Michiganders are optimistic about the states economy and even more bullish about their own personal economic situation, even in the face of national economic uncertainty. About 41% of those polled feel optimistic about Michigans economic direction, 32% are pessimistic and 23% are indifferent. That optimism grows when voters are asked about their own financial situation, with more than 62% saying they feel optimistic about their own economic situation, as opposed to nearly 20% saying they feel pessimistic and 15% indifferent. Voters also say they have the same or better job opportunities compared to their parents, with nearly 44% saying theyre better, about 29% saying theyre about the same and 22% saying the opportunities are worse. Nearly 58% of Black voters say their opportunities to find a good-paying job today versus their parents are better, compared to 41% of white voters.
The Grand Rapids Police Department is upping its recruiting game to attract current law enforcement professionals and applicants for police academy sponsorships. They will be hosting a recruiting event to help people learn more about the application process and practice for the MCOLES physical. It will take place Monday, October 10 from 4:00-7:00pm at Garfield Park. The event is a drop-in format. People are encouraged to come talk directly with recruiters anytime during the three hours.
Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist joined Louis Tremblay, the chief executive officer of FLO, a leading North American electric vehicle charging network operator and smart charging solutions provider, to cut the ribbon at a new electric vehicle charger manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills.?The Auburn Hills facility is FLOs first-ever U.S. manufacturing facility and is expected to support 730 jobs by 2028, including creating 133 jobs in 2023. FLO offers smart home charging solutions for both single-family houses and multi-unit residential buildings, as well as access to thousands of public charging stations across the country.
Election workers are dealing with threats. The FBI says election workers in Michigan continue to face a high number of threats, so much so that the state is in the top 7. In just the last year, federal agents have fielded more than a thousand tips on threats against election workers or leaders, 100 of them serious enough to warrant real investigation. They are coming primarily in the form of email and some of the agitators may be overseas looking to influence our elections. Agents are planning on how to deal with the threats they anticipate will intensify ahead of next month's midterms.
A judge has dismissed charges against seven people in the Flint water scandal. Two of the seven are former state health officials that had been blamed for deaths from Legionnaires' Disease. Three months ago the Michigan Supreme Court ruled a onejudge grand jury had no authority to issue indictments. Now Judge Elizabeth Kelly has rejected the request from the attorney general to send the cases to Flint District Court and turn them into criminal complaints, which is a common procedure when filing felony charges in the state. In 2014, Flint officials began using the Flint River as their water source to save money. Without being treated for corrosion in old pipes, the water became contaminated with lead.
Less than five weeks until the November 8th election, the Secretary of State's office says more than 1.5 million voters have requested absentee ballots. Applications for absentee ballots can be filed at your local clerk's office. The 1.5 million requests is more than the 1.1 million absentee ballots cast in the 2018 general election.
As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is highlighting Michigans new, 24/7 hotline providing live, one-onone crisis support for all victims, survivors, support people and professionals who serve them. The hotline number is available by calling 866-864-2338 or texting 877-861-0222. The hotline is free and provides local support that is tailored to each unique situation through trained advocates.
Traverse City commissioners and firefighters have reached a deal. After closed session talks, the commission on Monday night unanimously approved a collective bargaining agreement with the city's firefighters. That includes employees for Traverse City Light and Power and the Downtown Development Authority. Bonuses will cost around $125,000 and funding comes from the American Rescue Plan funds.
An Ogemaw County Sheriffs Deputy accused of assaulting a man with autism and not reporting the use of force to supervisors will go to trial. 48-year-old Deputy Matthew Viviano was bound over on charges of misconduct in office, a five-year felony, and one count of assault and battery. In September 2021, Deputy Viviano and a second deputy responded to an emergency call at Premier Care Assisted Living that a resident with autism was assaulting a male caretaker. Three Michigan State Police troopers also responded to the call to assist. The evidence presented at the preliminary examination showed that while the responding officers were calming the situation, Deputy Viviano forcefully pushed the resident down to the couch twice and then utilized unnecessary defensive techniques against the resident. The Michigan State troopers who were on scene testified at the preliminary exam that this display of force was unwarranted and unreasonable.
Investigators in Chippewa County are investigating a fire early Sunday morning at the Cloverland hydroelectric plant. The Sault Ste. Marie Fire Chief says the fire began in a vehicle that was kept in a storage area. There were no service delays, but the chief says they were fortunate to have the response go as well as it did. While some things will need to be repaired, the plant will continue operating as normal.
Opening statements are expected today in Jackson County in the trial of three men charged in connection with the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer. Paul Bellar, Joe Morrison, and Pete Musico are charged with providing material support for a terrorist act, gang membership and felony firearm. The charges aren't related to the kidnapping itself, but meetings and other activities connected to others involved in the scheme. Jury selection lasted two days. We'll have updates on the trial throughout the day.
This is an important day for area school districts. This is the first of two Count Days of the year. The number of students is used to determine state funding for each district. A second count day is scheduled in February. A few districts including West Bloomfield, Berkley and Walled Lake have received waivers from the Michigan Education Department because they are closed today due to Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday.
State health officials issuing a warning, saying NOT to eat some produce sold locally from a southern Michigan farm after it was allegedly growing in fields containing raw, untreated human waste. During a routine produce safety inspection at Kuntry Gardens, west of Jackson, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development investigators making the discovery. The impacted product has been seized and state investigators are working with the farm to oversee corrective actions.
Authorities in mid-Michigan say tips to the State Police OK 2 SAY program led to the arrest of three juveniles accused of making threats at Alma High School. The Gratiot County Prosecutor says the three students were taken into custody after guns and ammunition were seized from a home. A 45-year old man is facing weapons charges, although his connection to the kids is unknown.
Detroit Police say a man who was shot and killed by police last Sunday escaped from a psychiatric unit at a hospital in June, was wanted for assaulting police and had stabbed three family members two years ago. In providing an update on the shooting death of 20-year old Porter Burks, Police Chief James White showed body cam video of officers trying to get Burks to put down a knife. Burks was shot 38 times by five officers Sunday morning when he started running at the cops with a knife. Family members say it was a case of murder. Michigan State Police are conducting an investigation to determine if any criminal charges are warranted. An internal investigation is also ongoing.
Two Lansing police officers are on administrative leave after a deadly shooting. Police say it's department policy to place the officers involved on leave as Michigan State Police conduct an investigation. Police say 31-year old Terrance Robinson was shot and died after he fired several shots at officers who found several stolen vehicles at a home. Investigators say the home was known to police.
The company hired to conduct an independent investigation into the Oxford High School shootings will conduct interviews with those in the community next week. Guidepost Solutions says interviews with students, high school staff, administrators, teachers and others have been invaluable and they want to continue to speak with anyone who has relevant information. The interviews are scheduled for next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Oxford Public Library or Springhill Suites in Auburn Hills. Those interested should register on the Guidepost Solutions website. The shootings that left four students dead and seven others wounded took place last November 30th.
A new milestone for the Mega Millions lottery game. The jackpot has topped 400- million dollars because no one matched the winning numbers in last night's drawing. Friday's prize will be at least 410 million dollars.
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