Wednesday News Summary 12-14-22Wed, 14 Dec 2022 12:16:42 EST
(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)
AMEND CHALLENGE
The fate of a higher minimum wage in Michigan -- and the controversial legislative
practice that has effectively delayed it's implementation -- was the focus of legal
arguments before a three-judge Court of Appeals panel on Tuesday. Attorney John
Birsh, representing the state legislature, asked the panel to reverse a lower court order
that found lawmakers should not have "adopted and amended" a ballot initiative that
would have raised the minimum wage in Michigan to $13-an-hour. On the other side of
the legal argument was attorney Mark Brewer, who says the concept of "adopt and
amend" circumvents the public's ability to create policy -- and should be deemed
unconstitutional. Although the Court of Appeals panel will take the case under
advisement, the "adopt and amend" issue is expected to eventually go before the
Michigan Supreme Court.
RAM RECALL
Stellantis is recalling about 1-pt-2 MILLION pickup trucks... because the tailgates may
not close completely and cargo could spill onto the road. The recall covers Ram 1500,
2500 and 3500 pickups from the 2019 to 2022 model years. The automaker says it
found that striker plates on the pickups may not be lined up right to allow complete
closure. Stellantis says it's not aware of any related crashes or injuries. Most of the
recalled trucks are in North America.
FED MEETING TODAY
The federal reserve wrapping up a two day meeting today, deciding how much they will
raise your cost to borrow money. The Fed has raised interest rates six times since
March in an effort to cut consumer spending and slow the economy. Six out of 10
households say inflation has forced them to live paycheck to paycheck and the typical
household in America is now shelling out an additional $5200 a year because of
inflation. The announcement will be made at 2 PM today.
CASINO REVENUE
Detroit's three casinos saw a drop in revenue last month. The latest report from the
Michigan Gaming Control Board shows a total of nearly $102-MILLION dollars came in
to MGM Grand, MotorCity and Hollywood Casino at Greektown. That's down slightly
from October results. Sports betting took a big hit over the past year. Total receipts
came in at just under two million dollars, but that was down significantly from last
November and eleven-percent from October.
EMBEZZLEMENT SENTENCING
A Bloomfield Hills woman who admitted to stealing more than 70-thousand dollars from
a veteran won't spend any time in jail. The Attorney General's office says 62-year old
Margaret Risdon pleaded guilty to embezzlement after investigators determine she
wrote checks from the victim's bank account to herself and her business and also used
an ATM card to get cash. The victim was disabled and resided in nursing homes and
hospitals at the time. Risdon was sentenced Tuesday to three years probation, 100
hours of community service and ordered to work a part-time job.
WILD TURKEYS
Have you seen wild turkeys in Michigan? If so, the DNR would like to know about it!
Once decimated by over-hunting and deemed extinct in the state, the comeback of the
wild turkey is one of Michigans greatest wildlife conservation stories according to the
Department of Natural Resources. Today's Michigan turkeys are mostly descendants of
birds trapped in Iowa, Missouri, and Pennsylvania... and now number around 200-
thousand. Starting in January, the DNR is asking the public to collect and submit turkey
observation information, to help better promote turkey management in Michigan. If
interested, you can learn more by visiting Michigan.gov-backslash/dnr
DIXON SAYS NO TO GOP PARTY CHAIRMANSHIP
Former Republican candidate for Governor Tudor Dixon says she will NOT being
running for party chair of the Michigan G-O-P. She says she will instead focus on
messaging and communication for Republicans. The failed gubernatorial candidate and
Republican leaders in Michigan highly critical of each-other following the November
election. Dixon blaming her election loss on party leaders, who say her policies the
reason for the disastrous midterm performance.
GRAND RAPIDS FIRE VICTIM
A man, injured in a house fire in Grand Rapids last week, has now died. Firefighters
say 47-year-old Brent Dyson died from his injuries . A second person was hospitalized
for smoke inhalation, but was released.
The fire department says the fire was accidental, and started in the kitchen. They say
the home did not have any working smoke detectors.
HATE CRIMES PLEA
A Saginaw man has pleaded guilty to intimidating and attempting to intimidate people
from speaking out and protesting in support of Black Lives Matter.
Prosecutors said Tuesday that 61-year-old Kenneth Pilon entered the plea to 2 hate
crime charges in federal district court, according to the Justice Department. Pilon is due
to be sentenced March 23.
He was accused of calling 9 Starbucks stores in Michigan and telling the employees
answering his calls to relay racial threats to Starbucks employees wearing Black Lives
Matter T-shirts.
Prosecutors say Pilon also pleaded guilty to placing a noose inside a vehicle.
PLASTER CREEK GREEN-GRAND RAPIDS
There's a mystery in Grand Rapids since the Plaster Creek turned green on Monday.
WOOD TV reports by the time city workers went to the scene, the green color of the
creek was gone. A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great
Lakes and Energy says the color appears to have been from a dye test and that
dissipates quickly.
INDOOR DRIVING RANGE-GRAND RAPIDS
Officials in Grand Rapids are talking about building an indoor golf driving range, a
scaled down version of Topgolf, which is popular in Detroit and Chicago. The director
of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation, David Marquardt, says it would be a tourist
draw. He tells WOOD TV that it would have similar amenities to Topgolf with food and
drink and it's a fun atmosphere.
WOMAN HIT BY CARS-METRO DETROIT
Michigan State Police, called to I-94 in Van Buren Township last night ... after drivers
reported that there was an object that had been struck, causing a crash in the
westbound lanes near Haggerty. When troopers showed up, they discovered that the
unknown object was the body of a woman.
M-S-P officials say the victim had been hit multiple times -- she has NOT yet been
identified. An investigation is ongoing.
WHELAN DONATIONS
The family of Paul Whelan says the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner has led to
renewed interest in Paul's plight. David Whelan says donations to a GoFundMe page
have been increasing in recent days, with more than $57-thousand toward its $100,000
goal raised. The family is also asking people to send cards, letters and holiday
greetings to Paul because he will appreciate knowimg he hasn't been forgotten.
MARQUETTE ACCUSED PERVERT
A former employee of Upper Peninsula Health System-Marquette, is accused of hiding
a camera in a hospital bathroom. W-L-U-C reports 26-year-old Jarod Havican, of
Marquette, faces charges of using a computer to commit a crime and capturingdistributing an image of an unclothed person. He's being held on 70-thousand dollars
bond. The victims of the incident have been notified.
ESCANABA MILL FUTURE
Efforts to transform the Escanaba Mill in the U-P are advancing. That's after the
Michigan Strategic Fund board approved a request for a Forest Products Processing
Renaissance Zone for 15 years. The request is estimated to be worth $29.4 million. WL-U-C reports according to a memo from the MEDC, the company is proposing to
transform its Escanaba plant from producing paper to producing a more technologically
advanced paper product known as paperboard or cartonboard.
Without such a project, the plant would have likely closed because of market conditions.
BRAYDON LAPE-THE VOICE
Grass Lake teen Braydon Lape made the finals of "The Voice" on NBC, but he didn't
win. The winner last night was Bryce Leatherwood who was also on Blake Shelton's
team. Lape finished in fifth place. During the finale, Lape performed Alan Jacksons
Chasin That Neon Rainbow with coach Blake Shelton.
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