Thursday News Summary 03-02-23
Thu, 02 Mar 2023 12:12:17 EST


(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)


GUN REFORM LEGISLATION HEARING
Discussions are heating up at the State Capitol about gun reform laws. The House
Judiciary Committee took testimony on a package of bills that would, among other
things, require background checks for all firearms sold in Michigan, require guns be
stored in gun safes or with trigger locks and establish a red-flag provision to allow
police to ask a court to temporarily take away weapons from individuals deemed a
threat to themselves and others. While more testimony is expected next week with the
House Judiciary Committee, a Senate hearing on similar legislation is scheduled for
noon today (THURS).

ELLIOTT LARSEN CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
A move to expand protections under the state's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act has
moved one step closer to reality. The State Senate voted 23-to-15 yesterday to
approve legislation that will add "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" to protected
coverage under state civil rights law. A similar measure, introduced by Democratic
Representative Jason Hoskins of Southfield, is set to be voted on next week in the
State House.

DRIVING SCHOOL SUSPENSION
A driver education school operating in Ionia County has been shutdown. The Michigan
Secretary of State announced Wednesday it had suspended the provider and instructor
certificates for IDRIVE Academy in Lyons which is owned by Brian and Jessica
DeShane. Investigators say numerous violations were discovered including failing to
provide integrated and related classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, and
misrepresenting the amount of time of teaching to students. Because of the
suspension, which went into effect last week, the Secretary of State can't issue
certificates of completion to students who have taken the classes.

MARCH MADNESS BETTING CONCERNS
With March Madness set to get underway in about two weeks, the Michigan Gaming
Control Board is reminding gamers to bet responsibly. The board says while some
gamblers may think their wagers are a slam dunk, it's a good idea to plan ahead so fun
doesn't come at the expense of meeting personal or family needs and obligations.
Anyone who thinks they may have a gambling problem can call the Michigan
Department of Health and Human Services' 24-hour, toll-free helpline at
1-800-270-7117.

INMATE DIES
A Michigan prison inmate, who was serving a life sentence for her involvement in the
murder of three people in Kalamazoo County, has died. Angela McConnell was
awaiting a possibly shorter prison sentence but died Sunday, two days after being
taken to a hospital following an apparent suicide at a prison in Washtenaw County.
McConnell was 17 at the time of the killings and was eligible to return to court for a new
hearing that could have led to an opportunity for parole.

DODGE DURANGO RECALL
Dodge has announced a recall of some 2021 through 2023 Dodge Durangos. The
automaker says the rear spoiler may not be aligned properly with the roof, which could
cause damage to the spoiler when the liftgate is in use. If that happens, the spoiler can
detach and fall off, increasing the risk of a crash. Dodge says dealers will inspect and
replace the rear spoiler at no charge to owners. Notification letters are expected to be
mailed by mid April.

POLICE OFFICERS ATTACKED
Three Detroit police officers recovering from injuries after officials say they were
attacked by a man apparently suffering from a mental health crisis. Police say it happed
around 730pm Wednesday night when the officers were responding to a domestic
situation at a home on the city's west side.
At the time of the attack, officials say the suspect had just crashed his car and was
acting strangely, claiming to be an alien when officers went to provide aid. At that
point, Detroit police say the man hit one of the officers.
Three officers went to the hospital to be evaluated with minor injuries, but are expected
to recover.

SMUGGLING
Five people are in custody in connection with a smuggling attempt near Algonac. The
group was arrested February 20th by U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Detroit Sector
who were notified by dispatchers monitoring a remote video surveillance system.
According to authorities, a vessel on the St. Clair River was spotted as it crossed the
international border from Canada near a known smuggling route. The Border Patrol
says the five are from India, Nigeria, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Officials say
the resident of the Dominican Republic is a known smuggler with a history of drug
trafficking.

DTE RATES
March .
The company is switching to a time of day rate plan -- where customers will pay MORE
for electricity during peak-hours of the day. Those hours are 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on
weekdays. DTE says you can keep your bill lower by doing laundry or running your air
conditioner in off-peak hours. The time of year will also impact your bill.. with a higher
rate in June through September. This comes after nearly 700-THOUSAND DTE
customers lost power from ice-storm complications. Many were out of power for several
days.

CELL TOWER
There's concern about a cell phone tower... recently going up right next to an
elementary school in Wayne County. T-Mobile put up the tower at Washington
Elementary School in Wyandotte -- and parents say part of it is on the playground. That
portion is the generator -- fenced in with signs that read danger. Parents of children at
the elementary school are also concerned because cell towers emit low-energy
radiation. The tower is about to become operational -- but there's a petition going
around with parents looking to have it taken down. There's also a meeting happening
tonight about the tower... it's taking place at the school at 6:30.

MSU MEMORIALS
Michigan State University today will start removing the temporary memorials that have
been placed around campus following the February 13th mass shooting that left three
students dead. MSU says after being ground into mulch, the flowers will be used to
plant a memorial tree outside Berkey Hall. Other items will be removed and preserved
by the MSU Archives and MSU Museum. Currently, memorials are located outside of
Berkey Hall, The Union, The Rock and the Sparty Statue.

WINTER STORM
Get ready for another blast of winter..
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for much of SE
Michigan. The watch goes into effect at noon tomorrow (Friday). The Weather Service
says there is a significant threat to property or life in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb,
Washtenaw, Monroe and Livingston counties. A second winter storm watch will go into
effect at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon for St. Clair and Lapeer counties.

POWER OUTAGES
There are still thousands of power outages today, but not all of them are related to the
two ice storms that blew through Michigan last week. The DTE outage map is showing
about eight-thousand outages, while Consumers Energy is reporting just over ninethousand homes and businesses don't have power at this hour.Hundreds of crews are
working in the field and hope to have everyone's power restored as soon as possible.

DTE RATES
How much DTE Energy customers pay for power will depend on the time of day.
Beginning this month, DTE Energy is moving to a time of day rate plan which means
electricity will cost more or less depending on when you're using it. DTE describes the
new rate system this way: "With our new Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. rate, when you
adjust your habits and do things like laundry, dishes or run your air conditioner in offpeak hours, you benefit from a lower electric rate." To put it simply: Electricity will cost
more during peak hours than it will cost during off-peak hours, which are 3 p.m. through
7 p.m. on weekdays.

PRIEST SENTENCED
A former Southeast Michigan priest was sentenced Wednesday on sex abuse charges.
Sixty-one-year-old Joseph "Jack" Baker will spend up to fifteen years in prison and
register as a lifetime sex offender following his conviction of First Degree Criminal
Sexual Contact with a person under the age of thirteen.Baker had been a pastor at St.
Perpetua in Waterford since 2008. Attorney General Dana Nessel's office saying it's
seized millions of paper and e-documents through warrants executed as part of its
ongoing clergy sex abuse investigation.

ANTOINE DAVIS COULD SET A NCAA RECORD TONIGHT.
This could be a record setting night for University of Detroit Mercy Basketball Star
Antoine Davis. The nation's leading scorer now has 3, 642 points--just 25 points away
from tying the NCAA record set by Pete Maravich. He also has 155, 3-pointers on the
year, tied for fourth in NCAA history and seven away from the single-season mark of
162 by Stephen Curry in 2007-08.
The Titans will head to top-seeded Youngstown State tonight in the quarterfinals of the
Horizon League's Men's Basketball Championship


   

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