WATZ Today's Country

Monday News Summary 09-12-22
Mon, 12 Sep 2022 12:29:29 EDT

(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)

MSU PRESIDENT OUT?
Michigan State University may be searching for a new president as the Board of Trustees has reportedly given Samuel Stanley until Tuesday to step down. According to the Detroit Free Press, the university's board of trustees is forcing Stanley to resign for multiple reasons, including his handling of the Title IX-related pushing out of business school dean Sanjay Gupta. Other issues include Stanley's handling of internal investigations and reporting requirements involving the schools Office of Institutional Equity and the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct office. If Stanley does not resign, he faces the possibility of being fired.

GAS PRICES
Gas prices are dropping around the country, but not here in Michigan. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Michigan is $3.85. The national average is currently $3.72-per-gallon. The state's prices are up from Labor Day weekend, but down from this time last month.

EMU PROFESSOR TENTATIVE DEAL
There's a tentative deal in the strike by Eastern Michigan University professors. They've been on strike for nearly a week. In a statement, the university says a tentative agreement has been reached with the faculty union, after marathon bargaining sessions this weekend that went late into the evening on Saturday and Sunday nights. It says faculty are returning to the classroom this morning.

LIBRARY FUNDS
A west Michigan library that local residents voted to defund in August is getting a second chance thanks to a sizable donation from a renowned romance novelist. Nora Roberts chipping in to help the Patmos Library in Jamestown Township surpass their goal of $245-thousand-dollars to keep the library running. The library's millage failed to pass due to certain LGBTQ books being a part of their catalog, causing the library to lose 84-percent of its operating budget. The library shows a growing trend of book bannings across the country. The money raised is enough to keep the library running for another year.

RAINBOW FENTANYL
Law enforcement is sounding the alarm over a deadly drug that is aimed at children and teens. Rainbow fentanyl has now been detected in 21 states, including Michigan, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. The pills and powder come in an abundance of colors, shapes, and sizes, and can have a chalky texture. The multi- colored drugs are apparently an intentional effort by drug traffickers to target kids, says the DEA. The Agency encourages parents to speak with their children over the dangers of the drugs .

BEAUMONT LAYOFFS
Beaumont Health Spectrum Health confirming Friday plans to lay-off 400 employees. The eliminated positions include management and non-patient workers across the state of Michigan. The merged health system employs 64-thousand workers. The lay- offs are part of the B-H-S-H's cost-reduction plan. The health system attributing the move to financial pressures from historic inflation, rising pharmaceutical and labor costs, and the COVID 19 pandemic. Beaumont-Spectrum says it is working to help the impacted employees find work elsewhere within the system or at other employers.

CRUMBLEY COURT DELAY
The trial for the parents of the accused Oxford shooter has been delayed. James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, were set to go to trial next month to face charges of involuntary manslaughter. The prosecution alleges the Crumbleys could have done more to prevent their son from going on the shooting spree. The trial was supposed to begin October 24th. No new date has been set for the trial. The Crumbleys have fought to have the charges thrown out.

INDECENT EXPOSURE
An Eastern Michigan University administrator has been charged with indecent exposure -- after being caught driving naked and fondling himself. It allegedly happened last Friday. That's when Dearborn Police received cell phone footage of a man driving a black Jeep Wrangler on westbound Michigan Avenue . The man was not wearing any clothes. Police identified the man as 62-year-old Michael Tew of Dearborn. He was arrested Wednesday. Tew is charged with both misdemeanor and felony counts of Indecent Exposure... with bond set at 20-thousand dollars.

CHANGING JOBS
If youve been thinking of changing jobs You will soon have a lot more competition out there. Many workers who have anticipated a job change are trying to beat the recession and they are starting their search right now. Nearly three-quarters of job seekers say inflation is pushing them to seek a better opportunity. And as economists predict a recession later this year or early next year. 55% say they would rather not wait six months to begin the search as they had planned. The employee experience company QUALTRICS says a third of those looking for a change expect to land a job within 3 months. That should get them settled in by the end of the year but only 15 per cent say its been easy to find a job they are really interested in.

STRONG DOLLAR
If you want to beat inflation and get more for your dollars you might want to take a trip. How about Europe? In some parts of Europe inflation is actually higher than it is right here in the United States however the US dollar has been rising against European currencies. Will you get an immediate 16% discount based on currency figures for the past week? That discount works for you in nearly 2 dozen European nations including France, Germany Greece Italy and Spain. One reason the US dollar is so strong right now is because the federal reserve has been raising interest rates - that attracts investors. Even though higher rates are hurting many families here at home, they could result in a decent discount if you're traveling abroad.

MICHIGAN SPORTS HALL
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame honored a new class of inductees Saturday night.The star-studded class including former Finals MVP and NBA Champion Chauncey Billups, Chris Webber and Shane Battier who played for the Detroit Country Day basketball team, then Michigan and Duke, eventually finishing in the NBA. Detroit native and former San Diego Charger star tight end Antonio Gates and former Michigan basketball coach John Beilein were also inducted. Other inductees include Former Michigan softball pitcher Jennie Ritter, former Detroit Red Wing sportscaster Mickey Redmond -- among others.

BEAR SEASON
Good news for thousands of hunters in Michigan -- as the second period of Bear Season has begun. Within 72 hours of killing a bear, the hunter has to take the unfrozen bear head and pelt, or the entire animal, to a bear registration station to be registered and sealed. Bear registration stations and the exact dates and locations of the bear specific hunting season can be found at Michigan.gov/Bear or on the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

SAT SCORES DROP
Test scores on the SAT have taken a dive during the pandemic. The Detroit News reports that average scores have dropped since 2019 for Michigan's top ten ranked schools, anywhere from 19 to 42 points. Troy's International Academy still has the highest average scores - at over 13-hundred points. The International Academy of Macomb came in Second, followed by Troy High School. The top score on the SAT is 1600.

GAS PRICES UP
Gas prices are up across Michigan -- but down in Metro Detroit -- as drivers start the new work week. Across the state, the average price for a gallon of regular gas is 3.85 -- two cents higher than a week ago. But in Metro Detroit -- the average price per gallon has dropped four cents to 3.94. Triple A spokesperson Adrienne Woodland says prices at the pump will likely decrease if the demand for gas decreases as it typically does after Labor Day.

WALLED LAKE -MAN KILLS WIFE, SHOOTS DAUGHTER
There's been a deadly shooting involving Walled Lake police. Authorities say 53-year- old Igor Lanis -- suspected of shooting and killing his wife and wounding his daughter at a home early Sunday -- was shot by police after coming out of the home and firing at police with a shotgun. No officers were hurt. Police now say the daughter is in stable condition. The family dog was also shot and killed.

TEEN CRITICALLY INJURED IN CRASH-GRAND RAPIDS
A teenage driver was critically hurt in a crash in Grand Rapids last night. State police say the 18-year-old woman lost control of her vehicle on U-S-131 and hit a traffic barrier. Police say her vehicle rolled over and she was ejected. She was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition.

FOUR SHOT-GRAND RAPIDS
Four people were shot early Sunday morning in Grand Rapids. Police say there was a large disorderly gathering of people on the bridge in the Blue Ridge area at about 3:15 in the morning. Police say four adults have non-life threatening gunshot injuries. Anyone with information should contact police or Silent Observer.

BOIL WATER -GIBRALTAR
Part of the city of Gibraltar is under a boil water advisory due to loss of pressure following a water main break. The line break is affecting residents and businesses in an area from the thirty-thousand block of West Jefferson to the twenty-eight thousand block of West Jefferson. Gibraltar officials say a replacement line is currently being installed .

MADDOCK-BUTTIEGIEG
'weak little girl' . Buttigieg, recently moved to Michigan. We called the MIGOP and reached out to the party and Maddock on social media.. and got no response.

STELLANTIS AGREEMENT
A tentative agreement has been reached to end a strike at a key Stellantis plant in Indiana.
U-A-W members at the Stellantis casting plant in Kokomo, Indiana went on strike Saturday, citing health and safety issues including the company's refusal to repair and replace the plants air conditioning and heating systems. The 35-acre plant with over 1,000 workers is the world's largest die cast facility -- responsible for making parts used in the power trains of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and RAM vehicles. Experts say a long term strike at the plant would've impacted vehicle assembly lines across North America.

BENTON HARBOR FATAL SHOOTING
Benton Harbor Police are asking for the public's help for information after a 22-year-old man was shot and found in a backyard just before three Sunday morning. Police say the man was taken to Spectrum Health-Lakeland where he later died from his injuries. Police do not have any suspects yet. Anyone with information should call the police tip line or Crimestoppers.

MICHIGAN LAND NAME CHANGES
Federal officials have renamed 32 sites on federal lands in Michigan to remove an ethnic slur from their names. The Interior Department says "squaw" has historically been used as a racial and ethnic slur particularly offensive for Indigenous women. Some of the renamed sites include Paint Lake -- formerly Squaw Lake -- in Oakland County, Quanicassee (kwan-ee-cah-see) Creek -- formerly Squaw Creek -- in Saginaw County, and Ojibwa Island -- formerly Squaw Island -- in Charlevoix County. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says she feels obligated to ensure that public lands and waters are accessible and welcoming.

MISSING MAN FOUND-CEDAR SPRINGS
A 19-year-old who had been missing in Cedar Springs, north of Grand Rapids has been found. WOOD TV reports Terry Sims, who is non-verbal with a child's mentality, was last seen last night before leaving an adult care home...but the Kent County Sheriff's Office tweeted out this morning that he has been found.

MARQUETTE COUNTY ROAD WORK
A resurfacing project is getting underway this week on US-41 in Marquette County. Work includes milling and resurfacing, concrete curb and gutter, centerline and shoulder rumble strips, guardrail, and pavement markings. Governor Gretchen Whitmer says quote-"Across Michigan, we are moving dirt and fixing the damn roads to save drivers time and money."

BENTON HARBOR CRASH
A fiery crash in Benton Harbor over the weekend has claimed the life of a 33-year-old, who was driving the BMW at a high rate of speed when it flipped and the driver was ejected. A 22-year-old passenger was taken to the hospital from the accident late Saturday night. The cause of the crash is being investigated.