BC-US-UNIVERSITY-OF-MICHIGAN-PRESIDENT-FIRED
University of Michigan removes Schlissel as school president
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan says Mark Schlissel has been removed as school president due to an alleged “inappropriate relationship with a university employee.” The University of Michigan Board of Regents said Saturday on the school’s website that the removal was effective “immediately.” Regents said members on Dec. 8 learned about the relationship from an anonymous complaint and that an investigation revealed that “over the years,” Schlissel used his university email account to “communicate with that subordinate in a manner inconsistent with the dignity and reputation of the university.” Former University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman has been appointed interim president. Schlissel succeeded Coleman as president in January 2014.
RESTAURANT ATTACK
Restaurant security guard stabbed, fatally shoots assailant
DETROIT (AP) — Police say a restaurant employee was stabbed before fatally shooting his attacker in downtown Detroit. Detroit police said there was an altercation between the employee at Prime and Proper restaurant and the person who ultimately stabbed him about 12:10 a.m. Sunday. The restaurant employee then shot the 52-year-old attacker. WDIV-TV reports no arrests have been announced. Police say the stabbing victim is in stable condition. Justin Near, a spokesman for the restaurant, said the stabbed employee worked for a third-party security contractor. No other injuries have been reported. Prime and Proper is an upscale steakhouse in the heart of downtown Detroit.
ICE FISHERMEN RESCUED
2 ice fishermen rescued after trapped by open water
CASEVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Two ice fishermen in Michigan’s Thumb region have been rescued by airboat after becoming trapped by open water. Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson says 21-year-old Jeffrey A. Stone Jr. 32-year-old Travis J Bender, both of Harbor Beach, called for help Saturday afternoon. An airboat crewed by a deputy and two firemen rescued the two men. Hanson says the two men had stepped over cracks in the ice on the way out to their shanty on Saginaw Bay, not realizing there was a possibility for the ice to split apart as much as it did.
JUDGE-EMAILS
Court: Emails between judge, prosecutor didn’t spoil trial
ALLEGAN, Mich. (AP) — A man convicted of criminal sexual conduct doesn’t deserve a new trial, despite learning that a western Michigan judge was sharing her opinion of the case through emails with a prosecutor. That’s the 2-1 opinion from the Michigan Court of Appeals. Daniel Loew had been granted a new trial, but the decision by the appeals court now reverses that decision. An Allegan County jury in 2019 convicted Loew of criminal sexual conduct. It turns out that Judge Margaret Zuzich-Bakker sent emails to prosecutor Myrene Koch during the trial, asking a question about the victim and offering an unflattering opinion about state police. The appeals court says the emails didn’t provide an advantage to the prosecution. Koch wasn’t the trial prosecutor.
MICHIGAN-LEAD IN WATER
Work continues on removing lead water lines in Benton Harbor
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — State officials say more than 400 water service lines in Benton Harbor have been replaced or verified to be free of lead. Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services said this week in a release that city officials also are reviewing bids from contractors for removal of an estimated 3,900 lead service lines. Accelerated work is expected to start in March. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed that all of the city’s lead lines be replaced by spring 2023. Service lines connect city water mains to homes and businesses. Lines made of lead are a source of lead contamination in drinking water.
TWO SLAIN-RENTAL HALL
Police: 2 men fatally shot outside Detroit-area rental hall
HAZEL PARK, Mich. (AP) — Two men have been shot and killed inside a vehicle parked outside a rental hall just north of Detroit. Police believe two to three men walked up to the vehicle in Hazel Park Friday afternoon and opened fire. At the time of the shooting, a remembrance gathering was being held in the hall for a person who was killed last year. Police say people in the hall and parking lot fled the area after the shooting. Hazel Park is in Oakland County.
FATAL SNOWMOBILE CRASH
Man dies after being ejected from snowmobile into tree in UP
AU TRAIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A 33-year-old man has died after he was thrown from the snowmobile he was operating into a tree. The Alger County sheriff’s office says the man was on a trail in the Upper Peninsula’s Au Train Township about 8:25 p.m. Friday when he lost control of the snowmobile while trying to negotiate a curve. He was ejected from the snowmobile and struck the tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office says excessive speed contributed to the incident. Au Train Township is east of Marquette.
AP-US-2020-CENSUS-CHALLENGES
Let the challenges begin! Time for contesting census is here
The U.S. Census Bureau has begun accepting challenges from states, cities and tribal nations that want to contest the results of the 2020 census. The count was one of the most difficult in recent memory due to the pandemic, political interference from the Trump administration, hurricanes and wildfires. Governors, mayors and tribal leaders can ask the agency to review the people and housing unit counts in their jurisdictions for possible mistakes under the Count Question Resolution program. The Census Bureau started accepting applications at the beginning of the new year. Leaders have through June 2023 to file an application.
TEEN DRIVERS-SAFETY CAMPAIGN
Michigan students participating in safe driving campaign
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Students at 38 Michigan high schools are participating in the “Strive for a Safer Drive” peer-led traffic safety campaign. The program is in its 11th year and aims to reduce crashes involving teenagers by encouraging then to talk with other teens and their communities about making safe-driving choices. It’s a public-private partnership between the Ford Motor Co. Fund’s Driving Skills for Life program and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. Each school receives $1,000, which students use to create a teen-led campaign that will educate their classmates and community about traffic safety topics including speeding; seat belt use; pedestrian, bicyclist and passenger safety; and impaired, distracted, nighttime and winter driving.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY-GRANT
Habitat for Humanity gets $2M grant for home repair needs
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Habitat for Humanity of Michigan has received a $2 million federal grant to address home repair needs of 160 low-income families. Habitat for Humanity of Michigan says the funding is from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Healthy Homes Production Grant Program. The grant increases the nonprofit’s current repair program by 50% and allows for training and resources to build capacity for Habitat for Humanity affiliates and minority- and women-owned businesses. It also will promote expanded healthy homes intervention in Michigan. The grant is part of more than $104 million awarded from HUD to 60 non-profit organizations, and state and local government agencies in 29 states to protect children and families from home health hazards.
The Associated Press
