WOMAN TORTURED-BOYFRIEND CHARGED
Detroit man charged in torture, sexual assault of girlfriend
DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit man has been arrested after his 22-year-old girlfriend was strangled with an extension cord, sexually assaulted and burned with a metal spatula. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office says Monday that the 23-year-old man was arraigned Sunday on torture, criminal sexual conduct, home invasion, felonious assault and other charges. He is accused of assaulting the woman on June 2 in a home on Detroit’s eastside after she refused to give him the passcode to her cellphone. Gasoline also was poured on the woman’s body. The prosecutor’s office says she was beaten with a belt and threatened with a drill. The woman eventually was able to escape and run to the home of a neighbor who called 911.
ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR
Judge rules against Michigan Republican seeking governor bid
DETROIT (AP) — A federal judge in Michigan has refused Republican Perry Johnson’s request to include his name on the GOP ballot for governor or to halt the printing of primary ballots. The decision Monday further reduces Johnson’s chances at challenging Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Johnson was among five governor candidates who were deemed ineligible for the Aug. 2 ballot after the state elections bureau determined they didn’t submit enough valid signatures to qualify. The bureau determined candidates submitted fake signatures collected by paid petition circulators. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith rejected Johnson’s bid for a temporary restraining order or an injunction, saying Johnson hasn’t shown he was unconstitutionally excluded.
ALLIGATOR SEIZED-TRAFFIC STOP
Deputies recover small alligator after high-speed car chase
WEBBER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities have recovered a small alligator following a high-speed car chase in northwestern Michigan. The Lake County sheriff’s office says the vehicle’s driver refused to stop when a sergeant attempted to pull him over about 11 p.m. Saturday for speeding along U.S. 10. Other sheriff’s deputies and officers with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources joined the pursuit which ended when the vehicle they were chasing got stuck between two trees in Webber Township, south of Traverse City. Deputies caught the alligator outside the vehicle. A 40-year-old man from suburban Detroit was arrested and faces charges related to the chase.
BIRD FLU-MICHIGAN
Michigan lifts poultry show ban imposed to control bird flu
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has lifted a statewide ban on poultry and waterfowl exhibitions after 30 days passed with no new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic birds. Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says it lifted the ban Saturday. Poultry and waterfowl exhibitions were stopped May 10 as a precaution to protect against the spread of bird flu among the state’s domestic poultry flocks. Avian flu has been spreading across the U.S., prompting farms to euthanize millions of birds. It can spread be spread from flock to flock, including wild birds, and through contact with infected poultry, equipment and the clothing of caretakers.
HOUSE EXPLOSION-WARREN
Bombs, weapons found after Warren house explosion wounds man
WARREN, Mich. (AP) — Officers investigating a weekend house explosion that critically injured a suburban Detroit man found multiple bombs, weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition inside the man’s home. Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer says the 38-year-old man lost both his arms in Saturday afternoon’s explosion and was in a coma at a hospital. Dwyer said Sunday that investigators believe the man was working on a explosive device when it exploded. First responders reported the explosion took place in the home’s garage, and a fire then spread into the two-story house. Dwyer says the man is being investigated for manufacturing illegal weapons inside of his home.
AP-AUTOMAKERS-EV-CREDIT-CONGRESS
Automakers ask Congress to lift electric vehicle tax cap
NEW YORK (AP) — Major automakers are asking Congress to lift the cap on how many people can receive tax credits for buying a hybrid or fully electric vehicle. Currently the number of tax credits allowed is capped at 200,000 per company. General Motors and Tesla have already reached the cap and Toyota is close to it. In a letter to leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives on Monday, the chief executives of Ford, Toyota, GM and Stellantis asked that tax credits be extended to anyone who seeks to buy a qualified vehicle. General Motors and Tesla have already reached the cap and Toyota is close to it. Automakers say they want the cap lifted until “the EV market is more mature,” without giving a time frame.
POLICE SHOOTING-MICHIGAN
Prosecutor who charged Michigan cop praised by his critics
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan prosecutor who charged a police officer with murder in the shooting of Patrick Lyoya is being praised by some of his early critics. Black activists in April wanted Chris Becker to give the investigation to the Michigan attorney general, saying the Kent County prosecutor was too close to police. Becker didn’t give up the investigation. He charged Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr with second-degree murder. Cle Jackson of the Greater Grand Rapids NAACP says he’s “absolutely shocked” by the decision. Jackson says he’s thankful. In some states, attorneys general have stepped in to handle police shootings instead of a local prosecutor. Meanwhile, Schurr appeared in court Friday and was released from jail on $100,000 bond. A not-guilty plea was entered.
GIRL SLAIN-STRAY BULLET
Man charged after stray bullet kills Detroit girl, 11
DETROIT (AP) — A 21-year-old man has been charged in the slaying of an 11-year-old girl who was struck by a stray bullet that went through the bedroom wall of her eastside Detroit home. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office says Friday that William Dickerson was arraigned on second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, discharging a weapon at a building causing death and other charges. Saniyah Pugh was pronounced dead after being shot in the back about 10 p.m. Saturday. Police said the slug that struck Saniyah was one of multiple shots fired from a gun by two people in a nearby backyard. A 17-year-old male also has been arrested in the shooting.
ART MUSEUM EXPANSION-WOMEN
Groundbreaking event planned for Muskegon museum expansion
MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A groundbreaking ceremony will be held for The Muskegon Museum of Art’s $11.2 million expansion project. The museum in western Michigan says the event is scheduled Saturday. The expansion is expected to be completed in 2024 and will include galleries, classrooms, a rooftop terrace and a public plaza. The expansion also will feature space for the works of women artists. Collectors Steven Alan Bennett and Elaine Melotti Schmidt have donated $1.5 million toward the expansion and more than 150 works of art created by women to the museum. The Van Kampen Boyer Molinari Foundation and city of Muskegon also donated $1 million each to the expansion. The museum opened in 1912 and has more than 5,000 pieces in its collection.
ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR
James Craig to run as write-in for Michigan GOP primary
DETROIT (AP) — Former Detroit police Chief James Craig says he’ll run as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary for governor. Fraudulent signatures on petitions tripped him up, leaving him short of the minimum to get on the Aug. 2 ballot. Craig says he’s “not going to roll over.” Craig was considered a GOP front-runner with wide name recognition in southeastern Michigan. But that was before he and four other Republicans were scratched from the ballot because of phony signatures turned in by paid circulators. Wealthy business consultant Perry Johnson is asking a federal judge to revive his campaign, though his lawsuit is a long shot.
The Associated Press
