Thursday News Summary 03-09-23
Thu, 09 Mar 2023 12:26:11 EST


(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)


ELLIOTT LARSEN EXPANSION
The Michigan House has followed the Senate... and has passed an amendment to the
Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to expand legal protections for LGBTQ+ Michigan
residents. Eight Republicans joined all Democrats in the measure. It is on its way to the
Governor. In a statement, Governor Whitmer says -quote- "Ive been calling for changes
to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to strengthen legal protections for our LGBTQ+
community for years, and I am proud that we are finally getting it done." The law offers
legal protections in employment, housing and other areas.

1931 ABORTION LAW
The Michigan Senate has voted to repeal the state's 1931 abortion ban. It was a party
line vote with all Democrats voting yes, and all Republicans voting no. The House
approved the legislation last week. The bills are now headed to Governor Whitmer for
her signature.

NESSEL ROBOCALLS
A company that sent out more than 42-million robocalls in Michigan in one year has
been ordered to shutdown. The Attorney General's office says John Spiller the second
and Jakob Mears, who own Rising Eagle Capital Group in Texas, placed millions of
calls to people on the Do Not Call Registry in 2019. In addition, Attorneys General in
Michigan and seven other states are working together to shutdown a Florida-based
company that had been making illegal robocalls targeting people who never asked to
be contacted.

LIZ CHENEY
Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney is coming to Michigan this spring. Cheney will
speak at the Mackinac Policy Conference in late May. She'll use her experience from
Washington D.C. to talk about the importance of civility for the future of democracy, and
individual freedom and collective action.

HARSENS ISLAND FIRE
It's being called devastating and tragic. Fire has destroyed six historic homes on
Harsens Island in northern Lake St. Clair. The homes were in the Old Club area of the
island along South Channel Drive. No injuries were reported.

TUNNEL OF TREES
Up north -- Work will soon begin to preserve one of the state's most beautiful natural
wonders. MDOT is investing nearly 2 MILLION dollars to prevent erosion around the
roadway through the Tunnel of Trees near Harbor Springs. The project will require lane
and shoulder closures -- but work will be wrapped up by late May... just in time for up
north travelers this summer.

GUN LEGISLATION
The Michigan House approving bills late Wednesday that will require a criminal
background check and registration for any firearm purchase -- not just handguns --
expanding the requirements to also include rifles and shotguns.
The Democratic-led House passing the bill 56-53 along party lines.
Two other policies -- red flag legislation and a safe store requirement for firearms in
homes -- will continue being discussed in committee as lawmakers consider changes to
the bills.

RIGHT TO WORK
The Michigan House of Representatives voting along party lines tonight to repeal
Michigan's Right to Work law.
There was testimony that the prevailing wage would ultimately save the state money...
Americans for Prosperity-Michigan Director Annie Patnaude says quoteThe majority in Lansing has made it clear that worker freedom plays second fiddle to
rewarding special interests." She says instead of respecting workers right to choose
union membership, lawmakers would rather strong arm private sector workers.

FENTANYL BUST-SW MI
A big drug bust in southwest Michigan this week.
State Police say a California man was stopped on I-94 west of Paw Paw for improper
lane use. The trooper, after asking for permission to search the car, found FOUR
KILOS of fentanyl in a duffel bag. Troopers then learned of TWO MORE KILOS
elsewhere in Michigan. When they went to get it, they seized 30-THOUSAND
DOLLARS in cash. Investigators say its the largest single fentanyl seizure from a traffic
stop ever recorded in Michigan. The drugs COULD have created THREE MILLION
fentanyl-laced pills .. with a street value of some $9 million dollars.

STOLEN MAIL-STOLEN JEEP-W MI
A stolen Jeep in west Michigan led to a police chase and the discovery of stolen mail.
Kent County deputies chased a stolen Jeep along US-131 south of Grand Rapids early
Wednesday and through down spike strips , but the Jeep kept on for a few miles before
it stopped. Deputies found about 100 pieces of stolen mail in the Jeep....including
checks and credit cards.
A man and a woman have been arrested on auto theft, fleeing and alluding and
possession of burglary tools. They could also face federal charges for stealing mail.

DPS JOB CUTS-DETROIT
Job cuts could soon be on the way at Detroit Public Schools. School deans, assistant
principals, and central office staff could all be let go... as the district figures out how to
balance its budget when federal COVID-19 relief money is all used up.
According to Chalkbeat -- Superintendent Nikolai Vitti (vee-dee) outlined the potential
cuts during a school board finance committee meeting last week.
As many as 100 staff members have been told their jobs could be cut by the end of the
school year.

WINTER WX ADVISORY-SE MI
Michigan is about to get hit with another round of bad weather. The National Weather
Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for southeast Michigan that will remain
in effect until 2:00 tomorrow (Fri) afternoon.
Accuweather is predicting total snow accumulations between 4 and 8 inches, between
late tonight and tomorrow.

FATAL CRASH-N MI
In northern Michigan, one person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash Wednesday
afternoon in Green Lake Township. 9 and 10 News reports a pickup truck ran a stop
sign and hit and SUV. The driver of the pickup was killed, while the SUV driver was
seriously injured. A second SUV was involved in the crash, but state police say that
driver has minor injuries. All Three were taken to Munson Medical Center in Traverse
City....where the truck driver was pronounced dead.

TIK TOK
The state of Michigan has blocked Tik Tok from state owned device. Michigan's acting
chief security officer, Jayson Cavendish, tells M-Live the change went into effect March
1st after being in monitored mode for a couple of years. A Yahoo Finance count says at
least half of the states in the U.S. have blocked the Chinese owned social video app
over worries that China could access sensitive data and information.
The state has made an exception...Governor Gretchen Whitmer still has a TikTok
account, but Cavendish says her account is accessed on a secure device that has not
been on the state's network and is not connected to the state's wireless network.

DAD SENTENCED IN SON'S DEATH- W MI
A west Michigan will spend at least 30 months in prison after his 17-month-old son died
after taking anti-depressant drugs that had been left out in their Kentwood mobile
home. M-Live reports Kyle Wood pleaded guilty to second degree child abuse in the
death of Kaiden Wood last summer in a plea agreement. A charge of involuntary
manslaughter was dismissed.
Wood told police that he was sleeping on the couch, going through drug withdrawal,
when the child's mother woke him up because Kaiden was not responding. Wood
apologised to the judge and his family in court.

SLEEP
We're going to lose an hour of sleep this weekend as we Spring Forward for Daylight
Saving Time on Sunday. Priority Health medical director , Dr. Charletta (Sahr-let-uh)
Dennis says lack of sleep can cause problems for kids and adults . She says poor
sleep can contribute to high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease, anxiety and
depression.


   

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