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GYM DOCTOR SEXUAL ABUSE

Larry Nassar loses final appeal in sexual assault scandal

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has dismissed a final appeal by sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, including Olympic champions. The court declined to accept the case on Friday. Nassar says he was wronged in 2018 and deserves a new hearing based on provocative comments from a judge who called him a “monster.” Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said Nassar would “wither” in prison like the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. She told Nassar that she signed his death warrant with a 40-year sentence. Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts, dancers and other athletes with his hands under the guise of medical treatment for hip and leg injuries.

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SHOOTING SCHOOL – MICHIGAN

Students sue for review, changes after Oxford High shooting

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A law firm says about 20 students at a Michigan high school where four students were killed in a mass shooting say their constitutional rights to safety and education have been violated. A federal lawsuit on Friday filed calls for changes to ensure safety at Oxford High School near Detroit. The lawsuit names the Oxford Community School District, its former superintendent and several other officials. It seeks independent review and policy changes, including increased transparency and communication from the district. The Associated Press emailed the district for comment. Ethan Crumbley has been charged with murder and terrorism in the November 30 shooting, which also injured six other students and a teacher.

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DEADLY FIRE CHARGES

Grand Rapids man convicted of fire deaths of wife and 3 sons

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – A Grand Rapids man blamed for a fire that killed his wife and three sons has been found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter. A Kent County jury deliberated for about an hour and a half on Friday before convicting 40-year-old Robert Scales. Prosecutors said he used a fire pit too close to his family’s home. Scales said the fire was out when he went to work, but investigators said they think the wind was picking up and possibly sending a burning ember to a mattress stacked next to the home. The February 4, 2020 fire killed 35-year-old Wanedia Scales and the couple’s three sons, 15-year-old Xavier Woleab, 14-year-old Robert Scales Jr. and 10-year-old Elijah Scales.

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POLICE SHOOTING-ALLEGAN COUNTY

Michigan congressman shoots motorist during traffic stop

WAYLAND, Mich. (AP) – State police say a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a motorist during a “physical altercation” after the deputy stopped a car in Allegan County, in western Michigan. The MP was conducting a traffic stop Thursday night when an altercation broke out between the officer and the man in Salem Township, northwest of Wayland. Michigan State Police said the deputy fired his gun at least once, killing the driver. State police identified the dead as 22-year-old Joseph Maverick Nagle of Comstock Park. Allegan County Sheriff Frank Baker told WOOD-TV the deputy involved sustained injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. Details about the shooting have not yet been released.

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MICHIGAN CASINO

Whitmer rejects proposed off-reservation casino project

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has turned down a proposal for a $180 million off-reservation casino in western Michigan that a tribe has been working toward for over a decade. Whitmer’s rejection of the proposal on Wednesday came after the US Department of the Interior denied her request to delay her deadline for deciding whether to proceed with the project. Whitmer wrote in a letter to US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland that the ministry put her in an “impossible position”. The Little River Band of the Ottawa Indians had hoped to build the casino on an 87-acre property near Muskegon that the tribe bought in 2008. Since the site is not on the tribe’s reservation, the casino required federal and state approval.

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FLINT RIVER OIL

State: Probable source of the Flint River spill caused by a chemical company

FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Authorities are focusing on a chemical company as the likely source of a spill that left a dark oily sheen for miles down the Flint River. State regulators say Lockhart Chemical in Flint is cooperating and removing material from underground storage areas. There was initially no comment from the company. Jill Greenberg of the state environmental agency says the leak started on Wednesday and continued through Thursday. Greenberg says, “We’re still in emergency mode.” The Genesee County Health Department urged people to avoid contact with the river. Flint’s drinking water is unaffected.

AP-US-VINCENT-CHIN-ASIAN-AMERICANS-VIOLENCE

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Detroit honors Vincent Chin, the Asian American who was killed in 1982

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit is helping honor Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American man who was beaten to death 40 years ago by two white men who never served time. The memorial service comes as hate crimes against Asian Americans in the United States increase. The Vincent Chin 40th Remembrance & Rededication begins Thursday and focuses on civil rights efforts that began with his death in 1982. Chin was celebrating his bachelorette party with friends at a strip club when a fight broke out with the two white auto workers. Federal authorities said auto workers blamed Chin for layoffs at Detroit auto plants over Japanese imports.

MICHIGAN BALLOT INITIATIVES

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Initiatives in Michigan that miss the deadline will turn to the Legislature

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The organizers behind two high-profile Michigan bills have missed a deadline to potentially appear on the November ballot and will instead seek to get the initiatives approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature. The organizers behind Let MI Kids Learn and Secure MI Vote will seek to use a provision in the Michigan Constitution to pass their proposed legislation. Michiganders for Fair Lending’s proposal to cap payday loan rates was the only one of 10 election committees trying to change the state law to allow signatures by June 1. If the signatures on the petition are verified by the Bureau of Elections, the proposed legislation would first be sent to the Legislature before a chance for it to appear before voters.

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AP MED BABY FORMULA FACTORY

Production at the devastated baby food factory was shut down in the storm

Severe weather has forced Abbott Nutrition to halt production at a Michigan infant formula plant that has just started up again. The company said late Wednesday that production for its EleCare specialty formula has halted, but that it has enough inventory to meet demand until more formulas can be manufactured. Abbott says it must assess the damage and rehabilitate the factory after severe thunderstorms and torrential rain swept through southwest Michigan on Monday night. The company did not say how much damage the factory sustained. Abbott had restarted the Sturgis, Michigan factory on June 4 after it had been closed since February due to contamination.

HEATWAVE MISSING MAN

Missing man found after running 19 miles in sweltering heat

NOVI, Mich. (AP) – Police say a 65-year-old man with a history of dementia walked about 19 miles in excruciating heat before he was found in suburban Detroit. Temperatures soared into the mid-90s on Wednesday. The Pontiac man was found in Novi around 6 a.m. Thursday. He was reported missing when he failed to show up for lunch on Wednesday. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the man appeared to be in good health despite the excruciating heat and long walk.