Breaking news, sports, business and entertainment from Michigan at 5:20 p.m. EDT

content of the article

AP US OIL Spill SHIPPING

Coast Guard: Oil spill shuts down shipping on St. Mary’s River

SAULT STE. Marie, Ontario. (AP) – The US Coast Guard says an oil spill has halted shipping on the St. Mary’s River between Ontario and Michigan’s upper peninsula. The Coast Guard said Thursday the 5,300-gallon spill came from Algoma Steel in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario. The Coast Guard is asking all traffic to stay away from the affected area. The river is said to be closed to navigation until further notice. The 75-mile river connects Lakes Superior and Huron and serves as part of the Michigan-Ontario border. Algoma spokeswoman Brenda Stenta said in a statement that “the source of the spill has been safely contained.”

content of the article

POLICE SHOOTING – MICHIGAN

Michigan officer charged with murder in Lyoya shooting

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan police officer who killed Patrick Lyoya with a shot in the back of the black man’s head has been charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutor Chris Becker announced the charges against Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr on Thursday, weeks after Lyoya was killed following a chaotic traffic stop April 4. Lyoya, 26, was on the ground when he was killed. A passer-by recorded the shooting on cellphone video. Schurr, who is white, told Lyoya that he stopped his car because the license plate didn’t match the vehicle. About a minute after the stop, Lyoya started running after being asked to produce a driver’s license.

content of the article

AP-US-APPLICANT-ARRESTED-MICHIGAN

Michigan GOP hopefuls charged in Jan. 6 riot, roiled primaries

DETROIT (AP) — A Republican nominee for Michigan governor has been charged with misdemeanor charges over his role in the post-election riots in the U.S. Capitol in 2021, further complicating an already chaotic GOP primary. Ryan Kelley is a passionate defender of former President Donald Trump, who has led protests against the pandemic restrictions imposed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The 40-year-old was arrested and charged Thursday and released without posting bail after a brief hearing in federal court in Grand Rapids. The GOP field for governor originally had 10 candidates looking to challenge Whitmer in the battleground state this fall. Five of them, including two frontrunners, were removed from the first vote because of forged signatures submitted by paid petition circulators.

content of the article

POLICE KILLINGS LOOK

A look at high-profile US police killings

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan police officer has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head as the black man was on the ground. Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr was charged Thursday, weeks after Lyoya, 26, was killed following a chaotic traffic stop on April 4. A bystander recorded the shooting on cellphone video. Schurr, who is white, told Lyoya that he stopped his car because the license plate didn’t match the vehicle. About a minute after the stop, Lyoya started running after being asked to produce a driver’s license. Officers are rarely charged with crimes involving the death of civilians, and it is even rarer for them to be convicted.

content of the article

TORNADO MICHIGAN STATEMENT WANTED

Whitmer asks Biden to declare a major disaster in Gaylord

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked President Joe Biden to declare a major disaster in Otsego County, where an EF-3 tornado struck Gaylord on May 20. The storm, with winds reaching 140 miles per hour, killed two people and injured 44 others. It destroyed homes and businesses and caused millions of dollars in property damage. Whitmer said in a press release Wednesday that her government is doing everything in its power “to secure all available assistance to the people of Gaylord as quickly as possible.” A disaster declaration would provide a wide range of federal assistance through the Federal Agency for Disaster Management.

content of the article

AP-US-GYM-DOCTOR-SEXUAL-ABUSE

Simone Biles, other women are demanding more than $1 billion from the FBI instead of Nassar

DETROIT (AP) – Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and dozens of other women who say they were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar are demanding more than $1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor. There is no dispute that FBI agents knew in 2015 that Nassar was accused of assaulting Turner. But the agents did nothing, leaving Nassar free to attack young women and girls for more than a year. Individual lawsuits could follow the tort lawsuits filed Wednesday. Applicants include Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, all Olympic gold medalists. An email was sent to the FBI requesting comment. In a speech before Congress last year, FBI Director Christopher Wray acknowledged major mistakes.

content of the article

GAS PRICES SHERIFF

Gas prices are forcing the sheriff to put the brakes on his deputies

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) – High gas prices are slowing down sheriff’s deputies in a central Michigan county. The Isabella County Sheriff said some calls are handled over the phone instead of sending a deputy. Michael Main says these would include calls that aren’t life-threatening or don’t require evidence gathering. Main says his office “feels the pain at the pump.” According to AAA Michigan, the average gas price in Michigan is more than $5 a gallon.

BC US WELL WATER CONCERNS

Climate-related flooding poses risks for well water contamination

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Experts say more intense storms caused by climate change are increasing the risk of contamination for privately owned drinking water wells. While estimates vary, studies say around 53 million US citizens depend on private wells that draw groundwater. Flood water picks up bacteria and other contaminants that can enter wells and cause disease. Tests have identified elevated E. coli levels in some wells following Hurricane Harvey and other major storms. Ordinary rain can also pose a threat. Private wells are largely unregulated and many owners do not test their water regularly. Scientists say regular sampling and simple maintenance can help protect those who drink well water.

content of the article

ELECTION 2022 GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN

Michigan court blocks another GOP candidate from voting

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – The Michigan Supreme Court has denied the appeal of another Republican gubernatorial candidate whose campaign petitions were riddled with fraudulent signatures. The court declined to intervene in a Board of State recruiters decision to bar Donna Brandenburg from the August 2 Republican primary. Brandenburg, a western Michigan entrepreneur, was one of five GOP candidates eliminated from voting. The state elections office told the board that they did not have at least 15,000 valid signatures because paid circulators had submitted thousands of false signatures. There is no evidence that the contestants were aware of the rogue work.

content of the article

AP-US-UNITED STATES-RUSSIA-GRINER-WHELAN

Griner’s fate intertwined with other Americans being held in Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — WNBA star Brittney Griner is by far the most prominent American to have been jailed by a foreign country. But the Phoenix Mercury player’s case is intertwined with that of another prisoner few Americans have heard of. Paul Whelan has also been held in Russia since his arrest in December 2018 on espionage charges that he and the US government believe are false. Whelan was excluded from a prisoner exchange in April that brought home another prisoner, Marine veteran Trevor Reed. This resolution escalates pressure on the Biden administration to avoid a repeated scenario of another one-for-one swap that doesn’t involve Whelan, a Michigan security expert.