ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR

Ex-Detroit police chief enters governor race amid protest

DETROIT (AP) — Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig has formally announced his campaign for governor but not before protesters derailed his kickoff event at a state park and forced him to move. He is among 10 Republicans, all political newcomers, looking to unseat Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022. Craig was to speak to the media on Belle Isle in the middle of the Detroit River in his hometown, but he abandoned that plan when he was shouted down by a couple-dozen people critical of his role as chief. He made the announcement a short time later at a nearby office complex.

LAWMAKER CHARGED

Judge revokes bond of state lawmaker in drunken driving case

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Rep. Jewell Jones was taken into custody after a judge revoked his bond in a drunken driving case. Prosecutors accused the Inkster Democrat of violating bond conditions by tampering with an alcohol monitor on his ankle. The 26-year-old Jones has been in and out of Livingston County court since April when he was charged with drunken driving and other offenses. In court Tuesday, Jones took responsibility for testing positive for alcohol on Sept. 3 and tampering with the monitor on Labor Day. Judge Michael Hatty set another hearing for Friday.

GAS LEAK

Ford sending $500 checks to evacuated Flat Rock households

FLAT ROCK, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. says it will send $500 checks to every household that was evacuated from a southeastern Michigan city because of a gasoline leak from the automaker’s plant into the community’s sewer system. The Detroit News reports the checks would total $600,000 for 1,200 displaced households. The leak from the Ford assembly plant in Flat Rock was first detected on Aug. 30 and appeared to have started no earlier than Aug. 26. That's what Bob Holycross, Ford’s vice president of sustainability, environment and safety engineering, said at a news conference Tuesday. ,He says Ford believes the 1,400 gallons of gasoline leaked during that tim

DETROIT COUNCIL-INVESTIGATION

FBI got towing records, other docs in Detroit City Hall raid

DETROIT (AP) — Federal investigators who searched Detroit City Hall last month hauled away electronics, payroll documents and records related to vehicle towing. The Detroit News says the items were listed on a search warrant inventory obtained through a public records request. The search was focused on an office belonging to council member Scott Benson. Agents searched City Hall on Aug. 25 as well as the homes of Benson and council member Janeé Ayers. Benson’s attorney, Steve Fishman, says he’s done nothing wrong. Ayers hasn’t commented. The city council is considering changes to how the city hires towing companies by turning to competitive bids.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RESCUE FUNDING

Whitmer: Use $1.4B to expand health access, build facilities

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed spending $1.4 billion in federal pandemic funding to expand health care and infrastructure, including to bolster access to mental health services, replace state psychiatric hospitals and build a new public health lab. The proposal, if approved by the Republican-led Legislature, would account for more than a fifth of Michigan’s $6.5 billion in discretionary rescue funding approved by Congress and President Joe Biden. Whitmer wants $335 million in grants to improve access to treatments for autism, behavioral health and substance abuse.

PIZZA OWNER-FRAUD

Pizza entrepreneur gets prison for fraud in loan program

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area pizza entrepreneur has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. Mike Bischoff admits committing fraud while seeking more than $900,000 in government-backed loans during the coronavirus pandemic. Bischoff is the co-founder of Passport Pizza. Bischoff was accused of receiving $594,000 from lenders after giving false information about his payroll and the number of employees. Defense attorney James Thomas acknowledged that Bischoff “cheated” during a stressful period for his business and in his personal life. He says the money has been repaid.

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL LEAK-HIGHWAY

Highway in Indiana, Michigan reopens after chemical spill

FREMONT, Ind. (AP) — A highway in northeastern Indiana and southern Michigan has reopened after a chemical leak forced its closure. Steuben County Emergency Management rector Randy Brown tells WANE-TV that a tanker truck leaked about 6,000 gallons (22,712 liters) of liquid nitric acid after a valve broke at a truck stop in Fremont, Indiana. Interstate 69 in both states was shut down about 10 a.m. Tuesday and reopened Tuesday afternoon. Brown said the chemical poured into a ditch along the highway. Lime was being applied to the liquid in the ditch. Some nearby side roads also were closed.

GARDEN POACHER

Cuke caper: Veggies poached from senior community garden

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Be on the lookout for the produce poachers. Hundreds of pounds of vegetables were stolen from a community garden in suburban Detroit. The garden is outside the senior center in Macomb County’s Clinton Township. Assistant director Debbie Travis says video shows someone riding up on a bicycle at night, followed by many flashlights. Gardeners were puzzled when they returned to check the plants after the Labor Day weekend. Tomatoes and cucumbers were gone. More than 1,000 pounds of vegetables were produced last year, with most of it going to food pantries. Travis says the garden is “like a senior playground.”

GENERAL MOTORS-DETROIT

GM to invest $50M in Detroit education, jobs, neighborhoods

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors plans to invest $50 million by 2025 to help improve access to education in Detroit, employment opportunities and city neighborhoods. The automaker said Tuesday that it is working with the city on the initiative and that the funding will go through Detroit-based nonprofits. Grants announced Tuesday include $1.25 million to connect residents to a comprehensive digital support system that includes internet connectivity and devices; $1 million to support employment, health and well-being resources; $1 million to address transportation barriers for workers; and $750,000 to provide critical literacy education for students at two high schools and to support adults at a family literacy center.

DAM COLLAPSE

Report: Loss of soil strength likely led to dam collapses

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — A sudden loss of soil strength under saturated conditions most likely caused dams to collapse last year and contributed to flooding that forced evacuations of about 10,000 people. That's according to an interim report commissioned by federal regulators and released Monday. A five-member independent forensic team said there's “strong evidence” the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams during steady rain in May 2020 came from static liquefaction,. The report says that's the “most plausible principal mechanism for the failure.” The 42-page interim report says the team has “essentially completed” investigation into the physical mechanism of the failure, but “evaluation of human factors is still in progress.” A final report is pending.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021