MISSING WOMAN-SEARCH

Skeletal remains in Battle Creek identified as missing woman

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) — Skeletal remains found in a wooded area in southern Michigan have been identified as belonging to a woman who went missing nearly two years ago. Authorities say Friday that medical records and evidence of old injuries and medical procedures were used to positively identify the victim as Amber Griffin. Battle Creek police said Thursday that the top part of her remains were found buried about 3 feet deep. Griffin of Bedford Township was last seen in June 2020. She was 27. Griffin’s boyfriend, Derek Horton, was arrested days after her disappearance. On the second day of his trial Wednesday, Horton accepted a tentative plea agreement to lead police to the location of Griffin’s remains.

VOTER SIGNATURES-RULES

Benson rejects GOP changes to signature-verification rules

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has rejected Republican-requested changes to rules that will guide election clerks on how to match the signatures of people applying for and submitting absentee ballots. Benson, a Democrat, accepted one recommended revision Friday but rejected eight, saying the regulations are “based on facts, data and longstanding nonpartisan standard election administration practices.” She says she'll remove language instructing election officials to presume a signature is genuine and valid. Benson began the rule-making process after a judge invalidated signature-verification standards she gave clerks before the 2020 election. The judge said should have gone through the rule-making process.

CONSTRUCTION SITE DEATH

Worker dies after trusses fall on him at construction site

ALLENDALE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A 56-year-old worker has died after a stack of wooden trusses fell on him at a home construction site in western Michigan. Ottawa County sheriff’s deputies say they believe the man was unloading the stack of trusses from a delivery truck when they fell on him about 1:25 p.m. Friday in Allendale Township west of Grand Rapids. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name hasn’t been released. Sheriff’s deputies alerted investigators with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They say an investigation into the accident is continuing.

WOLF HUNT

Johnson, Baldwin move to end wolf protections

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin's two U.S. senators are moving to end protections for gray wolves across most of the United States. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday that Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Tammy Baldwin introduced a bill earlier this week to remove protections for the wolf. Wyoming's two Republican U.S. senators, Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso, have joined them. The bill comes after a federal judge in California last month ordered protections be restored for wolves across most of the U.S. after the Trump administration removed them from the endangered species list. Re-listing wolves on the list effectively banned any wolf hunting or trapping seasons and prohibited farmers and ranchers from killing wolves preying on livestock.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

Report: COVID deaths dropped among Black Michigan residents

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The final report from a Michigan coronavirus task force examining racial disparities finds that the disproportional impact the pandemic has had on people of color has improved. Early in the pandemic the rate of COVID-19 cases in Black residents was more than three times higher than in white residents and the rate of related deaths was more than four times higher in Black residents than for their white counterparts. The numbers have improved since then and the task force's report outlines what it believes worked and what it recommends for the future.

MICHIGAN ELECTIONS-AUDIT

Audit: Election bureau does sufficient job, training lags

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — State auditors say Michigan’s elections bureau does a sufficient job overall in maintaining the integrity of the voter database, conducting post-election audits and training local clerks — with some exceptions. Their report Friday covers 2019 and 2020 elections, including the race former President Donald Trump has falsely claimed was fraudulent. It found 99.99% of votes weren't duplicates and were cast by age-eligible voters. A miniscule number of people voted absentee and died before or on Election Day. The auditor general reported one more serious finding — the state didn't ensure county clerks received post-election audit training and were appropriately certified.

BC-US-OPIOID-CRISIS-PURDUE-BANKRUPTCY-VICTIMS

For families, $6B deal with OxyContin maker is just a start

Some relatives of those who died in the opioid crisis will receive payments from a settlement with the maker of OxyContin that aren't even enough to reimburse for the cost of a funeral. Many more who have not filed claims already will be shut out altogether. But making sure the family behind Purdue Pharma paid a price was never just about money. What many wanted was a chance to confront the Sackler family face to face. Some may get that chance via videoconference under the tentative settlement announced Thursday. But they acknowledge nothing will bring back the lives lost or hold the Sacklers fully accountable in their eyes.

PONIES STARVE-DEAD OWNER

Dozen ponies, dog found dead near Flint after owner's death

GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A dozen mini ponies have been found dead of starvation after their owner died earlier this year outside her Flint-area home. WNEM-TV reported Tuesday that Gilda Mizell’s body was found in January in her vehicle in her Gaines Township driveway. The dead ponies were inside barns on the property, about 72 miles northwest of Detroit. A dog was found dead inside the home. State police located two other dogs and a horse still alive. The 64-year-old Mizell is believed to have died of natural causes. It was not clear how long she was dead before her body was found. State police Lt. Kim Vetter says Mizell was the only caregiver for the animals.

FILTERS-LEAD IN WATER

EPA confirms filters reduce lead in Michigan city's water

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A study by the Environmental Protection Agency says the filters distributed in Benton Harbor, Michigan during the city's recent lead water crisis worked properly. State officials say the study was conducted “out of an abundance of caution” and to give residents assurance. It came after residents and activists criticized the state's response and called for more aggressive action. Many residents relied on bottled water for basic tasks like drinking and cooking in the meantime. Officials say lead service lines will be rapidly replaced and residents will continue to receive free bottled water.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-AUTO-PLANTS

Masks optional at auto plants not in high virus risk areas

DETROIT (AP) — Face masks will be optional for U.S. union auto workers, as long as their factories are in counties that are not at high risk for the novel coronavirus. A task force of officials from Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and the United Auto Workers union decided to drop a mask requirement at a meeting on Thursday. The union says in a statement that the group decided to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in making masks optional, regardless of vaccination status. Automakers will tell workers when the changes are effective at their plants. More than 150,000 workers represented by the UAW began wearing masks at work in May of 2020, when factories reopened after an eight-week shutdown at the start of the pandemic.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022