TORNADO-MICHIGAN

2 dead; northern Michigan town cleans up from rare tornado

Two people are dead and dozens more injured after a rare tornado hit a small northern Michigan community. Authorities say the two people in their 70s lived at a mobile home park in Gaylord that was among the first sites hit by the tornado, which was rated an EF3 by the National Weather Service on a scale of 0-5. More than 40 people were injured. Gaylord is roughly 230 miles northwest of Detroit. The Otsego County fire chief says there's “probably 95% destruction” at the park, with mobile homes “picked up and turned over.” Experts say extreme spring winds are uncommon in the area because the Great Lakes typically suck energy out of storms.

MICHIGAN BUDGET

Michigan tax revenue estimates revised upward by $5B

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s short-term budget outlook is even rosier, after economists revised projected tax revenues upward by a combined $5 billion over two years. The new estimates released Friday will be used by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican-led Legislature to finalize the next state spending plan. Both sides want to cut taxes but differ over how to do it. Revenues in the school aid and general funds for the current fiscal year are $3 billion higher than was forecast in January. For the 2022-23 budget year, they are up $2 billion from the estimate four months ago.

ABORTION-MICHIGAN

Court seeks more from Whitmer about abortion ban challenge

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court says it wants more information from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer about her request to erase a state abortion ban from decades ago. The court wants five points addressed, including whether it really needs to immediately get involved. A judge at the Court of Claims this week froze the dormant law with an injunction. The U.S. Supreme Court could be on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. If that happens, abortion would be an issue for states. Whitmer wants the Michigan Supreme Court to declare that a 1931 ban on abortion is illegal under the state constitution. What’s unusual is she wants the court to reach over lower courts and settle it quickly.

ELECTION 2022-CONGRESS-REDISTRICTING-WOMEN

New maps create challenge for women seeking reelection

CHICAGO (AP) — For some female incumbents running for reelection in Congress this year, holding their seats comes with a new challenge. Because of redistricting, some of those congressional districts will be tougher to win. It’s too early to know how many female representatives were hurt by the once-a-decade process because maps haven’t been finalized in several states. But in states with new district boundaries set, the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University found more than a dozen women who are running in significantly tougher territory. This comes as female representatives make up about 28% of the 435 House members.

GRADUATION SHOOTING

2 arrested in nonfatal shootings outside Michigan graduation

KENTWOOD, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say detectives arrested two 18-year-olds in the shooting of two people outside of a high school graduation ceremony near Grand Rapids this week. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says its detectives, with the help of the Michigan State Police and Livonia police, made a traffic stop in the Detroit suburb of Livonia on Friday and arrested the two men. It says they also detained a third person who might have been involved in Thursday’s shooting in Kentwood, and other suspects remain at large. Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said earlier Friday that a 16-year-old boy who was shot in the wrist was released from a hospital and a 40-year-old woman who was shot in the abdomen was in stable condition.

AP-US-TORNADO-MICHIGAN

Rare northern Michigan tornado kills 1, injures more than 40

GAYLORD, Mich. (AP) — A rare northern Michigan tornado that hammered a small town has killed at least one person and injured more than 40. Munson Healthcare spokesman Brian Lawson said Friday that he had no details about the person who was killed or the conditions of those who were hurt by the tornado that rushed through Gaylord, a city of about 4,200, at about 3:45 p.m. Mike Klepadlo, who owns a car repair shop in Gaylord, says he and his workers took cover in a bathroom, and that he feels lucky to be alive because it blew the back off the building. A National Weather Service forecaster said extreme winds are uncommon in that part of Michigan because the Great Lakes suck energy out of storms, especially in spring when the lakes are very cold.

SERIAL KILLER-PAROLE DENIED

Parole denied for Michigan man who killed 4 women in 1970s

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Corrections has denied parole for a convicted serial killer who confessed to killing four women in the Lansing area in the 1970s. The Eaton County prosecutor's office said Friday that 67-year-old Don Miller will next be eligible for parole Aug. 29, 2027. Miller was allowed to plead guilty to just two counts of manslaughter because he led authorities to some of the bodies. He also was convicted of raping and strangling a 14-year-old girl and strangling and stabbing her 13-year-old brother. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this year signed new laws allowing the parole board to review killers and other violent offenders every five years instead of every one or two.

BRIDGE CLOSED-JULY 4

Bay City's Liberty Bridge not expected to open by July 4

BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan bridge is not expected to open in time for a popular fireworks display due to problems found by crews repairing the span. WNEM-TV reports Thursday that the Liberty Bridge in Bay City currently is closed to all traffic. Bay City Bridge Partners General Manager Lynn Pavlawk says the goal was to have work completed by July 4 celebrations in the city. The television station reports that the fireworks festival attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. Potholes and areas of deterioration forced the bridge’s closure. Work on the entire bridge isn’t expected to be completed until the end of this year or the beginning of 2023.

TAX CUT

Legislature again OKs tax cuts; Whitmer floats $500 rebate

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Both Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican-led Legislature are proposing new plans to cut taxes but remain at odds over the scope and immediacy of any relief. The Democratic governor called for a one-time $500 rebate for “working families,” adding to her earlier proposals to gradually repeal a tax on retirement income and fully restore a credit for lower-wage earners. Republican lawmakers quickly passed sweeping legislation Thursday that would permanently reduce the state income tax and include other tax cuts. Whitmer is likely to veto it, contending it is fiscally irresponsible.

CRIME VICTIMS

Michigan expands state's victims fund, increases payouts

LANSING, Mich (AP) — Changes to Michigan's crime victim compensation fund to help more applicants get access to funds to pay for medical bills and funeral costs after a crime have been signed into law by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Under the law signed Thursday by the Democratic governor, the maximum claimants can get from the fund after a crime increased from $25,000 to $45,000. Reimbursements for funeral expenses increased from $5,000 to $8,000. The Alliance for Safety and Justice says Michigan ranks worst in application rates from crime victims and their survivors applying for state crime victim compensation funds, in large part due to barriers for eligibility in the state law. The changes go into effect in August, 2024.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022