GENERAL MOTORS-BATTERY PLANT

GM venture picks Michigan for 3rd US-based EV battery plant

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors and a joint-venture partner plan to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Lansing, Michigan, their third such factory in the U.S. The companies' plans were revealed in documents posted on the city’s website Friday. They say the plant would cost up to $2.5 billion and employ as many as 1,700 workers. A joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution called Ultium Cells LLC would build the factory. GM has said it will build four North American plants to make EV battery cells. Locations in Tennessee and Ohio have already been announced.

WIFE POISONED

Man sentenced to life for killing wife with heroin in cereal

DAVISON, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man who was convicted of killing his wife by spiking her cereal with heroin was sentenced Friday to life in prison. Genesee Circuit Court Judge David J. Newblatt handed down the sentence for Jason Harris of Davison in the 2014 death of Christina Davis, MLive.com reported. A jury convicted Jason Harris in November of first-degree murder, solicitation of murder and delivery of a controlled substance causing death. A medical examiner had classified Christina Harris’ death in 2014 as an accidental overdose. But investigators subsequently alleged that it was a murder scheme hatched by Jason Harris at their Davison home in Genesee County.

ALL STATE-DIVISION 1-2

Belleville freshman QB Bryce Underwood named AP D1-2 POY

The 2021 Michigan Associated Press Division 1-2 All-State football team has been selected by a statewide panel of 12 sports writers in the state. Belleville freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is the player of the year. Antaiwn Mack of Ann Arbor Huron is the coach of the year.

FATAL SHOOTING-LANSING

Police: Lansing shooting leaves teen dead, 3 others hurt

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A 17-year-old girl has been found shot to death and three others hurt — including an infant — in Lansing. Lansing police say officers responding to a report of a shooting found at least three of the victims in a vehicle around 4:30 a.m. Friday. The 17-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. An 18-year-old woman and 10-week-old boy were taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition. A 16-year-old boy was hospitalized in serious condition. it was not immediately clear if the infant was found in the vehicle. Police said investigators were trying Friday to determine a motive and events that led up to the shootings. No arrests have been made.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

Michigan COVID surge trends in 'deeply concerning direction'

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s COVID-19 surge is trending in a “deeply concerning direction” ahead of the winter holidays and, unlike a year ago, is not subsiding following Thanksgiving. State health officials delivered that sobering message Friday while urging vaccines and booster shots. Infection rates and hospitalizations are at all-time highs 21 months into the pandemic. Vaccination rates lag the national average. Three in four patients hospitalized with the coronavirus are unvaccinated. State health director Elizabeth Hertel warns the omicron variant may be be more transmissible than the delta variant. Michigan is deploying additional ventilators to hospitals and seeking more from the national stockpile.

SCHOOL SHOOTING-MICHIGAN

School district faces two $100M suits after Oxford shootings

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Two lawsuits seeking $100 million each have been filed against a Michigan school district, its superintendent and others after four students were fatally shot and others wounded at Oxford High School. Attorney Geoffrey Fieger says the lawsuits were filed in Detroit federal court and a county court by Jeffrey and Brandi Franz on behalf of their daughters, Riley, a 17-year-old senior who is recovering after being shot in the neck Nov. 30, and her sister Bella, a ninth grader who was next to her. Named in the suits are the Oxford school district, Superintendent Tim Throne, Oxford High's principal and others. The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment from the district. Ethan Crumbley, 15, was arrested and is charged as an adult with murder, terrorism and other crimes.

MICHIGAN DIOCESE-TRANSGENDER BAPTISMS

Michigan diocese: Transgender must `repent' to be baptized

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — A Catholic diocese in Michigan is asking its pastors to deny baptism, confirmation and other sacraments to transgender and nonbinary people unless they have “repented,” a policy that’s possibly the most sweeping of its kind in the U.S. The guidance from the Diocese of Marquette also stipulates that transgender people may not receive Communion. The document lists several sacraments that LGBTQ people may not receive “unless the person has repented.” The Washington Post reports that the the diocese issued the policy in July but it only recently sparked a debate after a prominent priest and advocate for LGBTQ Catholics shared it on Twitter.

BUSINESS INCENTIVES

Michigan Senate OKs incentives after Ford expands in South

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Senate has quickly endorsed bills that would boost job-creation and expansion incentives offered to businesses, amid efforts to land unspecified major projects in the auto industry as it shifts to greener technology. The 27-10 votes Thursday came a day after the House approved identical legislation. Final action will not occur until next week due to legislative rules and because lawmakers are discussing how much funding to put into the newly proposed Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund. The measures could give legislators more involvement in deals.

ALL STATE-DIVISION 3-4

Detroit MLK QB Dante King named AP D3-4 Player of the Year

Dante King has been a highly regarded prospect since walking onto the Detroit Martin Luther King field. He just wasn’t always sure of himself. Moore said he was nervous as a freshman when the Crusaders lost in the state championship game. He had plenty of confidence leading Detroit MLK to the Division 3 state title this year. Moore is widely considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the country. He's also the Michigan Associated Press Division 3-4 Player of the Year.

DETROIT SYMPHONY-CEO

Erik Rönmark selected as Detroit Symphony CEO, president

DETROIT (AP) — Current Detroit Symphony Orchestra Vice President and General Manager Erik Rönmark has been selected as its new chief executive. The DSO says Wednesday that he will succeed Anne Parsons and also serve as the organization’s president. The orchestra says Rönmark led the search committee that brought new music director Jader Bignamini to the orchestra and also shepherded it through the COVID-19 pandemic with innovative musical selections and resourceful use of the orchestra’s streaming capabilities. Rönmark has been DSO general manager for the past eight years and its vice president for the past five years. Parsons will continue to serve as president and CEO until March 7, 2022. She will remain with the DSO through next November as president emeritus.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021