CORPSE FOUND-BOYFRIEND CHARGED

Prosecutors: Suspect lived with dead girlfriend for months

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A 37-year-old suburban Detroit man who prosecutors say lived with his girlfriend's corpse for more than seven months has been charged in her slaying. The Macomb County prosecutor's office said in a news release Thursday that Matthew Lewinski has been jailed on charges including first-degree murder, and disinterment and mutilation of a body. The woman’s body was discovered in the Clinton Township home last week. Prosecutors said she was killed there in December and that her body had been moved to the basement. They say large portions of flesh appeared to have been removed from her back, but did not elaborate nor describe how she died. Lewinski was arraigned Friday.

MIGRANTS-HOUSING

Planning commission in mid-Michigan rejects housing migrants

ALMA, Mich. (AP) — The planning commission in a central Michigan community is opposed to a zoning change that would turn a former nursing home into temporary housing for boys who cross the U.S. border. Planning commissioners in Alma recommended Wednesday that the request be denied. The Alma City Commission will make the final decision. Bethany Christian Services wants to lease Warwick Living Center to provide temporary housing for boys who crossed the southern U.S. border without parents or guardians. The proposal has caused tension in Alma. Hundreds of people attended a public hearing.

EVICTION MORATORIUM-TENNESSEE

Tennessee says court ruling prohibits new eviction pause

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s court system won’t follow a new COVID-19 pandemic eviction moratorium by President Joe Biden’s administration because of the federal appeals court for its region. Attorneys helping tenants say the legal interpretation leaves those now facing eviction with limited options. The attorneys said they are trying to negotiate with landlords to accept federal pandemic housing aid applied for by tenants, or get landlords to cut ties with tenants who agree to move out sooner than required. Either aims to avoid an eviction mark on their record that could inhibit their ability to get a new place to live in the future. The state is citing a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling from last month.

TRANSGENDER-INTIMIDATION

Court extends intimidation crime to transgender victims

DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan law that prohibits intimidation based on gender covers people who are transgender. That's the opinion of the state Court of Appeals. The court ruled in the case of a transgender woman who was shot after being confronted by a man at a Detroit gas station. Michigan’s ethnic intimidation law makes it a crime to maliciously harass another person because of race, color, religion, gender or national origin. The court reinstated an ethnic intimidation charge against Deonton Rogers. Prosecutor Kym Worthy says it's a "huge win for the protection of the transgender community."

HYSTERECTOMIES-SETTLEMENT

Ascension Michigan to pay $2.8M to feds over hysterectomies

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan health care provider has agreed to pay $2.8 million to the federal government to settle allegations that a doctor performed unnecessary hysterectomies and other services. The deal settles claims of false billings made by Ascension Michigan to Medicare, Medicaid and another federal insurance program. The doctor’s name wasn’t disclosed. Over a six-year period, the government says radical hysterectomies were performed on women when only a simple hysterectomy was necessary. A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus. Three people who blew the whistle on Ascension Michigan will share $532,000.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

Michigan vaccinations rise again; masks in school urged

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s weekly number of people getting an initial COVID-19 shot has risen for the third straight week after having consistently dropped for two months. The increase coincided with the spread of the delta variant — the most contagious coronavirus mutant yet — and a $5 million state sweepstakes designed to incentivize vaccinations. There were about 41,000 first-dose immunizations last week, the most since the week of June 13-19. The state health department on Wednesday advised schools to require masks but stopped short of mandating it. The guidance aligns with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MICHIGAN FLOODING

Federal agency OKs $29M for flood-hit Detroit residents

DETROIT (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has so far approved about $29 million in grants for Detroit residents whose homes and property were damaged by heavy flooding during a late June storm. Mayor Mike Duggan says FEMA teams were in Detroit neighborhoods Wednesday speaking with residents and business owners about how to file claims. The storm dumped more than 6 inches of rain on Detroit and three suburban communities June 25-26, leaving thousands of basements and dozens of streets flooded. In mid-July, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that made federal grants and low-cost loans available to residents and business owners.

PASSENGER KILLED-ROCK

3 in fatal Michigan rock-throwing case get probation

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Three young Michigan men have been placed on probation for a rock-throwing incident that killed a motorist on Interstate 75. The three already had spent more than three years in custody while their case was stuck in court. Ken White was struck in 2017 by a rock thrown from an overpass in Genesee County, near Flint. White was a passenger in a van. Mark Sekelsky, Trevor Gray and Mikadyn Payne were teens when the incident happened, and their case lasted years because of a dispute over whether they would be treated as juveniles or adults. The person accused of actually throwing the rock pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2019 and was sentenced to 39 months in prison.

CAPITOL BREACH-SENTENCINGS

Judge rebukes Jan. 6 defendant, sentences him to time served

A Michigan man who called Jan. 6 the “best day ever” is being released from jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge in the riot at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson told Karl Dresch he was an “enthusiastic participant” in an effort to subvert the will of the voters. Dresch is being released from jail since he has already served the six-month maximum sentence for the misdemeanor offense. Later Wednesday, two other Jan. 6 defendants were also sentenced, and avoided jail time. Jessica Bustle was ordered to serve two months in home confinement and her husband Joshua Bustle received one month home confinement.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TOLBERT

Former basketball star Tony Tolbert dies, had COVID-19

DETROIT (AP) — Tony Tolbert, a former Michigan high school basketball star who played at two Michigan universities, has died at age 50. Friends and family say Tolbert was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 after not getting the vaccination. He died Monday. Tolbert played basketball at Michigan after an extraordinary career at St. Martin DePorres High School. He transferred to Detroit Mercy and played two seasons there, leading the Titans in scoring both times. Despite playing only two seasons, Tolbert was 16th on Detroit Mercy’s all-time scoring list when he finished his college career.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021