BIRD FLU-MICHIGAN

Michigan agency: Branch Co the latest where bird flu found

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Bird flu has been confirmed in a backyard poultry flock in south central Michigan’s Branch County. The state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said Saturday that the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory detected the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a non-commercial flock. The agency says the infected flock contained about 20 birds of various species. The premises are under quarantine and the birds will be destroyed to limit spread of the disease. State officials earlier reported cases of bird flu this year in Kalamazoo, Macomb, Livingston, Menominee, Saginaw and Washtenaw counties.

FATAL TRENCH COLLAPSE

2 men die after 14-foot trench collapses in western Michigan

LOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say two men died after a trench collapsed in western Michigan. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says the victims, ages 59 and 68, were working on the trench when the collapse occurred around 8:30 p.m. Friday in Lowell Township, just east of Grand Rapids. Deputies say the men’s bodies were recovered from the scene after 2 a.m. The 14-foot-deep trench was being dug for drainage where a pole barn was being built. The victim’s names were not immediately released. Both men were from Alto. The incident remains under investigation.

POLICE SHOOTING-MICHIGAN

Praise, few blemishes in file of cop who shot Patrick Lyoya

A Michigan police officer who shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head had no complaints of excessive force against him, according to his personnel file. The file contains much praise for traffic stops that turned up drugs, guns and people wanted for crimes. Christopher Schurr's file was released to The Associated Press by the Grand Rapids police department. It’s possible that complaints against Schurr are no longer in his file. The police union's contract allows expungement of certain records if conditions are met. Schurr is being investigated for killing Lyoya, a Black man, on April 4 after a traffic stop and intense physical struggle.

COLD CASE VERDICT

86-year-old guilty of killing wife in Wisconsin in 1975

STURGEON BAY, Wis. (AP) — A jury in Door County on Friday found an 86-year-old man guilty of killing his wife and disposing of her body more than four decades ago. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on charges of first-degree murder and disinterment of the dead against Richard Pierce, who has maintained his innocence. Carol Jean Pierce has not been seen since Sept. 5, 1975 and her remains have never been found. Investigators say Richard Pierce moved to Cheboygan, Michigan shortly after his wife disappeared. A cold case review team in 2018 concluded there was enough evidence to show Pierce was set to gain from his wife's disappearance.

CMU-TRACK TEAM

CMU defends decision to cut men's track, says no racial bias

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) — Central Michigan University is defending its decision to eliminate the men’s track team, saying it was a financial move and not a discriminatory step. The U.S. Department of Education informed CMU this week that it had received a complaint. The government says it will remain neutral while collecting and analyzing evidence. CMU said in 2020 that it was dropping the track team. It subsequently added a men’s golf team. The 2019-20 track team had 30 athletes, including six who were Black or identified as multi-racial. President Bob Davies says there's no evidence to support claims of racial bias. CMU is struggling to attract students. Enrollment was down 45% last fall compared to 2010.

ELECTION 2022-ELECTION OFFICES

GOP election-deniers elevate races for secretary of state

ATLANTA (AP) — Add one more group of contests to the white-hot races for Congress and governor that will dominate this year’s midterm elections: secretaries of state. Former President Donald Trump’s attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 election and his subsequent endorsements of candidates for state election offices who are sympathetic to his view have elevated those races to top-tier status. At stake, say Democrats and others concerned about fair elections, is nothing less than American democracy. One group that has been tracking secretary of state races has identified nearly two dozen Republican candidates who deny the results of the 2020 presidential election.

AP-US-REDFIN-LAWSUIT

Redfin settles lawsuit alleging housing discrimination

Fair housing advocates have announced a settlement to resolve a lawsuit against real estate brokerage Redfin that will expand housing opportunities for consumers in communities of color. Under the agreement announced Friday, Seattle-based Redfin will change its minimum housing price policy, alter other practices, and pay $4 million to settle the suit brought by the National Fair Housing Alliance and nine other fair housing organizations. The changes will increase access to Redfin’s real estate services across the country and help counter redlining and residential segregation that the alliance and the other plaintiffs alleged Redfin’s policies perpetuated. The lawsuit was filed in 2020 in Seattle.

AP-US-RACIAL-INJUSTICE-NOOSES

Feds: Michigan man left nooses, notes mocking BLM movement

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — A retired Michigan optometrist faces federal charges for allegedly leaving nooses and notes mocking the Black Lives Matter movement inside a couple’s truck and near or inside stores as well as placing threatening phone calls. Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that 61-year-old Kenneth David Pilon, of Saginaw, is charged with six counts of interfering with federally protected activities — a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and fines. Threatening calls were made to Starbucks stores in Michigan. An FBI special agent writes in an affidavit that the charges allege that Pilon "intimidated and attempted to intimidate citizens from participating lawfully in speech and peaceful assembly." The Associated Press left a message Thursday for Pilon's lawyer requesting comment.

TEACHER KILLED

Man sentenced to 33 years in prison for killing wife

KENTWOOD, Mich. (AP) — A man who strangled his pregnant wife has been sentenced to at least 33 years in prison. Amber Guichelaar was a well-liked teacher in Kentwood, near Grand Rapids. She was killed at her home November 2020. Richard Guichelaar pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He told the judge that he’s been unable to find words to express his “sorrow, remorse and regret” for what happened. Guichelaar says his wife was a “wonderful human being.” He will be eligible for parole consideration after 33 years in custody.

DOG ATTACK-DETROIT SCHOOL

2 girls attacked by dogs at Detroit elementary school

DETROIT (AP) — Authorities say two girls are hospitalized in stable condition after being attacked by two dogs during recess at a Detroit elementary school. The attack happened around 1 p.m. at Bates Academy on the city’s west side. Spokeswoman Chrystal Wilson of the Detroit Public Schools Community District says both dogs were pit bulls. District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says animal control officers captured one of the dogs and were searching for the other one Thursday afternoon. The ages of the students were not released, but the school serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022