RACIAL INJUSTICE-REAL ESTATE AGENT HANDCUFFED

Michigan police cuff Black real estate agent, client at home

WYOMING, Mich. (AP) — Police in west Michigan handcuffed a real estate agent, his client and that man’s 15-year-old son after a neighbor wrongly reported that the three Black people were breaking into a home. The agent, Eric Brown, told WOOD-TV that the Aug. 1 police response, including two out of five officers who drew their guns, felt aggressive and “threw me back.” The Wyoming Police Department defended the officers’ actions and said they followed protocol for responding to a reported home invasion. A police statement said another Black man with a similar car to the real estate agent's vehicle was arrested after he went into the house in the Grand Rapids suburb without permission on July 24.

MICHIGAN SCHOOLS-VACCINES

Michigan childhood vaccination rates low for back to school

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joneigh Khaldun joined forces with school officials Monday to call on parents before school starts to catch students up on childhood immunizations that were missed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Childhood vaccination rates have dropped below 70% in more than half of Michigan’s counties. Seven counties and the city of Detroit have dropped below 60%. East Lansing School Board President Terah Chambers said without parents catching up their kids on vaccines, she isn't confident that students will be able to maintain an all in-person school year. That includes those 12 and up who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

FLINT SHOOTING

Police: 2 people dead, 4 others injured in shooting in Flint

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say two teenagers were killed and four other people were injured in an early morning shooting at a park in Flint. Police responded around 12:40 a.m. Monday and found six gunshot victims. Authorities say they were having a social gathering and a preliminary investigation reveals that a shooter fired into the group of people. The deceased include an 18-year-old female and 19-year-old male. Two people, a 17-year-old boy and 20-year-old man, were listed in critical condition. Two others were listed in serious condition. Police say there are several persons of interest in police custody.

DETROIT POLICE-FATAL SHOOTING

Police: Undercover Detroit police officer fatally shot man

An undercover Detroit police officer fatally shot a man who pulled a handgun after the stolen car he was in slammed into an unmarked police vehicle while “drifting” along a narrow city street. Interim Police Chief James White told reporters Monday that about 200 vehicles and at least that many spectators were gathered late Sunday night to view illegal drag racing and drifting when shooting occurred. White says that after the crash, the officer saw the suspect pull a gun and shot him when he didn't drop it. The man attempted to run, but collapsed and later died at a hospital. Drag racing has been a major problem in Detroit for the past few years.

SHERIFF'S DEPUTY-SEX ASSAULT CHARGES

Sheriff's deputy in Michigan faces new sex assault charges

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — A Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy already charged with sexual assaults stemming from his time as an Eastern Michigan University student faces new related charges. Twenty-six-year-old D’Angelo McWilliams of Canton was placed on unpaid leave last year from the Washtenaw County Sherriff's Office when charged last year with four sexual assault counts connected to three women. He now faces 12 criminal charges, including eight counts of sex assault. The new charges include accusations of assault and battery involving a new victim and two counts of indecent exposure as a sexually delinquent person. His attorney declined to comment Monday.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-US-CANADA

Canada reopens its border for vaccinated US visitors

DERBY LINE, Vermont (AP) — Canada has lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians. The reopening on Monday is part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. The border has been closed to nonessential travel since March 2020. The U.S. has closed its border to Canadians for nonessential trips until at least Aug. 21 and that ban also applies to the Mexican border. The lopsided rules on one of the world’s longest and busiest land borders is unsurprisingly being met with cheers and jeers.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FUTURE-OF-FITNESS

Will gyms go the way of arcades and movie rental stores?

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The pandemic is reshaping America’s fitness industry and ushering in a new era of home workouts and virtual classes. High-end exercise equipment maker Peloton is breaking ground Monday on its first U.S. factory in Ohio. Soaring sales for the company come as thousands of small fitness centers have gone out of business. An industry trade group says 22% of the nation's health clubs have closed since March of 2020. Many are struggling to stay afloat and have redesigned their spaces, turned toward personal workouts and added online training. Experts say they expect the digital fitness wave will continue to shake up the industry.

CHILD SHOT-MICHIGAN

Police: Girl, 3, hospitalized in Benton Harbor shooting

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a 3-year-old girl has been hospitalized in a shooting in Benton Harbor. The Berrien County Sheriff's Office says police responded to a shooting early Saturday and found the girl with a gunshot wound in the arm lying in a bed. She was taken to Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph. Investigators found a “large amount” of bullets had struck the house. No one has been arrested in connection with the shooting. No further details were released.

RECORD SALMON-MICHIGAN

No fish story: Teen sets new Michigan salmon record

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — Louis Martinez will never have to embellish the proverbial fish story, after confirmation that he set a new state record for the largest Chinook salmon ever caught in Michigan. The teenager from Ortonville, Michigan, reeled in the nearly 48-pounder on Saturday morning while fishing on a charter boat in Lake Michigan with his mom, sister and stepdad. The Ludington Daily News reports that the 19-year-old battled to pull the record-setting fish in for some 30 minutes off the lake’s Big Sable Point. The previous record was a Chinook salmon of just over 46 pounds caught in 1978 on the Grand River in Kent County.

AP-US-ODD-NOISY-PICKLEBALL

Knock it off! Loud pickleball games annoy some in Michigan

IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (AP) — Some residents in a northern Michigan community are complaining about noise during summer nights. Is it rowdy teens? No, it's adults playing pickleball. Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula won’t restrict pickleball hours at four courts. The city manager had suggested ending games at 6 p.m., but 20 players attended a recent council meeting to object. Roxanne Hudson, who lives next to the courts in Iron Mountain, says she and her husband “just want to move.” Pickleball is played on courts that resemble tennis courts but are much smaller. Players use wood paddles and plastic balls. Scott McLure, speaking on behalf of players, says they might try quieter paddles.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021