VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

The Michigan Senate moves to repeal Gov. emergency powers

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican state senators have approved the repeal of the Michigan law that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used to order emergency lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic, when Michigan was among the states hardest hit by COVID-19. The state Senate’s 20-15 vote Thursday along partisan lines came two days after the Board of State Canvassers certified Unlock Michigan’s petition drive to repeal the 1945 law Whitmer used to maintain a state of emergency and lockdown past 28 days without the Legislature’s input. Because it resulted from a petition drive, Whitmer wouldn't be allowed to veto the repeal if the Republican-led House also approves it, as it’s expected to do.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

U-Michigan creates office to handle sexual misconduct, bias

DETROIT (AP) — The University of Michigan is creating a new office dedicated to investigating sexual misconduct claims, which will provide support to victims and offer education to the campus community. The office will have a broad portfolio, including to address civil rights issues and other discrimination. Separately, supervisors will be prohibited from starting a romantic relationship with subordinates. The university has been rocked by sexual misconduct scandals involving a senior official and a longtime doctor. The new, much larger office will replace the Office for Institutional Equity. President Mark Schlissel says the goal is to have a campus where students and staff feel safe and can thrive.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BORDER-SHOTS

Canadian government rejects virus shots in US border tunnel

DETROIT (AP) — A mayor in Ontario, Canada, says the Canadian government has rejected a creative plan to have people line up inside a U.S. border tunnel to tap into a surplus of COVID-19 vaccine held by Michigan. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens proposed bringing Ontario residents to the U.S.-Canada line in the Detroit River tunnel so they can get shots. Dilkens calls it a sensible approach. Motor vehicle travel between the counties is mostly prohibited. Dilkens says the Canada Border Services Agency vetoed his idea for the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, and Public Health Agency of Canada wasn't excited, either. The mayor says the Canadian government "will not let this happen.”

AP-HKN-BLUE-JACKETS-GOALIE-DIES

Fallen Blue Jackets goalie remembered as friend, hero

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio (AP) — Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks was hailed as a friend and hero during a memorial service for the player who died on the Fourth of July from an errant fireworks mortar blast. Authorities have said the firework at a private home northwest of Detroit tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby. Kivlenieks was in a hot tub and was trying to move out of the way of the firework when he was struck. Fellow Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, a close friend of the 24-year-old Kivlenieks, told the mourners on Thursday that his teammate saved him and his pregnant wife the night he was killed.

LEAD SERVICE LINES-GRAND RAPIDS

EPA grant to help Grand Rapids replace lead service lines

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan city will use a $5.1 million federal grant to help replace about 1,600 private service lines due to concerns over lead. Grand Rapids says in a release Thursday that the work in some of its oldest developed neighborhoods is expected to take four years. The City Commission on Tuesday approved and accepted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant which is part of Grand Rapids' four-year project to replace private lead service lines in 10 census tracts with copper pipe. The city says there are more than 24,000 lead service lines in Grand Rapids. About 1,700 have been replaced since 2017.

MICHIGAN FLOODING

Biden OKs disaster declaration after Detroit-area flooding

The White House says President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for Michigan due to last month’s heavy rainfall that led to basement and street flooding in the Detroit area. The announcement Thursday that Biden ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts came a day after a regional water authority board said it was forming a committee to look at its response to the crisis. The Great Lakes Water Authority says that the committee will lead the board's independent investigation. A storm dumped more than 6 inches of rain June 25-26 on the area, leaving thousands of basements and dozens of streets flooded.

MYANMAR-US-DETAINED JOURNALIST

Lawyer: US editor jailed in Myanmar fears he has COVID-19

BANGKOK (AP) — An American journalist being held in a prison in Myanmar had told his lawyer that he believes he has caught COVID-19, but prison authorities deny he is infected. Danny Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport on May 24 as he was trying to board a flight to go to the Detroit area in the United States to see his family. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an independent online news outlet based in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. Fenster has been charged with incitement for which he could be sentenced to up to three years’ imprisonment. The military-installed government that took power in February has tried to silence independent news media.

LAKE MICHIGAN-BODY RECOVERED

Death of man found in Lake Michigan consistent with drowning

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) — An autopsy has determined the cause of death of a man whose body was recovered from Lake Michigan off northwestern Indiana is consistent with drowning. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the man has been identified but his name was being withheld until his next of kin is notified. The U.S. Coast Guard recovered the body Tuesday afternoon near the Michigan City Lighthouse in Michigan City, Indiana, after a boater reported it to authorities. The DNR has said the body appeared to have been in the water for more than a couple of days.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-JOBLESS AID

People who got virus-related jobless pay must reapply

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — More than 600,000 Michigan residents who received pandemic-related unemployment aid are being told to update their accounts. The state learned that some reasons for eligibility approved months ago were wrong. The department will determine if benefits need to be repaid. The Unemployment Insurance Agency says the federal government is becoming “more prescriptive” after earlier giving states more flexibility. Michigan has been paying an extra $300 a week in federal aid to the jobless who qualify, on top of maximum state benefits of $362. Rachael Kohl, an attorney with the Workers’ Rights Clinic, says many people receiving letters are back to work. The House Oversight Committee plans to investigate.

QUEST FOR CARP NAME

Worries over racism, waterways inspire push to rename fish

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — What's in a name? When it comes to Asian carp, quite a lot. For decades, that term has been used to describe four fish species that have infested many U.S. rivers and threaten to invade the Great Lakes. They were imported to cleanse fish farms and sewage ponds but escaped into the wild. Now some government agencies are changing the label to “invasive carp” in the wake of anti-Asian hate crimes that surged during the pandemic. At the same time, Illinois officials and partner groups are planning to give the four species yet another name in a marketing campaign to get more people to eat them.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021