FLINT WATER

Arbitrator: Official wrongly fired in Flint water scandal

DETROIT (AP) — The only Michigan official fired in the Flint water disaster likely was a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics. That's the opinion of an arbitrator who is ordering $191,880 in lost wages and other compensation for Liane Shekter Smith. She served as head of the state’s drinking water office when Flint’s water system was contaminated with lead. Shekter Smith was demoted and then fired in 2016. The arbitrator noted that state engineers who had a direct role in Flint were suspended with pay and allowed to return to work. The Michigan environmental agency declined to comment Wednesday but said an appeal was being considered.

MICHIGAN COURTS-JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth could become a Michigan court holiday

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court is considering a statewide court holiday on Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery. The court said it will accept public comment and hold a hearing in the months ahead. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday this year. The Michigan Supreme Court says it’s willing to consider dropping another court holiday, such as Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, to make room for Juneteenth. Justice David Viviano dissented, saying courts have a backlog of cases and already are closed on 12 weekdays.

COUPLE KILLED

2 arrested after couple killed in car with baby inside

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit police have arrested two people and recovered a gun in connection with the ambush slayings of a couple while sitting in a car with their child at a gas station. Two men fired shots at the car Monday night, killing the man and woman. The 9-month-old baby was not hurt. The shooting was recorded by the gas station’s security cameras. Police released video that shows two men ambushing 21-year-old Marshae Nash and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Benson Lindsey, eho were sitting inside a car at a gas pump. Police Chief James White says itt wasn’t a random killing.

AP-US-MICHIGAN-COLLEGE-FOOD

Fries with that exam? College profs asked to help with food

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University is short of help and pleading with staff to volunteer in campus dining halls. The Lansing State Journal says MSU’s residential services department has already asked 132 full-time employees to work eight hours a week, but it’s apparently not enough. Vennie Gore, a senior vice president, says evenings and weekends are critical. Devin Silvia is director of undergraduate studies in MSU’s computational math department. He says the request is “astounding.” About 4,000 students typically work in MSU's dining halls, but only 1,200 were employed at the end of September. Starting pay was recently raised from $12 to $15 an hour.

FLINT WATER-HOSPITAL

McLaren will pay $5M, not $20M, in Flint water settlement

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A $641 million settlement with people affected by Flint’s lead-contaminated water has been reduced by $15 million. A judge agreed that a hospital could cut its pledge. McLaren Health will pay $5 million instead of $20 million. It had the right to drop out completely if not enough claimants signed up for the settlement. Experts have blamed the Flint River water for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, which led to at least 12 deaths in the Flint area. They believe there wasn’t enough chlorine in the water to fight off bacteria. Most people making claims against McLaren for Legionnaires’ now will have to pursue individual lawsuits.

HUMAN REMAINS FOUND

Deputies find human remains in mid-Michigan soybean field

MAPLE GROVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities have found human remains in a mid-Michigan soybean field. Barry County deputies said they found the remains in Maple Grove Township near a missing woman’s car. Deputies aided by a Michigan State Police helicopter found the car, and police dogs subsequently found the remains. The remains had not been identified by Wednesday afternoon. The Barry County Sheriff’s Office has been searching for 41-year-old Rachel Lynn Hazen since she was last seen July 21. A friend reported her missing five days later. Maple Grove Township is about 15 miles northwest of Flint.

VAN ELSLANDER GIFT-DETROIT SCHOOL

Foundation gifts $1.5M to improve literacy at Detroit school

DETROIT (AP) — A foundation named after late Detroit-area philanthropist Archie “Art” Van Elslander is donating $1.5 million to improve literacy at his former high school. Officials said Wednesday that the A.A. Van Elslander Foundation gift will be used to create the Beyond Basics Legacy Program at Denby on Detroit’s east side. The intensive one-on-one program allows students who require additional support in reading to improve foundational literacy skills while catching up to their grade levels. Art Van Elslander, a 1948 Denby graduate, founded the Art Van Furniture chain, opening his first store in 1959. The business was sold in 2017 and he died in 2018 at age 87.

MICHIGAN PIPELINE

Enbridge temporarily stops Michigan pipeline due to protests

The operator of a Michigan oil pipeline says it temporarily shut down Line 5 after protesters warned Enbridge that they planned to turn an emergency valve. Video posted on social media showed someone with a hard hat and a wrench inside a fenced area Tuesday in Tuscola County, 90 miles north of Detroit. A man outside the fence sang and played an electric guitar. Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy says the incident was a “criminal activity” and not a lawful protest. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants Line 5 shut down, saying it is a threat to the Great Lakes. Part of it crosses the Straits of Mackinac.

HAITI-US-KIDNAPPED MISSIONARIES

Efforts drag on to free 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Efforts to win the return of 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group and a local driver have stretched into a fourth day, with a violent gang demanding $1 million ransom per person. The group seized includes five children aged from 8 months to 15 years, although authorities are not clear whether the ransom demand included them. Sixteen of the abductees are Americans and one Canadian. The Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries says it will hold a day of fasting and prayer for its missionaries Thursday. A watchdog group says at least 119 kidnappings were recorded in Haiti for the first half of October. It says a Haitian driver was abducted along with the missionaries.

MICHIGAN REDISTRICTING

Michigan redistricting panel: 'Show up, speak up' on maps

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Members of Michigan’s redistricting commission are urging residents to speak up about draft congressional and legislative maps. The first of five public hearings will be held Wednesday in Detroit. The panel wants feedback on maps it drew collaboratively along with several more proposed by individual commissioners. The voter-created panel is responsible for the once-a-decade redistricting instead of the Legislature, which controlled the process the last two decades. Public meetings also are scheduled for Thursday in Lansing, Friday in Grand Rapids, Monday in Gaylord and Oct. 26 in Flint. People will have 90 seconds to speak, in person or virtually.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021