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Latest Michigan news, sports, business and entertainment at 9:20 p.m. EST

Original Publication Date November 08, 2021 - 12:26 AM

BIDEN-MICHIGAN PIPELINE

White House: US will discuss Michigan pipeline with Canada

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. and Canada will discuss the future of an oil pipeline that crosses part of the Great Lakes. That's according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. At a news briefing Monday, she said the U.S. and Canada would “engage constructively” in discussions about the Enbridge Energy pipeline. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered the Canadian company to shut down the line because of the potential for a catastrophic rupture. The company refuses and says the line is in good shape. Canada last month invoked a 1977 treaty on transit of oil between the two nations and asked for negotiations.

MICHIGAN-LEAD-IN-WATER

Emails show officials sniping amid 2nd Michigan lead crisis

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The release of communications related to Benton Harbor's water crisis shows strained ties between state environmental regulators and the head of the city's drinking water system as they tried to contain what has become Michigan’s second high-profile lead contamination crisis in less than a decade. Liesl Clark, director of the state environmental agency, acknowledges her department could do better in Benton Harbor, but says the newly released documents demonstrate it went “above and beyond legal requirements.” Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency instructed Benton Harbor to improve corrosion control, repair filters at its treatment plant and better notify residents.

CLERGY ABUSE

Ex-priest pleads guilty to sexually abusing teens in 1970s

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A 79-year-old former priest has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing teens more than 40 years ago when he worked at churches in suburban Detroit. Michigan's Attorney General's office says Gary Berthiaume entered pleas Monday in Oakland County Circuit Court to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Berthiaume also pleaded no-contest to one count of gross indecency. The attorney general's office says allegations against Berthiaume involved three juveniles who were between the ages of 13 and 15 in the 1970s when he served as a priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wyandotte and later Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington. Berthiaume is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20.

ELECTION 2022-CONGRESS

Thanedar plans run for congressional seat in Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — State Rep. Shri Thanedar, who ran for governor in 2018, plans to run for a congressional seat that is likely to include much of Detroit. Thanedar, a Democrat, said Monday he is forming an exploratory committee. Michigan’s once-a-decade redistricting process is not complete, but the new, pending 13th District is expected to cover a lot of Detroit and nearby areas such as Highland Park, Hamtramck and the Grosse Pointes. Thanedar, a multimillionaire, says he is ready for higher office. Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib currently represents the 13th District and may run for the new seat.

MICHIGAN COUGAR SIGHTINGS

Cougar sightings creeping up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

DETROIT (AP) — More cougar sightings are being confirmed in Michigan, although wildlife officials aren’t certain yet whether that means more of the animals are reclaiming the area as their home. Ten sightings of cougars have been confirmed so far this year by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, all in the state’s Upper Peninsula, compared with 15 last year. The DNR says the increase in confirmed reports may come from the recent popularity of “game” cameras strapped to trees. The agency believes the number of cougars in Michigan is small and doesn't have any evidence of a breeding population in the state.

AP-US-BOOK-REVIEW-THE-SENTENCE

Review: A ghost haunts Native bookstore in Erdrich’s latest

Summary: Louise Erdrich has written a sprawling new novel set in a Native American bookstore in Minneapolis that is haunted by a ghost. “The Sentence” takes place over a year when the city is upended by the coronavirus lockdown and police murder of George Floyd. Erdrich, whose last book “The Night Watchman,” won the Pulitzer for fiction, tells the story largely through the eyes of Tookie, a Native woman who survived years in prison by reading “with murderous attention.” AP reviewer Ann Levin says the plot doesn’t always hang together, but the novel is bursting with beautiful language and timely observations about Indigenous life. It will be released Tuesday.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK

US reopens to international travel, allows happy reunions

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Parents held children born while they were stuck abroad. Long-separated couples kissed, and grandparents embraced grandchildren who had doubled in age. The happy reunions played out Monday as the U.S. fully reopened to many vaccinated international travelers. The easing of pandemic restrictions allowed families and friends to reunite for the first time since the coronavirus emerged. It also offered a boost to the travel industry decimated by the pandemic. American citizens and permanent residents were always allowed to enter the U.S., but the travel bans grounded tourists, thwarted business travelers and often keep relatives far apart. Travelers must have proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.

HIGH SPEED CHASE-BODY ARMOR

Driver wearing body armor leads police on chase in Indiana

LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. (AP) — A 47-year-old Illinois man wearing body armor has been arrested after leading state police on a high-speed chase in northwestern Indiana. Police say the chase started about 2 a.m. Monday when a trooper attempted to stop an SUV that was traveling east on Interstate 94 at 93 mph. Police were able to puncture the SUV’s tires and forced it to stop in LaPorte County. The driver from Harvey, Illinois, faces resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, wearing body armor while committing a felony and reckless driving charges. His passenger, a 26-year-old Dolton, Illinois, resident was found with a loaded .40-caliber handgun. Police said he was charged with possession of a handgun without a permit.

CHILD KILLED-DEARBORN

6-year-old girl killed by hit-and-run in suburban Detroit

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — A six-year-old girl was struck and killed in suburban Detroit by a hit-and-run driver who was being sought by police. The girl was hit Sunday afternoon in a residential neighborhood of Dearborn. Police said emergency workers took the girl to a Detroit hospital, where she died from her injuries. Police described the vehicle involved as a silver or white Chevrolet Equinox and asked for the public’s help in finding the driver. WDIV-TV reported the girl’s sisters saw her being hit during a visit to their grandmother.

BENTON-HARBOR-WATER

EPA to begin testing water at 300 Benton Harbor homes

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will soon start testing the water in 300 homes in Benton Harbor to check the certified filters given area residents by the state to remove lead from the drinking water. The Herald-Palladium reports that EPA officials will go to homes and collect water that goes through the filter and the water without the filters. It's expected to last several weeks. The move comes after the federal agency ordered the Michigan city to fix problems at the water plant. The order includes an analysis of whether ownership of the plant should be transferred from Benton Harbor.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021
The Associated Press

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