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By: The Associated Press Posted: 2:25 AM CDT Wednesday, May. 11, 2022 Last Modified: 10:21 AM CDT Wednesday, May. 11, 2022
Michigan Legislature puts term limits proposal on ballot
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Legislature has voted to put before voters a constitutional amendment to revise the state’s legislative term limits law and require state elected officials to disclose their personal financial information. A constitutional provision approved by voters in 1992 allows legislators to serve no more than 14 years, including three two-year House terms and two four-year Senate terms. The amendment passed Tuesday would let them serve up to 12 years entirely in one chamber. The initiative also would require lawmakers, the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general to file annual financial disclosure reports starting in 2024.
Feds seek delay in sentencing man in Whitmer kidnap plot
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors are asking a judge to postpone the June 8 sentencing of a man who pleaded guilty to conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The government says Kaleb Franks is expected to testify again at the second trial of Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. It’s a signal that prosecutors aren’t giving up. A jury in April couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict for Fox and Croft but acquitted Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta. Franks’ cooperation with the government could earn him a shorter sentence. Franks and Ty Garbin admitted roles in a scheme to kidnap Whitmer. But lawyers for the others said any plot was driven by undercover agents and FBI informants.
No injuries reported after Traverse City small plane crash
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — No injuries have been reported after a small plane crashed Tuesday evening in Traverse City. Grand Traverse 911 says the crash occurred at 5:37 p.m. on the grounds of the Grand Traverse County Civic Center. The grounds are a 45-acre park. According to the Federal Aviation Authority, the plane is a four-seat, single engine Cessna 172 registered to Northwestern Michigan College, a community college in Traverse City that has an aviation program. The civic center is near the approach for a runway at Cherry Capitol Airport.
Group: Michigan Legislature should put term limits on ballot
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A group gathering signatures to change Michigan’s term limits law is urging the Legislature to put the initiative on the ballot, saying it would give voters more time to assess the proposal. Voters for Transparency and Term Limits wants to amend the state constitution to shorten legislative term limits to 12 years from 14 but let lawmakers serve the entire time in one chamber. The coalition of business, labor and political leaders has two paths to advance the measure to a fall vote: submitting signatures by July 11 or persuading legislators to place it on the ballot by Sept. 9.
Woman wanted in double slaying is found dead in woods
INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A woman suspected of killing her boyfriend and a brother over the weekend has been found dead in a wooded area in southeastern Michigan. The Oakland County sheriff's office says 22-year-old Ruby Taverner shot herself. Investigators were looking for Taverner after the fatal shooting of Ray Muscat and Bishop Taverner at an apartment building in Independence Township. Sheriff Mike Bouchard says the investigation now will turn to why the men were killed. Muscat and Bishop Taverner were shot early Sunday.
Parents hunting for baby formula as shortage spans US
WASHINGTON (AP) — Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because of supply disruptions and a massive safety recall by manufacturer Abbott. Ongoing supply problems have intensified since Abbott shuttered its largest U.S. formula plant due to contamination concerns. Pediatricians are urging parents who can’t find formula to contact food banks or doctor’s offices. They warn against watering down formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes. Major retail chains including CVS and Walgreens are limiting how many containers customers can purchase at one time to conserve supplies. Meanwhile, regulators with the Food and Drug Administration are looking at importing formula to boost U.S. supplies.
14-year sentence for engineer in China trade secrets case
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A chemical engineer has been sentenced to 14 years in prison over what prosecutors say was a scheme to steal trade secrets about materials used in cans for soda and other drinks to benefit the Chinese government and a Chinese company. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Xiaorong “Shannon” You of Lansing, Michigan, was sentenced Monday by a federal judge in Greeneville, Tennessee, after a jury convicted her last month of charges that include possession of stolen trade secrets and economic espionage. Prosecutors say You accessed secrets about BPA-free internal coatings of beverage cans while working at Coca-Cola in Atlanta and Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tennessee. They say the trade secrets cost major chemical companies nearly $120 million to develop.
Flint residents get extension to file claims over bad water
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A judge has granted a seven-week extension to file claims for a share of $626 million settlement over Flint’s lead-contaminated water. Federal Judge Judith Levy approved a request to stretch the May 12 deadline to June 30. Levy says some people have had a hard time gathering certain documents. The state of Michigan, Flint and other parties were sued over the failure to properly treat corrosive water from the Flint River before it flowed through pipes in 2014-15. The settlement covers Flint children who were exposed to the water, adults who can show an injury, certain business owners and anyone who paid water bills. About 80% of the deal is earmarked for kids.
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United Rental orders more than 500 EVs from Ford
NEW YORK (AP) — United Rental said Tuesday it has a deal to buy 500 of Ford’s F-150 Lightning electric trucks and 30 of its E-Transit electric vans. United Rental expects 120 of the trucks and all 30 of the vans to be delivered and deployed this year as part of its goal to reduce its fleet’s greenhouse gas emissions. Like other old-guard automakers, Ford has invested billions of dollars to rapidly develop and produce its electric vehicle lineup. Ford’s heavy investment in EVs — its own and others — has come at a cost. The company lost $3.1 billion in the first quarter.
Trial starts for driver who ran down Times Square tourists
NEW YORK (AP) — The man behind the wheel of the car that barreled through crowds of pedestrians in New York City’s Times Square, killing a woman and injuring 22 other people, is finally on trial five years later. A jury heard opening statements Monday in the case of Richard Rojas, a 31-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who told police after his arrest that he had been smoking marijuana laced with the hallucinogenic drug PCP before plowing through helpless tourists in the Manhattan landmark known as “the crossroads of the world.” Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Elsman of Michigan was killed. Rojas pleaded not guilty in 2017.
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