Tag Archives: Michigan

The Desk reports: The news director of a Michigan NBC affiliate ordered her reporters to ease up on coverage of LGBT-focused stories during Pride Month, saying the news pieces were upsetting some of the station’s conservative viewers. The memo, penned by WOOD-TV (Channel 8) Assistant News Director Amy Fox, followed several reports that focused on a celebration hosted in the …

The Detroit Free Press reports: After three hours of public comment and months of intense debate, the Hamtramck City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to ban LGBTQ+ Pride flags from being displayed on all city properties. Introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Mohammed Hassan, the resolution also prohibited the display and flying of flags with racist and political views. Hassan and …

The Associated Press reports: A judge this week ordered Michigan Republican Party Chairperson Kristina Karamo and others to pay more than $58,000 in legal fees incurred by the Detroit clerk’s office to fight a lawsuit they filed challenging absentee voting in the city. In an order signed Monday, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny said the Oct. 26 lawsuit …

Michigan Live reports: A former Flint-area Catholic priest convicted of the attempted sexual abuse of a 5-year-old boy in the late 1980s, was sentenced Tuesday to a year in jail and probation. Vincent DeLorenzo, 84, was sentenced June 13 by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Brian S. Pickell after previously pleading guilty to a single count of attempted first-degree criminal …

The Associate Press reports: A lawsuit can go forward against a Michigan official who flashed a rifle during a public meeting over video conference, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. Patricia MacIntosh is suing Ron Clous, alleging he tried to silence her right to free speech when he displayed the rifle during a 2021 meeting of Grand Traverse County commissioners. …

Religion News Service reports: The Board of Commissioners of a lakeshore Michigan county has passed a resolution declaring it a “constitutional county,” a designation favored by some far-right groups who believe state and federal governments have become tyrannical. Ottawa County, which borders Lake Michigan, is the second state county to vote on becoming a “constitutional county” in the space of …

Grand Rapids’ ABC affiliate reports: A school district in Ottawa County has voted to remove a bestselling memoir about one Marine’s time in the Persian Gulf War. The Hudsonville Public Schools (HPS) board narrowly decided to remove “Jarhead” from its school libraries by a vote of 4-3 last Monday. The decision came after two hours of public comment and discussion …

NewsNation reports: Public schools in Flint are enforcing a policy banning backpacks, including those made of clear plastic material, amid concerns over firearms, weapons and threats. The Flint Board of Education voted 7-0 to ban backpacks for the remainder of the school year. The new policy allows small purses for personal items, clear plastic bags for gym clothes and lunchboxes …

The Detroit News reports: A former Michigan priest accused of abusing a child in the 1980s has pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct, state officials announced Tuesday. Vincent DeLorenzo, 84, formerly of Flint, was among the first five priests whom Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged in 2019 as part of an ongoing clergy sexual abuse investigation. His …

The Guardian reports: An attempt to repeal a Michigan law that punishes unmarried couples who live together is being thwarted by Republicans in the state legislature. The law, which dates to 1931, targets “any man or woman, not being married to each other, who lewdly and lasciviously associates and cohabits together”. It is rarely enforced but violations carry a penalty …

From the Justice Department: A Michigan man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington to 10 months in federal prison and one-year supervised release for a series of hate crimes he committed in June and July of 2020. According to court records, Kenneth D. Pilon, 62, previously pleaded guilty to willfully intimidating and attempting to intimidate citizens …

Bridge Michigan reports: An alleged assault on the eve of a Michigan Republican Party leadership meeting stemmed from an escalating proxy battle between new state GOP Chair Kristina Karamo [photo] and former ally Matthew DePerno, party insiders say. Authorities say local police were called to a patio bar at the Doherty Hotel in Clare on Friday night, where members of …

The Detroit Free Press reports: Former GOP state House Speaker Rick Johnson, two lobbyists and a medical marijuana business owner were charged Thursday in a bribery scheme, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan announced at a press conference in Lansing. Johnson, 70, was the chairman of the state’s medical marijuana licensing board, which approved or denied applications …

“When they govern badly in other states, a lot of times that will impact Florida. People will move, they’ll move business, they’ll move their families. And so people will come up to me and tell me, ‘I had to leave Chicago, I had to do this’. “And I do remember during COVID people fleeing those lockdowns in Michigan. Very, very …

The Detroit News reports: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, surrounded by a packed room of pink-wearing lawmakers, advocates, doctors and others, on Wednesday signed legislation to repeal Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban. “Who would like to see me slay a zombie?” Whitmer exclaimed before signing the legislation, calling the ban a “threat coming back to haunt us all.” The Michigan House voted 58-50 …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), once the chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, is eyeing a possible White House bid, saying in an interview this week that if he ran, he’d focus on running in a “more civil, more solutions-oriented lane.” “What we’re doing is calling for really unique, creative solutions to all the problems everybody’s …

CNN reports: The parents of the Oxford High School shooter will stand trial on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the four deaths their son Ethan Crumbley caused in a November 2021 school shooting in what may be a precedent-setting case, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled. The parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have argued the charges have no …

The Detroit Press reports: The Michigan Republican Party’s official social media accounts made misleading posts Wednesday to try to connect Democrat-backed gun proposals to the Holocaust, spurring criticism from both sides of the political aisle. The proposals came after a Feb. 13 shooting on the campus of Michigan State University left three students dead. “This tweet by @MIGOP is absolutely …

Lansing’s NBC affiliate reports: People within Michigan’s LGBTQ community will now be better protected against discrimination. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act which expands basic protections for the LGBTQ community. It prohibits discrimination at places such as schools, offices, and housing, based on a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. Read the full article. Whitmer just …

Reuters reports: A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a reduced charge for his role in a foiled plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, handing another victory to prosecutors who have viewed the scheme as domestic terrorism. Michigan prosecutors accused Brian Higgins, 54, of aiding the conspiracy by surveilling Whitmer’s vacation home. As part of a plea deal, he …