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Wednesday Afternoon State News Summary Wed, 07 May 2008 13:27:14 (Mi-Gay Marriage-Health Bene) The State's Highest Court Has Upheld A Lower Court Ruling Which Said A New Constitutional Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriages Also Prohibits Governments In The State From Providing Health Insurance For Same-Sex Partners. On A Five-To-Two Decision, The State Supreme Court Affirmed The Appeals Court Decision Regarding A Benefit Package Offered By The City Of Kalamazoo. Specifically, The Court Says The Ban On Gay Marriage Also Prohibits A Government From Recognizing A Partnership As A Marriage Or A Union Similar To A Marriage, And Since The New Constitutional Amendment Defines Marriage As One Man And One Woman, It Also Prohibits A Government's Provision Of Health Care Benefits To Same-Sex Partners. (Oakland Co-Mccain Campaigns) Presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee John Mccain Held A Town Hall Meeting At Oakland University Today (Wednesday) In His First Trip To Michigan Since Wrapping Up The Republican Nomination. The Arizona Senator Discussed Michigan's Economy, And Also Said He Doesn't Support Any Proposal That Would Divert Water Out Of The Great Lakes. Several Demonstrators Gathered Outside Of The Meeting, Many Protesting Mccain's Stance On The War And His Economic Policies. (Metro Source) (Washtenaw Co-Emu Student Murder) The Man Found Guilty Of Murdering An Eastern Michigan University Student Was Sentenced This Morning (Wednesday) In Washtenaw County Circuit Court To Spend The Rest Of His Life In Prison. 21-Year-Old Orange Taylor The Third Of Southfield Said He Was Sorry His Family And The Family Of Laura Dickinson Endured An Emotional Roller Coaster But Maintained His Innocence In Her Death. The 22-Year Old From Hastings Was Found Dead In Her Dorm Room In December 2006. Taylor, Who Was An Emu Student At The Time, Was Convicted Last Month Of First-Degree Felony Murder After His First Trial Last October Ended In A Mistrial. He Is Expected To File An Appeal. The Case Garnered National Attention After It Was Revealed That Emu Officials Misled The Public About The Nature Of Dickinson's Death And Never Acknowledged It Was A Homicide Until Taylor's Arrest 10 Weeks Later. (Capitol-16-Year Old Voting Age) Legislation Has Been Introduced In The Senate To Amend The State Constitution Allowing 16-Year Old Students To Vote In Local School Board Elections. Democratic Senator Michael Switalski Of Roseville Says Students Have A Vested Interest In Having Their Views Taken Under Consideration When School Districts Create And Implement Policies That Directly Affect Them. The Bill Would Lower The Voting Age To 16 For Local School Board Elections Only. Students Would Not Be Able To Vote In School Bond Or School Millage Elections. The Resolution Would Require Approval From A Two-Thirds Majority Of Legislature In Order To Be Placed On The November Ballot For A Vote. (Detroit-Fugitive Support) There Is A Growing Support To Convince The State Of Michigan To Commute The Remainder Of Fugitive Susan Lefevre's (La-Fave) Prison Sentence. The 53-Year Old Lefevre Escaped From The Scott Women's Prison In Wayne County's Plymouth Township 32 Years Ago By Climbing A Fence To A Waiting Relative. She Had Served Just A Year Of A Ten-To-20 Year Prison Term On A Drug Dealing Conviction In Saginaw County. Lefevre Was Arrested By U.S. Marshalls Last Week In The Affluent San Diego, California Suburb Of Del Mar Where She Lived As Marie Walsh With A Husband And Two Children. Many Supporters Have Started Internet-Based Campaigns By Creating Various Web Sites And Pages. They Also Have Distributed An Electronic Petition To Have Her Sentence Commuted By Governor Jennifer Granholm. Lefevre Is Also Seeking Another Attorney After Her Current Lawyer Told Her It Was Likely She Would Spend Several Years Locked Up. She Is Currently In A San Diego Jail Awaiting Extradition To Michigan. (Help From: Metro Source) (Livingston Co-Double Murder Arrest) State Police Have Made An Arrest In The Murders Of A Livingston County Couple. The Bodies Of 65-Year-Old Richard Kowalski And His 58-Year-Old Wife, Brenda, Were Found By Their Adult Son Last Thursday In Their Oceola Township Home Near Howell. A Statement From The State Police Post In Brighton Said Detectives Arrested A Suspect In Connection With The Homicides And An Investigation Is Ongoing. Investigators Aren't Releasing Any Other Information At This Time. However, Reports Say Richard Kowalski's Brother, Jerome, Was Arrested And Is In The Livingston County Jail On Suspicion Of Murder. The Livingston County Major Crimes Task Force Is Helping State Police Investigators With The Case. (Wwj, Detroit) (Gogebic Co-Prison Riot Convictions) Two Inmates Have Been Convicted On Charges In Connection With A Riot At The Ojibway Correctional Facility In The Western Upper Peninsula More Than Two Years Ago. A Gogebic County Jury Handed Down Guilty Verdicts For 30-Year Old James Woods And 24-Year Old Jerry Johnson On Lesser Charges Of Willfully Assisting In Causing A Riot And Assaulting A Corrections Officer. The Pair Were Acquitted On The More Serious Charges Of Assault With Intent To Commit Murder And Assault With A Dangerous Weapon Which Could Have Meant Life In Prison. Fourteen Corrections Officers Were Injured In The Uprising That Broke Out In The Medium Security Unit Of The Prison On April 9, 2006 When 35 Inmates Refused To Leave A Day Room. One Officer Was Stabbed With A Shank During The Riot At The Facility In Marenisco. Prosecutors Say Johnson Still Faces Up To Life In Prison Or Any Term Of Years On The Convictions Because He Is A Fourth-Time Habitual Offender. Because Woods Is A Third-Time Habitual Offender, His Sentence Could Be Twice The Maximum 10-Year Term For The Riot Conviction. No Sentencing Dates Have Been Set. Both Johnson And Woods Have Been Assigned To The Baraga Maximum Security Facility, According To The 'Ironwood Daily Globe.' (Mi-Mbt Hearings) A Series Of Hearings Will Be Held Around The State To Hear From Business Owners About Their Feelings On The New Michigan Business Tax. The First Of Four Hearings Will Be Held Thursday Afternoon At Davenport University In Grand Rapids By The Mbt Impact Assessment Subcommittee, Headed By Republican State Senator Mark Jansen. Other Hearings Are Scheduled For May 15th In Oakland County, May 16th In Saginaw And May 19th In Gaylord. Many Businesses Have Said Their Tax Liability Skyrocketed After The New Tax Started This Year. The Mbt Replaced The 30-Year-Old Single Business Tax, Which Expired At The End Of Last Year. The Group Plans To Listen To Citizens, And Issue Recommendations By June 1st. (Mi-University Presidential Searches) Former Michigan Congressman Joe Schwarz Has Confirmed That He Is A Finalist For The Wayne State University Presidency. A Former State Senator, Wsu School Of Medicine Graduate And Mediator In The Ongoing Feud Between The Medical School And Detroit Medical Center, Schwarz Is Considered By Legislators And Insiders To Be A Nontraditional But Formidable Candidate. The University Also Is Considering Bowling Green University President Sidney Ribeau To Replace Outgoing President Irvin Reid. Wayne State Officially Isn't Commenting On The Search. Meanwhile, Governor Jennifer Granholm Is Tossing Her Support Behind State Superintendent Mike Flanagan As The New President For Embattled Eastern Michigan University. The List Is Down To Flanagan, Judge Don Shelton, Former Detroit Public Schools Chief Kenneth Burnley And University Of Michigan-Dearborn Provost Susan Martin. The School Is Looking For A Replacement For John Fallon Who Was Fired As President Last July For Covering Up The Rape And Slaying Of A Student By Publicly Ruling Out Foul Play. (Kewadin- Ramsey Drops Out) John Ramsey Will Not Run For The 105th District State House Seat Now That The Incumbent Is Back In The Race. The Kewadin Businessman And Father Of The Late Jon Benet Ramsey Who Was Murdered In 1996 Says He Made His Decision To Withdraw After A Phone Conversation With Representative Kevin Elsenheimer On Monday Night. The Bellaire Republican Last Week Decided To End His Campaign For The Michigan Court Of Appeals And Run For Re-Election To His House Seat Which Covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan And Otsego Counties In The Northern Lower Peninsula. Ramsey Lost In The 2004 Primary To Elsenheimer By 510 Votes. Elsenheimer's Decision Also Prompted Dennis Lennox Of Topinabee To Drop Out Of The Race. (Help From: Joel Franck, Wtcm Traverse City) (Saginaw-Explolding Oxygen Bottles) Firefighters Say Quick Work By Her Husband And A Neighbor Got A Saginaw Woman Out Of The Family's Burning Home This Morning (Wednesday). The Blaze Triggered A Series Of Explosions From Bottles Of Oxygen Used By Ann Potts. Robert Bill Says Smoke Detectors In The House Woke Him Up About 8:00 This Morning And The Oxygen Bottles Were Exploding And Flying In The Air. His Next Door Neighbor Says The Exploding Oxygen Tanks Sounded Like Bombs Reminding Him Of His Vietnam Combat. Part Of One Tank Was Found Across The Street And Several Hundred Feet From The Burning House On The City's Southwest Side. Potts Was Taken To A Saginaw Hospital To Be Checked For Smoke Inhalation. Fire Investigators Believe The Blaze Apparently Started Near The Front Room Of The Two-Story Home Which Was Destroyed By The Fire. They Have Not Determined A Cause But It's Considered Accidental. (Bill Hewitt, Wsgw, Saginaw) (Lake Co-Police Standoff) A Standoff In Lake County Ended Peacefully Early This Morning (Wednesday). Authorities Say A 53-Year-Old Man Barricaded Himself Inside His Home In Chase Township At About 7:00 P.M. Tuesday Night. Police Say The Man Was Intoxicated And Had A Rifle And A Shotgun. The Suspect Stepped Ut Of The House Several Times Carrying The Shotgun And Made Verbal Threats Toward Officers On The Scene. The Man Peacefully Surrendered Just Before 3:30 A.M. Today After Talking To A State Police Negotiator. He Was Taken To A Hospital For Treatment And Faces Felony Charges Of Resisting And Obstructing Police While Armed. The Charges Carry A Two-Year Jail Term Upon Conviction. (Alan Neushwander, Wkla, Ludington/Mike Paulin, Wtcm, Traverse City) (Muskegon Co-Loose Bear Captured) Fruitport Residents Are Breathing A Sigh Of Relief After A Loose Bear Was Finally Captured In Muskegon County. The Bear, Known As "Sandy" Escaped From A Shelter On Sunday. Officer John Young Says The Bear Was Spotted By Several People In Fruitport Township Over The Past Few Days. It's Unclear Whether Owner Jim Pierson Is Licensed To Care For The Year-And A Half-Old Bear. The Department Of Natural Resources Is Investigating The Incident. (Metro Source) (Dickinson Co-Air Service Returns) Commercial Air Service Will Return To Dickinson Countys Ford Airport Next Month. Airport Manager William Marchetti Told The 'Iron Mountain Daily News' That Minnesota-Based Mesaba Airlines Is Continuing Preparations To Provide Northwest Airlink Service To Minneapolis And Detroit Starting June 5th. The Airport Has Been Without Service Since The Skyway Airlines Made Its Last Flight Out Of Kingsford On April 5th. Mesaba Will Receive A Combined Annual Federal Subsidy Of Two-Point-25-Million Dollars For Service At Kingsford And Escanaba. |
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