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Thursday Morning State News Summary Thu, 11 Mar 2010 4:16:06 EST (Det Conyers-Sentenced) Former Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers Has Been Sentenced To Just Over Three Years In Prison In Connection With A Bribery Conspiracy Case Involving A Sewage Sludge Contract With The City. The Sentencing Comes Eight Months After She Pleaded Guilty To The Charges. She Admitted To Accepting Six-Thousand-Dollars In Exchange For Her Vote In Favor Of The One-Point-Two-Billion-Dollar Synagro Sludge Hauling Contract. A Last Minute Effort By Conyers To Withdraw Her Guilty Plea Was Not Successful. The Judge In The Case Said He Was Satisfied That The Guilty Plea Was Voluntary And Knowingly Given. (Help From: Wwj) (Midems-Cherry Approached) A New Poll Says A Whopping 56 Percent Of Democrats In Michigan Are Undecided On Who They'd Like To Be The Next Governor Of Michigan. And Some Democrats Have Indicated They're Less Than Impressed With The Current Democratic Field. As A Result, Sources Told The Michigan Radio Network That Union Officials During The Past Week Have Approached Lt. Governor John Cherry, Asking Him To Reconsider His Earlier Decision To Drop Out Of The Race. The Request Follows Cherry's Efforts Earlier This Year To Seek To Seek The Union Endorsement, Which At That Time, He Did Not Get. Sources Say The Lt. Governor Has Told The Union Officials He Is Not Interested In Getting Back In The Race, Although Publicly The Lt. Governor Is Saying He Has No Knowledge Of The Effort To Recruit Him Back Into The Race. (Capitol-Conflict Of Interest) A Measure Designed To Stop Lawmakers From Voting On Bills They Have A Personal Interest In Have Taken A Step Forward In The State Legislature. A House Committee Yesterday (Wednesday) Voted To Send The Legislation To The Chamber Floor. Under The Measure, A Lawmaker Would Not Be Allowed To Vote On A Bill If It's Determined There Is A (Quote) "Substantial Conflict Of Interest." A Lawmaker Would Be Required To State That Conflict On The Record. The Measure Would Also Affect Lawmakers Who Have An Immediate Relative Who May Benefit From The Legislation. The System Would Be Self-Policing However. Any Violators Would Be "Subject To Disciplinary Action" By The House Of Which He Or She Is A Member. (Acom-Voting Records) The State Court Of Appeals Has Ruled That The Secretary Of State May Not Refuse To Reveal The Voting Records Of The 2008 Presdiential Primary. The Suit Was Brought By East Lansing Political Consultant Mark Grebner. In A Two To One Vote, The Court Said In Its Opinion That The Presidential Primary Information On Who Took Democrat And Who Took Republican Ballots, Are A Matter Of Public Record Under The Freedom Of Information Act. Judges Stephen Borrello And William Whitbeck Upheld Allowing The Records Released. Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly Dissented, Saying It Was A "Clearly Unwarranted Invasion" Of Privacy, And The Right To Privacy Outweigh's Mr. Grebner's Arguments. (Mi-Stupak Challenger) A Former Charlevoix County Commissioner Says She Will Attempt To Unseat Fellow Democrat, U-S Representative Bart Stupak, In Michigan's First Congressional District. Connie Saltonstall Announced Her Candidacy Yesterday (Wednesday) Saying She Made The Decision Out Of Her Frustration That Stupak's Hard Line On Abortion Funding Continues To Obstruct Progress On Health Care Reform. Saltonstall Acknowledge The Difficulty She Faces In Challenging The Menominee Democrat, Who Has Represented Michigan's First Congressional District Since 1993, But Says (Quote) "I Do Think I Have A Shot." Stupak And A Block Of Pro-Life Democrats Have Threatened The Future Of Health Care Reform Unless Language Is Added To Bar Federal Dollars From Being Used For Abortions. (Mi-Campaign Matching Funds) Michigan's Eight Gubernatorial Candidates May Get Only 26-Cents On The Dollar In Campaign Matching Funds. The Department Of Treasury Says There Is Only Four-Point-Six (M) Million-Dollars In Matching Funds Available, Including The Amount Expected To Be Collected From 2009 Tax Returns. And Department Spokesman Terry Stanton Says, Of That Amount, Two-Point-One (M) Million Has To Be Set Aside For The General Election, Leaving The Remaining Two-Point-One (M) Million To Be Distributed Among The Eight Candidates Now Running. "Gongwer News Service" Reports Their Was Eight-Point-Six (M) Million-Dollars In The Fund Before The 2006 Election. Of That, Governor Granholm Used One-Point-Five (M) Million In The General Election. But In 2007, Amid A Budget Crisis, Seven-Point-Two (M) Million Was Transferred Into The General Fund To Help With Expenditures And The Money Is Yet To Be Transferred Back Into The Fund. (Warren-Marijuana Murder) A Warren Teenager Convicted In The Beating Death Of A Man Over A Five-Dollar Bag Of Marijuana, Has Been Sentenced To 15 To 30 Years In Prison. 18-Year-Old Kevin Antone Was Sentenced Yesterday (Wednesday) In Macomb County Circuit Court. Antone, Who Was Convicted Of Second-Degree Murder And Armed Robbery, Was The Last Of Four Teens To Be Sentenced In The July 2009 Beating Death Of 46-Year-Old Michael Mccarthy. Prosecutors Say The Teens Attacked Mccarthy With A Large Piece Of Concrete At A Home In The Detroit Suburb After He Failed To Pay For The Pot. (Jax Officer Funeral) Funeral Services For Jackson Police Officer James Bonneau (Bawn'-Oh), Who Was Killed In The Line Of Duty This Week, Are Set For Friday. The 26-Year-Old Officer Was Shot To Death While Attempting To Arrest 63-Year-Old Elvin Potts On A Domestic Disturbance Complaint Early Tuesday Morning. Potts Was Shot And Killed By A Third Officer At The Scene. Bonneau Graduated From Canton High School In 2002 And Attended Schoolcraft College And Eastern Michigan University. Visitation Will Be Tomorrow At The L.G. Griffin Funeral Home In Canton From 1 To 9 P.M. Thursday. Funeral Services Are Planned For St. Michael's Lutheran Church In Canton On Friday. (Help From: Metro Source) (Mi/Wash-Levin-Health Care Reform) Despite Reported Growing Opposition, Michigan's Senior U-S Senator Is Confident A Health Care Reform Package Will Be Approved Before A Congressional Spring Break. U-S Senate Democrat Carl Levin Of Detroit Says Congress Now Has A "Path To Reform" Under The New Bills, Which He Says Target Insurance Company Policies That Are Keeping Costs High And Limiting Access. Levin Says Reform Requires Not Only Coverage For Millions Of Uninsured, But Eliminating Abusive Insurance Company Practices That Leave The Insured, Uncovered. He Says The Current Health Care Bill Now Before Congress "Puts Doctors, Hospitals And Health Care Providers Back In The Driver's Seat." President Obama Wants The Reforms Adopted By March 18th, Before Congress Leaves For Spring Break On March 27th. (Det-School Deficit) The Budget Deficit In The Detroit Public School District Has Grown By Another 98-Million Dollars In The Past Year. Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb Acknowledges The Deficit Has Grown Under His Leadership Since Being Appointed In March Of 2009. He Says The Deficit Has Grown Due To A Lack Of Concessions By Union Workers, Rescinded Layoffs, And The Need To Match Staffing Levels To The Student Population. Bobb Is Vowing To Have The Detroit School District Out Of The Red By 2013. The District Is Facing An Estimated Deficit Of 317-Million Dollars. (Metro Source) (Mack Bridge Traffic-Feb) Mackinac Bridge Traffic Has Now Increased Every Month For 11 Consecutive Months Compared To The Prior Year. The Brdige Authorities Says That Just Under 195 Thousand Vehicles Crossed The Mackinac Bridge During The Month Of February. This Is Is The Eleventh Consecutive Month Of Crossing Activity Showing An Increase Over The Prior Year. For The Month Of February Truck Traffic Is Up Nine Point Three Percent Over Last Year And Fare Revenue Is Up Twenty Eight Point Eight Percent, According To The Bridge Authority. (Toyota Tundra-Update) Toyota Now Says It Will Fix All 2000 To 2003 Model Year Tundra Pickups Sold In The U.S. To Address A Risk Over Frame Corrosion. Last November, The Car Maker Recalled 110-Thousand Tundras Sold In 20 Cold-Weather States. At The Time, Toyota Said Exposure To Heavy Road Salt Could Lead To Corrosion, Which Could Cause Spare Tires Or Even The Gas Tank To Drop Onto The Road. Toyota Told Its U.S. Dealers In A Notice Yesterday That It Would Expand The Recall To Tundras Sold In All 50 States. Company Spokesman Brian Lyons Wasn't Able To Say How Many Additional Vehicles Would Be Involved. Toyota Has Recalled More Than Eight Million Vehicles Worldwide For Mechanical Problems With Its Accelerator Assembly And Over Floor Mats That Could Cause The Accelerator To Stick. In February, Toyota Recalled Nearly 500-Thousand Hybrids, Including Its Top-Selling Prius, Because Of Braking Problems. (Metro Source) (Det-Casino Robbery) Two Women Are Wanted By Police For The Armed Robbery Of A Man That They Met At The Mgm Grand Casino In Detroit On Tuesday. The 27-Year-Old Victim Told Police That The Women Agreed To Follow Him From The Casino To His Hotel Nearby. The Man Claims That He Invited The Women To Get Into The Shower With Him. One Of The Suspects Pulled Out A Gun After He Disrobed. The Man Claims That The Women Never Discussed Payment For Going Back To His Room. They Took Off With The Man's Wallet, Which Had Less Than 200-Dollars. (Help From: Metro Source) (Mipoll: Hoekstra Leads) A New Statewide Poll Is Showing Some Shifting In The Race To Become The Republican Nominee For Governor. The Poll Shows U-S Congressman Pete Hoekstra With A Significant Lead, With 28 Percent Support. Ann Arbor Venture Capitalist Rick Snyder Is Second With 18 Percent, And Attorney General Mike Cox Has Dropped To Third Place With 12 Percent. Cox Led In Some Earlier Surveys. The Poll, Conducted By Lansing-Based Denno-Noor Research Shows That Among Democrats, State House Speaker Andy Dillon Has A Narrow Lead On The Pack, With 13 Percent Support, With Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero In A Virtual Dead Heat At 11 Percent. However, Among Democratic Voters, A Whopping 56 Percent Are Undecided. The Poll Was Commissioned By The Rossman Group And The Perricone Group, And Conducted By Lansing-Based Dennor-Noor Research, And Released By Booth Newspapers. (Wed Lottery) There Were No Winning Tickets Sold In Wednesday's Classic Lotto 47 Game. That Means Saturday's Jackpot Will Be Worth Two-Point-Seven (M) Million Dollars. The Numbers Drawn Wednesday Were: 6, 15, 22, 40, 41, And 42. The Winning Numbers For The Powerball Lottery Are: 17-21-37-41-50, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 2 The Jackpot Was Reported To Be $170 (M) Million Dollars. The Winning Numbers For The Midday 3 Lottery Were: 7-9-0. The Winning Numbers For The Midday 4 Lottery Were: 5-9-2-3. The Winning Numbers For The Evening 3 Lottery Were: 3-2-9. The Winning Numbers For The Evening 4 Lottery Weree: 5-2-7-0. Wednesday's Fantasy Five Numbers Were: 05-08-13-24-26. Wednesday's Keno Game Numbers Were: 03-04-07-08-25-27-29-30-32-37-40-50-51-52-53-54-55-57-72-76-79-80. Friday's Mega Millions Jackpot Will Be Worth At Least $20 (M) Million Dollars. |
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