Michigan Archives

Politics

Michigan Governor Whitmer Announces Appointments

Commission to help educate Michiganders on safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine LANSING, MI (STL.News) Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed new members to the bipartisan Protect Michigan Commission. The appointees represent a diverse array of industries, professions, and backgrounds. Housed within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the commission will help raise awareness of the safety and effectiveness of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, educate the people of this state, and help protect the health and safety of all Michigan residents. “Michigan is working around the clock to ramp up vaccinations and reach our goal of 50,000 shots in arms per day, and with the help of the Protect Michigan Commission we can ensure everyone has a plan to get vaccinated once the oppor...

General

Detroit: Jorge Pitts sentenced For Multiple Charges

Major Detroit Michigan Opioid Dealer, Jorge Pitts sentenced to 10 years in Federal Prison for Narcotic and Firearms Charges Bismarck (STL.News) United States Attorney Drew Wrigley announced that United States District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland has sentenced Jorge Pitts, AKA "Jose", age 30 of Detroit, Michigan, to 10 years in federal prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Judge Hovland also sentenced Pitts to 3 years supervised release and a $200 Special Assessment. On January 25, 2018, Pitts was stopped for traffic violations in New Town, ND. In response to the defendant’s suspicious behavior at the scene of the stop, a drug detection canine was deployed and detected drugs in Pitts’ vehicle. During a subseque...

Politics

Michigan MDOT: Transportation Development Grant

Gov. Whitmer announces transportation economic development grant that will support 2,200 new jobs in Detroit Gov. Whitmer announces transportation economic development grant that will support 2,200 new jobs in Detroit LANSING, MI (STL.News) The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has awarded a state transportation economic development grant that will support 2,200 new jobs in the city of Detroit. The grant will help fund infrastructure improvements related to General Motors' (GM) Factory ZERO plant that straddles the Detroit-Hamtramck border. "This is good news for our families, our businesses, and our economy as a whole. Every Michigander deserves to drive on our roads safely, without blowing a tire or cracking a windshield, and this partnership with GM will help us reach ...

Entertainment

Michigan Lottery: Molly DeBono Wins Excellence in Education Award

MI (STL.News) A Macomb County educator known for adapting and overcoming challenges has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery. The award winner, Molly DeBono, is a first-grade teacher at Erie Elementary School which is part of Chippewa Valley School District. The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year. Winners of the weekly award receive a plaque, a $1,500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school, or school district. One of the weekly winners will be selected as the Educator of the Year and will receive a $10,000 cash prize. Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner st...

General

Lansing, MI: Small group demonstrates at Michigan Capitol

Lansing, MI (STL.News) A small group of gun-toting demonstrators showed up at Michigan's Capitol on Sunday, dwarfed by law enforcement on high alert after this month's deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. YouTube video provided courtesy of Associated Press (AP)

Politics, Uncategorized

U.S. HHS Grants Governor Whitmer’s Request to Release Vaccines

U.S. HHS Grants Governor Whitmer's Request to Release Vaccines Being Held Back by the Trump Administration HHS follows Michigan’s lead, now urges states to vaccinate Americans 65 and older LANSING, MI (STL.News) Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they will grant Governor Whitmer and eight other governors’ request and release the millions of doses of the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine currently being held back by the Trump Administration. HHS also announced that they will follow Michigan’s lead, recommending that states open up vaccinations to Americans age 65 and up, a move that Governor Whitmer announced last week. “Michigan and states across the country remain ready to get more shots in arms, which is why the Trump Administration’s decisi...

General

Former Hamtramck, Michigan Police Officer, Ryan McInerney Pleads Guilty

Former Hamtramck, MI Police Officer, Ryan McInerney Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Charge For Excessive Use of Force (STL.News) Former Hamtramck police office Ryan McInerney, 44, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan to using excessive force against a civilian arrestee and violating the arrestee’s civil rights. As a result of the assault, the victim, identified in court documents only as D.M., suffered broken facial bones and lacerations requiring stitches, among other injuries. At the plea hearing, the defendant admitted that on the night of June 22, 2014, while he was on duty as a Hamtramck Police Department (HPD) officer, he initiated a traffic stop on D.M. After D.M. stopped his car, the defendant approached the driver’s side door and ...

Politics

MI & IL – Carp Prevention Project – Brandon Road Lock & Dam

Project Made Possible by Funding from Both States as Well as the Federal Government LANSING, MI (STL.News) The governors of Illinois and Michigan Thursday agreed to work jointly to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp species. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Gov. JB Pritzker today announced an intergovernmental agreement between the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) which allows Illinois to use up to $8 million in funds appropriated in 2018 by the Michigan Legislature to support the pre-construction engineering and design (PED) phase of the Brandon Road Ecosystem Project. Further strengthening the path forward, the State of Illinois also signed a separate PED agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for ...

Politics

Michigan and Illinois Governor Sign to Advance Invasive Carp Prevention

Michigan and Illinois Sign Agreement to Advance Invasive Carp Prevention Project at Brandon Road Lock and Dam (STL.News) The governors of Illinois and Michigan today agreed to work jointly to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp species. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Gov. JB Pritzker today announced an intergovernmental agreement between the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) which allows Illinois to use up to $8 million in funds appropriated in 2018 by the Michigan Legislature to support the pre-construction engineering and design (PED) phase of the Brandon Road Ecosystem Project. Further strengthening the path forward, the State of Illinois also signed a separate PED agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of E...

Politics

Michigan Governor Proclaims January as Human Trafficking Awareness

Governor Whitmer Proclaims January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month Governor Whitmer Proclaims January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month LANSING, MI. (STL.News) Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed January 2021 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Michigan and released a video urging people to educate themselves on how they can help prevent human trafficking. “Human trafficking happens to children, women and men every day in our country and around the world,” said Governor Whitmer. “It is often a hidden crime that can take different forms including sex trafficking, forced labor and almost always involves the exploitation of our most vulnerable. I hope this month serves as a reminder and opportunity for each of us to learn about prevention efforts and ways to support surviv...

General

Michigan: Claudia Ann Merrill Sentenced For Defrauding U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs

Michigan Woman, Claudia Ann Merrill Sentenced For Defrauding U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs Of Over $1.7 Million In Benefits LAS VEGAS, NV (STL.News) A Michigan woman was sentenced to three years and five months in prison after pleading guilty to carrying out a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of more than $1.7 million in veterans benefits, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada. “The defendant orchestrated a million dollar scheme to defraud the VA and to deceive the elderly veterans and surviving spouses whose names she used,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “As part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, our office and our partners are committed to safeguarding our seniors and prosecuting those who ...

General

Michigan: Jason Keller Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offense

Michigan Man, Jason Keller Living in the Philippines Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offense (STL.News) John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JASON KELLER, 35, originally of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to one count of receipt of child pornography. Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden occurred via videoconference. According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2018, Keller, using the moniker “Eddie Buttered Toast,” contacted a 14-year-old female in Connecticut and claimed he was a 17-year-old boy from Chicago. At the time, Keller was living in the Philippines. Keller then sent t...

Business

Harris Funeral Homes to Pay $250,000 to Settle Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

Transgender Funeral Director Lost Job After She Announced Gender Transition, Federal Agency Charged DETROIT, MI (STL.News) Detroit-based R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. will pay $250,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. According to the EEOC’s 2014 lawsuit, Harris discharged the late Aimee Stephens as funeral director because she announced she was transitioning from male to female (EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc., Civil Action No. 2:14-cv-13710). The EEOC further alleged that Harris provided male front-facing employees suits but provided no clothing assistance to female employees until October 2014, when it began providing them a clothing stipend. The EE...

Missouri, Political News

AG Nessel Joins Friend-of-the-Court Brief in Appeal Against Trump

Michigan: AG Nessel Joins Friend-of-the-Court Brief in Appeal Against Trump Anti-Immigrant Visa Proclamations (STL.News) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Gomez v. Trump urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to reverse a trial court decision that partially upheld President Trump’s proclamations that indefinitely disrupt vast portions of the country’s immigration system. On April 22 and June 22, Trump signed two different immigration-related proclamations that effectively bar immigrants and foreign workers traveling on nonimmigrant work visas from entering the United States, including students, tech workers, and the families of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Buildin...

Entertainment

Michigan Lottery: Wayne County Man Wins $5,000 a Week for Life

Wayne County Man Wins $5,000 a Week for Life Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Cash For Life Instant Game MI (STL.News) A Wayne County man is still trying to pick his jaw up off the floor after winning $5,000 a week for life playing the Michigan Lottery’s Cash For Life instant game. The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at Allways Gas, located at 125 South Merriman Road in Westland. “I asked the clerk for a $10 Cash For Life ticket and when he pulled it, it fell on the floor,” said the player. “He handed it to me and said: ‘This is going to be a winner.’ Boy, was he right. “I scratched the ticket when I got home and in the third spot, I saw letters. My jaw hit the floor, and I haven’t been able to pick it up since.” The 42-year-old player visited Lotte...

Missouri, Political News

Michigan : AG Nessel Joins 22-state Coalition

Michigan : AG Nessel Joins 22-state Coalition Opposing Federal Government's Drastic Limits on International Student Visas (STL.News) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently joined 21 other attorneys general in opposing efforts by the federal government to severely restrict the amount of time international students are allowed to stay in the United States. In a comment letter submitted to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the coalition opposes a proposed rule that would set fixed time limits of two or four years for student visas, upending a longstanding policy that allows students to stay as long as they need to earn their degrees, as long as they meet certain requirements. The coalition urges DHS to abandon the proposed rule, arguing that it would harm internatio...

General

Michigan: US AG’s Office Files New Charges Against Joseph Comperchio

Michigan: US AG's Office Files New Charges Against Catholic School Teacher, Joseph Comperchio After 2 More Victims Come Forward LANSING (STL.News) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office filed new sexual assault charges against a former Catholic school music teacher after her prosecutors last month accused the 67-year-old man of sexually assaulting two other minors while he was employed at St. John Catholic School in Jackson in the 1970s. Joseph – or Josef – Comperchio, of Fort Myers, Florida, is charged with five new counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving two individuals. Four of the counts occurred when the victims were under the age of 13, and the fifth was while the victim was physically helpless – second-degree criminal sexual conduct–injury to incapacitate...

General

LANSING: AG Nessel Joins Coalition Fight Against Trump Administration

LANSING: AG Nessel Joins Coalition Fighting Trump Administration's Attempts to Undermine Workplace Protections as COVID-19 Continues to Decimate State, National Economies LANSING (STL.News) Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general, along with the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and city agencies in New York and Chicago, in calling on the Trump Administration to stop the implementation of a proposed rule that would strip workers of key protections provided under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The proposed rule — issued by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) — would make it easier for employers to change the classification of workers from employees to independent contractors, removing these work...