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MICHIGAN UNEMPLOYMENT-FEDERAL BENEFIT

Whitmer vetoes moot bill to end unemployment benefit early

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed a moot Republican-sponsored attempt to stop a $300 weekly federal supplement that is being added to unemployed workers’ benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. The extra payment is due to end Sept. 4. The GOP-controlled Legislature wanted to terminate it July 31, saying the money discourages people from rejoining the workforce. If Whitmer had signed the legislation, the change would not have actually occurred, however, because Senate Democrats did not agree to give the measure immediate effect. Whitmer says she is open to ending the federal benefit early if lawmakers raise the state’s maximum benefit.

ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR

Whitmer raises $8.5M for reelection campaign in 7 months

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s reelection campaign has raised $8.5 million this year, the most for any gubernatorial candidate in a non-election year in Michigan history. The Democrat has collected more than $14 million this cycle, already surpassing the $13.3 million she raised for her 2018 run and with 15 1/2 months left until Election Day. Her committee has more than $10 million on hand, well above what her predecessor, Rick Snyder, had entering 2014 when he won reelection. Seven Republicans have formed gubernatorial committees. Ex-Detroit chief James Craig is expected to soon enter the race.

MISSING GIRL

Man charged with perjury in probe of ’81 missing girl case

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A man has been charged with perjury in the 40-year-old investigation of a missing girl in the Grand Rapids area. James Frisbie is accused of giving false statements when served with an investigative subpoena in a cold case investigation. Frisbie’s attorney isn’t commenting. Police are trying to solve the disappearance of Deanie Peters. She was 14 years old in 1981 when she was last seen at her brother’s wrestling practice at a school in suburban Grand Rapids. Deanie was declared dead after 10 years. In February, the 40th anniversary of the girl’s disappearance, Deanie’s mother said she yearns for answers.

WHITE BOY RICK

‘White Boy Rick’ movie’s inspiration sues police for $100M

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area man whose decades in prison for drug dealing and work as an informant inspired the movie “White Boy Rick” has filed a lawsuit seeking $100 million, claiming he was coerced into assisting police as a teenager. Richard Wershe Jr. served prison time in Michigan before his release in 2017, followed by a few more years in a Florida prison for an unrelated crime. His lawsuit in federal court in Detroit alleges that his troubles in the 1980s were related to the pressures of pleasing local police and federal agents. There was no immediate comment from Detroit police on the lawsuit. “White Boy Rick” was a nickname in Wershe’s younger days. His story was the basis of the 2018 film starring Matthew McConaughey and Richie Merritt.

SHERIFF DIES

Michigan sheriff dies after accident at his UP home

HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan sheriff seriously injured at his Upper Peninsula home over the weekend has died. Houghton County Sheriff Brian McLean died Monday night at a hospital in Marquette. Undersheriff Kevin Coppo calls it a “sudden and tragic loss.” McLean suffered significant injuries during an accident Saturday night. His office says neighbors helped him before an emergency crew arrived. No other details about what happened have been released. McLean was elected in 1996 and has been reelected every four years.

WILDFIRE-PICTURED ROCKS

Wildfire burns 6 acres at Pictured Rocks, state forest

GRAND MARAIS, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a wildfire burned about 6 acres of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and adjacent state forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A U.S. Coast Guard vessel reported the fire around 3 p.m. Monday near the Twelvemile Beach campground at Pictured Rocks. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Burt Township firefighters and Pictured Rocks park rangers extinguished the fire. Park rangers say large amounts of smoke may linger for the next few days in the area. The investigation into how the fire started is continuing. 

MUSIC FEST-DEATHS

3 dead near Michigan country music festival were school pals

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Three young men who likely died from carbon monoxide exposure while camping near a country music festival in Michigan were pals who played high school football together. Friends and family identified them as Dawson Brown and Richie Mays Jr., both 20 years old, and 19-year-old Kole Sova. Police say the deaths Saturday probably were caused by carbon monoxide from a generator that was too close to their travel trailer. They were graduates of Michigan Center High School in Michigan Center and were at a campground while attending the Faster Horses Festival at Michigan International Speedway, 80 miles west of Detroit. Two more friends were being treated at a hospital. Separately, state police were investigating the death of a 30-year-old woman at the festival.

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT

FBI agent in investigation of Whitmer kidnap plot is charged

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Records show an FBI agent who has testified about an alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been charged with assault. Richard Trask appeared in a Kalamazoo court Monday and was released. Online records show the alleged offense occurred Sunday. The court file doesn’t list an attorney yet who could comment. The FBI says the incident is under review. It declined any additional comment. Trask has testified in state and federal courts in cases tied to an alleged scheme to kidnap Whitmer in retaliation for orders last year meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. One man has pleaded guilty and roughly a dozen others are awaiting trial.

COMMUNICATION DESIGNATION

Autistic, hearing impaired in Michigan offered designation

MASON, Mich. (AP) — Michigan residents with conditions that could impede communication with law enforcement such as deafness or autism can now apply to have a designation associated with their information that comes up on officers’ computer systems during traffic stops. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson promoted the so-called “communication impediment designation” that went into effect this month during a news conference Monday in Mason. The designation wouldn’t appear on identification cards or documents, but it would appear on the Law Enforcement Information Network that officers use to create safe and productive interactions.

POLICE PURSUIT-DEADLY SHOOTING

Police chase in Michigan ends with suspect killed in Ohio

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Police officers in Toledo, Ohio, and state troopers from Michigan shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them after a 30-mile chase through both states. Police say the man crashed his car early Monday in a Toledo neighborhood following the chase that began in Monroe, Michigan. They say he came out of the car holding a handgun to his head and began walking.  Police say negotiators talked with the 50-year-old from Monroe and tried to de-escalate the situation. But police say he was making threatening moves and raised the gun toward the officers just before he was shot multiple times

The Associated Press