All posts tagged: Michigan News

Deaths at Michigan Women’s Prison Spur Calls for Whitmer to Act, Director to Resign

Deaths at Michigan Women’s Prison Spur Calls for Whitmer to Act, Director to Resign

Published by Sam Flores

Federal and state lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to intervene at Michigan’s only women’s prison after a third inmate in less than a month died Saturday, intensifying scrutiny over conditions and medical care at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Ashley Hoath of Hillsdale County was rushed to Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital, about 15 minutes from the prison, where she was pronounced dead, Jenni Riehle, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections, confirmed in an email. Earlier Saturday, an officer had noticed Hoath wasn’t feeling well and promptly escorted her to a healthcare unit within the prison, where medical staff determined she needed to be sent to the hospital, according to Riehle. The 36-year-old’s death is the third inmate death since May 13. Khaira Howard, 28, died on May 13 and Rebecca Fackler, 57, died on May 17. The deaths have prompted bipartisan calls for Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington to resign. And now, fellow Democrat and US Rep. Debbie Dingell is urging Whitmer to “direct every appropriate effort” to address …

Carney Says the New Canadian-Built Bridge Across Detroit River That Trump Threatened Will Open

Carney Says the New Canadian-Built Bridge Across Detroit River That Trump Threatened Will Open

Published by Sam Flores

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, jointly owned by Canada and the U.S. state of Michigan, is set to take place on Friday, while the bridge itself is expected to open to traffic later this month. Invitations for a Friday afternoon event to “mark the next step for the Gordie Howe International Bridge” have been sent, according to an invitation obtained by The Associated Press. The event follows a recent conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. In February, Trump demanded that Canada turn over at least half the ownership of the bridge to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of his many salvos over cross-border trade issues. The bridge, which would connect Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit and would be a vital economic artery between Canada and the United States, had been expected to open early this year, according to information …

Frankie Valli Cancels the Remainder of the Four Seasons’ Farewell Tour, Citing Health Concerns

Frankie Valli Cancels the Remainder of the Four Seasons’ Farewell Tour, Citing Health Concerns

Published by Sam Flores

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Frankie Valli, whose legendary falsetto defines the sound of the 1960s rock group the Four Seasons, has cancelled the remainder of the band’s 2026 tour dates, citing health concerns. “I’m so sorry to disappoint the folks who have purchased tickets to my shows, but I have decided to take the rest of the year off from touring to focus on my health,” the 92-year-old singer wrote on social media Friday. Valli, the frontman and only original member still performing with the Four Seasons, launched an extended farewell tour billed “The Last Encores” in October 2023. Shows scheduled for April of this year were rescheduled to dates in summer and fall. Now, all eight performances remaining for 2026 in cities from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Detroit have been called off entirely. The Four Seasons found fame in the 1960s, but the band’s hits –- from “Sherry” to “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” –- span decades. The Four Seasons sold 100 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall …

Michigan Loves a ‘River Story.’ but Happy Ending Isn’t Guaranteed

Michigan Loves a ‘River Story.’ but Happy Ending Isn’t Guaranteed

Published by Sam Flores

Michigan may be known as the Great Lakes state, but most of its residents have a river to thank for their hometown’s existence. “Just looking at settlement patterns in Michigan tells us a lot about how important our rivers are,” said Lisa Dechano-Cook, a Western Michigan University geographer who co-wrote the book “ Kalamazoo River.” “You wanted to be near water, especially running water, so that you could get from place to place.” When combined, Michigan’s 76,000 miles of rivers, creeks and streams have a shoreline 46 times the length of Michigan’s Great Lakes coast. That means in most of the state, the nearest water body is more likely a river than one of those big lakes. Even some of the state’s most well-known inland lakes — from Oakland County’s Kent Lake to central Michigan’s Lake Ovid — are actually rivers that have been slowed, deepened and widened by dams. “I really don’t think (rivers)get the proper credit and thought,” said Melissa DeSimone, executive director of the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association. While Michigan’s rivers …

Michigan Lawmakers Give Mackinac Island Control of Ferry Rates. Neighbors Aren’t Happy

Michigan Lawmakers Give Mackinac Island Control of Ferry Rates. Neighbors Aren’t Happy

Published by Sam Flores

The Michigan House on Thursday OK’d a bill that would give Mackinac Island authority over all aspects of ferry services to the tourist destination, including prices for not only fares but also parking and baggage handling. Just before the start of the Memorial Day weekend, the House passed Senate Bill 304 by a 91-16 vote Thursday, with all opposition coming from Republicans. The legislation now goes to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Because it amends the island’s charter, it would only take effect if a majority of its residents approve it. Both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City oppose the legislation because it gives the smaller city power to control parking rates in their municipalities. “This was a tough fight — but sometimes as legislators we have to be willing to take a hard stance and take a few arrows to do what is right,” state Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, wrote in a statement on social media. Since Hoffman Marine bought the two ferry services to the island — Shepler’s Inc. and Arnold Transit — in 2004, …

US Justice Department Demands 2024 Detroit-Area Ballots in Latest Move for Local Election Records

US Justice Department Demands 2024 Detroit-Area Ballots in Latest Move for Local Election Records

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. Department of Justice has demanded that Michigan’s Wayne County turn over all its ballots from the 2024 election just weeks after it made similar requests in Georgia and Arizona. The earlier requests were for ballots and other records from 2020, the presidential election President Donald Trump lost, while the fresh request is for the last round of voting in a swing state Trump won. The letter, from the head of the department’s Civil Rights Division, appears to be a widening of Trump’s grievances over his false claims that widespread fraud cost him the 2020 election while at the same time looking ahead to this fall’s critical midterm election, when control of the U.S. House and Senate is in the balance. In a statement issued Sunday joined by Michigan’s Democratic governor and secretary of state, Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel derided the move as “weaponizing the Justice Department” in an attempt to “interfere in state elections.” “If this administration wants to bring this circus to our state, my office is prepared to protect the …

University of Michigan’s Next President Has Brain Cancer So Won’t Take Job

University of Michigan’s Next President Has Brain Cancer So Won’t Take Job

Published by Sam Flores

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The next president at the University of Michigan said Wednesday he can’t take the job because of brain cancer. Kent Syverud, chancellor at Syracuse University, said he received the diagnosis after not feeling well last week. “I am currently undergoing treatment at the University of Michigan. … I am aware that I am one of many, many people who face a diagnosis like this — people who show up each day with courage,” Syverud said. “I take inspiration from all of them.” Syverud was hired in January and was set to become president in May. The University of Michigan’s interim president, Domenico Grasso, will stay in the job while the school’s governing board searches for another leader. Instead of being president, Syverud will be a professor at Michigan’s law school and serve as an adviser to the Board of Regents, the board said. Santa Ono was university president until 2025, when he was in line to become the head of the University of Florida. But the move backfired when the …

Police in the Bahamas Arrest Husband of US Woman Who Vanished From Boat

Police in the Bahamas Arrest Husband of US Woman Who Vanished From Boat

Published by Sam Flores

Police in the Bahamas said late Wednesday they have arrested the husband of a U.S. woman who was aboard a boat near the archipelago and vanished. Authorities said the 59-year-old man whom they did not identify was arrested in Abaco and is being questioned. A Coast Guard spokesperson told The Associated Press late Wednesday that they have opened a criminal investigation into the case. Police did not provide further details, including whether or not he was charged. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney. Officials have said Lynette Hooker, 55, was traveling in an 8-foot motorboat from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on Saturday night, and that her husband, Brian Hooker, told authorities she fell overboard with the boat keys, causing the engine to turn off. Authorities said Brian Hooker then paddled to shore and alerted someone about her disappearance early Sunday. “Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement issued Saturday. Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, told The Associated Press late Wednesday that …

Michigan Launches ‘Safe Prisons’ Initiative Amid Growing Assaults, Concerns

Michigan Launches ‘Safe Prisons’ Initiative Amid Growing Assaults, Concerns

Published by Sam Flores

Amid a continued rise in prison assaults, the Michigan Department of Corrections this month launched a new “safe prisons initiative” that aims to improve conditions for inmates and officers alike. Among other things, the initiative seeks to provide improved prisoner programming to promote positive behavior, review segregation needs for violent inmates and provide corrections officers with both targeted training and technology to assist them in day-to-day operations. Additional details are not immediately available, but a spokesperson told Bridge Michigan the department is working to expand evidence-based programs for violence prevention and substance use treatment, while also reviewing tools to better equip officers. “The department is committed to our core mission of public safety, with the vast majority of day-to-day prison activities being conducted in a safe and compliant way,” Director Heidi E. Washington said in a statement announcing the initiative. “Our staff, those we supervise and the friends and family of both, deserve nothing less than our best when it comes to their well-being and the safety of the ones they love.” The initiative, which …

What to Know About Attacks at Old Dominion University and a Michigan Synagogue

What to Know About Attacks at Old Dominion University and a Michigan Synagogue

Published by Sam Flores

In Virginia, a former Army National Guard member who served years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State opened fire Thursday on a classroom at Old Dominion University, killing one person and wounding two others. ROTC students subdued and killed him, authorities said. In Michigan at a major synagogue outside of Detroit, a man, who had learned a week earlier that four of his family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon, rammed into a synagogue and then killed himself, authorities said. None of the 140 children and staff inside were hurt, but a security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious. Here is more information on what happened: Old Dominion University shooting Mohamed Bailor Jalloh yelled “Allahu akbar” and asked whether those in the university classroom were holding an ROTC event before he opened fire, according to authorities and court papers. Jalloh killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC leader, and wounded two others, according to officials. FBI officials praised the students’ bravery for preventing further harm. One …