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This article was published 12/12/2019 (1589 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

POOL DEATH-MAN CHARGED

Father to stand trial after autistic son drowns in pool

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan college professor whose severely autistic 16-year-old son drowned in an icy backyard pool has been ordered to trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge. A judge ruled Thursday that Timothy Koets should stand trial for the more serious charge he faced in the March death of 16-year-old Samuel Koets. She expects to decide later on whether second-degree child abuse charges on which he was arraigned should be included. Authorities say Timothy Koets left his son outside when he went to work, while the mother, Michelle Koets, slept inside after working a shift as a nurse. Timothy Koets’ lawyer says his client didn’t leave the boy unattended and his death was “tragic accident.”

PRISON WISH

Man who committed crime to return to prison gets his wish

ESCANABA, Mich. (AP) — A 59-year-old Michigan man who says he robbed a business so he could return to prison could be locked up for he rest of his life. Mark Wilson was sentenced this week to at least 25 years in prison for armed robbery and he’ll be in his 80s when he’s eligible for parole. Police say Wilson, from Portage, gave a note to a Hardee’s employee in Escanaba last July, indicating that he was robbing the restaurant. He waited in a restroom until police arrived. Wilson told a judge that he’s “lost the ability to function normally with society.”

CHRISTMAS TREES-TIGHT SUPPLIES

‘Shop early’: US Christmas trees supplies tight, prices up

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — With Christmas less than two weeks away, finding the perfect tree might take some searching. The availability of real Christmas trees is tight across the United States, especially for procrastinators looking for a certain type of tree. But industry officials say everyone who wants a tree should be able to find one, they just might have to pay a little more. Merchant Sandy Parsons of Charleston, West Virginia, says she never got her order for 350 trees from a North Carolina farm, citing short supply. But local seller Robert Cole, whose business supplies its own trees, has never been busier.

MICHIGAN STATE-SEXUAL ASSAULT

Michigan State wins appeal on its handling of assault cases

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Students who said they suffered because of how Michigan State University handled complaints of sexual assault have lost a key court decision. A federal appeals court ruled in favour of MSU. The court says the female students didn’t show that Michigan State was deliberately indifferent to their initial complaints and that they suffered additional harassment as a result. The alleged incidents preceded the Larry Nassar scandal at Michigan State. The school promised in September to make substantial changes to how it follows Title IX, a federal law forbidding discrimination based on gender in education.

AP-US-DETROIT-RIVER-SPILL

State orders cleanup of aggregate spill into Detroit River

DETROIT (AP) — Michigan environmental regulators are ordering a company to remove limestone and other materials that spilled into the Detroit River last month. The state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy sent a violation notice Wednesday to Erickson’s Inc. of Grand Rapids, owner of the riverside property leased by Detroit Bulk Storage. A dock at the site collapsed Nov. 26, discharging an unknown amount of crushed limestone into the river, along with asphalt and contaminated soils. The department said testing determined that contaminant levels in the water were not detectable or well below quality standards.

SECRETARY OF STATE-DELAYS

Benson: 30-minute promise is kept — with an appointment

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says people who book an appointment will get in and out of branch offices within half an hour, but that guarantee doesn’t apply to those who show up without one. Benson campaigned on a 30-minute promise. She said Thursday that she has achieved it because residents can now go online or call to make an appointment at all 131 branches. Average wait times are up since she took office in January. She says customers should avoid walking into a branch and waiting in line and instead conduct their transactions online or book an appointment.

GENERAL MOTORS-MISSOURI

GM president in Wentzville Friday for ‘major announcement’

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The president of General Motors is expected to visit Missouri for what officials are calling a major announcement at the company’s plant in Wentzville. Gov. Mike Parson, Sen. Roy Blunt and other government officials are scheduled to join GM President Mark Reuss on Friday at the plant that produces trucks and vans. Representatives of GM and Parson have declined to discuss details. The announcement comes less than two months after GM workers nationwide ended a 40-day strike with an agreement that included a GM commitment to invest $1.5 billion in truck production at the Wentzville plant.

TRUMP IMPEACHMENT-UPTON

Moderate Republican Upton will vote against impeaching Trump

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, a moderate Republican, says he will vote against impeaching President Donald Trump. Upton, top Democratic target in 2020, issued a written statement Thursday calling the impeachment process “highly partisan and clearly motivated by what I believe is an attempt to overturn the last election.” He says the time to vote on Trump is next November, not next week. Trump is accused of abusing his power by asking Ukraine to investigate his 2020 rival, Joe Biden, while holding military aid as leverage. He also is accused of obstructing Congress by blocking the House’s efforts to probe his actions.

BEACHES CLOSED-SPILL

Environmental groups sue steel mill over lake chemical spill

PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — Two environmental groups are suing a steelmaker for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act at its northwestern Indiana facility more than 100 times in the past five years, including an August spill that killed over 3,000 fish. The Environmental Law and Policy Center and Hoosier Environmental Council filed the lawsuit Wednesday after previously alerting ArcelorMittal of their plans to sue. The groups allege ArcelorMittal breached its Clean Water Act permit after releasing impermissible levels of cyanide and ammonia in August. The spill killed fish, forced nearby beaches to close and kept visitors away from the newly designated Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

BC-MO-CAPE GIRARDEAU KILLING

Investigation continues into fatal shooting in SE Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) — Police in the southeast Missouri town of Cape Girardeau are continuing to investigate after a man was shot to death at an apartment complex. The Southeast Missourian reports that the victim was identified Thursday as 53-year-old Richard R. Reeves of Decatur, Michigan. The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. inside an apartment on the second floor. Police say Reeves was shot several times in the torso. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. No arrests have been made and police encouraged anyone with information to come forward.