Judge shakes up court schedule to speed up Flint water crisis trial
FLINT, MI -- A federal judge says she will give more time to a civil trial tied to the Flint water crisis starting next week, an effort to make faster progress as the case threatens to extend throughout the summer. The case is considered a bellwether because it is the first to test the potential liability of the consulting companies for the water crisis. Starting Tuesday, May 31, the judge said, the water trial will be in session from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The companies have disputed the injuries claimed by the children and said government officials caused the water crisis and are responsible for any related damages. Read more at The Flint Journal:Ex-Flint DPW boss saw evidence of lead contamination just months after switch to Flint RiverOwner of New Lothrop’s iconic Gracie’s Restaurant dies at 85Judge dismisses juror with COVID-19, says Flint water crisis trial can’t afford further delay
mlive.comBrothers from suburban Lyons accused in backyard burial of mother and sister, village officials say
Lyons police Chief Thomas Herion will be announcing the details of the charges during a news conference at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the southwest suburb, according to news release from the village.
chicagotribune.comHigh court rejects case of Christian group, bisexual lawyer
The Supreme Court says it won't review the case of a Seattle-based Christian organization that was sued after declining to hire a bisexual lawyer who applied for a job. Two justices, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas, agreed with the decision not to hear the case at this stage but said that “the day may soon come" when the court needs to confront the issue the case presents. The case the high court declined to hear involves Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.
news.yahoo.comHigh court reverses decision allowing Muslims' FBI bias suit
The Supreme Court sided unanimously with the Biden administration Friday and reversed a lower court decision that had allowed a lawsuit by Muslim men claiming religious bias by the FBI to go forward. Instead, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that a federal appeals court had made an error when looking at the case.
news.yahoo.comHong Kong court refuses American’s assault conviction appeal in ruling critics see as win for police impunity
A judge dismissed an appeal by U.S. lawyer Samuel Bickett, who intervened to stop a police officer from hitting a teenager. The case was seen as a litmus test of Hong Kong judicial independence.
washingtonpost.comMan sentenced to prison for 2018 carjacking, fatal crash in Flint
FLINT, MI -- A Flint man has been sentenced to prison for second-degree murder in a 2019 case that involved a two-vehicle crash during a Michigan State Police chase after a carjacking incident in Flint. Christoper A. Long, who was 17 years old at the time of the carjacking and crash that left 57-year-old Alison Looney dead and her husband severely injured, was sentenced by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Celeste D. Bell on Monday, Nov. 8 to serve 25 to 40 years in prison.
mlive.comAn officer is accused of ignoring untested rape kits for years and mishandling assault cases
Cincinnati police officer Christopher Schroder has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of an inquiry over allegations that the city's mayor says shows “a disgusting betrayal of public trust and the trust of the victims he had a duty to help.”
washingtonpost.comA man said he hired a person with covid-19 to lick groceries. He got 15 months in prison.
Christopher Charles Perez wrote on Facebook last year that he had paid someone infected with the coronavirus to lick groceries at a San Antonio supermarket. He now faces more than a year in federal prison.
washingtonpost.com1 shot, injured in Hamtramck shooting
Hamtramck police are still investigating the case. HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – A person was injured in a shooting that happened Monday shortly before 8 a.m. in the area of Belmont and Lumpkin streets, police say. Police responded to the scene after a call was made about several shots being fired in the area. Several rounds of gunfire struck a home on Belmont leaving the victim injured, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hamtramck Police Department at 313-800-5281.
Defense attorney calls for judge to be removed in Flint water crisis case
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. – Defense attorneys in the ongoing Flint water crisis case are pushing for the judge to be removed. The Flint water crisis case may soon be headed in a new direction. Defense attorneys said the judge doesn’t belong on the case because of where he lives. RELATED: Flint water crisis investigation: Here’s who was chargedFormer Director of the City of Flint Department of Public Works Howard Croft’s attorney argued that since Genesee District Court Judge William H. Crawford lives in Flint, he could potentially be involved in a class-action lawsuit against Croft. Attorneys for Snyder argued Monday that the case against him was filed in the wrong county since he was making decisions in Lansing, not Genesee County.
Lawyers for former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder file motion to dismiss charges in Flint water crisis
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. – On Monday, attorneys for former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder filed a motion to dismiss charges against him in the Flint water crisis. The Flint water crisis is a disaster now stretching across almost seven years. In court documents, Snyder’s attorneys claim that a Genessee County judge did not have the jurisdiction to approve the indictment since the alleged acts happened in Lansing. The attorneys say since Snyder was in Lansing the case should be dismissed in Genessee County.
COVID-19 spike leads to surge at Michigan hospitals
DETROIT – With COVID-19 cases rising exponentially in Michigan, local hospitals are starting to fill with new patients. RELATED: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 hospitalization data trendsBoth the Henry Ford Health and Beaumont Health systems have seen a rise in COVID-19 patients. As of 11 a.m. Friday, Henry Ford Health System had 226 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at its six hospitals. Physicians are urging residents to take coronavirus seriously. You can watch Paula Tutman’s full story in the video above.
Michigan governor files motion to dismiss Republican congressmans lawsuit over executive orders
LANSING, Mich. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer filed a motion in Detroit federal court Friday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Republican Congressmen Paul Mitchell alleging she exceeded her authority by issuing so many executive orders to address the coronavirus pandemic. Mitchell claims many of the executive orders are unconstitutional. READ MORE: Here are all 118 executive orders issued by Michigan Gov. The motion states that Mitchells claims are moot because Whitmer has issued executive orders that permit the very activities he alleged were prohibited.