KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP)/Mlive — A former Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo employee has been indicted on a federal wire fraud charge after allegedly defrauding immigrants she was supposed to be assisting. Federal prosecutors contend that Monica Karina Mazei engaged in a scheme between 2015 and this year while assigned to help people apply for visas, work permits, permanent resident status and citizenship. Prosecutors say she requested blank checks or money orders from her clients, wrote “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” in the payee line of the documents that she used as receipts, then wrote her own name on the checks and […]

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Republican Party and other Republicans have filed a lawsuit challenging the formation of a redistricting commission to draw congressional and legislative lines. Thursday’s suit is the second one brought in under a month. The party, chairwoman Laura Cox, former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and others say a 2018 ballot measure approved by voters violates the GOP’s fundamental right to associate or not associate. They fear people who do not represent Republicans’ interests will be selected as Republican commissioners. The constitutional amendment requires that a panel of four self-identified Democrats, four self-identified Republicans […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and other leaders of the world’s most industrialized nations will open their annual G-7 summit over the weekend by discussing the global economy. White House officials said Thursday that the session was added to Sunday’s schedule at the last minute at Trump’s request. Trump insists the U.S. economy is strong despite fears that a recession may be on the horizon. At the same time, global economic growth has slowed due to weakness in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, and a pronounced slowdown in China, the world’s second-largest economy, as it remains locked in a tense […]

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A task force is being created to tackle Michigan’s opioid epidemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an order Wednesday forming the advisory group, which will include leaders from across state government. It is the second time a Michigan governor has created an opioid task force since 2015. Whitmer says her move will bring the state a step closer to “finally ending” the prescription-drug epidemic that resulted in more than 2,000 overdose deaths in 2017. The task force will be led by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive. The panel will focus on increasing access to […]

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — Members of Congress are planning a tour of the Soo Locks complex in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to learn about a proposed $1 billion upgrade. They’ll be led by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan. Kaptur is chairwoman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. Joining them Friday in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan will be Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Soo Locks raise and lower ships traveling between Lakes Superior and Huron. The Corps plans to build a second lock […]

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two U.S. service members have been killed in combat in Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday. The NATO Resolute Support mission announced their deaths first, providing no details about what happened and saying that their names would be withheld for 24 hours until their families could be notified. Later, a U.S. official said the two service members died in combat from small-arms fire without providing further information. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the details had not yet been made public. More than 2,400 U.S. military personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in […]

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan business leaders are pressuring the Republican-led Legislature to commit to spending between $2 billion and $2.5 billion more annually to maintain the roads. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Business Leaders for Michigan and other groups renewed their push Tuesday, as the Senate returned to session for the first time in two months. The business lobby agrees with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s call for additional road spending, and says the money can’t be generated without “substantial new revenue.” She has proposed a 45-cents-a-gallon fuel tax increase. Republican lawmakers have rejected it and are considering potential alternatives […]

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say two people died when a small plane crashed in southeastern Michigan. Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy said in a news release that the single-engine Aero Commander M200 aircraft was landing at Spencer J. Hardy Airport near Howell when it crashed Tuesday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration gave a conflicting account, saying the plane was taking off when it crashed. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. Murphy says the two people aboard were both killed. Their names haven’t been released. The Livingston Daily Press & Argus reports that a British company, Southern […]

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — State regulators have ordered another credit for natural gas customers of DTE Energy, the result of changes in federal tax law. The Public Service Commission says a residential gas customer who uses 10,000 cubic feet of natural gas a month will receive a 58-cent monthly credit on their bill beginning in September. Regulators say $333 million will be returned to customers, or $12.7 million a year. It’s the third round of credits for DTE gas customers. They were first ordered in May 2018. Other investor-owned utilities serving Michigan are sharing tax savings with customers. The credits […]

EMPIRE, Mich. (AP) — Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan has welcomed its 50 millionth visitor. The National Park Service says other visitors applauded when Meghan Boertman entered Sleeping Bear’s visitor center in Empire, west of Traverse City. She was joined by her husband, Spencer, and their children, Jacoby and Levi. It was the first visit for the Boertmans, who live in Norton Shores, near Muskegon. They received an annual park pass, along with a plush black bear, souvenir books and a DVD. Officials say the milestone comes a year ahead of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore’s 50th anniversary. […]

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI –(Mlive) – A woman died Monday afternoon in a mobile home fire. Muskegon Heights Fire Chief Christopher Dean said the fire which killed the 61- or 62-year-old appears to be accidental and that there were no signs of foul play. The fire at Mona Lake Mobile Home Park off of Seaway Drive and Hoyt Street was reported by neighbors around 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, according to Dean. No one else was in the mobile home when the fire broke out, Dean said.

Detroit —(Detroit News) – Vice President Mike Pence vowed Monday to keep America’s economy growing in part by passing a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, while warning China against committing violence against protesters in Hong Kong. In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Pence touted the economic recovery of the nation and by extension Detroit through the cutting of bureaucratic red tape and creating enterprise zones in places like Detroit, Michigan’s largest city. The vice president also warned that China would imperil trade talks if it committed violence in Hong Kong. A two-month-old protest movement on the […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Planned Parenthood said Monday it’s pulling out of the federal family planning program rather than abide by a new Trump administration rule prohibiting clinics from referring women for abortions. Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood’s acting president and CEO, said the organization’s nationwide network of health centers would remain open and strive to make up for the loss of federal money. Enforcement of the new Title X rule marks a major victory for a key part of President Donald Trump’s political base — conservatives opposed to abortion. They have been campaigning to “defund Planned Parenthood” because — […]

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Police in West Virginia say five Texas residents have been arrested in a multistate credit card fraud scheme. News outlets report criminal complaints in Cabell County Magistrate Court charge the five with conspiracy, fraudulent schemes, fraudulent access device and possession with the intent to deliver. Huntington police said the suspects were located at a hotel early Sunday with boxes of blank credit cards, multiple fake credit cards and identification cards, a credit card scanner, an embossing machine and two laptops. Police said the cards were used to make purchases in several states, including Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, […]

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama veterinarian is dead following an apparent drowning on Lake Michigan. News outlets report that 71-year-old George Seier jumped into the water to retrieve a sailboat dingy that had drifted away on Saturday afternoon. He was at Harbor Springs in the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Seier swam about 75 yards and went under while treading water in about 10 feet of water. A dive team found his body later. Seier had a large veterinary practice in Prattville, near Montgomery. A Facebook message posted by Seier’s practice, Cobbs Ford Pet Health Center, calls him […]

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong streets were turned into rivers of umbrellas on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of people marched through heavy rain down a major road in the Chinese territory, where massive pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity. Organizers said at least 1.7 million participated, though the police estimate was far lower. The assembly was peaceful, with no reports of violence, making for a rare calm weekend in a protest movement that has been marked by violent clashes with police. Law enforcement officers kept a low profile, with no riot police seen from the procession’s […]

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — An out-of-control wildfire in Spain’s Canary Islands was throwing flames 50 meters (160 feet) into the air on Monday, forcing emergency workers to evacuate more than 8,000 people, authorities said. The blaze was racing across parched woodlands into Tamadaba Natural Park, regarded as one of the jewels on Gran Canaria, a mountainous volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean archipelago off northwest Africa. Famous for its beaches and mountains, Gran Canaria and its capital, Las Palmas, are popular European vacation destinations but the blaze was inland and no hotels were reported evacuated. Canary Islands President Ángel Víctor […]

MUSKEGON, MI – (Mlive) Police are investigating after a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed Saturday night in Muskegon, according to police. The shooting happened between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Aug. 17 behind a Dollar General store located at 381 E. Laketon Ave. near Wood Street, said Muskegon Police Chief Jeffrey Lewis. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide, Lewis added. A candlelight vigil took place Sunday night for 16-year-old Zamarian Cooper who lived a block away from where the shooting took place. Police are still looking for those responsible.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a 33-year-old skydiver has been killed in Michigan when he abruptly fell after trying to avoid colliding with another jumper near the landing. The unidentified man was jumping Saturday afternoon during the “Dink Dink Boogie” event at Grand Haven Memorial Airpark. A witness said the skydiver appeared to make a sudden turn to avoid another jumper and fell. Scott Braginton told mlive.com he knew the injuries would be severe because “he hit the ground hard.” Grand Haven Department of Public Safety Sgt. Lee Adams told the Grand Haven Tribune that police were interviewing […]

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A seaplane has hit two boats at a lake in the Detroit area, though no serious injuries were reported. The Detroit News reports that a single-engine Piper PA-18 had just touched down on Orchard Lake late Saturday afternoon when it struck the boats. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office says two people were aboard the plane as it landed on the lake in West Bloomfield Township. The Detroit News says the West Bloomfield Police Department declined to provide additional details on Sunday. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Cedar Point is kicking off its 150th anniversary celebration by offering visitors a break on admission to both of its parks. Their limited-edition anniversary Gold Pass is $99 and includes unlimited visits to Cedar Point and its water park for the rest of this year, as well as next year. The pass also comes with free parking and discounts on food, merchandise and admission for friends. Cedar Point says the pass also includes “Golden Entry” access, giving passholders access to some park attractions 30 minutes before the posted park opening time. The Gold Pass is available at […]