FLINT WATER

Arbitrator: Official wrongly fired in Flint water scandal

DETROIT (AP) — The only Michigan official fired in the Flint water disaster likely was a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics. That's the opinion of an arbitrator who is ordering $191,880 in lost wages and other compensation for Liane Shekter Smith. She served as head of the state’s drinking water office when Flint’s water system was contaminated with lead. Shekter Smith was demoted and then fired in 2016. The arbitrator noted that state engineers who had a direct role in Flint were suspended with pay and allowed to return to work. The Michigan environmental agency declined to comment Wednesday but said an appeal was being considered.

AP-US-MICHIGAN-COLLEGE-FOOD

Fries with that exam? College profs asked to help with food

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University is short of help and pleading with staff to volunteer in campus dining halls. The Lansing State Journal says MSU’s residential services department has already asked 132 full-time employees to work eight hours a week, but it’s apparently not enough. Vennie Gore, a senior vice president, says evenings and weekends are critical. Devin Silvia is director of undergraduate studies in MSU’s computational math department. He says the request is “astounding.” About 4,000 students typically work in MSU's dining halls, but only 1,200 were employed at the end of September. Starting pay was recently raised from $12 to $15 an hour.

HUMAN REMAINS FOUND

Deputies find human remains in mid-Michigan soybean field

MAPLE GROVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities have found human remains in a mid-Michigan soybean field. Barry County deputies said they found the remains in Maple Grove Township near a missing woman’s car. Deputies aided by a Michigan State Police helicopter found the car, and police dogs subsequently found the remains. The remains had not been identified by Wednesday afternoon. The Barry County Sheriff’s Office has been searching for 41-year-old Rachel Lynn Hazen since she was last seen July 21. A friend reported her missing five days later. Maple Grove Township is about 15 miles northwest of Flint.

VAN ELSLANDER GIFT-DETROIT SCHOOL

Foundation gifts $1.5M to improve literacy at Detroit school

DETROIT (AP) — A foundation named after late Detroit-area philanthropist Archie “Art” Van Elslander is donating $1.5 million to improve literacy at his former high school. Officials said Wednesday that the A.A. Van Elslander Foundation gift will be used to create the Beyond Basics Legacy Program at Denby on Detroit’s east side. The intensive one-on-one program allows students who require additional support in reading to improve foundational literacy skills while catching up to their grade levels. Art Van Elslander, a 1948 Denby graduate, founded the Art Van Furniture chain, opening his first store in 1959. The business was sold in 2017 and he died in 2018 at age 87.

MICHIGAN PIPELINE

Enbridge temporarily stops Michigan pipeline due to protests

The operator of a Michigan oil pipeline says it temporarily shut down Line 5 after protesters warned Enbridge that they planned to turn an emergency valve. Video posted on social media showed someone with a hard hat and a wrench inside a fenced area Tuesday in Tuscola County, 90 miles north of Detroit. A man outside the fence sang and played an electric guitar. Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy says the incident was a “criminal activity” and not a lawful protest. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants Line 5 shut down, saying it is a threat to the Great Lakes. Part of it crosses the Straits of Mackinac.

HAITI-US-KIDNAPPED MISSIONARIES

Efforts drag on to free 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Efforts to win the return of 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group and a local driver have stretched into a fourth day, with a violent gang demanding $1 million ransom per person. The group seized includes five children aged from 8 months to 15 years, although authorities are not clear whether the ransom demand included them. Sixteen of the abductees are Americans and one Canadian. The Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries says it will hold a day of fasting and prayer for its missionaries Thursday. A watchdog group says at least 119 kidnappings were recorded in Haiti for the first half of October. It says a Haitian driver was abducted along with the missionaries.

MICHIGAN REDISTRICTING

Michigan redistricting panel: 'Show up, speak up' on maps

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Members of Michigan’s redistricting commission are urging residents to speak up about draft congressional and legislative maps. The first of five public hearings will be held Wednesday in Detroit. The panel wants feedback on maps it drew collaboratively along with several more proposed by individual commissioners. The voter-created panel is responsible for the once-a-decade redistricting instead of the Legislature, which controlled the process the last two decades. Public meetings also are scheduled for Thursday in Lansing, Friday in Grand Rapids, Monday in Gaylord and Oct. 26 in Flint. People will have 90 seconds to speak, in person or virtually.

AP-US-BENTON-HARBOR-WATER

Michigan city declares emergency over lead; governor visits

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's governor has visited Benton Harbor to listen to residents who have been urged to use bottled water because of elevated levels of lead in their tap water. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stop Tuesday wasn't publicly disclosed until it was over. It came hours after city commissioners unanimously declared an emergency and empowered the Benton Harbor mayor to lead the city's response. Like many communities, Benton Harbor gets water from Lake Michigan, but the system moves water through old lead pipes. Lead levels in water have exceeded the federal threshold. Michigan is providing free water to residents for cooking and drinking.

COUPLE KILLED

Couple killed in car at Detroit gas station with baby inside

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit police say two people were ambushed and killed while in a car with their child at a Detroit gas station. Two men fired shots at the car Monday night, killing a man and a woman, who were 22 years old. Their 9-month-old baby was not hurt. The shooting was recorded by the gas station’s security cameras. Police Chief James White says it wasn’t a random killing. He calls it “horrific.” Posters seeking tips were being distributed with video images of the gunmen. Community activist Malik Shabazz wants the public to help. Shabazz says “someone knows” who pulled the trigger.

EDUCATION ACCOUNTS

Michigan Legislature OKs accounts for private school tuition

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Low- and moderate-income children could qualify for scholarships to attend private schools and to cover educational expenses such as tutoring under bills approved on party-line votes in the Republican-led Michigan Senate. The legislation would let individual and corporate taxpayers claim a credit against their income taxes for donations to nonprofit organizations, which would send money to eligible students’ accounts. It is likely to be vetoed if it reaches Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Democrats likened the bills to “voucher schemes.” Republicans said the bills would boost educational opportunities for disadvantaged kids and give parents additional choices.

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