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MICHIGAN BUDGET

Michigan Senate OKs new scholarships, boosts college funding

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Senate has overwhelmingly approved a spending bill that would fund new college scholarship program for high school graduates and increase operations funding for state universities by 11% overall. The legislation, one of 14 budget bills that cleared the chamber Tuesday, was passed 31-4 and will be further negotiated in talks with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the House. It would be the largest higher education increase and budget in decades, at a time the state has surplus tax revenue. Senators propose awarding “achievement” scholarships. Students attending in-state four-year colleges could get up to $6,000 a year, while those at in-state two-year colleges could qualify for up to $3,000 annually.

SUPREME COURT-ABORTION-MICHIGAN

Draft opinion jolts Michigan, where abortion ban is on books

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A draft opinion that suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision is reverberating in political battleground Michigan. The state has a pre-Roe abortion ban that may take effect and is unlikely to be changed by the Republican-led Legislature. There is increased attention in Michigan on the state courts, where Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Planned Parenthood have filed lawsuits seeking to invalidate the 1931 law. The development also is putting a focus on the November election, when the governor and legislators are up for reelection and voters may decide whether to enshrine abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution.

BC-US-SUPREME-COURT-ABORTION-STATES-

Possible overturning of Roe sends abortion fight to states

The bombshell leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion nationwide has set the country on course for an even more polarized and fluctuating landscape of abortion rights. Almost immediately, Republicans who had fostered a decades-long push to end abortion rights cheered Roe’s potential fall. Democrats vowed to fight the possible loss of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century. About half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion if Roe falls and 13 states have so-called trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if it is overturned.

MARIJUANA-VENDING MACHINE

Feds: Man sold marijuana at home from a vending machine

DETROIT (AP) — Agents says a Detroit man was making $2,000 a day for four years selling marijuana from a vending machine attached to his home. The man was arrested last week and charged with illegally possessing guns. The government says he freely explained how he made a living when they arrived with a search warrant. Agents were aware of the machine because they had made purchases to collect evidence in February and March. Agents discovered 18 firearms throughout the house, dozens of rounds of ammunition and several pounds of suspected marijuana.

RECREATIONAL VEHICLE SHOW

RV dealer show returning to Elkhart after two-year break

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) — A recreational vehicle show will return this year to Elkhart in northern Indiana after a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Bend Tribune reports three of the largest RV manufacturers _ Thor Industries, Forest River and Winnebago Industries _ have confirmed they will proceed with the four-day show beginning Sept. 26. The massive, dealer-only show, which allows retailers to see the latest offerings from RV manufacturers and suppliers, was cancelled in 2020 and 2021. The RV Industry Association says most RV manufacturers are reporting a backlog of orders from dealers despite a record 600,000 RVs produced in 2021.

GAMBLING MACHINES SEIZED

Gambling machines seized from suspected storefront casinos

DAVISON, Mich. (AP) — Authorities have seized 100 gambling machines and devices from two suspected storefront casinos in the Flint area. Raids were conducted Wednesday in Davison and Burton following an investigation by the state Attorney General’s office and the Michigan Gaming Control Board. The Gaming Control Board said Tuesday that 23 standalone gaming machines were among the items confiscated. Also seized was more than $29,200 in suspected gambling profits and 62 gift cards.

OBIT-114 YEARS OLD

Lansing-area woman dies at 114, third oldest in the US

DEWITT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan woman who was among the oldest living Americans has died at age 114. Irene Dunham died Sunday. Her son, Bruce Dunham, tells the Lansing State Journal that Dunham’s mind was sharp but her body “just finally gave up.” Gerontology Research Group had Dunham listed as the 10th oldest living person in the world and the third oldest in the U.S., as of last week. Dunham lived in Lansing before moving in 2020 to an assisted living center in DeWitt Township. In 1927, a sore throat kept Dunham home from school in Bath, Michigan. That was the day that explosives destroyed the school, killing more than 40 people.

FATAL TRENCH COLLAPSE

2 men killed in Michigan trench collapse ID’d as brothers

LOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Two men who died last week after a trench collapsed in western Michigan have been identified as brothers. The Bowne Township Fire Department identified the deceased men as 59-year-old Pete Bencker and 68-year-old Ron Bencker, both from Alto. Fire Chief Rick Vriesenga says Pete Bencker served 29 years on the Bowne Township Fire Department before retiring last year. He and his brother were working on a 14-foot deep trench that was being dug for drainage where a pole barn was being built when it collapsed Friday in Lowell Township, just east of Grand Rapids.

ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR

Rinke touts ‘bold’ campaign plan to repeal state income tax

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke says his “bold” proposal to eliminate Michigan’s personal income tax would help residents and sets him apart in a 10-person primary field. Rinke launched a 10-day bus tour with a stop at Lansing’s Fleetwood Diner on Monday. He says ending the 4.25% tax would position the state for growth with other states without an income tax like Texas and Florida. Michigan’s individual income tax generated $11.7 billion last fiscal year and accounts for 30% all state tax revenue. Democrats says Rinke’s “backwards vision” would leave Michigan with less money for law enforcement, schools and roads.

VOTER REGISTRATION BILL

Whitmer vetoes bill to add warning against voting twice

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed legislation that would require voter registration applications to include a statement that the applicant understands it’s a felony to try to vote more than once in the same election. Her office announced the veto late Friday, saying the bill is part of a larger package that wasn’t negotiated and aims “to restrict or chill access to the ballot.” The Republican sponsor of the bill says it “in no way shape or form” would keep someone from voting. Separately, Whitmer directed state departments to assess potential opportunities to expand people’s ability to register to vote.