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DEADLY CHASE-DEPUTY SHOT

Deputy critically wounded, gunman killed in Michigan chase

GALESBURG, Mich. (AP) — A sheriff’s office in Michigan says a chase has ended with a suspected gunman dead and a deputy critically wounded. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office says deputies encountered the suspect Saturday evening at a gas station in Galesburg after he was reportedly involved in a chase earlier in the day with a neighboring law enforcement agency. The suspect is accused of pointing a gun at the deputies, getting in a vehicle and driving away. The sheriff’s office says the gunman shot Deputy Ryan Proxmire during a chase. The suspect later drove off the road into a field. He is accused of getting out and firing shots. Other deputies returned fire, killing him. Proxmire remained in critical condition on Sunday.

LAKE MICHIGAN-DROWNING

Woman drowns while swimming off boat in Lake Michigan

SAUGATUCK, Mich. (AP) — Police on Sunday recovered the body of a woman who drowned in Lake Michigan, hours after she was first reported missing. The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office said Mary Claire Dice-Grooters had been swimming from a boat without a life jacket about one mile north of the Saugatuck pier head on Saturday. Authorities said she went under the water and did not resurface. Emergency teams had to end the search when it got dark Saturday night. The search teams found the woman’s body on Sunday morning.

ROAD PROJECT-DETROIT

Resurfacing coming to Detroit’s East Jefferson Avenue

DETROIT (AP) — A major road project is coming to Detroit’s eastside. Resurfacing is scheduled to start Tuesday on a more than 5-mile stretch of East Jefferson between Beaubien and Lakewood. The city says two primary travel lanes in each direction of East Jefferson will receive a new top layer of asphalt. The project is to wrap up by Sept. 3. East Jefferson is slated to undergo a full rebuild in conjunction with a planned water infrastructure project in the next two to three years. In about three years, Detroit’s Public Works office will oversee a complete streetscape project for East Jefferson that will include some underground utility updates.

AFRICAN AMERICAN EQUALITY-GRANTS

Grant to help document history of Black housing in Inkster

INKSTER, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office of the Michigan Strategic Fund has received a $50,000 grant to document the history of Black housing in the city of Inkster from 1920-1970. It also will conduct a survey of sites to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The project is one of five in Michigan to share more than $1.4 million in federal grants to help preserve sites and history related to the African American struggle for equality. The funding is through the National Park Service 2020 African American Civil Rights program. Inkster is southwest of Detroit.

AP-US-CENSUS-2020-REDISTRICTING

Census data puts target on rural, Rust Belt House districts

New census data shows declining populations in rural areas and some Rust Belt cities, which could make them targets during redistricting for the U.S. House. State politicians and commissions must redraw U.S. House districts before the 2022 elections to account for population shifts toward big cities and suburbs. That means that some districts that lost residents will need to be eliminated or expanded geographically to take in more people. Rural areas in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania showed population losses, as did some of their cities. Republicans and Democrats will be battling over which districts must be eliminated.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

Michigan tops 20,000 COVID-19 deaths, braces for new wave

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has passed the grim milestone of 20,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a top state health official warning that people must continue taking precautions. State health officials reported Friday that Michigan had totaled 20,011 confirmed deaths since recording its first one in March 2020. Michigan Health and Human Services director Elizabeth Hertel says the state has seen “real devastation” from COVID-19. Health officials are preparing for a possible new wave of infections caused by the highly transmissible delta variant that is sweeping the country. On Friday, Michigan identified delta variant infections in more than 50 counties and the city of Detroit.

HEART SCANS-FIRST RESPONDERS

First responders offered free coronary calcium scans

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area cardiologist and his partners are donating free coronary calcium scans for first responders. Beaumont Health says the Hearts for Heroes program is designed to help prevent heart attack deaths among police, firefighters and other first responders. The test takes about three minutes and involves a couple of deep breaths while under a CT scanner. The screening typically costs about $100 and is usually not covered by insurance. In April, 57 members of the Farmington Hills Fire Department were given the free screening. Other members of the fire department are expected to be screened Saturday.

DETROIT VIOLENCE

Teen charged with shooting near Detroit youth football game

DETROIT (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a 16-year-old boy with firing gunshots that wounded three teenagers at a youth football game last weekend in Detroit. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office announced Saturday that the teen faces charges including three counts of assault with intent to murder. The shooting happened Aug. 8 near McCabe Field while a Detroit Police Athletic League football team was playing, The teen fired into a crowd during an argument between two groups, authorities said. Those wounded _ a 14-year-old and two 15-year-old boys _ were not involved in the football game but were standing nearby.

AP-US-AUTO-WORKERS-ELECTION

UAW members to vote in fall on direct election of leaders

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union’s 397,000 members will vote by mail this fall on whether they want to pick their leaders in direct elections. In a posting on his website, union monitor Neil Barofsky says ballots will be mailed by an election vendor starting Oct. 12. They must be returned by 5 p.m. Nov. 12. They’ll be counted as soon as possible, and Barofsky will announce the results. Barofsky was appointed by a federal judge as part of a settlement that avoided a government takeover of the union after a wide-ranging corruption scandal. Currently, union leaders are chosen every four years at a convention, with the delegates picked by local union offices. But the new slate of leaders is picked by the outgoing president, and seldom is there serious opposition.

FIREARMS TRAINING-WOMEN

Gun rights group aims to give firearm lessons to 4,000 women

DETROIT (AP) — A gun rights advocacy group based in Detroit is holding its annual free firearm shooting lessons for women interested in learning about guns and personal protection. The lessons are scheduled Aug. 21-22 at target ranges in Taylor, southwest of Detroit. Pre-registration is required. Legally Armed in Detroit founder Rick Ector says the group hopes to provide lessons to 4,000 women. The sessions will include a firearm instructor’s safety briefing, use of a firearm, ammunition and range time. Ector says no prior firearms training or experience is required. The free lessons have been offered for a decade. Ector said 50 women received training the first year and more than 1,900 women participated last year.