Latest Michigan news, sports, business and entertainment at 9:20 p.m. EDT

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT

FBI agent in investigation of Whitmer kidnap plot is charged

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Records show an FBI agent who has testified about an alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been charged with assault. Richard Trask appeared in a Kalamazoo court Monday and was released. Online records show the alleged offense occurred Sunday. The court file doesn’t list an attorney yet who could comment. The FBI says the incident is under review. It declined any additional comment. Trask has testified in state and federal courts in cases tied to an alleged scheme to kidnap Whitmer in retaliation for orders last year meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. One man has pleaded guilty and roughly a dozen others are awaiting trial.

COMMUNICATION DESIGNATION

Autistic, hearing impaired in Michigan offered designation

MASON, Mich. (AP) — Michigan residents with conditions that could impede communication with law enforcement such as deafness or autism can now apply to have a designation associated with their information that comes up on officers’ computer systems during traffic stops. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson promoted the so-called “communication impediment designation” that went into effect this month during a news conference Monday in Mason. The designation wouldn’t appear on identification cards or documents, but it would appear on the Law Enforcement Information Network that officers use to create safe and productive interactions.

MUSIC FEST-DEATHS

3 dead near Michigan country music festival were school pals

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Three young men who likely died from carbon monoxide exposure while camping near a country music festival in Michigan were pals who played high school football together. Friends and family identified them as Dawson Brown and Richie Mays Jr., both 20 years old, and 19-year-old Kole Sova. Police say the deaths Saturday probably were caused by carbon monoxide from a generator that was too close to their travel trailer. They were graduates of Michigan Center High School in Michigan Center and were at a campground while attending the Faster Horses Festival at Michigan International Speedway, 80 miles west of Detroit. Two more friends were being treated at a hospital. Separately, state police were investigating the death of a 30-year-old woman at the festival.

SHERIFF INJURED

Sheriff in critical condition after weekend home accident

HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) — Neighbors performed live-saving measures on a Michigan sheriff who was injured at his Upper Peninsula home over the weekend. Houghton County Sheriff Brian McLean remains in critical condition at a hospital in Marquette. McLean’s office says he suffered significant injuries during an accident Saturday night. Neighbors helped him before an emergency crew arrived. No other details were released. McLean was elected in 1996 and has been reelected every four years.

POLICE PURSUIT-DEADLY SHOOTING

Police chase in Michigan ends with suspect killed in Ohio

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Police officers in Toledo, Ohio, and state troopers from Michigan shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them after a 30-mile chase through both states. Police say the man crashed his car early Monday in a Toledo neighborhood following the chase that began in Monroe, Michigan. They say he came out of the car holding a handgun to his head and began walking.Police say negotiators talked with the 50-year-old from Monroe and tried to de-escalate the situation. But police say he was making threatening moves and raised the gun toward the officers just before he was shot multiple times

MACKINAC BRIDGE-BOMB THREAT

Police: Bomb threat closed Mackinac Bridge for 3 hours

MACKINAW CITY, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a bomb threat closed the bridge connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas for about three hours on Sunday afternoon. The Mackinac Bridge Authority said law enforcement notified them of the threat. The bridge was closed in both directions around 2:15 p.m. The Michigan State and Mackinaw City police investigated. The bridge authority says nothing was found after an “extensive search.” The bridge was reopened shortly after 5 p.m. The more than 26,300-foot structure is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA-US

Canada to let vaccinated US citizens enter country on Aug. 9

TORONTO (AP) — Canada will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. Canadian officials say the 14-day quarantine requirement will be waived as of Aug. 9 for eligible travelers who are currently residing in the United States and have received a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Monday a date for the U.S. to allow fully vaccinated Canadians to cross the land border isn’t yet known. Any Canadian can fly to the U.S.

MIGRANTS-HOUSING

Hundreds turn out for meeting about housing young migrants

ALMA, Mich. (AP) — A proposal to turn a former nursing home into temporary housing for young migrants is getting a lot of attention in a central Michigan community. About 400 people attended a public hearing Monday at Alma High School. Warwick Living Center in Alma would be leased to Bethany Christian Services to provide housing for boys until a sponsor can be found. The boys crossed the southern U.S. border without guardians and don’t have legal status in this country. The Alma Planning Commission is being asked to recommend approval of a rezoning request, which must ultimately go to the City Commission. The request was tabled until another meeting on Aug. 2.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN-DNR

Some DNR customer service centers to reopen to public

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is resuming some regular operations that were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Starting this week, some customer service centers and field offices will be open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through Labor Day. The DNR says staff in these offices sell hunting and fishing licenses and fuelwood permits. They also answer questions about hunting and fishing regulations, trails and many other outdoor recreation topics. All customer service centers, field offices and other destinations are expected to return to their pre-pandemic office hours by Sept. 7.

PROSECUTOR-ASSAULT CASE

Disgraced ex-prosecutor gets probation, loses law license

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) — A former prosecutor has been placed on probation and must give up his law license. Brian Kolodziej had a romantic relationship with a woman while handling her sexual assault case in Isabella County. The woman says Kolodziej was a predator who used his position as an assistant attorney general to manipulate her. Judge Sara Spencer-Noggle says she wanted to give him a jail sentence but it would have been outside the sentencing guidelines. News of the relationship upset the conviction of Ian Elliott, a former Central Michigan University student. He was allowed to reopen his case and plead no contest to a misdemeanor.