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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.

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.

AP-US-MUSIC-FEST-DEATHS

4 Michigan festivalgoers dead; 3 exposed to carbon monoxide

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say at least four people have died while attending a weekend country music festival in southern Michigan. The deaths include three men who likely succumbed to carbon monoxide exposure inside a travel trailer. They were attending the Faster Horses Festival at Michigan International Speedway. Two more men were in critical condition from the same exposure. Separately, state police reported the death of a 30-year-old woman. The cause and manner was unknown, although investigators were looking for a suspect. The three-day festival is scheduled to conclude Sunday. Its headliners include Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Jason Aldean.

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.

CONSERVATION OFFICER ASSAULTED

Grand Rapids man convicted in attack on conservation officer

BALDWIN, Mich. (AP) — A Grand Rapids man has been convicted of kicking a state conservation officer in the head during an escape attempt after the officer arrested him following a northern Michigan car crash. A Lake County jury convicted 21-year-old Devinci Osiris Dumas of assault Friday in the March attack. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says Conservation Officer Josiah Killingbeck was attacked March 20 after he arrested Dumas for having open intoxicants in a vehicle that had gone into a swamp. Dumas was handcuffed in the front passenger seat of the officer’s passenger truck when he got the seat belt off and began kicking Killingbeck in the head.

TORNADO RELIEF

Neighbors help neighbors by raising cash after Thumb tornado

PORT AUSTIN, Mich. (AP) — Residents at the tip of Michigan’s Thumb have been passing the hat and helping each other recover from a June tornado that destroyed dozens of properties with its 120 mph winds. A recent fundraiser that included a silent raffle and cornhole tournament raised approximately $10,000. The money was given to the Lions Club in Port Austin, which will distribute it to people in need. Dozens of properties in Huron County were destroyed on June 26 by the tornado. Patrick Foogazi, who helped organize the fundraiser, says people dropped off checks, and the winner of a cornhole tournament even donated his winnings to the effort.

BANQUET HALL SHOOTING-DETROIT

Man charged in fatal shooting at Detroit banquet hall

DETROIT (AP) — A 30-year-old man has been charged in a drive-by shooting at an unlicensed Detroit banquet hall that left another man dead and five people wounded. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office says Friday that Samuel Tipton was expected to be arraigned Saturday on one count of first-degree murder, five counts of assault with intent to murder and gun charges. Thirty-year-old Lorenzo Gains was shot about 2 a.m. Tuesday and later pronounced dead outside the Chalmers Banquet Hall. Three women _ ages 26 to 43 _ and two men, 43 and 46, were taken to hospitals with wounds that were not considered life-threatening.

CYBERSECURITY GRANT-UNIVERSITY

Detroit Mercy gets grant to create cybersecurity institute

DETROIT (AP) — The Defense department has awarded a $1.12-million grant to the University of Detroit Mercy to establish a cybersecurity institute. The regional-based cybersecurity consortium will be led by the university and includes other academic institutions in southeastern Michigan. The University of Arizona will be a research partner. Officials at the University of Detroit Mercy say the Metro-Detroit Regional Vehicle Cybersecurity Institute will be designed to expand and enhance the cybersecurity engineering workforce through an applied curriculum. The institute also will build on existing relationships with the automotive industry and government partners to provide students with valuable real-world experience.

MICHIGAN FLOODING

‘When will this end?’: Detroit area hit again with flooding

DETROIT (AP) — Steady rain soaked the Detroit area, flooding highways and raising the anxiety of residents. Thousands had their basements wrecked by sewage during a tremendous storm three weeks ago. For some, the water is back. A downtown ramp to the Lodge Freeway was below water and closed, while sections of Interstate 94 in Detroit were also flooded for hours. The rain eased but evening, but forecasters say it could return after midnight. In the Detroit area, some highways that are below ground level are vulnerable in any long rain event and depend on pumps to remove water. The rain fell a day after President Joe Biden declared a disaster due to flood damage from late June.