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

VIRUS OUTBREAK

Michigan stops urging masks in schools, other public places

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has stopped recommending that masks be worn inside schools and other public places to curb COVID-19, pointing to a drop in cases and hospitalizations. The step by the state health department Wednesday comes days after all 10 county health agencies with K-12 masking requirements rescinded them, effective by the end of the month. They cover about 39% of the state’s population. The state continues to urge masking in high-risk congregate settings, like health care facilities and jails. Also Wednesday, Whitmer signed legislation to spend $1.2 billion in federal aid to fight the coronavirus.

PORCH SHOOTING

Court throws out part of conviction in 2013 porch shooting

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area man who fatally shot a young woman on his porch will get a new sentencing hearing after the Michigan Supreme Court threw out part of his conviction. The court said Wednesday that Ted Wafer’s constitutional rights were violated when a jury was allowed to convict him of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the 2013 death of Renisha McBride. It’s an important result for Wafer because his sentencing guidelines for murder were enhanced by the manslaughter conviction. He has served nearly eight years of a minimum prison sentence of 17 years. Wafer opened his front door in Dearborn Heights and shot the 19-year-old woman through a screen door before dawn. He said he was scared and awakened by pounding, though he didn’t call 911 first.

PROSECUTOR CHARGED

Ex-prosecutor in suburban Detroit gets 21 months in prison

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) — A former Detroit-area prosecutor has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for obstructing justice during an investigation of how he spent campaign donations. Eric Smith’s sentence from Judge Linda Parker matched the recommendation of federal prosecutors. Smith, a Democrat, was Macomb County’s elected prosecutor until quitting in disgrace in 2020. Smith admits he attempted to get three people, including two assistant prosecutors, to make false statements about his use of campaign cash. Separately, Smith is charged in state court with embezzlement and other crimes. He was recently ordered to trial in that case.

CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION

Former Michigan GOP chair Cox criticizes Jan. 6 subpoena

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan Republican Party chair Laura Cox has criticized a U.S. House committee’s issuance of a subpoena for her testimony related to the Capitol insurrection, saying it’s seeking information already in the public realm. Cox issued a statement late Tuesday, after the panel subpoenaed her and others over efforts to send false “alternate electors” from states Joe Biden won. She says she had been cooperating and the committee’s announcement “reeks of partisanship and PR stunts.” The panel’s chair says it wants to learn what Cox knows about attempts to reverse Biden’s win, including a visit to Michigan by Rudy Giuliani.

MICHIGAN LAWMAKER-DRUNKEN DRIVING

Michigan lawmaker pleads guilty in drunken driving case

HOWELL, Mich (AP) — A state lawmaker from Michigan has pleaded guilty to drunken driving and other charges, including one brought after authorities say he was caught in jail with a handcuffs key taped to the bottom of his foot. Twenty-six-year-old state Rep. Jewell Jones, a Democrat from the Detroit suburb of Inkster, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of resisting police and three other misdemeanors stemming from his drunken driving arrest last April in Livingston County. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor escape charge over the alleged key incident. His sentencing is scheduled for March 17. According to prosecutors, Jones was so combative after he drunkenly drove into a ditch that police used a Taser and pepper spray on him.

CHARITY-FRAUD

Ex-head of charity sentenced to prison for embezzlement

CLINTON, Mich. (AP) — The former leader of a Michigan charity for children and families has been sentenced to a year in prison for embezzling about $250,000. John Lynch of Grosse Pointe Park also must serve six months in a halfway house. Lynch was chief financial officer and then chief executive at Holy Cross, which provides social services in parts of Michigan. Prosecutors had asked for a longer prison sentence, noting that Lynch used Holy Cross money to pay for car repairs, mortgage payments and credit card bills. Lynch’s attorney says he’s remorseful and knows he has no one else to blame.

FAILED DAM-VILLAGE SUED

Michigan sues village over its attempt to rebuild failed dam

BREEDSVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A state agency is suing a southwestern Michigan village, accusing local officials of not obtaining necessary permits when they attempted to rebuild a 171-year-old dam that failed in 2008. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is suing Breedsville, a tiny Van Buren County crossroads where a dam built in 1837 on the south branch of the Black River failed in 2008. MLive.com reports state regulators say local officials engineered an attempted to fix the dam without obtaining permits. The agency wants the village to remove armor stone and fill dirt from the area, restore wetlands that existed before the earthwork and potentially pay fines.

AP-US-XGR-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-MICHIGAN

Sister of Oxford school shooting victim: Mandate gun storage

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The big sister of a teen killed in the rampage at Oxford High School is urging Michigan lawmakers to pass legislation mandating safe storage of guns. Reina St. Juliana, a junior at the school, calls it a commonsense way to prevent future shootings. Four students, including Hana St. Juliana, were killed. Reina St. Juliana questions why the Legislature isn’t taking up the bills. The 15-year-old charged in the attack illegally had a handgun his father bought days earlier. The legislation would require adults to keep a firearm in a securely locked container if they know it’s accessible to minors.

WEBBER FOUNDATION-LITERACY GIFT

Literacy organization gets $1M gift from Webber Foundation

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area nonprofit has received $1 million from the Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation to help improve literacy for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Beyond Basics says Wednesday that the funding allows it to hire more tutors and continue growing even during school disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic. The gift establishes the Webber Foundation as a Beyond Basics Legacy Partner and also brings the foundation’s total investment supporting Beyond Basics’ literacy efforts to $6 million since 2006. The Beyond Basics program provides individualized reading plans for students for an hour a day, five days a week with trained tutors. The nonprofit says students improve their reading skills to their grade levels in about six weeks.

TAX CUTS

Michigan Senate votes to cut income, corporate tax rates

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republicans who control the Michigan Senate have voted for a $2.5 billion annual tax cut, passing a bill that would reduce income and corporate rates and let taxpayers claim a credit for their children. The step Tuesday comes less than a week after Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer formally proposed less sweeping tax breaks for retirees and lower-wage earners. Citing a multibillion-dollar budget surplus, Republicans say it’s time to return money to people hurt by the pandemic and high inflation. Democrats counter that the legislation would help corporations that are enjoying record profits, not frontline workers.