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

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT

Whitmer kidnap plot: 2 men acquitted, hung jury for 2 more

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Jurors have acquitted two defendants of all charges in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer but couldn’t agree on a verdict for two others. The verdicts were read Friday at the federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted. The jurors could not agree on verdicts for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. Croft is from Delaware and the others are from Michigan. Defense attorneys portrayed their clients as weekend warriors, often stoned and prone to wild talk. They said FBI undercover agents and informants tricked the men into agreeing to a conspiracy. Prosecutors entered evidence that the men discussed abducting Whitmer before the FBI sting began.

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT-EXPLAINER-CHARGES

EXPLAINER: Charges in Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot case

CHICAGO (AP) — Jurors acquitted two men and deadlocked on two others accused of plotting to abduct Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. They concluded nearly five days of deliberations on Friday after weeks of testimony in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Six men were initially charged but two pleaded guilty before trial. The remaining defendants included Adam Fox, described by prosecutors as the plot’s ringleader, and co-defendant Barry Croft Jr. They may be tried again after the jury hit an impasse on their charges. The other two defendants, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, were found not guilty of all charges.

AP-US-ABORTION-MICHIGAN

Michigan governor sues to secure abortion rights, vacate ban

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has sued to protect abortion rights, asking a court to recognize a right to abortion under the state constitution. The Democratic governor also is seeking to overturn a 176-year-old ban in Michigan that may take effect if the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling is vacated. The lawsuit, filed Thursday against prosecutors in 13 counties with an abortion clinic, comes as the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority considers allowing states to ban abortion much earlier in pregnancy and potentially overturning the right. The governor, who is up for reelection this year, requested that the Michigan Supreme Court quickly take the case. A favorable decision could enable abortions to continue in Michigan after the federal high court rules.

FATAL POLICE SHOOTING-BENTON HARBOR

Man slain, 2 Benton Harbor officers wounded during shootout

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A police officer shot and killed a 32-year-old man who opened fire and wounded that officer and another in southwestern Michigan. Benton Harbor Public Safety Director Daniel McGinnis told reporters Friday that Dustin Saffell opened fire on the officers about 11:20 p.m. Thursday outside a home in the city. Body camera footage shows a sergeant approaching a vehicle and a man armed with a handgun exiting from the front passenger side. Multiple shots are heard. The sergeant is struck in his vest and leg. McGinnis says that officer returned fire, striking Saffell. The second officer was wounded when he went to assist the sergeant. Police were searching for Saffell on home invasion, resisting arrest and other warrants.

HEALTH CARE-INSURANCE APPROVALS

Whitmer signs bill to speed pre-approvals of health care

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan insurers that require health providers to get pre-approval to cover treatment will have to promptly respond to doctors’ requests or those requests will be automatically granted under legislation signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Supporters said the law enacted Thursday will speed delays in care and provide more transparency around the process known as prior authorization. Starting in June 2023, a non-urgent request will be deemed as granted unless an insurance company acts to grant or deny it, or requires additional information within nine days. The time limit will drop to seven days beginning in June 2024.

MINNESOTA ATHLETES-PAY

Minnesota plans to pay athletes for academic success

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota plans to start paying its athletes for doing well in the classroom. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced the move Friday. The NCAA currently allows schools to give academic bonuses of up to $5,980 annually to athletes as per a federal judge’s mandate two years ago. The university set a school record over the past year with 431 academic All-Big Ten selections, 180 Big Ten distinguished scholars and 15 academic All-Americans. ESPN reported earlier this week that 22 of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools plan to pay athletes for high academic performance. Wisconsin was the only Big Ten squad.

MICHIGAN LAWMAKER-DRUNKEN DRIVING

Michigan lawmaker couldn’t stand on 1 leg after traffic stop

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Video shows a Michigan lawmaker charged with drunken driving in February couldn’t balance on one leg after being pulled over in suburban Detroit. The video and police report were released Thursday by the Livonia Police Department. The report says Democratic state Rep. Mary Cavanagh tested at 0.176% blood alcohol content in the back of the police car and then 0.2% at the Livonia jail, more than two times the legal limit of 0.08%. Cavanagh’s attorney says the Redford lawmaker recognizes her responsibility to her constituents and will eventually explain the details of what happened. It was Cavanagh’s second time charged with operating while intoxicated by Livonia police. The first was in 2015, though she pleaded guilty to an impaired driving charge.

DIVISION 1 ALL-STATE BOYS

Detroit’s Chansey Willis Jr. wins Michigan AP D1 hoops POY

Chansey Willis Jr. helped Detroit King win its second straight Public School League championship, showing his ability to be a pass-first point guard and take over a game with his scoring. Those skills led to him earning the Michigan Associated Press Division 1 Player of the Year honors in voting from a panel of sportswriters throughout the state.

MICHIGAN WWII MEMORIAL

‘We fought for liberty:’ Michigan WWII vets welcome memorial

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — Officials in Michigan have broken ground on one of the few state-specific World War II memorials in the country. The first phase of the memorial includes the laying of more than 1,200 donated Walk of Honor paver bricks and the installation of both a statue called “Joe,” which depicts a soldier in a foxhole reading a letter from home, and flagpoles representing all military branches. The groundbreaking took place Thursday in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak. Future phases are to feature a Wall of Stars honoring the 15,000-plus Michigan lives lost during World War II; additional statues, including one dedicated to Rosie the Riveter; an amphitheater and a colonnade of pillars. The memorial is recognized by the Legislature as the state’s tribute to the war.

ODD-STOLEN SASQUATCH

Michigan police investigate theft of sasquatch lawn ornament

PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Police are investigating the theft of a 7-foot-tall metal sasquatch lawn ornament from a home in southern Michigan. State Police say the item crafted from sheet metal was stolen from a home in St. Joseph County’s Park Township on or after March 22. They say a white panel van with dark driver- and passenger-side windows was observed parked in the area that day. The ornament has a rusty brown color with various sharp edges to resemble the fur of the mythical, ape-like bigfoot. Police say it appears the sasquatch was cut away from a steel post with a pair of bolt cutters or a similar instrument.