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ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR

Johnson kicks off governor campaign with focus on ‘quality’

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Businessman Perry Johnson, the latest Republican to enter the race for governor, is pledging to bring “quality” to government by improving schools and roads and says he’s a conservative who opposes abortion and favors gun rights. Johnson, who’s spending $1.5 million of his own money on ads, held a kickoff event Wednesday near the Capitol building. He’s the 13th candidate in the GOP field. He said he’d donate his gubernatorial salary. He criticized Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s handling of the pandemic. He said she should have loosened restrictions more quickly, so people got their “liberty” back as soon as possible.

SCHOOL SHOOTING-MICHIGAN

Oxford student seeks gun reform: ‘We deserve to feel safe’

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gun reform advocates are urging Michigan lawmakers to pass legislation to require gun owners to lock up weapons to limit access to minors and for all schools to have at least one mental health professional available. The advocates who spoke on the state Capitol steps Wednesday included a student from Oxford High School, where a shooting in November killed four students. Oxford senior Zoe Touray gave her perspective of the shooting, talking about the lasting mental health struggles that her and classmates face. The Republican-led Legislature has not held a hearing to take up legislation.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE MANDATE

Judge tosses rest of lawsuit challenging MSU vaccine mandate

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge has tossed the remainder of a lawsuit challenging Michigan State University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement. In a ruling Tuesday, District Judge Paul Maloney said employees who sued failed to establish that it was irrational for the school not to provide an exception for people with natural immunity from an infection. He cited MSU’s reliance on guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The judge tossed a count alleging that the university violated workers’ constitutional rights by not letting them decline medical treatment. He had previously dismissed two other counts. The plaintiffs will appeal.

PAYDAY LENDING

Michigan group collecting signatures to rein in payday loans

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan group has begun collecting signatures for a ballot proposal to limit interest and fees charged by payday lenders they say are trapping low-income borrowers in cycles of debt. Michiganders for Fair Lending needs 340,000 valid voter signatures by June. If enough are gathered, the measure would go to the Legislature, where efforts to rein in payday loans have stalled. If lawmakers didn’t act, the public would vote in November. It would cap such loans — known as deferred presentment service transactions — at a 36% annual percentage rate. They typically equal 370% now, according to the group.

ELECTION 2022-CONGRESS-MICHIGAN

Upton launches campaign ad, signaling run for reelection

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Rep. Fred Upton has began airing his first campaign ad, signaling that the moderate Republican is more likely to seek reelection to a 19th term in Congress. He hasn’t announced whether he will run in the new 4th District. The GOP primary for the Republican-leaning seat that was created during redistricting includes sixth-term Rep. Bill Huizenga of Holland Township and state Rep. Steve Carra of Three Rivers. Upton has been targeted by former President Donald Trump because he voted to impeach him for the Capitol insurrection. Upton says he’s proud of “always putting our state, nation and the Constitution first.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS

Whitmer signs bills to regulate pharmacy benefit managers

DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed bipartisan bills designed to reduce prescription drug costs by regulating pharmacy benefit managers that oversee coverage for employers, insurers and others. Parts of the laws take effect immediately while others, including licensure requirements and bans on “spread pricing” and “gag clauses,” begin in 2024. Whitmer said Wednesday that the changes will improve transparency and “help lower inflated prices.” Three pharmacy benefits managers, or PBMs, dominate the U.S. market: CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx. They have come under growing scrutiny for their role in drug costs. They say big drug companies are to blame.

VOTING DATA-WOMAN CHARGED

Woman enters plea in effort to tamper with ballot tabulator

CROSS VILLAGE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A northern Michigan woman has pleaded no contest in an effort to tamper with a voting ballot tabulator. The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports Wednesday that in exchange for her plea, a prosecutor dropped felony charges of common law fraud and unauthorized access of a computer against Tera Jackson. Jackson’s plea Tuesday was to misdemeanor creating a disturbance. She also agreed to having her sentence delayed and a possible expungement of her conviction in the case. The newspaper reports that Jackson of Petoskey was arrested in October, more than eight months after witnesses said she organized a Jan. 14, 2021 effort to “clone” or back-up voting data from Cross Village Township’s ballot tabulator.

CONTRACTOR EMBEZZLEMENT-POSTAL SERVICE

Postal service employee charged in federal bribery case

DETROIT (AP) — A 61-year-old U.S. Postal Service facilities engineer is accused of accepting bribes in return for government contracts. The Detroit News reports that Thomas Berlucchi of Troy was charged Wednesday in federal court in Detroit. The newspaper said Berlucchi’s attorney declined to comment. Prosecutors say bribes allegedly included construction work on a cottage and free hotel rooms. A Rochester Hills company was awarded more than $5 million in contracts for repairs to postal service buildings in Michigan and New York. It’s owner, Michael Rymar, pleaded guilty in September in the embezzlement of more than $1.2 million from the postal service. Rymar is awaiting sentencing and faces up to 10 years in prison.

FORD’S FUTURE

Ford CEO: No plan to spin off EV business, but change coming

DETROIT (AP) — The CEO of Ford Motor Co. says the automaker has no plans to spin off its electric vehicle or internal combustion businesses. But Jim Farley says Ford is reinventing itself to remove costs and ramp up for large-scale EV and software sales. Farley told the Wolfe Research virtual global auto technology conference Wednesday that Ford needs to hit Tesla-like profit margins by using common electric motors, electronic components and other parts across all sizes of vehicles. To do that, he said the company needs radically different human talent than it now has. He also said Ford has too many people and too much complexity, and it doesn’t have the expertise to transition to battery-electric vehicles.

SNOWMOBILE CRASH-MAN KILLED

Snowmobile operator dies after collision with logging truck

MORAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A 59-year-old man has died after the snowmobile he was operating collided with a logging truck on a road in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. State police say Dean Daggett of Kenockee was pronounced dead at the scene of Tuesday’s crash in Mackinac County’s Moran Township. Police said Wednesday that the snowmobile went around a blind curve when it collided with the truck. The truck’s driver was not injured. The crash was under investigation. Moran Township is northwest of St. Ignace.