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

GYM-DOCTOR-SEXUAL ABUSE-FBI

No charges for agents in botched Larry Nassar probe

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department says it won’t pursue criminal charges against former FBI agents who failed to quickly open an investigation of sports doctor Larry Nassar. Agents knew in 2015 that Nassar was accused of sexually assaulting female gymnasts. Nassar wasn’t arrested until 2016. The Office of Inspector General found that two former agents likely provided “inaccurate or incomplete information” when investigators subsequently tried to understand what happened. But the Justice Department says more would be needed to file charges. Nassar was a Michigan State University sports doctor as well as a doctor at USA Gymnastics. He is serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes and possessing child pornography.

ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN-GOVERNOR

Michigan GOP governor hopefuls off ballot, court fight next

Two of the leading candidates for the GOP nomination for Michigan governor will ask the courts to intervene after they were found ineligible for the August primary. Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who has led in primary polling, and businessman Perry Johnson, along with three other lesser-known candidates, did not qualify for the ballot. Craig called Thursday’s party-line decision by the bipartisan Board of State Canvassers a “travesty” and said he will file an immediate appeal in court. The state elections bureau said Monday it found thousands of forged or fraudulent signatures on petitions the candidates submitted. The board’s vote Thursday reshapes the race to take on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the battleground state this fall.

TEXAS-SCHOOL SHOOTING-MICHIGAN

Oxford students walk out to support Robb school in Texas

OXFORD, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of students at Oxford High School in Michigan walked out to show their support for students and families in Uvalde, Texas. Four Oxford students were killed in a school shooting last November. Many students walked to the Oxford football field and formed the letter ‘U’ for Uvalde. Andrew Sholtz says Oxford went through the same thing. He says he lost friends. Oxford school officials knew a walkout was planned and worked to ensure students would be safe. Spokeswoman Danielle Stublensky says, “Our hearts are with Uvalde.” A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the Oxford school shooting. His parents have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Nineteen kids were killed in Texas.

COAL-POWERED STEAMSHIP

Coal-powered passenger ship to convert to new fuel source

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — A coal-powered passenger steamship on Lake Michigan that’s the last of its kind in the U.S. will stop using coal to fuel its historic engines once its operators settle on an alternate power source. Lake Michigan Carferry Inc. is early in its search for what could replace the coal that currently propels the S.S. Badger on treks between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The company’s general manager, Sara Spore, tells MLive.com company officials are “looking at all of our options” and there’s no timeline yet for when a power conversion might happen. The ship can accommodate 600 passengers and 180 vehicles. It operates between May and October.

ABORTION-MICHIGAN

Court interested in dispute over Michigan 1931 abortion ban

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals has opened the door to abortion opponents who are trying to overturn a recent decision that suspended the state’s long-dormant ban on the procedure. The court set a briefing schedule that runs through July 5. A judge at the Court of Claims last week issued a preliminary injunction that freezes a 1931 ban on abortion in most instances. If the injunction stands, it means abortion would not be illegal in Michigan if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by summer. Right to Life of Michigan, the Michigan Catholic Conference and two county prosecutors are asking the appeals court to throw out the injunction.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

School loses challenge to expired Michigan mask order

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Catholic school’s challenge to Michigan’s 2020-21 mask order has been dismissed by a federal appeals court. The court says the Whitmer administration policy during the COVID-19 pandemic was dropped about a year ago, making the lawsuit moot. Resurrection School in Lansing and some parents sued in 2020, saying a state mask order violated the free exercise of religion. A federal judge ruled in favor of the state and declined to suspend the policy with an injunction. The statewide mask order ended in June 2021. Any subsequent school mask mandates came from local health departments.

BABY FORMULA-CONGRESS

FDA chief struggles to explain slow response on baby formula

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Food and Drug Administration faced a congressional grilling over a months-long delay in inspecting the plant at the center of a nationwide baby formula shortage. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf faced questions Wednesday from House lawmakers probing the formula shortage. Califf called the response “too slow” and “not optimal.” Lawmakers also heard from three formula executives, including Abbott Nutrition, which apologized for contamination issues at a factory that contributed to the shortage. The company says it’s on track to reopen its plant next month which will eventually help replenish supplies of popular and specialty formulas

LAKE MICHIGAN-BEACH RIGHTS

Court declines to disturb Lake Michigan beach access ruling

PORTER, Ind. (AP) — A federal appeals court has declined to disturb an Indiana Supreme Court ruling that declared that Lake Michigan’s shoreline is — and always has been — owned by the state for the public’s use. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago says in Wednesday’s 3-0 decision that three lakefront property owners who claim their holdings include a private beach lack standing to challenge Indiana’s high court ruling and statute in federal court. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports the appeals court ruling also says the plaintiffs failed to establish that their beach property was “taken” by Indiana. An attorney for the plaintiffs says they’re disappointed in the outcome and considering their next steps.

FIREFIGHTER UNION-EMBEZZLEMENT

Ex-Detroit firefighters union treasurer sentenced for fraud

DETROIT (AP) — A former treasurer for a Detroit firefighters union has been sentenced to one year in federal prison after being convicted of embezzling more than $220,000 in union funds, some of which she spent on airline flights, hotels and ocean cruises. The federal judge who sentenced 62-year-old Verdine Day on Tuesday also ordered her to pay more than $220,000 in restitution to the Detroit Fire Fighters Association. Prosecutors said Day was charged last September and later convicted of bank fraud for fraudulently obtaining union funds through checks and by charging personal expenses on union credit cards, including for airline flights, hotels and about $9,000 and $9,500 on two Royal Caribbean cruises.

FORD–FUEL ECONOMY-SETTLEMENT

Ford pays $19M to settle claims on fuel economy, payload

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ford Motor Company has settled claims by 40 U.S. state attorneys general that the company made misleading claims about the fuel economy and payload capacity of some of its vehicles. The company agreed Tuesday to pay $19.2 million to the states and refrain from making misleading advertising claims. The attorneys general say Ford misled consumers about how far its 2013-2014 C-Max hybrid cars could travel on a tank of gas. They also saidsay Ford inflated the payload capacity of its 2011-2014 Super Duty pick-up trucks. Ford says in a statement that it is pleased the investigation was settled with no judicial finding of improper conduct.