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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

Athletes, worker sue over vaccine rules at Michigan colleges

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Four female soccer players at Western Michigan University are challenging the school’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for athletes Monday, saying it violates their Christian beliefs. The lawsuit filed Monday comes days after a Michigan State University employee sued over its broader mandate that applies to all students, faculty and staff. The players say Western Michigan required them to get a shot by Tuesday or be removed from the team. They were denied religious exemptions. The Michigan State worker says she has natural immunity because she had COVID-19. Her complaint seeks class-action status for other school employees previously infected with the coronavirus.

AP-US-XGR-VOTING-MICHIGAN

GOP launches ballot drive to tighten Michigan voting laws

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republicans are launching a ballot drive to tighten Michigan’s voting and election laws, backing a maneuver that would let GOP lawmakers enact the changes without Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature. Monday’s step, which had been signaled for months, was welcomed by Republicans and decried by Democrats and voting-rights advocates. It came after the Democratic governor vowed to veto similar bills pending in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Secure MI Vote will need to collect roughly 340,000 valid voter signatures within six months of starting to circulate petitions. The initiative would require voters to submit photo identification and add an ID component to absentee ballot applications.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ZOO VACCINE

Detroit Zoo animals getting COVID-19 vaccine

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — Some animals are rolling up their fur for a COVID-19 vaccine at the Detroit Zoo. The zoo in suburban Detroit said its gorillas, chimpanzees, tigers and lions are getting a vaccine developed by Zoetis, a veterinary drug company, and authorized by the U.S. Agriculture Department. Other animals will follow. The zoo says no COVID-19 infections have been found in its animals, but it is “thankful and relieved” that a special vaccine is available.

GOLF SCHOLARSHIPS-THEFT

Man sent to prison for stealing from caddie college fund

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for stealing more than $600,000 from a college scholarship fund for caddies at one of Michigan’s most exclusive golf clubs. Craig Maass says he took the money from the Oakland Hills Country Club fund while he was abusing alcohol and feeling distressed over a failed marriage. Maass says he was in a “dowanward spiral.” Maass supervised the fund and, like his parents, was a member of Oakland Hills. The judge told Maass that stealing money from a college scholarship fund was “deplorable.”

MSU ROWER-CRASH

Captain of MSU women’s rowing team dies after crash

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The captain of the Michigan State women’s rowing team died after a crash on Interstate 96. Olivia Long was in a vehicle that rear-ended a truck Thursday in Ionia County during a traffic slowdown caused by another crash. The 20-year-old Long was from Lake Orion. She died Friday. MSU rowing coach Kim Chavers says, “We have lost a young, promising life way too early.” Long enrolled at MSU during the 2019-20 academic year and got a spot on the varsity team as a sophomore.

PRISON INMATE KILLED

DOC: Michigan prison inmate dies after attack by 2 inmates

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — Officials say an inmate at a western Michigan prison was attacked and killed over the weekend by two other inmates. The Michigan Department of Corrections says in a statement that the inmate was in his cell Saturday afternoon at the Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon when two other prisoners walked in and attacked him with a weapon. The victim left his cell after the attack in need of medical assistance and was pronounced dead about an hour later at a local hospital. State correction officials said the two inmates believed responsible for the attack were placed in segregation and later transferred to a maximum-security facility.

BERRIEN COUNTY OFFICIAL-CHARGED

Berrien County employee charged with embezzlement

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) — A county employee in charge of maintaining county grounds and buildings has been charged with embezzlement. Berrien County authorities allege 59-year-old Berrien County Building and Grounds Superintendent Joel Todd Johnson used county funds to buy materials and tools for personal home construction and home improvement jobs. The embezzlement allegedly happened from February and August. The total cost alleged to have been purchased ranged between $1,000 and $20,000. He was arraigned on Friday and will have a preliminary next month. He faces up to five years in prison. He’s been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

COLLEGE TOWN-CENSUS

Houghton in UP credits college students for population rise

HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) — An Upper Peninsula city is giving credit to college students for a rise in its official population. Houghton is the home of Michigan Tech University. The city’s population rose nearly 9% to about 8,400 between 2010 and 2020. That’s according to fresh census figures. Michigan Tech students were encouraged to list Houghton as their home on census forms if they spent the majority of the year there. City Manager Eric Waara says Houghton “seemed to hit it really hard.” The census is important to local governments because money from many state and federal programs is determined by population.

CONSUMERS ENERGY-SOLAR PROJECT

Michigan utility plans to buy power from solar farm project

ONEKAMA, Mich. (AP) — Consumers Energy has reached an agreement to purchase electricity from a solar energy project planned for the site of a former golf course in northwestern Michigan. The Jackson-based utility’s agreement for 30 megawatts of power from Heathlands Solar requires the Michigan Public Service Commission’s approval. Michigan-based Prism Power Partners is developing and building the project on the former Heathlands Golf Course in Manistee County’s Onekama. It is scheduled to start operating by the end of 2022. Consumers Energy says Heathlands Solar will have a total capacity of 30 megawatts, enough to power about 15,000 homes. Under the proposed agreement, the utility would purchase the power for 20 years.