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

AP-US-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-MICHIGAN

Parents of teen charged in school shooting to stand trial

A judge has ordered the parents of a 15-year-old boy charged with killing four students at his Michigan high school to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Rochester Hills District Court Judge Julie Nicholson said following Thursday’s preliminary examination for Jennifer and James Crumbley that she found enough evidence to send their case to circuit court. They are accused of making the gun used in the shooting available to the teen and failing to intervene when he showed signs of mental distress at home and at school. Ethan Crumbley is charged as an adult with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, terrorism and gun charges in the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School.

TAX CUT

House GOP plan: Cut income tax, expand exemption for seniors

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — House Republicans have begun passing legislation that would cut Michigan’s income tax, provide tax breaks for more retirees and help local governments reduce their pension debt. One bill would cut the 4.25% income tax rate to 3.9%. It would lower the age at which filers can deduct up to $20,000 individually or $40,000 jointly from 67 to 62. Another measure would spend $1.5 billion in surplus revenue to shore up pension systems. Two Republican-led House committees unveiled and approved the bills at a joint meeting. The tax cuts are broader than ones proposed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

AP-US-BIRD-FLU-MICHIGAN

Federal agency: Bird flu detected in backyard Michigan flock

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Federal authorities say a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in Michigan in a non-commercial backyard flock of birds in Kalamazoo County. The Michigan cases were confirmed by the USDA through laboratory testing. The USDA said Thursday that Michigan officials have quarantined the Kalamazoo County site and birds at that property “will be depopulated to prevent the spread of disease.” The bird flu cases are among the latest in the U.S. that have put farms that raise turkeys and chickens for meat and eggs on high alert, fearing a repeat of a 2015 bird flu outbreak that killed 50 million birds across 15 states.

REDISTRICTING COMMISSION-PAY

Michigan redistricting commissioners give themselves a raise

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Members of Michigan’s redistricting commission have voted to give themselves a 7% pay raise two months after finalizing new congressional and legislative maps. The 13-member panel continues to hold meetings — albeit much less frequently — while its lawyers defend against lawsuits challenging the plans. The state constitutional amendment that created the commission says members must make at least $39,825 annually. Commissioners voted last year to be paid $55,755 a year. On an 8-3 vote Thursday, they approved a roughly $3,900 increase to nearly $60,000, describing it as a cost-of-living adjustment to account for high inflation. Critics says it’s outrageous.

CAPITOL RIOT-CHARGES

Genesee County man charged in Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Another Michigan resident has been charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol after being arrested this week. The Flint Journal reports 63-year-old Matthew Thomas Krol of Genesee County was arrested Tuesday in Linden and charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily injury, civil disorder, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and related offenses. Court documents say Krol is the self-professed executive officer of the Genesee County Volunteer Militia. Prosecutors say he attacked officers. Krol’s among more than a dozen Michiganders arrested since the Jan. 6 breach.

VOTE FRAUD

Michigan nursing home worker gets jail time for voter fraud

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A nursing home employee in metro Detroit will serve jail time for making false statements in absentee ballot applications after she forged signatures for residents of the facility she worked at it. While working at Father Murray Nursing Home in Macomb County, Trenae Myesha Rainey forged signatures for residents who hadn’t given staff indication that they were interested in voting in the November 2020 election, according to investigators. Rainey had originally faced six charges, all five-year felonies, but pleaded guilty Wednesday to three misdemeanors. A Macomb County judge sentenced Rainey to 45 days in jail and probation.

FRATERNITY-PARTIES

Judge ends parties at Eastern Michigan University fraternity

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — A judge has temporarily halted parties at an Eastern Michigan University fraternity where social gatherings have been linked to numerous sexual assaults in recent years. A Washtenaw County judge issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday against Delta Tau Delta that prosecutors and Ypsilanti city officials had sought in a public nuisance lawsuit. Under the judge’s order, no alcohol is allowed at any Delta Tau Delta facility and there may be no more than five guests at any fraternity-controlled property, including the fraternity house. The ruling comes after Washtenaw County’s prosecutor and Ypsilanti officials sued the fraternity in January to stop “alcohol-fueled parties” linked to 15 reported sexual assault cases since 2014.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INSURANCE COVERAGE

Ohio high court hears lawsuit over company’s COVID losses

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court is considering whether a company that suffered financial losses as a result of a COVID-driven business shutdown can be compensated for those losses by its insurance company. At issue before the court is the policy purchased by Neuro-Communication Services Inc., a northeastern Ohio audiology company, from the Cincinnati Insurance Co. Lawyers for Neuro-Communication Services argue the company’s policy should cover it for losses sustained when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine shut down businesses in March 2020 in the early days of the pandemic. Lawyers for Cincinnati Insurance say the policy covers only accidental physical loss to property, not financial setbacks caused by closing.

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.

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.