Michigan House approves repeal of state's right-to-work law
Michigan Democrats have passed legislation in the state House that would repeal the state's right-to-work law that prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay fees.
Flint water crisis charges dropped for 7 former officials
A judge has dismissed charges against seven people in the Flint water scandal, including two former state health officials blamed for deaths from Legionnairesโ disease.
Prosecutors seek to keep charges alive in Flint water crisis
Prosecutors are signaling that they want to pursue the same charges against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and eight others in the Flint crisis over lead-contaminated water.
![Michigan ex-governor loses challenge to Flint water charges](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/aIXj7qKZ1I61BkccxDU7VOqnyMU=/1600x1053/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/WSMTUV6NWZH4BG6FOCQZJWUUKA.jpg)
Michigan ex-governor loses challenge to Flint water charges
Rick Snyder speaks with reporters after an unsuccessful meeting with road contractors and a union at his office in Lansing, Mich. A judge has rejected a request to dismiss misdemeanor charges against Snyder in the Flint water scandal. Lawyers for Snyder said he worked in Ingham County, not Genesee County, so the indictment was returned in the wrong place. But Judge William Crawford II says prosecutors have flexibility about where to pursue a case. (AP Photo/David Eggert, File)DETROIT โ A judge on Thursday rejected a request to dismiss misdemeanor charges against a former Michigan governor in the Flint water scandal. Eight other people face charges in Flint, including two former state health officials who are accused of involuntary manslaughter in nine deaths linked to Legionnairesโ disease.
![Lawyers seeking 32% of $641M Flint tainted water settlement](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/eee7HkofKnYB4fGUWmTIdq6Al6c=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QQK6C3CZK5GAJFKRXHVLHFX3VU.jpg)
Lawyers seeking 32% of $641M Flint tainted water settlement
FILE - This Jan. 13, 2021 file photo shows the Flint Water Plant tower in Flint, Mich. Lawyers who negotiated a $641 million settlement for victims of Flint lead-contaminated water are asking a judge to set aside up to 32% for fees and expenses. Rick Snyderโs administration allowed Flint to use the Flint River in 2014-15 without treating the water to reduce corrosion. The Flint water litigation has involved thousands of victims, a raft of state defendants and complex legal issues. Flint switched back to a Detroit regional water agency in fall 2015, when a doctor publicly reported elevated lead levels in children. AdSeparately, Snyder and eight other people are charged with crimes in the Flint water scandal.
![Once the mainstream model, Michigan GOP embraces right wing](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/0AjeDYowr5L_k8e4BHH7EuGBJlE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HKAMYT2R6JAMXAWADK7OFMU2XE.jpg)
Once the mainstream model, Michigan GOP embraces right wing
While the state has swung back to Democrats since Trump's narrow 2016 win, choosing President Joe Biden by more than 150,000 votes, Michigan's Republican Party has taken a hard right turn. AdโAll these things were a catalyst,โ said Ken Sikkema, a former Michigan GOP Senate leader whose Grand Rapids district lost 5,000 jobs with three plant closures just before the 2008 crash. โForces of nature take over at that point, and those forces were definitely tilting right, extreme far-right," said Venable, who was state Republican Party chief of staff in 2010. AdNodding to the emerging right wing, Michigan GOP fundraiser Ron Weiser invited Maddock to share the ticket for his bid to become state party chair. All the while, Michigan's GOP leadership has for the first time in memory bestowed legitimacy on its state's militia, long relegated to the shadows.
![Judge needs more time for thorny issues in Flint water case](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Y6asaO_7pYlewad80naIHcEYeqA=/1600x1165/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/FNLJNUHGPZC2TNBE6QJZMEEJFQ.jpg)
Judge needs more time for thorny issues in Flint water case
(AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)FLINT, Mich. โ A judge overseeing misdemeanor charges against a former Michigan governor in the Flint water scandal said Tuesday that he's struggling with how to handle an aggressive effort to have the case dismissed. District Judge William Crawford II said he needs more time to research whether prosecutors filed the case in the wrong county as well as other issues. Emergency managers who were appointed by Snyder to run Flint switched the cityโs water source to the Flint River in 2014-15 while a new pipeline was being built from Lake Huron. They argue that Snyder worked in Ingham County, not Genesee County, so the indictment returned in Flint should not stand. But if Genesee is not the right county, prosecutors said, then the case should be transferred to Ingham and not be dismissed.
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Michigan approves Great Lakes oil pipeline tunnel permits
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. โ Michigan's environmental agency said Friday it has approved construction of an underground tunnel to house a replacement for a controversial oil pipeline in a channel linking two of the Great Lakes. AdThe project requires permits from the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. โWe have issued permits designed to ensure that if a tunnel is constructed, it will be in strict compliance with relevant statutes and adhere to stringent protections against impacts to the Great Lakes,โ Clark said. State officials emphasized the tunnel project was a separate legal matter from the dispute over the existing pipeline, which was laid in 1953. It has taken steps to prevent future anchor strikes and says the tunnel project would eliminate that danger.
![Judge gives preliminary OK to $641M Flint water deal](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Yu1qelVewRWqUcwKIfDstTgbftY=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/4F2HLCA5XBGUVPJNTBM7XEOAKY.jpg)
Judge gives preliminary OK to $641M Flint water deal
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2021 file photo, vehicles drive through downtown Flint, Mich. A judge granted preliminary approval Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, to a $641 million deal that would benefit Flint residents who were harmed by lead-contaminated water. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya File)DETROIT โ A judge granted preliminary approval Thursday to a $641 million deal that would benefit thousands of Flint residents who were harmed by lead-contaminated water. Rick Snyder and regulators in his administration allowed the city to use the Flint River in 2014-15 without treating the water to reduce corrosion. Attorneys representing Flint residents have said 80% of payments will go to people who were under 18 when the river water was used. โAt last, the victims of the Flint water crisis no longer have to hope for a day of reckoning," said attorney Corey Stern, who represents 4,000 people.
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Attorneys: Ex-governor charged in wrong county over Flint
Attorneys for Snyder are telling prosecutors that the Flint water case should be dismissed because he was charged in the wrong county. (67th District Court in Flint via AP)LANSING, Mich. โ Attorneys for former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder are striking back, telling prosecutors Tuesday that the Flint water case should be dismissed because he was charged in the wrong county. Snyder,โ Lennon told the judge. Snyder was one of nine people charged in a new investigation of the Flint water crisis, including former state health department director Nick Lyon.
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Flint water charges escalate debate over officials' failures
The Flint Water Plant tower is shown in Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Some Flint residents impacted by months of lead-tainted water are looking past expected charges against former Gov. But the charges have escalated a debate over whether state and local officials crossed a line between incompetence and illegality. Ezra L. Tillman Jr., pastor at First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Flint, said it's disappointing that Snyder was charged only with misdemeanors. Publicly available documents show Snyder administration officials appeared more concerned with โmedia responses and public relations" than โpublic health and carrying out their statutory duties," he said.
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Flint water probe brings charges against ex-governor, others
This Jan. 14, 2021 photo provided by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office in Flint, Mich., shows former Michigan Gov. Snyder was charged with two misdemeanor counts willful neglect of duty Jan. 14, 2021 in connection with the Flint water crisis in Flint, Mich. (Genesee County Sheriff's Office via AP)LANSING, Mich. โ A new investigation of the Flint water disaster led to charges against nine people, including former Michigan Gov. Authorities said they failed to alert the public about a regional spike in Legionnairesโ when the water system might have lacked enough chlorine to combat bacteria in the river water. โThe Flint water crisis is not some relic of the past,โ Fadwa Hammoud of the state attorney generalโs office told reporters. Heโs also accused of lying during an interview with Flint water investigators in 2017.
![Ex.-Michigan Gov. Snyder charged in Flint water crisis](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/zu4lhyRnOlAbnOunPfL1nrxchWg=/1600x1053/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/IQYVDWMOVVA3ZDXMGE24IH6RBI.jpg)
Ex.-Michigan Gov. Snyder charged in Flint water crisis
Rick Snyder speaks with reporters during a news conference at his office in Lansing, Mich. Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has been charged with two counts of willful neglect of duty in the Flint water crisis. Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left Flint with lead-contaminated water and a regional outbreak of Legionnairesโ disease. Flint's water, which now comes from a Detroit regional agency, gets good marks, although many distrustful residents still use filters. Separately, the state, Flint, a hospital and an engineering firm have agreed to a $641 million settlement with residents over the water crisis, with $600 million coming from Michigan.
![Flint families welcome water crisis charges, seek healing](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/ptgyhYXRnUL8uOvEDgGQj5U0Bg4=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/OB2GLDIJMNGVPOEELOURWPX5SI.jpg)
Flint families welcome water crisis charges, seek healing
Ariana Hawk is shown at the Flint River in Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The water also was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnairesโ disease in the Flint area. Sincere would become the face of the Flint water crisis when a photo of him was selected in 2016 for the cover of Time magazine. While visiting their grandmotherโs home in Florida, Sincere was hesitant about the water, Hawk told The Associated Press. โHealing wounds and restoring trust will take decades and long-term resources.โLeon Abdullah El-Alamin said he would like to see Snyder charged with a felony.
![Michigan plans to charge ex-Gov. Snyder in Flint water probe](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/qRvA0IkQaxrwEjRDhxIovGeYFcw=/1600x1086/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/GSKT6A647ZDL5CAEGSCXVFKFY4.jpg)
Michigan plans to charge ex-Gov. Snyder in Flint water probe
FILE - In this March 21, 2016, file photo, the Flint Water Plant water tower is seen in Flint, Mich. Former Michigan Gov. Snyder apologized for the catastrophe during his 2016 State of the State speech and said government at all levels had failed Flint. By June 2019, the entire Flint water investigation was turned upside down after more than three years and millions of dollars. "When the Flint water crisis hit, he wasnโt assigned by Gov. Separately, the state, Flint, a hospital and an engineering firm have agreed to a $641 million settlement with residents over the water crisis, with $600 million coming from Michigan.
![Flint joins $641M deal to settle lawsuits over lead in water](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/FtDhUtOZbzISvD1xUiz8jyb6s_8=/1600x1091/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/2NK7NJMSMZEHNPGWNMH2ZZBJEU.jpg)
Flint joins $641M deal to settle lawsuits over lead in water
FIL - In this March 21, 2016, file photo the Flint Water Plant water tower is seen in Flint, Mich. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says a proposed $600 million deal between the state of Michigan and Flint residents harmed by lead-tainted water is a step toward making amends. FLINT, Mich. โ The Flint City Council on Tuesday signed off on its portion of a $641 million settlement with residents of the poor, majority-Black city who were exposed to lead-tainted water. The city's insurer would kick in $20 million as part of a sweeping deal to settle lawsuits against Flint, the state of Michigan and other parties. Rick Snyderโs administration allowed Flint to use water from the Flint River in 2014-15 without treating it to reduce corrosion.
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'Justice Joan' Larsen emerges as finalist for Supreme Court
In just five years, Joan L. Larsen has gone from a little-known University of Michigan legal scholar to a prominent federal appeals court judge and now a candidate for the high court. For Trump, picking Larsen could give him a boost in the critical battleground state of Michigan, where she has raised her two children, advanced her career and won election to the state Supreme Court. At 52, Larsen would be a candidate who could serve on the high court for three decades or longer. Rick Snyder appointed her to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court in September 2015, praising her as a โsuperb attorneyโ who had experience in government, academia and private practice. She said that Scalia taught her โthat the law governs, not personal interest.โLarsen is married to University of Michigan law professor Adam Pritchard.
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Ex-Michigan Gov. Snyder is latest Republican to back Biden
FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2018, file photo Michigan Gov. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)LANSING, Mich. Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder backed Joe Biden for president on Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile Republican to support the Democratic nominee over President Donald Trump. Snyder did not endorse a candidate in that race, when Trump became the first Republican to win Michigan in 28 years. Christine Todd Whitman, who endorsed Biden at the recent Democratic National Convention along with former Ohio Gov.