Lansing: Cox airs anti-Hoekstra ad in Mich. governor’s race
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Attorney General Mike Cox is attacking Republican rival Pete Hoekstra’s spending record in Congress in a new TV ad.
Cox’s first ad began running Tuesday statewide on broadcast and cable stations except in the Detroit area.
It accuses the Holland congressman for voting for the bank bailout, “pork barrel projects and wasteful government spending.” It praises Cox as “tough enough to lead Michigan.”
Hoekstra campaign spokesman John Truscott says then-President George W. Bush personally asked Hoekstra to vote for the bank bailout.
Truscott says Cox has never cast a vote and will have to defend his investigation of a rumored Manoogian Mansion party involving disgraced ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Hoekstra will begin running his own ad this week.
Lansing: Lawmaker completes walk to support abuse victims
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan lawmaker has completed a 55-mile walk from his hometown to the state Capitol to draw attention to legislation that would extend the timeframe allowed to file civil suits related to criminal sexual conduct against minors.
Democratic Sen. John Gleason of Flushing finished his walk in the rain Tuesday morning at the state Capitol. He started the trip Sunday.
Gleason wants to extend the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits involving sex crimes against those under age 18.
Bills pending in the Legislature would extend the statute of limitations to up to 30 years. A two-year window would be provided to file suits if that timeframe has expired.
The Michigan Catholic Conference says the bills are discriminatory and target religious and nonprofit organizations.
Bear Lake Twp.: Kaleva man charged in mom’s shooting death
BEAR LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A 53-year-old northern Michigan man faces up to life in prison in connection with the shooting death of his 94-year-old mother.
David Asiala of Kaleva pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in district court on an open murder charge related to the death of Rose Asiala.
Police on Saturday found Rose Asiala dead from a gunshot wound to the head in the kitchen of the Bear Lake Township home she shared with her son. David Asiala was arrested in the house after a stand off with police.
The Pioneer of Big Rapids says David Asiala is being held on a $500,000 bond at the Manistee County Jail pending a psychological examination in Ypsilanti later this week.
Jail officials did not immediately know the name of Asiala’s court-appointed lawyer.
Flint: EMA grant reopens door for 34 Flint firefighters
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Flint officials say a federal grant has allowed 34 laid off firefighters to return to work and two fire stations to be reopened.
The city said Monday in a release that it also expects to hire five new firefighters by July 1.
The Flint Journal says the moves are funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, which expires May 10, 2012.
In March, Flint laid off firefighters and police officers to help close a budget deficit. The cuts have been accompanied by a wave of arsons, many in abandoned homes.
Flint, about 55 miles northwest of Detroit, has lost tens of thousands of auto jobs in recent decades. Its population has fallen to about 115,000 from a peak of about 197,000.
Battle Creek: Police: Man wielding meat cleaver killed
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a Battle Creek man was fatally shot by police after wrestling with an officer and threatening him with a meat cleaver.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports two officers went to a Battle Creek apartment Monday afternoon to respond to a call the 47-year-old man was throwing items out of his third-floor window.
During a struggle, the man grabbed the cleaver. One officer shot the man in the head.
Police Chief Jackie Hampton said it appeared the officer was directly threatened but the officers were placed on routine administrative leave.
Lansing: Granholm—Obama’s pick for court is ‘stellar’
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm says President Barack Obama made the right choice by nominating Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Granholm may have been considered for the job herself. But Granholm said Monday that if Obama had asked her, she would have recommended Kagan to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.
Granholm knows Kagan from when both were at Harvard Law School.
Granholm said Kagan will be a “stellar” Supreme Court justice. Her comments came after she addressed a Michigan Manufacturers Association event in Lansing.
The Democratic governor can’t seek re-election to her current job this year because of Michigan’s term-limits law.
