State Roundup

Ann Arbor
U-M plans dedication events after renovation effort at Crisler Center
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan is getting ready to formally dedicate the Crisler Center after a renovation and name change for the home of Wolverines basketball.
The Ann Arbor school’s Athletic Department is hosting events starting Friday that culminate in a Sunday dedication ceremony ahead of the men’s basketball game against Penn State.
A “Return to Crisler” event is planned for Friday night. It features a conversation between former Michigan football player and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard and three Michigan basketball greats: Diane Dietz, Glen Rice and Cazzie Russell.
The facility was built in 1967 and had been called Crisler Arena since 1970. The school’s governing board made the name change official last year.

Flint
New program would encourage police, fire employes to live in city
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Officials in Flint are working on a program to encourage police officers, firefighters and members of the military to live in the city.
The Flint Journal reports the Genesee County Land Bank effort would cut the list price of tax-foreclosed, rehabilitated homes by 30 percent for them. The aim is to help preserve neighborhoods that might otherwise deteriorate because of neglect, vacancy and crime.
The Land Bank has several homes for sale that were lost by previous owners and have been remodeled with federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds. The homes on the market from the Land Bank currently are priced from $25,000 to $45,000.
Detroit drew attention in 2011 for a similar program aimed at encouraging police to live in the city.

Howell
Court exam dates set for suspect in I-96 freeway shootings
HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Two preliminary examination dates have been set for a man charged with terrorism in a shooting spree that targeted motorists along a highway corridor in four Michigan counties.
A Howell District Court judge on Monday scheduled the first day of Raulie Casteel’s exam for March 27. Testimony will continue March 29, if necessary.
The preliminary hearing will determine whether there’s enough evidence to send the case to trial. Casteel earlier was found competent to stand trial.
The unemployed geologist is charged with intent to murder, terrorism and several gun crimes. He faces a similar set of charges in Oakland County.
Authorities haven’t said what they believe is the motive behind the two-dozen shootings in October across a broad swath of southern Michigan. Only one motorist was injured.

Lansing
Unions sue again to block Michigan’s new right-to-work laws
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Labor unions are asking a federal judge in Detroit to block part of Michigan’s right-to-work law from taking effect in late March.
The lawsuit filed Monday is the second to challenge the law in recent weeks. It prohibits requiring workers to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment.
Unions say the law can’t apply to private-sector employees because it overreaches into any area controlled by the National Labor Relations Act. AFL-CIO lawyer Andrew Nickelhoff also says the law is an unconstitutional attempt to control workplace activities in federal areas such as dockyards.
An earlier suit challenges how the law was rushed through the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Supporters of right-to-work laws say they give employees greater freedom of choice. Opponents say they undermine the ability to unionize.

Lansing
Legislator: Rescind complaint to feds about Indian mascots 
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s House Education committee chairwoman is calling on a state department to rescind its complaint over the use of American Indian mascots in schools.
Alto Republican Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons released a statement Monday criticizing the Michigan Department of Civil Rights for taking its complaint to the federal level.
The department filed the complaint last week with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights asking to ban the use of American Indian mascots and imagery in K-12 schools and deny funding to schools that continue to use them. The complaint says the use of the mascots denies equal rights to American Indian students.
Lyons says the department is “putting students’ education funding at risk for political gain.” She says the issue should be resolved at the local level.