Detroit
Man charged in rape-killing of 5-year-old girl
DETROIT (AP) — Prosecutors have filed charges against a Detroit man they say abducted, raped and killed his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter, then set her body on fire.
The Wayne County prosecutor’s office says 22-year-old Darnell H. Cheatham was being arraigned Monday on charges of first-degree murder, torture, child abuse, arson and mutilation of a body.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy says Cheatham took Mariah Smith from her Detroit home July 24. Authorities say the girl was strangled and her skull crushed before her body was set afire on a mattress at a vacant house about a mile from her home.
First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.
Detroit
Senators unhappy about Canada’s nuclear waste
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin of Michigan are asking Secretary of State John Kerry to intervene in a Canadian plan to store nuclear waste underground near Lake Huron.
Ontario Power Generation proposes a radioactive waste disposal facility at the Bruce nuclear power site in the city of Kincardine. If approved, it would house more than 200,000 cubic feet of waste about a mile from the lake.
In a letter Monday to Kerry, the Democratic senators say they’re concerned how storing so much radioactive material that close to the lake would affect the environment and industries such as fishing and tourism.
They ask Kerry to urge the Canadian government to reconsider its plans.
The company says the underground rock formations would keep the waste safe for thousands of years.
Detroit
Gov. Snyder could testify in Detroit bankruptcy trial
DETROIT (AP) — The judge overseeing Detroit’s bankruptcy case suggests he wouldn’t oppose having Gov. Rick Snyder testify at a key hearing.
A trial starts Wednesday to determine if Detroit is eligible to restructure itself in bankruptcy court. Snyder recently gave sworn testimony during an interview with lawyers for employee unions, but the United Auto Workers says it has issued subpoenas to the governor and other high-ranking state officials.
Snyder’s attorney, Matthew Schneider, believes live testimony from the governor is unnecessary after the deposition. But Judge Steven Rhodes says deposition testimony usually fits only when a witness isn’t available for a court hearing.
Rhodes asked why the process should be different in the Detroit bankruptcy.
Snyder signed off on the recommendation to file for Chapter 9 protection in July.
