Lansing
Legislature OKs hiking 529 plan limit to $500,000
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - More money could be set aside in Michigan's tax-free college savings accounts under legislation going to Gov. Rick Snyder.
The current maximum account balance for education accounts naming any individual in the Michigan Education Savings Program is $235,000. The limit would rise to $500,000 under the bill approved unanimously Wednesday by the Senate.
The plans, which offer tax advantages, are known as 529 accounts.
The legislation is part of a package to let residents with disabilities open savings accounts to pay for long-term needs. A new federal law lets states establish Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, accounts.
The law requires the maximum allowed balance in an ABLE account to be the same as a state's college savings plan limit.
Lansing
State reaches contract deal with prison officers
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The state of Michigan and the union representing corrections officers have reached a tentative contract that includes a one-year agreement on wages and health care.
The deal with the Office of the State Employer was announced Wednesday by the Michigan Corrections Organization.
The union says the wage agreement includes a 1 percent base increase effective Oct. 1, 2016, and a 1.5 percent lump sum payment in October 2016. The health care portion includes additions to the vision and dental plans and dependent life insurance.
The union says uncertainty about a federal tax on premium health plans prompted the state to seek the one-year agreement on wages and health care.
A three-year agreement was reached on other contract terms. The deal is subject to a vote from Michigan Corrections Organization members.
Boyne Falls
Plans for 2016 Michigan Inland Lakes Convention
BOYNE FALLS, Mich. (AP) - Plans are in the works for the 2016 Michigan Inland Lakes Convention.
The event titled "Science and Leadership: A Formula for Successful Lake Protection and Management" takes place April 28-30 at Boyne Mountain Resort.
The gathering seeks to attract lake enthusiasts, professionals, researchers, local government officials and others interested in protecting Michigan's water resources. More than 400 people are expected to attend and dozens of exhibitors will be on hand.
The Michigan Inland Lakes Partnership, a collaborative effort to advance stewardship of the state's inland lakes, is organizing the convention. Proposals for workshops and other presentations are being sought. Details and deadlines are posted online.
Kalkaska
2nd trial getting started in 1996 slaying case
KALKASKA, Mich. (AP) - A second trial is getting started for a man accused of raping and killing a northern Michigan woman in 1996.
The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports testimony is expected in the trial of 37-year-old Jason Ryan of Davison after opening statements Wednesday afternoon.
A judge declared a mistrial last December following two days of deliberations in the first trial.
Ryan was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the death of 68-year-old Geraldine Montgomery of Kalkaska. Her body was found in the trunk of her car.
Jamie Peterson was convicted of the crimes in 1998 and sentenced to life without parole. He was released in September 2014 after DNA tests showed he didn't attack Montgomery.
Prosecutors say the new DNA tests placed Ryan at the crime scene.
Cedarville
MDOT unveiling first new Pure Michigan Byway
CEDARVILLE, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Department of Transportation is getting ready to unveil its first new Pure Michigan Byway.
An event is planned for Friday in the Upper Peninsula community of Cedarville to make the designation for Michigan highway 134.
The new M-134 North Huron Byway is located in Chippewa and Mackinac counties, following Lake Huron's north shore in the southeastern corner of the Upper Peninsula.
MDOT says it's the first new highway to be designated a Pure Michigan Byway under the state's rebranded byway program. A new sign design to showcase the designation also is being unveiled. The rebranding builds off the state's "Pure Michigan" tourism campaign. Last year, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill to designate roads previously known as "Michigan Heritage Routes" as "Pure Michigan Byways."
Lansing
Records: Aide to congressman arrested Oct. 8
BALTIMORE (AP) - An aide to a Michigan congressman was charged with attacking his boyfriend with a kitchen knife and shovel, according to police and court records.
Timothy Foster, 32, was arrested Oct. 8 and charged with aggravated assault and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, online court records showed. A phone number could not be found for Foster, and court records do not list an attorney for him.
A police report said officers met a man at a Baltimore hospital, who reported he and Foster argued at Foster's address. The man told police Foster was his boyfriend, according to the police report.
The report said Foster put the man in a chokehold, then lunged at him with a kitchen knife, threatened to kill him and used a gay slur.
Police said Foster's wife got in the way and Foster hit the man in the back with a shovel. The man got into his car and drove to the hospital, according to the report.
The officer saw abrasions on the man's back neck and torso.
Congressman Sandy Levin's chief of staff, Hilarie Chambers, said the issue is "a completely private matter."
Published: Thu, Oct 15, 2015
