Court says woman who didn’t live with late husband can inherit
LANSING (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that a woman can inherit from her husband’s estate despite living apart for more than 30 years.
The court this week affirmed rulings by lower courts in a dispute about the relationship between Maggie Erwin and her late husband, James Erwin Sr.
The Erwins were married in 1968 and had four children, but the Saginaw couple didn’t live together after 1976. James Erwin died in 2012 without a will.
Michigan law says a spouse can lose inheritance rights if he or she was “willfully absent” for a year or more.
Maggie Erwin’s lawyer argued the couple maintained emotional bonds and the court’s majority agreed that emotional ties must be considered in addition to physical separation.
Ex-Macomb Township trustee sentenced to 20 months in prison
DETROIT (AP) — A former public official in suburban Detroit has been sentenced to 20 months in prison on federal charges of demanding and taking bribes in exchange for using his position to get a company a trash-hauling contract.
The sentence handed down to former Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas also includes two years of supervised release following his prison term.
Freita, 44, pleaded guilty last year.
U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said Freitas accepted $42,500 in bribes from the company for his help in getting it the contract.
Federal prosecutors have won more than a dozen convictions in the corruption investigation.
Court: Some statements made by Uber gunman should be suppressed
KALAMAZOO (AP) — A Michigan appeals court has ruled certain statements made to police by an Uber driver charged with killing six people and wounding two others in southwestern Michigan cannot be used at trial.
The three-judge panel said some of Jason Dalton’s statements should be suppressed because a detective continued questioning him after Dalton “invoked both his rights to counsel and to remain silent.”
Dalton, 48, is charged with murder and attempted murder.
Investigators have quoted him as saying a “devil figure” on Uber’s app was controlling him on the night of the 2016 shootings in Kalamazoo County. He’s not accused of shooting customers.
Travelers urged to lock car in bear country
CONIFER, Colo. (AP) — Travelers in Colorado are being urged to lock their cars when they're in bear country.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Colorado posted a video on Facebook that shows what can happen when a car is left unlocked and a bear smells treats inside.
An officer used a rope to open the door and awaken the bear, which seemed to enjoy the food contents of a small station wagon before taking a nap. A half-eaten banana was left behind as the bear ran off into the woods.
The sheriff's office wrote it's "pawsitively sure" locking the door reduces the chances of losing important items and having a vehicle trashed.
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