Judge clears path to trial in Eastpointe voting rights case
EASTPOINTE (AP) — The federal government has won a key ruling in a lawsuit that accuses a Detroit suburb of violating the rights of black voters in city council elections.
Eastpointe had sought to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing in part that a black woman, Monique Owens, was elected to the council in 2017 after the lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department was filed.
But federal Judge Terrence Berg notes there was only one white candidate for two open seats in that election. The judge says the election of a black candidate was a “foregone conclusion.”
Berg’s decision Wednesday means the case will go to trial or be settled. The government says Eastpointe should elect council members by district, rather than citywide.
Blacks were 30 percent of Eastpointe’s population in the 2010 census.
State law drops license requirement for house painters
LANSING (AP) — House painters no longer need a license under a new Michigan law.
Effective this week, painting and decorating have been removed from a list of trades covered by a state license for residential maintenance and alteration.
The Senate Fiscal Agency says there were 432 Michigan contractors licensed in painting and decorating in December.
They had to complete 60 hours of education and pass an exam. They paid an initial $195 fee and a $150 renewal fee every three years.
The House Fiscal Agency says painters were licensed to prevent consumer fraud.
Gov. Rick Snyder signed the repeal law on Dec. 27, a few days before leaving office.
Boo light special: Market defends self against ghost claim
WILMINGTON, Mass. (AP) — A New England supermarket chain is spiriting away rumors that one of its stores is haunted.
A spokeswoman for Market Basket says in a statement to The Boston Globe that “as far as we know all of our stores are ghost-free” after someone posted on social media this month about seeing an apparition at a store in Wilmington, Massachusetts.
The person said the ghost was “an old Victorian era woman in her nightgown ... near the frozen peas.” Hundreds of people weighed in, including others who claimed to have seen a ghost in the store.
Justine Griffin, the Market Basket spokeswoman, says that if there is anything to the ghost story, it’s probably because she's “attracted to our Victorian-era prices.”
Full ride: Man allegedly steals snack truck, eats nothing
ELMIRA, N.Y. (AP) — It appears an upstate New York man was not hungry when police say he stole a Little Debbie delivery truck.
Police say 38-year-old Joseph Tocco of Elmira swiped the truck Monday from a loading dock. Police stopped it a short time later.
Police say Tocco told them he took the truck to visit relatives and friends. It did not appear any of the snacks were missing.
Tocco is charged with possession of stolen property. He was being held in jail pending an arraignment.
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