Mayor wins trial over whistleblower clams
FLINT (AP) — A jury has rejected claims by a former Flint official who said she was fired for exposing suspicious activity by the mayor during the city’s water crisis.
The verdict on Tuesday was a victory for Mayor Karen Weaver who denied wrongdoing in the dismissal of city administrator Natasha Henderson in 2016.
A federal jury said Henderson in good faith had reported suspected wrongdoing to other officials. But the jury also said that Henderson didn’t prove it was connected to her removal.
Weaver said she fired Henderson for failing to timely inform her about an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. Henderson alleged that she was dismissed for expressing concern that Weaver might be steering donors to a fund controlled by the mayor instead of a fund for water victims.
Federal judge says police told ‘crucial lies’
DETROIT (AP) — A man who spent eight years in prison has cleared a key hurdle in a lawsuit against Detroit police who are accused of creating evidence against him in the murders of four people.
A judge last week declined to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Davontae Sanford. He was released from prison when a prosecutor said police drew a diagram of the crime scene in 2007, not Sanford, who was 14 years old at the time.
Separately, a hit man said he committed the murders, not the teen.
Sanford, now 26, says his constitutional rights were violated. Federal Judge David Lawson says police told “crucial lies” to build a case against Sanford.
Lawson’s decision means the lawsuit against police will go to trial or be settled. One of the officers, James Tolbert, now is deputy chief in Highland Park.
Court says county can order town to rename roads
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court says county officials can order a town to rename more than a quarter of its roads.
A 1957 state law allows counties to establish a rural naming or number system in towns to help emergency responders find locations. Marathon County officials decided in 2016 to establish such a system and notified the Town of Rib Mountain it would have to rename 61 of its 202 roads.
The town sued, arguing the county’s authority to enact such a system extends only to rural areas.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-0 recently that the law allows counties to establish such systems in towns and the term “rural” merely describes the system and doesn’t limit counties’ authority.
Town to fine people who pilfer beach rocks
WESTPORT, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts town is sick of homeowners and businesses raiding its beaches for free landscaping materials.
So the coastal community of Westport has approved a bylaw that would impose a $250 fine on people who take rocks or vegetation from town-owned beaches.
Sean Leach, vice President of the Westport Beach Committee, says he's seen people and commercial landscapers fill up trucks with rocks that they use for fire pits, rock gardens and driveway aprons.
He says winter berries and other vegetation are taken by people to be used as Christmas decor.
The town plans to put up signs reminding people about the ordinance.
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