Murder conviction overturned; judge deemed too aggressive
SAGINAW (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has overturned a murder conviction in Saginaw County, saying a judge questioned a witness like a prosecutor.
The court says a judge can ask questions during a trial. But the justices say Judge Fred Borchard went beyond an attempt to clarify testimony in the case against Kareem Swilley Jr.
The court said Borchard at one point asked a witness to provide a bank statement and requested a water bill receipt. Justice Richard Bernstein says it wasn’t Borchard’s job to “drill” into a defendant’s alibi defense.
Swilley was convicted of murder and other crimes. He was a teenager at the time of the fatal shooting in 2012.
All seven justices agreed that Swilley deserved a new trial.
Pageant winner ousted after tweets
DETROIT (AP) — The Miss World America organization has stripped its Michigan pageant winner of her title, which she says was because of tweets she made about Muslims and black people.
Kathy Zhu was crowned the pageant's Michigan winner last week. She’s a University of Michigan conservative who’s active with a group called Chinese Americans for Trump.
In since-deleted tweets from the last two years, Zhu alluded to Muslim women wearing hijabs as “being oppressed under Islam” and disparaged black people for “blaming others” in regard to crime.
After being stripped of her crown, she posted a letter online in which pageant officials described her tweets as “offensive” and “inappropriate.” Zhu calls the decision discriminatory.
Watermelons to replace piglets in fair event
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Watermelons are set to replace piglets in an annual event celebrating agriculture at a California fair.
The Press Democrat reported Saturday that the Sonoma County Fair has eliminated the pig scramble from Farmers Day due to rising public concern and protests over animal welfare.
In the long-running event at the fair in Santa Rosa, youngsters chased and tried to capture piglets weighing 40 to 60 pounds.
Officials say this year’s event Aug. 4 will instead include elementary school children carrying watermelons slicked with vegetable oil around an obstacle course in a timed race.
Goose freed, got stuck in car grille
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Authorities say a goose that got stuck in a pizza delivery driver’s car grille in Vermont is expected to make a full recovery.
Driver Ryan Harrington tells WCAX-TV he saw a goose waddling across the road in Burlington on Saturday. He slammed his brakes, but heard a thud and knew he struck the bird. But he wasn’t prepared to see it stuck in his car — and alive — when he returned to work.
His manager got through to a police dispatcher who alerted authorities and a nonprofit animal rescue group. The fire department arrived to help free the goose, named Roberto, or Roberta if it’s a girl.
The goose was taken to a wildlife rehabber in Poultney who says it may have a broken pelvis, but they expect it will survive.
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