Group clears first step for anti-discrimination ballot drive
LANSING (AP) — A group organizing a Michigan ballot drive to protect LGBT people from discrimination says it will begin collecting signatures after state election officials approved the format and wording of the petition.
The Fair and Equal Michigan campaign secured the optional approvals from the Board of State Canvassers on Tuesday. It has until late May to gather roughly 340,000 valid signatures to put the initiative before the Republican-led Legislature.
If lawmakers did not approve the bill, it would be placed on the November statewide ballot.
The proposal would update state law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations.
Religion-based discrimination, which already is barred, would be defined to include an individual's “religious beliefs.”
Beaumont says ex-worker stole, shared patient data
SOUTHFIELD (AP) — A southeastern Michigan hospital system says a now-fired employee accessed and shared what was supposed to be protected personal and health information of more than 1,000 patients with someone affiliated with a personal injury lawyer.
Beaumont Health said it has informed 1,182 people about the unauthorized access of their information, including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, insurance information and Social Security numbers.
Those whose Social Security numbers were affected were given information about enrolling in a free credit-monitoring program.
Beaumont officials said the breach didn’t affect all of its patients but they did not detail where those patients had received treatment.
The Southfield-based system, which has eight hospitals and 145 outpatient locations, said it discovered last month that the data breach occurred between February 2017 and last October.
The responsible worker was fired and officials said that in addition to launching an internal investigation, they will work with law enforcement if prosecution is pursued.
Man stirs the pot by lighting joint in court
LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — The rapper Afroman famously sang about how getting high on marijuana prevented him from going to court.
A Tennessee man decided to combine the two when he lit a marijuana cigarette in the courtroom, authorities said.
Spencer Alan Boston, 20, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and simple possession after sparking up in the courtroom, news outlets reported.
Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan said Boston was in court Monday on a simple drug possession charge.
Boston approached the bench to discuss his sentence but instead expressed his views on legalizing marijuana.
Boston reached in his pocket, pulled out a marijuana cigarette, lit it, smoked it and was immediately taken into custody, Bryan said.
Sheriff's Office Lt. Scott Moore said the courtroom crowd chuckled.
It's unclear whether Boston lit up a joint or a blunt but Bryan said the defendant's marijuana did have a strong odor.
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