State Roundup

Ann Arbor U-M puts $15M into professors' hands for projects ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- A research funding effort starting this fall at the University of Michigan plans to put $15 million into the hands of professors to jumpstart projects they believe in, the school announced Wednesday. To qualify for the "MCubed" program, three researchers from different disciplines must come up with an idea and agree to work together. The two-year pilot program is seen as an alternative to the traditional government grant review process, the Ann Arbor school said. "With the speed at which people communicate and share information today, we see an opportunity to do things in a very different way," Mark Burns, professor and chair of chemical engineering, said in a statement. "This is a totally new model that could turn things upside down." Burns spearheaded the effort along with professors Alec Gallimore and Thomas Zurbuchen, both associate deans in the College of Engineering. Beginning this fall, departments, schools and colleges will allot a $20,000 "token" to each participating faculty member. Once three researchers decide to work together, they "cube" and register the project online. They will get $60,000 to hire a graduate student, undergraduate student or postdoctoral researcher. If 30 faculty members agree on one idea, for example, they could get 10 funded positions. The provost's office has committed $5 million. Schools, colleges, and investigators must match that 2 to 1 to make it a $15 million program, the university said. A total of 250 projects will be funded during the pilot phase. The program aims to fund studies that could eventually lead to larger traditional grants. "MCubed" is part of the university's 5-year, $50 million "Third Century Initiative" that was announced last year. Mount Pleasant Man gets 45 years in prison in wife's slaying MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) -- A 35-year-old Isabella County man whose 4-year-old son was the subject of an Amber Alert in November has been sentenced to at least 45 years in prison in the slaying of his estranged wife. The Morning Sun reports Jason Fish was sentenced Tuesday in a Mount Pleasant courtroom to 45 to 67-1/2 years behind bars in the fatal shooting of Stephanie Fish. He pleaded no contest last month to second-degree murder. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing. The judge added another two years in prison for a felony firearm violation. Fish's body was found hidden at the couple's home in November. The child was found safe with Jason Fish in Genesee County during a traffic stop. Pontiac Prostitute cleared of life felony gets time served PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) -- A prostitute who once faced up to life in prison for supplying heroin to a customer who died has been sentenced to 14 months served. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after her lawyer persuaded authorities the man's enlarged heart, clogged artery and cold shower after a 30-minute dip in a hot tub contributed to his death. The man died during a sex act with her after taking the drug. An Oakland County judge sentenced Natasha Vanwasshenova (vahn-wah-sheh-NOH'-vah) Tuesday for delivering a controlled substance. The 28-year-old also received two years' probation. Authorities say a 38-year-old man hired her in November 2010 to come to his home in Rochester in suburban Detroit. At his request, she bought $80 of heroin for him. She apologized to the man's family in court. Homestead Township Man charged with killing wife inside home HOMESTEAD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A man has been charged with killing his wife in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that 26-year-old Deshawn J. Stanton was arraigned Tuesday in Benzie County on a charge of open murder. The county prosecutor's office says Stanton also is charged with two firearms counts and with being a habitual offender. Twenty-eight-year-old Stephanie Stanton was found fatally shot in the neck Sunday inside a home in Homestead Township. The sheriff's department says the death was reported to authorities as a suicide. But Sheriff Rory Heckman says investigators were told conflicting stories. Authorities say they recovered the weapon that killed Stephanie Stanton. Deshawn Stanton was jailed without bond. It couldn't be determined immediately determined whether he has a lawyer. Detroit Catholic business challenges contraceptive rule DETROIT (AP) -- A Catholic business group is suing the Obama administration to overturn a federal rule that requires the inclusion of birth control coverage in the insurance provisions of the health care overhaul. The Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center filed the suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit on behalf of Legatus, a group of Catholic business leaders. The defendants are the Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services departments and their secretaries. The Justice Department declined immediate comment Tuesday. Contraceptive coverage is included in health insurance provisions of the Obama administration's health care overhaul. The suit says that imposes "violations of conscience on Americans who morally object to abortion and contraception." Women's advocacy groups and the American Civil Liberties Union support the rule. Published: Thu, May 10, 2012