State Roundup

 Detroit

Man who killed family members gets life sentence
DETROIT (AP) — A man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for gunning down his 7-year-old daughter, grandmother and aunt at a home in Detroit.
Ferdarius Shine was sentenced on Wednesday in Wayne County Circuit Court. A jury found Shine guilty of first-degree murder earlier this month.
Police say Shine ran from the house after the Feb. 15, 2013, shootings, screaming that “the devil” made him do it.
He surrendered at a psychiatric hospital the next day and underwent a mental competency exam before his trial.
MLive.com reports Shine declined to speak when given an opportunity during the sentencing hearing. Shine’s lawyer says mental disease was the cause of his client’s violence.
The victims were Shine’s daughter, Amera Jones; his 49-year-old aunt, Santangela Williams, and his 68-year-old grandmother, Geraldine Bates.
 
Oak Park
Man facing trial files to run for Michigan House 
OAK PARK, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area marijuana advocate facing a felony trial on charges he sold the drug is running for a seat in the state House.
Andrew Cissell wants to represent Michigan’s 27th district, which includes Hazel Park and his hometown of Oak Park. Activists submitted petitions Tuesday to put marijuana legalization questions on August ballots in both cities.
Cissell, who is running on a platform that is almost exclusively about legalizing cannabis, says he hopes the proposals will sweep him to a primary victory this summer. The idea is to draw voters who otherwise would ignore a primary election.
The problem is: Cissell, 26, could be in jail come election time. His trial is set to get underway in May.
“If Andrew ends up in prison, that won’t stop us — this movement will go on,” campaign spokeswoman Debra Young told the Detroit Free Press.
Cissell is one of several Democrats running for the 27th district seat.
Marijuana legalization backers have targeted around a dozen communities and at least one county for decriminalization proposals this year.
Ferndale, Jackson and Lansing voters approved proposals a year ago.
 
Troy
Priest, aide are accused of theft from their church 
TROY, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area Catholic priest and his parish administrator have been accused of an eight-year scheme to steal nearly $700,000 from their church.
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Wednesday charging the Rev. Edward Belczak and Janice Verschuren with conspiracy and fraud.
Belczak was pastor at St. Thomas More church in Troy until he was removed last year.
The indictment describes a wide-ranging scheme to steal money. It says Belczak used $110,000 from a church account to help pay for a Florida condominium that was sold to him by Verschuren.
The indictment says large donations to St. Thomas More were deposited in Belczak’s personal accounts.
Defense attorney Jerome Sabbota says Belczak will fight the charges. A message seeking comment was left with Verschuren’s attorney, Patricia Maceroni.
 
Flint
Strike 13? Bowler goes after record for most strikes
CLIO, Mich. (AP) — A Flint-area bowler is taking aim at the Guinness World Records mark for most strikes in a minute.
The Flint Journal reports that Jason Hicks of Clio last month unofficially tied the record, getting 12 at the Clio Bowling Acrade. The 35-year-old is planning to give it another try May 2 at the bowling alley that’s owned by his family.
Hicks helps manage the alley and coaches a middle school bowling team. He got 12 strikes on 15 attempts March 7 — and a 13th came one second too late.
The attempts are for a good cause. Hicks used his last one to raise more than $1,300 for a local boy with a rare genetic disease. This time he’s planning to split funds between several charities.
 
Saginaw
Council post­p­ones sexual anti-bias ordinance vote 
SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — City Council in Saginaw has indefinitely postponed consideration of a proposed ordinance to guarantee city residents and visitors equal treatment in employment and public accommodations, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Saginaw News reports the decision was made on a 7-2 vote during a meeting that began Monday night. Council chambers were filled to capacity for the meeting.
Mayor Pro Tem Amos O’Neal says city leaders should first meet with landlords, business leaders and leaders of the faith-based community.
City Councilwoman Annie Boensch, who led the effort to bring the ordinance to the table, opposed the postponement.
The proposed ordinance sought to ban discrimination based on a person’s “actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Some other Michigan communities have similar gay rights measures.
 
Rochester Hills
91-year-old World War II veteran finally gets honor 
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — A 91-year-old World War II veteran in suburban Detroit has received a long-overdue honor.
On Monday, Alfred P. Murphy received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.S. Air Force during a ceremony at American House, a retirement community in Rochester Hills where he lives. His family and American House workers helped pursue the recognition for the former Detroit firefighter.
Murphy served as a technical sergeant and was a member of a B-17 air crew during World War II. The military says Murphy and his crew completed 35 combat missions, including surviving a 1944 flight over Germany in which several other bombers were lost.
Murphy says the “skill and courage of the entire crew” should be credited. His record wasn’t fully evaluated during World War II for consideration of the honor.