Ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's mom sticks up for him
DETROIT (AP) - The mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick calls him a "political prisoner" who is the victim of
misconduct in the criminal justice system.
Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick was interviewed in
2010 by a psychiatrist. Excerpts were filed last week in federal
court in Mississippi where Kwame Kilpatrick is suing companies over
the release of sexually explicit text messages that ended his
career and led to criminal charges.
Cheeks Kilpatrick says her son is depressed and not eating well.
She says she can "barely sleep" at times.
Kwame Kilpatrick is in prison for violating probation in a 2008
criminal case. He's scheduled to be interviewed Thursday for
possible parole, but still faces federal corruption charges along
with his father. His mother was voted out of Congress last year.
EMERGENCY MANAGERS-RECALL
Recall wording against Michigan lawmaker rejected
ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) - A recall effort targeting a
southwestern Michigan lawmaker who sponsored legislation in the
state House to grant more powers to emergency managers has hit a
snag.
A three-person panel in Berrien County unanimously decided
Monday to reject proposed recall petition language targeting
Republican state Rep. Al Pscholka (Pa-SHOL-ka) of Stevensville
because it wasn't clear.
Recall supporters would have to submit revised language and get
it approved before collecting voter signatures to try and make the
ballot.
Pscholka is being targeted because he sponsored a law that gives
more powers to emergency managers appointed by the state to run
financially troubled cities and schools.
Benton Harbor has an emergency manager and has become a focal
point in the debate.
HIGH SPEED TRAINS-MIDWEST
LaHood announces rail project funding in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has awarded
Michigan about $200 million for high-speed rail projects, including
upgrades to allow trains traveling from Chicago to Detroit to reach
speeds of up to 110 mph.
LaHood spoke Monday at the Detroit Amtrak station, flanked by
state congressional leaders, Mayor Dave Bing and Gov. Rick Snyder.
He says the funding will bring hundreds of construction jobs to the
state.
LaHood also said travel time between Chicago and Detroit will be
reduced by 30 minutes, and that the rail line eventually could
stretch from Detroit into Canada.
The funding is part of $404 million destined for high-speed rail
service in the Midwest. A total of $2 billion is being given to
Michigan and 14 other states and Amtrak for 22 high-speed intercity
projects.
MUNSON HEALTH-EMBEZZLEMENT
More than $1 million stolen from Munson Healthcare
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - An accountant working for Munson
Healthcare in Traverse City is accused of embezzling more than $1
million.
No charges have been filed, but the disclosure was made Friday
in federal court in Grand Rapids. The Internal Revenue Service is
asking a judge to order the seizure of personal bank accounts with
$34,000 linked to the accountant.
In a court filing, IRS agent Brittany Hofstra says Munson's loss
totals $1.1 million, and the accountant has been suspended. The
accountant had access to accounts belonging to Munson and the
Munson Foundation. The accountant was also responsible for paying
payroll taxes and making deposits into employee retirement plans.
Munson is a health care provider serving 24 counties in the
northern Lower Peninsula. Its main hospital is in Traverse City.
HOPE COLLEGE-PRESIDENT RETIRES
Hope College president announces retirement plans
HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) - The president of Hope College has
announced his plans to retire from the southwestern Michigan school
he has led for more than a decade.
The Holland-based Christian college announced Monday that James
Bultman will retire at the end of the 2011-12 school year. The
69-year-old Bultman, a 1963 Hope College graduate, became its 11th
president in 1999.
Bultman joined Hope's faculty in 1968, and served as department
chair, dean and head baseball coach at various points. From 1985 to
1999, he was president of Northwestern College in Orange City,
Iowa.
Hope plans to form a search committee to find a replacement for
Bultman in time for the 2012-13 school year.
BANK EMBEZZLEMENT
Grand Rapids bank embezzler gets 3 years in prison
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - A woman who admitted embezzling about
$600,000 from a Grand Rapids bank has been sentenced to 37 months
in federal prison.
Joann Wierenga's lawyer says she needs help for a gambling
addiction more than a long prison stay. Her sentence Monday was at
the low end of the guidelines.
Wierenga pleaded guilty in February to embezzling from
Huntington Bank for seven years. Her lawyer says she has repaid at
least $132,000 and admitted the thefts when confronted by the bank
in 2009.
Federal prosecutors say Wierenga took $1,600 from another
employer last November, just three months before her guilty plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Borgula calls her an
"irrepressible thief."
CHILD DIES-HIGHLAND PARK
Autopsy: Mich. boy, 4 dies of starvation, neglect
HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (AP) - An autopsy has determined that a
4-year-old boy who was living at a home in Highland Park died from
starvation and neglect.
The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press report the death has
been classified as a homicide by the Wayne County Medical
Examiner's office.
The boy was taken from the home around midday Sunday and two
adults were being questioned. Authorities say several other
children living at the home included the boy's brother. They were
placed with child protective services.
The Wayne County prosecutor's office said it wasn't going to
receive a warrant request from police on Monday.
Highland Park is a small enclave surrounded by Detroit.
EX-COP CONVICTED
Former Mich. police officer convicted on sex charge
(Information in the following story is from: The Daily Tribune,
http://www.dailytribune.com)
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) - A former Michigan police officer has
been convicted of charges he sexually assaulted a girl when she was
between the ages of 11 and 13.
Thomas Cupples could face up to 15 years in prison after jurors
convicted him Monday of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The
Oxford man originally was charged with first-degree criminal sexual
conduct but jurors convicted him of the lesser charge.
A judge revoked Cupples' bond and he was taken into custody.
Cupples' attorney says there were inconsistencies in the girl's
testimony and no evidence that Cupples had done anything improper.
Cupples' supporters broke into tears when the verdict was
announced.
The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reports Cupples is a former
Ferndale police officer and also worked as a code enforcement
officer in Orion Township.
