Video sheds new light on a traffic stop and claim of racial profiling in Kalamazoo. A Ballot proposal would ban crude oil in a pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. A private prison in northern Michigan will close.
Kalamazoo’s Public Safety chief says body camera video shows that a black motorist pulled over last month was not racially profiled. But Joseph Harris disagrees. He got three traffic tickets March 1st, although they were later dismissed. Chief Jeff Hadley says the windows of Harris’ car were tinted, so the officers couldn’t have known his race when they pulled him over. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
The State Board of Canvassers has approved a ballot proposal that would prohibit crude oil from flowing through Enbridge Energy's Line 5. The pipeline runs under the Straits of Mackinac. Enbridge says it is committed to operating the pipeline safely. (Detroit Free Press)
A private prison operator is closing a facility in northern Michigan. GEO Group said in a state filing that it plans to permanently close the facility in Baldwin. The move comes after Vermont's Corrections Department chose not to renew a contract with the company (MiBiz)