Michigan’s Secretary of State wants to settle a lawsuit over gerrymandering. The state’s Attorney General wants to talk with MSU’s now former interim president. The WMU football team’s gesture for a blind opponent is recognized by the NCAA.
(Detroit News) Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has moved to settle a federal lawsuit that alleges Michigan’s Congressional and state Legislative districts were drawn unfairly in 2011. The lawsuit claims that Republican lawmakers set the boundaries for the districts for partisan advantage. Benson became Secretary of State January first after winning the office in the November election. The Detroit News reports that a statement from Benson says it’s clear that the court has found significant evidence of partisan gerrymandering. The Secretary of State says the outcome would likely not be favorable to the state, so Benson says it’s her responsibility to ensure a fair and equitable resolution for the citizens of Michigan.
(Michigan Radio) The partial government shutdown means some programs that monitor conditions in the Great Lakes are also shut down. That includes a program that monitors ice and currents in the Straits of Mackinac. If an oil spill happened in the Straits, the program's data would help the Coast Guard figure out where the oil was heading. Another program that can better predict lake effect snow is being delayed in its implementation.
(WKAR) Attorney General Dana Nessel wants to talk with former Michigan State University interim President John Engler. MSU’s board voted to accept Engler’s resignation Thursday. He made heavily criticized remarks about survivors who were sexually assaulted by former MSU sports doctor Larry Nassar “enjoying” the “spotlight.” A spokeswoman for Nessel says the Attorney General made the decision on Monday after being briefed by the team investigating how MSU internally handled the Nassar scandal. The special prosecutor who handled the investigation under Attorney General Bill Schuette did not interview Engler. The investigation into MSU has yielded criminal charges against three former MSU officials.
Western Michigan University’s 2017 football team has won the NCAA sportsmanship award for Division I. The award was given to the Broncos for their part in allowing a blind player for USC to snap the ball on an extra point attempt. Western coach Tim Lester and Trojan head coach Clay Helton reached an agreement before their season opening game on September 2, 2017. That allowed USC long snapper Jake Olson to play. Olson was born with cancer in his retinas and lost his sight at age 10. Lester says Western is humbled to receive the award for what he calls “a small role in Jake Olson’s incredible moment.”
(WDET) Detroit officials are reminding residents that a spike in human trafficking typically occurs around the North American International Auto Show. The FBI says incidents of human trafficking particularly sex work nearly triple during the Auto Show. They estimate about one in 10 of those sex workers are under the age of 18.
Winter weather moving through the Midwest means an earlier start for Western Michigan University’s men’s basketball team this weekend. The Broncos were scheduled to play at Bowling Green Saturday night at 6:00. But because of expected winter storms, tip off has been moved up to 2:30 Saturday afternoon.