Rina Miller

The University of Michigan Board of Regents has ordered an external investigation into the case of a former pediatric resident accused of having child pornography.

In May of last year, a University of Michigan Hospital resident found child pornography on a computer in an employee lounge. She reported it to hospital security, but a hospital attorney -- who no longer works for the university -- did not pursue the case.

It wasn’t reported to police until six months later.

Steven Jenson, 36, is facing federal charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.

Anthony Dillof is an associate professor at Wayne State University Law School. He says the U-M Regents’ order for an external investigation was a smart decision.

State officials are looking into how Congress’s changes Friday to jobless benefits will affect unemployed people in Michigan. 

The maximum length of federal unemployment benefits in Michigan will gradually fall from 99 weeks  to 77 weeks by September.

Chawn Greene-Farmer is with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.

“The agency, along with our federal partners, are in the process of determining what the impact of those changes will be to Michigan’s unemployment insurance benefit system," Greene-Farmer says. "We’re committed at this point to keeping our claimants informed of all developments that may impact them.

Michigan State Police say it will take millions of dollars to process thousands of rape kits found in an abandoned Detroit crime lab.

John Collins is State Police Director of Forensic Science. He says Michigan State University researchers are helping to identify the kits but the procedure takes time and money:

“What we hope to have eventually is some federal support to help us supply resources to test as many of these kits as possible, and to assist with the prosecutions that we think will come later on down the road,” said Collins.

Collins says about a thousand rape kits will be analyzed for DNA in the next year.  The results will be submitted to a national database to look for matches from other cases.

That leaves a backlog of another 10,000  kits .

The Detroit Police crime lab was shut down in 2008 after it was learned that firearms cases had been improperly handled.

Michigan’s law against peaceful begging in public was challenged in federal court this week by the American Civil Liberties Union. 

ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman says peaceful begging is protected speech under the First  Amendment.

“Begging is not a crime, asking for help is not a crime, being poor is not a crime. There’s been so much economic turmoil, and penalizing poor people because they need help is wrong….and unconstitutional.”

James Speet says he’s been arrested at least eight times in the Grand Rapids area for holding up a sign that reads “Need job… God bless.”

Speet, who’s often homeless, says he never hassles people.

“I don’t approach anybody unless I’m called over to them, by them. That way there’s never no people feeling like I’m being aggressive toward them, or anything like that. I let them come to me.”

The ACLU of Michigan says the Grand Rapids Police Department has arrested nearly 400 people for peaceful begging since 2008.

The candidates in Michigan’s Republican presidential primary are expected to pour a lot of money into advertising in the state.

Polls show Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are evenly matched in popular support.

Romney and his political action committee are expected to spend millions in Michigan.

But a super-PAC behind Santorum reportedly will spend $650,000 in the state.

Bill Ballenger is editor of Inside Michigan Politics.

He says for a super PAC to make that kind of financial commitment shows it believes Santorum has a real chance to win the Michigan's  GOP primary.

An environmental watchdog group has released a report about toxins found inside new cars. It says that “new-car smell” can be harmful to your health. 

The Ecology Center in Ann Arbor says the interiors of the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander, Chrysler 200 S and the Kia Soul had the highest level of hazardous chemicals.

The Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and Honda CRZ had the lowest level of chemical hazards.

Jeff Gearhart of the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor says flame retardants and chemicals in plastics generate gases that can cause health problems.

"Acute allergies, so a person can't stand being in the vehicle, to long-term health impacts, such as birth defects, learning impairment, liver toxicity -- and some of these chemicals are carcinogens," Gearhart says.

Updated  at 2:10 p.m.

A DTE Energy spokesman says it appears an underground electrical cable malfunctioned, and may have ignited a build-up of methane gas.

Len Singer says the explosion blew off some manhole covers outside the Max M. Fisher Music Center.

He says blast also caused some damage to the basement walls of Orchestra Hall. The area has been evacuated while repairs are under way.

The Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit was damaged in a gas explosion this morning. No injuries were reported.

However, the Sphinx15 Finals competition scheduled for 2 p.m. today has been moved to Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan. The event will start at 2 p.m.

A Michigan lawmaker says counterfeit tobacco products and smuggling have cost the state up to $1 billion over the past five years. The state Senate is now considering a bill that would require a digital tax stamp and stronger tobacco enforcement.

State Sen. Roger Kahn says his bill tackles more than illegal activity.

It would also require small tobacco shops that provide so-called "roll-your-own" cigarette machines for customers' use to pay a state tax of $2 per pack.

Some tobacco shop owners oppose the bill because it would label them as cigarette manufacturers.

Kahn says that's exactly what they are.

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano has announced changes in how the county deals with ethical issues. The county is under a federal corruption investigation into cronyism and influence peddling.

The Wayne County Executive’s troubles began when it was learned Detroit Metropolitan Airport’s new boss was given a $200,000 severance package when she left another county job.

The FBI is looking into that payout. It’s also investigating allegations of special deals with contractors and political pressure on employees to support Ficano.

Craig Ruff is with Public Sector Consultants. He says new ethics rules are fine, but they may not be enough.

A bill in the State House would ban elected and appointed officials from voting by teleconference or the Internet.

Representative Richard LeBlanc says technology like Skype is great for a lot of things, but replacing in-person voting isn’t one of them.

LeBlanc says Michigan’s Open Meetings Act does not address remote voting because the technology wasn’t around when the act was drafted.

He believes state lawmakers, school board members, city and township councils need to participate in person.

"You can't get the same sense or flavor of an issue if you're not engaged directly in the process," LeBlanc says.

LeBlanc says if an elected or appointed official has a good reason for being absent during a vote, the public will understand.