Steve Carmody

The American Civil Liberties Union is raising questions about how Michigan police officers and sheriff’s deputies use tasers.

Tasers have become an important tool for law enforcement agencies across Michigan.    The devices are used to incapacitate individuals with a high voltage electric shock.

But the ACLU says there is not a uniform policy among Michigan law enforcement agencies for when to use a taser.

A Michigan company has been charged in a scheme federal officials have dubbed ‘Honeygate.’

Michigan-based Groeb Farms is one of the nation’s largest honey suppliers.   The company buys honey in 42 states and around the world.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say Groeb Farms and another honey supplier were involved in a scheme to dump Chinese honey in the United States. 

Federal officials say the Chinese honey was declared as other commodities and shipped through third countries. The defendants in the investigation dubbed "Project Honeygate" are accused of evading anti-dumping duties totaling more than $180 million.

Groeb Farms has agreed to pay a $2 million fine. 

“We take full responsibility for and deeply regret any errors that were made in the past regarding the import of honey,” said Groeb Farms CEO Rolf Richter in a written statement. 

Some of the honey contained antibiotics not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in honey.   None of the charges allege any instances of illness or other public health consequences attributed to consumption of the honey.

The investigation is continuing.

Michigan stands to lose thousands of jobs if automatic federal budget cuts take effect at the end of the month.

The effects could ripple through the state’s economy.

Stephen Fuller, an economist at George Mason University, has broken down the effects of the $85 billion in federal spending cuts that will go into effect if the so-called sequestration goes through next week.

He estimates Michigan will lose 23,000 to 25,000 jobs, mostly defense department related, but also about 10,000 non-governmental jobs.

That’s slightly lower than the more than 30,000 jobs lost he predicted last year, but he says the effect on Michigan’s economy will still be more than $2 billion.

Fuller says small businesses will feel the effect more than large businesses.

“They have a harder time adjusting…they don’t have stockholders or large deposits in the bank to live off of,” said Fuller.

Fuller says government workers will probably start to feel the budget cuts in April, but a Lansing area defense contractor has already announced layoffs tied to the looming sequestration.

Flint mayor Dayne Walling says his city must now make a transition to an era of 'reconstruction' after a 'generation of decline.'

Walling told the audience at his ‘State of the City’ address Monday that in order to begin that transition Flint must deal with its crime problem.

Flint had the worst violent crime rate in the nation last year. 

“We have lost too many lives. Too many of our promising youth who were confined to environments that were always dangerous and all too often became deadly,” Walling told his audience.

People trying to redeem deposits on bottles and cans purchased outside of Michigan may face some stiff fines in the future.

Michigan loses millions of dollars every year cashing in returnable bottles and cans bought out of state.  Michigan has one of the highest bottle deposits in the country.

Tomorrow, a state House committee will discuss imposing fines, as much as five thousand dollars, on people who try to fraudulently redeem out-of-state returnables. They could also face jail time.

Flint’s mayor delivers his State of the City address tomorrow.

He says he’ll map out a path for Flint to no longer need an emergency financial manager running his city.

Mayor Dayne Walling says now’s the time to begin preparing for life after an emergency manager.

The city has been under the direction of a state appointed manager since December of 2011.

The new emergency manager law that takes effect next month includes a provision that details how cities can get back to self-control.

Environmental and organic farming groups want a change in the way federal agriculture subsidies are handed out.

Michigan is close to ending its role as a leader in home foreclosures.

At one time the state had the highest foreclosure rate in the country.

But after 27 straight months of declines, Michigan’s foreclosure rate is almost down to the national average.

“It’s still in the Top Ten states for foreclosure rates…barely it’s at number ten,” says Daren Bloomquist with Realty Trac, “with one in every 837 housing units with a foreclosure filing in the month (of January)….and that’s not too far off the national average ….which is one in every 867 housing units.”

Tens of billions of dollars in federal spending cuts will take effect March first, unless Congress does something to stop the sequestration.

And Michigan’s major research universities may be among those feeling the sting.

The owner of a Michigan auction house is facing federal charges that he sold a stolen Korean artifact.

James Amato, of Oxford, was arrested today.  He handled the sale of a rare Korean currency plate back in 2010.  

The family of a deceased Korean War vet offered the plate for sale through Amato’s auction house.   The buyer paid 35 thousand dollars for the plate.

Experts believe it's one of three currency plates still in existence from the 1890s. 

A former city-owned golf course will soon be for sale in Lansing.

Lansing closed the Waverly golf course in 2007.    Since then the grass has grown high on the fairways and putting greens.

Last year, Lansing voters gave their OK to sell the 120 acres.   Last night, the city council gave its approval to put the land on the market.

Randy Hannan is with the mayor’s office.  He says they’re optimistic the land will draw interest from developers since the real estate market is starting to rebound.

A 73 year old man from Grand Traverse County is the latest Michigander to die in connection with a batch of tainted steroid injections.  

13 people in Michigan have now died.   Three more Michiganders have died in Indiana.

The steroid injections were given to relieve back pain.  But, the injection contained a fungal contamination. 

Sparrow Hospital officials in Lansing are celebrating their recent certification as Michigan’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center.

The Lansing hospital is one of only 20 centers recognized for its stroke treatment, which starts with diagnosis, through hospital treatment and outpatient therapy.

Dr. Syed Hussain is the medical director of Stroke Services at Sparrow.   He's also an MSU HealthTeam neurologist.

He says discussions about expanding Medicaid coverage in Michigan may help with providing some elective and preventive care.

A judge will consider a request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Flint’s skyrocketing water and sewer rates this week.

Since 2011, Flint’s water and sewer rates have more than doubled. City officials say the rate increases are needed to cover rising costs in the system.

But Attorney Val Washington says that’s not how the city is using the money.

“Instead of being used what it’s for….water and sewer….related expenses,” says Washington,  “It's being used to pay the general obligations of the city.”

A Michigan state house committee meeting this week is expected to draw dozens of Mixed Martial Arts fighters.

State Representative Harvey Santana says there are amateur Mixed Martial Arts events being staged in Michigan every weekend. And he says the way many bouts are staged puts fighters at serious risk.

Santana recalls recently watching an overmatched MMA fighter lose badly.