Tagged: morning news roundup

SCOTUS Rules on Juvenile Punishment

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down state laws like one in Michigan that automatically sends some juveniles to prison for life with no chance of parole. The court’s decision says the punishment is excessive, and violates the Eighth Amendment. “Michigan has more than 350 people in state prisons serving life without parole for crimes committed as juveniles. Deborah LaBelle is an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. She says the ruling does not prohibit life without parole for juveniles. But she says the sentence should be very rare now that courts have to take into account factors like how big a role a child played in a murder, age at the time of the crime, and life circumstances,” Rick Pluta reports.

Detroit Layoffs

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced yesterday that by the end of July, Detroit will have 164 fewer firefighters. “Bing said in a statement that public safety is his top priority, but the city's fiscal realities have made protecting police and fire jobs untenable. Mayor Bing says he hopes a federal grant will allow the city to call back all but 56 of the laid-off firefighters. Detroit plans to make 2,600 job cuts citywide and slash a quarter-billion dollars in spending for the fiscal year that starts next week,” Sarah Hulett reports.

Fermi 2 Shutdown

The reactor at the Fermi 2 nuclear plan in Monroe County has been shut down, the Associated Press reports. From the AP:

The Monroe Evening News reports crews idled the plant around 1:30 p.m. Monday when its steam condenser lost the vacuum that pulls steam across a series of cooling tubes. The condenser turns steam back into water after it's used to spin the plant's turbines. Plant spokesman Guy Cerullo says Fermi 2 "is in a safe, stable condition." Cerullo says plant operator DTE Energy is investigating the reason for the pressure loss, and he didn't know when Fermi 2 would be back in operation. He tells The Blade of Toledo, Ohio, that DTE "will operate once" it's "sure everything is in good shape" and it "can safely operate the plant.”

New Oil Pipeline in Marshall?

Enbridge Energy officials will to meet tonight with people in Marshall, Michigan to lay out their plans for a new oil pipeline. Steve Carmody reports:

Two years ago, an Enbridge pipeline ruptured near Marshall leaking more than 800,000 gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. Only last week state and federal officials announced the reopening of most of the Kalamazoo River, which has been closed to the public so crews could clean up the oil spill. Now, Enbridge wants to replace the old pipeline with a larger one that will carry more Canadian tar sands crude oil. The Michigan Public Service Commission must give its approval for the new pipeline. The commission isn’t expected to make a decision until sometime late this year or early next year.

Veterans’ Jobs Fair

There’s a jobs fair for veterans in Detroit this week that’s expected to draw thousands of job-seekers and business owners from across the Midwest. “The event is sponsored by the federal Veterans Administration, and co-hosted by the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.  Jason Allen, an organizer of the fair, says thousands of Michigan veterans are returning from duty in the Middle East, and they are natural fits for a lot of employers. More than one in 10 Michigan veterans are out of work and looking for a job. That’s higher than the overall statewide unemployment rate of 8.5 percent,” Rick Pluta reports.

Detroit Fireworks Tonight

Big crowds are expected for the annual fireworks show over the Detroit River, the Associated Press reports. “Tens of thousands of people are expected to pack Belle Isle, Hart Plaza and the riverfront in downtown Detroit on Monday as well as along the water in Windsor, Ontario. Sheriff's deputies from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb County, along with the state police, are expected to support Detroit's public safety efforts during the event,” the AP reports.

EM Repeal

Supporters of a referendum to overturn Michigan’s emergency manager law are continuing to try to make sure that a question whether to repeal the law is on the November ballot. Sarah Cwiek reports:

Supports of the repeal filed an emergency motion with the Michigan Court of Appeals Wednesday to speed the process along.

After a complicated legal process, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled the question should go on the ballot last week, but without specifying it could take “immediate effect.” So the order could sit for as long as 42 days.

Melvin “Butch” Hollowell, a lawyer with the pro-referendum group Stand Up for Democracy, says this asks the court to act within seven days to ensure the ballot question doesn’t get bogged down in the legal system.

But Bob LaBrant, a spokesman for the group Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility—which initially managed to keep the measure off the ballot because of a dispute over petition font size, calls the move “meritless.”

LaBrant says the group will file an appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court, possibly as soon as next week.

Casino Expansion?

A drive to allow eight new privately owned casinos in Michigan says it’s gathered more than enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Rick Pluta reports:

Michigan already has two dozen tribal casinos and three privately owned casinos in Detroit.

Emily Gerkin Palsrok is with Citizens for Michigan Jobs. She says there’s room for more casinos, which would bring more jobs and tax revenue.

"Our signature collection has gone very well. We’ve had a very positive response. We’re going to have well more than the 322,000 – which is the minimum we need, and we’re going to be wrapping up our process in the next couple of weeks," Palsrok says.

The amendment is opposed by the existing casino operators. A spokesman for the “Vote No” campaign says people should not be allowed to buy a business opportunity by amending the state constitution.

Auto Quality

U.S. automakers have not caught up to their Asian competitors when it comes to quality  -- but American vehicles are still highly rated. 

“A company that measures consumer satisfaction says Lexus drivers reported the fewest problems during the first three months of ownership. Dave Sargent is a vice president at J.D. Power and Associates. He says Jaguar and Porsche tied for second and General Motors' Cadillac came in third in the quality survey. Sargent says Chrysler as a whole improved significantly compared with last year. Ford, however, was flat in the quality rankings. Sargent says Ford wrestled with its My Ford Touch technology, although the company has made improvements,” Rina Miller reports.