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Michigan Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 05, 2017 15 Comments
Embattled Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has told a Detroit radio station that he will not seek re-election and endorses his son John Conyers III to replace him in Congress. From CNN:
"I am retiring today. And I want everyone to know how much I appreciate the support that...incredible, undiminished support I've received across the years of my supporters, not only in my district but across the country as well," Conyers said.
Conyers is facing numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment from former female employees. Another woman spoke up last night and claimed Conyers groped her in church.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 22, 2017 9 Comments
Last February, I blogged about the sexual abuse allegations against former U.S. Olympic Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician Larry Nassar. The allegations came up in September 2016 and by November the number of women grew to 50. The number is now over 140. The number kept growing, with members of the latest U.S. Gymnastics team claiming Nassar abused them. An attorney representing one victim said the case is "Penn State all over again" due to "the same kind of institutional failures, involving multiple victims violated by a trusted staffer." On Wednesday, Nassar pled guilty to numerous charges of sexual abuse. His agreement with the prosecutors contained a prison sentence of 25 to 40 years.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 24, 2017 6 Comments
Musician Kid Rock confirmed on Howard Stern's show that he is not running for the senate. The whole idea was a publicity stunt for his new album, but doesn't really regret it. From Detroit Free Press:
"F--- no, I’m not running for Senate. Are you kidding me?" Rock said on Howard Stern's SiriusXM show. "Who couldn’t figure that out? I’m releasing a new album. I’m going on tour too. Are you f---ing sh--ing me?"

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on September 20, 2017 13 Comments
The right of the private citizenry to make a public record request has, at least until recently, required local and federal governments to maintain a certain level of transparency. But a disturbing new trend has private citizens and even journalists flummoxed. In Louisiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Oregon, individuals requesting public records have been sued by the agencies whose documents they requested. This new lawfare front has successfully kept public records out of the hands of requestors and made others think twice before making FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 15, 2017 17 Comments
Musician Kid Rock has made waves since he hinted that he may challenge Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in November 2018. But Michigan rules may prohibit the name Kid Rock and force him to use his real name Robert Ritchie. Roll Call reported:
If Ritchie were to submit enough valid signatures to make the ballot and indicate that he wanted to be listed as “Kid Rock,” the Michigan Bureau of Elections staff would have to research the question of whether that name would be allowed. At an initial glance, Ritchie’s stage name isn’t an obviously acceptable one under the state’s criteria.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 24, 2017 22 Comments
Social media erupted on Sunday when a poll showed musician Robert Ritchie, aka Kid Rock, up by four points over incumbent Democratic Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow. Delphi Analytics, whose website just launched this month, released the findings:
Of respondents who stated a preference between Debbie Stabenow and Robert Ritchie, 54% stated they would vote for Ritchie while 46% said they would vote for Debbie Stabenow. These results could indicate that Ritchie is a popular figure in Michigan, Debbie Stabenow is unpopular, or some combination of concurrent trends. The relatively large, 44%, number of undecided respondents may be due to the early stages of the campaign.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 8 Comments
The investigation into female genital mutilation (FGM) in Michigan has now spread to five other states after authorities identified possible new defendants. The lawyer for Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, the woman charged with performing FGM on numerous girls, disclosed this information in new court documents "to show the complexity of the case and explain why" the court should release her client "from jail to prepare for trial.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 22, 2017 9 Comments
On Wednesday, Amor Ftouhi, a Canadian originally from Tunisia, screamed Allahu Akbar after he stabbed Lt. Jeff Neville at Bishop International Airport in Flint, MI. The FBI have started investigating the attack as a terrorist act, but have not found Ftouhi involved in a wider plot.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 14, 2017 23 Comments
Michigan Attorney General Bill Shuettte has filed charges against Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon and Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells in the Flint water probe. Lyon faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office while Wells faces obstruction of justice and lying to a police officer. These charges stem from the "Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the Flint area that led to 12 deaths after the city's water supply was switched to the Flint River in April 2014."

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 14, 2017 13 Comments
Attorney Cynthia Nunez, the guardian of the children of one of the doctors accused of performing female genital mutilation (FGM) on girls in Michigan, has claimed that a local mosque paid for the surgeries. The court held a hearing on Tuesday "in which the state is seeking to terminate the parental rights of Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Northville, the lead defendant in Detroit's historic genital cutting case." Nagarwala and her attorney Shannon Smith denied Nunez's allegations.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 22, 2017 12 Comments
Last week, authorities charged Dr. Jumana Nagarwala for female genital mutilation on a 7-year-old-girl. Now authorities have arrested and charged the doctor and his wife, the owners of the Burhani Medical Clinic. Officials arrested Dr. Fakhruddin Attar, 53, and his wife Farida Attar, 50. They face charges for "conspiring to perform genital mutilation on minor girls by letting a doctor use their clinic to perform the procedure."

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 20, 2017 14 Comments
Here is a story that has gone underreported in the media, but deserves so much more attention. Last September, the Indianapolis Star reported that females have accused now former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. By November the number reached 50 women. Some of these women have spoken out about the alleged abuse, including Jessica Howard, the U.S. National champion from 1999 to 2001 in rhythmic gymnastics. Nassar veiled the alleged sexual abuse as medical treatment for her.
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