Chief: Dead woman was trying to kill self, 4 kids
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A Detroit-area police chief says a 37-year-old woman who died of carbon monoxide poisoning was trying to kill her family when she gave her four children sedatives, then left a van's motor running in their garage. The children ages 10 to 14 were recovering in hospitals Tuesday. Oakland County Medical Examiner Dr. L.J. Dragovic (DRAG'-oh-vich) tells The Associated Press that Shanda Yenglin's death was a suicide. Waterford Township police Chief Daniel McCaw says Yenglin gave the children milkshakes with sedatives and put them in the van Monday. McCaw tells WWJ-AM that Yenglin was trying to kill all of them. AP left a message with police seeking comment. Police say one of Yenglin's daughters called to say her mother was unconscious. Emergency crews found the woman dead and the children poisoned.
DETROIT HIT MAN-TEENAGER
Judge is asked to order immunity for hit man
DETROIT (AP) - A judge is being asked to take the unprecedented step of ordering limited immunity for a Detroit hit man to get his testimony about four murders at a drug house in 2007. The request comes from a lawyer for Davontae Sanford, an 18-year-old who is trying to get his conviction overturned in those four deaths. Vincent Smothers is in prison for killing eight people. Police say he also confessed to four other killings but hasn't been charged. Sanford believes Smothers would clear him if he testified in court. Sanford's attorney, Kim McGinnis, wants a judge to order prosecutors to offer immunity to Smothers so his words could never be used against him. The Wayne County prosecutor's office opposes the request. A court hearing is set for Friday.
CHILD CARE-UNION
No more union dues for Mich. day-care providers
DETROIT (AP) - The state of Michigan says it will stop deducting union dues from thousands of people who provide day care at home. The head of the Department of Human Services says at-home providers are private businesses, not state employees. The decision means two unions will lose millions of dollars, an arrangement that was created under former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat and union ally. Human Services chief Maura Corrigan, a Republican, says the state also is ending its relationship with the Michigan Home-Based Child Care Council, which was affiliated with Mott Community College. In a statement Tuesday, Corrigan said the council has not improved the quality of day care. More than 16,000 at-home day care providers paid union dues if they received state subsidies for watching kids from low-income families. /p>
TTEACHER QUALITY
Ideas offered for improving teacher tenure, evals
DETROIT (AP) - Leaders of a Michigan teachers union say there are opportunities to boost the quality of teachers by speeding up the way tenure cases are handled and developing standards for evaluating educators. The Michigan chapter of the American Federation of Teachers released details of its proposals Tuesday. AFT Michigan President David Hecker says a review of tenure cases from the last decade shows that they take an average of 9-10 months to handle. He says that time could be cut by 40 percent while protecting teachers' rights to fair hearings. The ideas come amid a number of recent proposals to change the state's teacher tenure system. One plan would repeal Michigan's teacher tenure law. Teachers in their first four years generally can be dismissed at the discretion of school officials.
CHRISTMAS STORE VANDALS
4 enter guilty pleas in Christmas store vandalism
SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) - Four Michigan men have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced for their roles in a vandalism spree that damaged displays at a popular Christmas-themed store. Saginaw County Circuit Court officials say 21-year-old Brandon Dean, 20-year-old Ryan Buchler, 20-year-old Samuel Quintanilla and 17-year-old Caleb Quintanilla face sentencing March 31. Pleas to charges of malicious destruction of property and conspiracy were entered Monday. A fifth man, 21-year-old Nickolas Bright, has pleaded not guilty and waived his circuit court arraignment. A preliminary examination date has not been set. The Associated Press left a message Tuesday seeking comment from Bright's attorney. Seventy-five outdoor displays were damaged Christmas Day at Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, about 73 miles northwest of Detroit. Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas says the damage cost about $18,900 to repair.
IMMIGRATION DEBATE-MICHIGAN
Immigration legislation sparks debate in Michigan
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A proposal to crack down on illegal immigration in Michigan is sparking debate at the state Capitol. A coalition campaigned against the proposal Tuesday. Opponents say the bill would create a climate of fear and division. Opponents and supporters of the bill have different interpretations of what the measure introduced last week would mean if it became law. Opponents say it would allow police to stop and arrest people solely on the suspicion they may be in the U.S. illegally. Republican Rep. Dave Agema of Grandville, who introduced the bill, says that is not the case. He says law enforcement officers would work to determine the immigration status of a person only if a person is stopped on suspicion of a different violation.
RUST BELT-ARTISTS
Detroit event to look at Rust Belt revitalization
DETROIT (AP) - An event next month in Detroit will look at how revitalization efforts in Rust Belt cities are being shaped by creative people. The "Rust Belt to Artist Belt III Conference" is scheduled for April 6-7 at the College for Creative Studies' A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. Organizers on Tuesday released more details of the event. Attendees are expected to include artists, creative business owners, educators and designers. They will look at issues such as community development, entrepreneurialism and land use. The theme is "Cultivating Talent and Innovation to Transform Post Industrial Cities." The conference is hosted by the Detroit Creative Corridor Center in partnership with ArtServe Michigan and Wayne State University's TechTown business incubator.
