State briefing
Judge OKs charge for ex-MSU dean
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A judge says prosecutors can pursue a second felony charge against a former medical school dean who had oversight of Larry Nassar at Michigan State University.
Judge Joyce Draganchuk on Friday approved the request to add a charge of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. She also ordered MSU to release documents that William Strampel wants for his defense.
Strampel is accused of sexually harassing female students when he was dean of the osteopathic medical school.
The new charge is related to an allegation that Strampel grabbed a woman’s buttocks at a social event. He’s also charged with misconduct in office. Trial is scheduled for May 28.
Strampel had oversight of Nassar, a Michigan State doctor who was convicted of child pornography crimes and sexual assault. Critics say Strampel failed to ensure that Nassar was following patient restrictions that were ordered in 2014.
Mazda recalls 190K cars for wipers
DETROIT (AP) — Mazda is recalling nearly 190,000 Mazda 3 compact cars in the U.S. because the windshield wipers can fail.
The company says in documents posted Saturday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the recall covers cars from the 2016 through 2018 model years.
The Japanese automaker traced the problem to metal deposits that can cause a wiper relay to stick, knocking out the wipers and limiting driver visibility. The company says it has no reports of crashes or injuries due to the problem. Dealers will replace the front wiper control module at no cost to owners starting June 3.
UM natural history museum opens
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History is reopening to the public in its new building.
The Ann Arbor school says new exhibits will be on display to the public starting today at the museum, which combines natural history with scientific research.
The museum , which is part of the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, closed in December 2017 . It moved from its previous home in the Ruthven Building to its current location in the new $261 million Biological Sciences Building.
Highlights include a realistic sculptural reconstruction of Australopithecus sediba, an extinct relative of humans, in the museum’s “Evolution: Life Through Time” gallery.
Michael Cherney, the museum’s on-staff paleontologist, says in a statement that visitors will be “staring into the eyes of something that’s very human-like.”