Breaking News

Michigan News

Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse of teens at now-closed Michigan detention center

More than a dozen teenagers were sexually abused by staff while living at a state-licensed detention and rehabilitation center in Michigan before it closed in 2021, according to a lawsuit that accuses the operator of gross negligence. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Saginaw County, describes staff preying on 13 boys and a girl in their rooms, in showers and elsewhere at Wolverine Secure Treatment Center in Buena Vista Township, 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) north of Detroit. “Until now they have not spent significant time talking about what happened to them,” attorney Corey Stern ...

US seeks data from Tesla on how it developed, verified Autopilot

DETROIT (AP) — Federal highway safety investigators want Tesla to tell them how and why it developed the fix in a recall of more than 2 million vehicles equipped with the company’s Autopilot partially automated driving system. Investigators with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have concerns about whether the recall remedy worked because Tesla has reported 20 crashes since the remedy was sent out as an online software update in December. The recall fix also was to address whether Autopilot should be allowed to operate on roads other than limited access ...

US loosens some electric vehicle battery rules, potentially making more EVs eligible for tax credits

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government on Friday loosened some rules governing electric vehicle tax credits, potentially making more EVs eligible for credits of up to $7,500 but leading critics to accuse the Biden administration of helping China. The Treasury Department announced final regulations for the credits under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, giving automakers more time to comply with some provisions about where battery minerals can come from. The credits range from $3,750 to $7,500 for new EVs. There’s also a $4,000 credit for used ones. They’re aimed at juicing demand ...

Former Michigan House leader, wife plead not guilty to misusing political funds

EAST LANSING (AP) — The former leader of the Michigan House and his wife pleaded not guilty Thursday to financial charges arising from an investigation of how they spent money from unregulated political funds. Lee Chatfield and Stephanie Chatfield appeared in a Lansing-area court by video conference from Kentucky, where they plan to attend the Kentucky Derby. Chatfield, a Republican, was speaker of the House in 2019 and 2020. He is accused of using money for personal travel, housing and other benefits when he was in office. Investigators said he tapped political funds that were ...