State Roundup

Jackson 6-foot alligator turns up outside Michigan church JACKSON, Mich. (AP) -- Authorities say an about 6-foot-long alligator was caught after being spotted roaming the property of a southern Michigan church. The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports officers from the Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety near Jackson caught the alligator on Monday. A passing motorist called police to Pathway Community Church after spotting it outside. Officers slipped a noose around the head of the alligator while duct tape was placed around its mouth. Police say arrangements were made to transport the alligator to a sanctuary. Police say the alligator was in good health and likely was recently released. With colder weather approaching it might not have survived outdoors. Grand Rapids Michigan gets $46M Department of Education grant GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan is getting $46 million from the U.S. Department of Education to help increase the number of low-income students who enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The Grand Rapids Press reports the seven-year grant goes to the state's Martin Luther King Jr.-Cesar Chavez-Rosa Parks Initiative. The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs grant will help prepare and support 10,000 students in 49 school districts throughout Michigan for college careers. Public universities in the state will help implement the grant. Lansing Michigan lawmakers target school election dates LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- The Republican-led Michigan Legislature might soon finish votes on legislation that could require school districts to hold their board elections in November of even-numbered years. The House and Senate could take final votes on the legislation and send it to Gov. Rick Snyder as early as this week. Supporters of the legislation say it would ensure that school board elections are held when voter turnout is highest. Supporters also expect the requirement would help consolidate elections and save money in some locations. Opponents challenge that claim. They say it would cost schools and local jurisdictions more money if they must switch election dates. Michigan law now provides schools a few options over a two-year cycle for when to hold board elections. Lansing Michigan AG sues to shut down 2 abortion clinics LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed a lawsuit Monday to close two women's clinics that provide abortions in Saginaw and the Lansing area. Schuette's office filed a complaint in Eaton County Circuit Court seeking to dissolve Health Care Clinic Inc. in Delta Township and Women's Choice Clinic Inc. in Saginaw. The attorney general's office says an investigation included evidence of improper medical records disposal at the clinics owned by Richard Remund. The Associated Press left a telephone message Monday for Remund. A person answering the phone at Health Care Clinic declined comment. Schuette said in a statement that he is asking state health officials to review evidence suggesting improper records disposal. Schette also said t at least half of procedures performed at the clinics were abortions, which if true would mean the clinics would face more stringent regulations. His suit also asks that Remind be barred from opening similar clinics in the future. "To ensure accountability and patient safety, Michigan law requires medical facilities to be incorporated with a licensed medical professional at the helm," Schuette said. "Strict enforcement of the law ensures medical clinics cannot put profit ahead of responsible patient care." Skandia Family heads to court over son's cancer treatments SKANDIA, Mich. (AP) -- The parents of a 10-year-old Upper Peninsula boy faces a hearing next month on claims of negligence for refusing to continue chemotherapy and radiation treatments after his cancer was removed. Erin Stieler told WLUC-TV for a story Monday that she believed further treatments for her son, Jacob, were unnecessary. A hearing is scheduled Dec. 5 in Marquette County Probate Court. "It's the most horrible thing, most horrific thing," Erin Stieler said of the treatments. "He was sick, he was nauseous, he was extremely depressed. He told me numerous times he wished he could fall asleep and never wake up." Jacob is from Skandia, about 15 miles southeast of Marquette. He was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma but after a number of treatments was found to be cancer-free. "Now that I'm back, it's mostly to my normal life in a way, so I get all that put behind me," he said. "I very rarely think about it." The boy's doctors told the family that more treatments were needed. The state Department of Human Services took the case to court. "The department is unable to comment on specific cases," spokesman Jim Labadie told The Associated Press Monday in an email. "The department's involvement in this case was limited to bringing the case for review to the court, which will make the final determination." Jacob's parents want to discontinue conventional treatments and are pursuing alternative methods for nourishing him. "I think you need to be proactive and do your research and make an educated decision with your spouse and as a family," Erin Stieler said. A Detroit mother regained custody of her teenage daughter in September after fighting the state over her refusal to give the girl a powerful anti-psychotic drug. A jury in August found Maryanne Godboldo guilty of neglect. A juvenile court judge later ruled she could take her daughter home after the girl had been living with Godboldo's sister. Godboldo had been battling the Department of Human Services after she took her daughter off Risperdal, which often is used to contain aggression and treat autism. The girl was 13 at the time. Mackinac Mackinac work may have uncovered burial site MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) -- Authorities say a construction crew on Mackinac Island may have uncovered an American Indian burial site. WWTV/WWUP reports some bones were found Thursday after crews demolished a structure on the island. Police say some bones were confirmed to be animal bones but since then remains identified as human also were discovered. Police say the human remains are expected to be taken by the Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians for reburial. Mackinac Island sits near the Straits of Mackinac, between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Published: Wed, Nov 9, 2011