Daily Briefs

Deal reached on lawsuit over Michigan ban on ballot selfies


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has agreed to settle a lawsuit over a ban on so-called ballot selfies.

Joel Crookston, a voter in the Kalamazoo area, sued in 2016 to try to stop Michigan’s ban on taking photos of marked ballots or publicly exposing them.

Lawyers won’t talk about the deal until details are filed in federal court on May 8. But a court filing last week suggests there will be an easing of the ban. The state said it wanted to avoid “any confusion” in polling places and wait until after local elections are held on May 7.

In 2012, Crookston took a picture of his ballot and posted it on social media. He wasn’t challenged by election officials, but a lawyer warned him that it was illegal and could disqualify his ballot.

Michigan’s prohibition on displaying completed ballots has been around since 1891.

 

Mother of child who drowned in Detroit basement gets jail
 

DETROIT (AP) — The mother of an 11-month-old girl who drowned in standing water and sewage after falling through a hole in an upstairs floor and into a basement of their Detroit home has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Court records say Dasiah Jordan was given her punishment Monday after earlier pleading guilty to second-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter. The 27-year-old also was ordered to serve four years of probation.

Ca’Mya Davis was unattended July 6 when she fell through the hole in her home’s bedroom floor. Her death was ruled accidental.

Prosecutors say Jordan left her daughter with Tonya Peterson while she visited friends and that both women were aware of the hazard.

The 29-year-old Peterson is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

 

Youth basketball coach charged with assaulting referee


PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — Authorities say a Michigan youth basketball coach accused of punching a Kentucky referee, knocking him unconscious, has been charged with assault.

News outlets cite a statement from the McCracken County sheriff’s office in Kentucky that says 40-year-old Keyon Menifield of Flint, Michigan, had a disagreement Saturday with the referee, 61-year-old Kenny Culp of Paducah. The statement says Culp turned to walk away when Menifield struck him.

Culp was taken to a hospital for treatment, and deputies charged Menifield with assault of a sports official. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he has an attorney.

Culp’s niece, KaSondra Barnett, said on Sunday that he was being treated for a broken collarbone, a crack in his sinus cavity, and a concussion.

McCracken County Sheriff Matt Carter says the investigation is ongoing.

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