At a Glance ...

County trail project wins funding

SHELBY TOWNSHIP (AP) — The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund has awarded $300,000 for construction on a three-mile stretch of a biking and hiking trail in Macomb County.

The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens says officials in Macomb County’s Shelby Township received word this month that the fund will help pay for the project.

The money comes from selling oil and gas drilling rights.

The trail segment will link River Bends Park to the Macomb Orchard Trail.

Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis says the grant is a big boost for the project.

Township parks and recreation director Joe Youngblood says the grant may not cover the entire three-mile stretch but says the community will get as much of the work done as possible.

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Firearms group offers to train teachers

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Following the killing of 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Conn., an Ohio-based gun group says it is launching a test program to train teachers how to use firearms.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Buckeye Firearms Association says it will initially accept applications from 24 teachers for its Armed Teacher Pilot Program.

The three-day firearm-training class will be held at the Tactical Defense Institute in West Union.

The association will pay for the training, including lodging and ammunition.

Association legal chairman Ken Hanson said in a statement that teachers and school board members have been “asking us for years” for this kind of training.

He said the group’s long-term goal is to develop a standard curriculum and make the training available to any teacher or school official.

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Trial delayed in military school lawsuit

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A jury trial in the federal lawsuit alleging abuse at a Kansas military boarding school has been put off to 2014.

Former cadets at St. John’s Military School in Salina filed suit in March of this year, alleging higher-ranking students were encouraged to discipline younger ones.

The plaintiffs contend the practice led to physical and mental abuse.

St. John’s has denied the allegations.

The trial was initially set for October 2013, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Gale recently rescheduled it for March 2014.

Defense lawyers requested the extra time to prepare after more former cadets joined the lawsuit. The plaintiffs objected to the request.

Attorneys expect the trial to take two to three weeks.

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Well-known prosecutor to join defense

MUSKEGON (AP) — Tony Tague (Tag) — for the defense?

Muskegon County’s longtime prosecutor didn’t seek re-election after more than 20 years of putting criminals behind bars in western Michigan. He tells the Muskegon Chronicle that he’ll become a defense attorney in the new year.

Tague says the criminal justice system runs better when there are “passionate” people on both sides of the courtroom. He puts himself in that category. Tague says he’s eager to get back into the courtroom after leading the prosecutor’s office.

Tague is well-known in western Michigan and often appeared on television to discuss high-profile cases.

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