At a Glance ...

WMU-Cooley schedules another program on the ‘heroin epidemic’

An “encore” presentation of “Silence Equals Death: How the Heroin Epidemic is Driving Change in Perception, Treatment and the Law” will be held on Thursday, March 19 at WMU Cooley Law School in Lansing.

A similar program in January at the Auburn Hills campus of Cooley “was so well received that I have been asked to do an ‘encore” event at the WMU Cooley Lansing campus,” said Professor Lauren Rousseau, who served as the coordinator and moderator of the event.

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Police explore if religion was factor in attack

SOUTHFIELD (AP) — Authorities are investigating whether religion was a factor in a stabbing at a Detroit-area bus stop.

Southfield police say a 52-year-old Detroit man had wounds to his head, neck and back following the recent attack at the Northland Mall stop and a 51-year-old Detroit man had a hand wound. Both were treated and released from a hospital.

Police took a 39-year-old man into custody who was walking nearby and recovered two knives.

The men who were attacked told police that the suspect made several comments about his religion and asked them about their religious beliefs just before the attack. Police and the FBI are investigating to determine whether it was a hate crime.

Police didn’t specify the religious beliefs involved.

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WMU dorms to get liaison police officers

KALAMAZOO (AP) — Western Michigan University’s police department plans to assign liaison officers to dorms following crimes on or near campus this school year.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the plans from the Department of Public Safety come after the Western Student Association requested the presence of officers.

Taylor Hall, a student who helped write the resolution, says one of the reasons for the request was crime.

There have been two armed robberies on campus this school year, one reported in October and another one this month.

Another armed robbery occurred in September at the university-owned Asylum Lake Preserve, where a man was robbed of a cellphone.

Public Safety Chief Scott Merlo says having officers in and around the dorms will allow them to build relationships and trust with students.

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