Nessel: Civil rights panel not bound by ex-AG’s LGBT opinion
LANSING (AP) — State Attorney General Dana Nessel says the state Civil Rights Commission is not bound by her predecessor's determination that LGBT people are not protected by an anti-discrimination law.
The Democrat's office provided the informal guidance to the commission Tuesday.
Former Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette issued an opinion last year saying the commission overstepped when it said the state's civil rights law covered sexual orientation and gender identity.
Nessel's office says the U.S. Supreme Court in April decided to review a case involving a Michigan funeral home's firing of a transgender woman. It's among three cases that look at whether federal civil rights law bans job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Mackinac Island drone bill sent to Whitmer’s desk
LANSING (AP) — Mackinac Island could enact rules to restrict the use of drones under legislation heading to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature.
The Senate gave unanimous, final approval to the bill Tuesday. The measure stems from a task force that recommended protection for the island because of instances of drones startling horses that carry people and goods.
Cars are prohibited on the island, which is a northern Michigan tourist destination.
State law currently bans local governments from regulating the ownership or operation of drones.
The legislation would make an exception for Mackinac Island but specify that drones could be allowed for certain purposes if they do not intentionally interfere with horses — such as law enforcement.
Hospitals get $1.3M for opioid fight; jails to split $1.5M
DETROIT (AP) — Two hospital systems are getting more than $1.3 million in grants to combat the opioid epidemic, and county jails are in line to get similar funding in the future.
The "no wrong door approach" was announced Monday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Opioid Partnership, a public-private collaborative focused on reducing overdoses and deaths.
Funds will go to Beaumont Hospital in the Detroit area and Munson Medical Center in northern Michigan.
The money will fund pilot projects to provide medication-assisted treatment to hospitalized patients who are diagnosed with opioid use disorder.
Additionally, Wayne State University will receive a grant to coordinate addiction treatment for jail inmates.
Thou shalt not steal thy neighbor’s surveillance camera
HAUGHTON, La. (AP) — Louisiana authorities say a burglar effectively caught himself red-handed, unwittingly livestreaming his theft of a neighbor's new surveillance camera.
The Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office says the neighbor watched the crime unfold in real time, and recognized the culprit as 43-year-old Franklin Welzbacher Jr.
A sheriff's statement says the stolen camera also showed things inside Welzbacher's house.
Authorities say Welzbacher told deputies he had permission to borrow a paint brush, but had nothing to say when asked about the camera.
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