Daily Briefs

Michigan Senate approves online voter registration


LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michiganders should be able to register to vote online, state senators say.

The lawmakers voted 35-1 Thursday for five bills that would enact an electronic voter registration database operated through Secretary of State Ruth Johnson's office.

Individuals electing to sign up this way must possess a valid driver's license or official state ID card. Because driver's license registration already exists online through the secretary of state's website, supporters of the legislation say incorporating electronic registration in voting as well streamlines registration without compromising security.

The lone dissenter, Sen. Patrick Colbeck, a Republican from Canton Township, says past irregularities from the 2016 election make the stakes too high to add another potential point of entry for hackers.

The bills now head to the House, where similar bills already are under consideration.

 

Prosecutor: Rape kit investigations could lead to charges
 

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Authorities in a southwestern Michigan county are investigating cases from nearly 200 previously untested rape kits that eventually could lead to charges.

Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting tells the Kalamazoo Gazette for a story Thursday that investigators are trying to prioritize cases approaching the end of time periods where legal action can be taken.
Some of the kits are close to 30 years old.

Getting says they've been able to close some cases because suspects already had been prosecuted, others had died, and because some victims had no interest in pursuing charges.

Kalamazoo police had the most untested kits with 113. Western Michigan University's public safety department had 40. Portage police had 16. Other county law enforcement agencies had fewer than 10 untested kits.


 

Third annual MI Hidden Talent workshop to take place April 30 in Novi
 

Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein recently announced the third annual MI Hidden Talent workshop, providing employers with resources and training to be intentional about hiring Michiganders with disabilities.

The free statewide workshop for business leaders and HR professionals will be held on Monday, April 30, in Novi at the Suburban Showplace.

Workshop attendees will receive training on accommodation, interviewing best practices and strategies to help close the skills gap. Resources the state offers to help businesses find and prepare talent for the needs of the workplace also will be provided.

Calley and Bernstein started the MI Hidden Talent initiative in 2015 to highlight the overlooked skills of Michiganders with disabilities.

To register or for more information about the workshop, visit www.mihiddentalent.com.

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