Michigan Radio Newsroom

Michigan high school students participated in a nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence on the nineteenth anniversary of the Columbine school shooting Friday.

Students organized events at schools throughout the state. At Ann Arbor Pioneer High School, about two hundred students walked out of class and attended a student-led rally in the football stadium. Student speakers demanded tougher gun legislation, and blasted lawmakers for failing to pass popular, "common sense" measures like universal background checks. 

A woman who attends Michigan State University filed a federal lawsuit against the school yesterday alleging that three former men’s basketball players sexually assaulted her in 2015.

The lawsuit says the assault occurred April 12, 2015 after the 18-year-old woman met the players at a local bar.

The woman says in the suit that she was taken to an apartment where the players took turns raping her in a bedroom.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids – and does not name the woman or the players.

A judge sentenced four teenagers to a program at a youth treatment center for throwing rocks and sandbags onto I-75 near downtown Toledo and killing a Michigan man.

Police say the boys were all 13 or 14 years old when they were arrested in December.

One sandbag smashed through a car windshield and hit 22-year-old Warren resident Marquise Byrd. He later died.

The boys apologized to Byrd’s relatives in juvenile court Friday, but the family called the sentence too light.

A priest in the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw has been arrested for a second time on sexual assault charges.

Father Robert Deland was arrested for the first time on Feb. 25, and charged with sexual assault of two victims, a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy.

Those charges included second degree criminal sexual conduct and gross indecency.

Deland was released with a GPS tether device, and was arrested again on April 5 on four additional charges.

A new study by a Michigan State University researcher probes the mechanisms behind the spread of mass online harassment and fake news by looking at the 'dark patterns' underlying the technology platforms.

The Hazel Park Raceway abruptly announced its closure on Thursday. That's leaving employees and horse owners high and dry right before the start of the 2018 racing season.

Hazel Park was the only thoroughbred racetrack in Michigan. Its closure came on the first day horses would have been shipped in for a month of pre-season training.

Officials say 550 gallons of potentially toxic coolant fluid have leaked from electric power cables that run underwater where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet.

The owner of the cables, American Transmission Company, says the fluid is a mineral-based synthetic oil used for insulation that can be harmful if released into the environment.

American Transmission says the leak was discovered after the two cables tripped offline Sunday evening. The cables have been taken out of service.

Michigan public health experts are calling on Lowe's Home Improvement to voluntarily pull chemical paint strippers containing methylene chloride from their shelves.

The chemical has been banned in Europe since 2012, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently abandoned plans to review the chemical for federal regulation. 

The United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams joined a panel discussion on opioid addiction at the University of Michigan Thursday. 

Adams highlighted the challenges of the opioid addiction epidemic, calling for a cultural change in how people use opioid medications.

"We need you all to have discussions in your communities, at your board room tables, at your break room tables, at your dinner tables, about how dangerous these medications can be when used improperly and the fact that in the majority of cases you simply don't need them," said Adams. 

Last week, Michigan Radio lost our friend and coworker, Mark Brush.

Mark’s passion for journalism was evident in everything he produced. His 20 years at Michigan Radio took him across the state, bringing stories to our audience with his unique style – a mix of empathy, humor, and optimism that shone in his voice and his writing.

A new report from Moody's credit rating agency says that Michigan is one of the most vulnerable states if the U.S. withdraws from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The report says that Michigan, Texas, Vermont, and North Dakota have the most exposure to risk from NAFTA withdrawal.

Saginaw County Prosecutor John McColgan Jr. assigned the investigation of sexual abuse involving officials in the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw to a special team that will work with Saginaw and Tittabawassee police and the Michigan State Police, as well as state and federal agencies. The move follows sexual assault charges against Rev. Robert DeLand, Jr. filed last month.

A University of Michigan engineering professor may have solved the mystery of the so-called Cuban sonic attacks of 2016 and 2017. Over a period of about six months, 24 U.S. embassy personnel based in Havana heard high-pitched chirping noises in their homes, and later developed a range of symptoms such as nausea, hearing loss, difficulty walking, or difficulty focusing. Their symptoms resembled mild traumatic brain injury, but the exact cause was unknown.

There are new developments in the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, including a lawsuit filed against USA Gymnastics, and the first allegations by a male victim.

Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Aly Raismain claims the U.S. Olympic committee and USA Gymnastics were aware of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar "at the highest levels" and failed to intervene as required by their own policies and procedures.

Detroit Parks and Recreation is reopening the Scout Hollow campground in Rouge Park after a closure of more than 10 years. The campground will offer group camping for Detroit children. The project is funded by $200,000 from the Kresge Foundation. The funds will prepare the 17-acre site and pay for sleeping bags, tents, and other gear. "This is going to give the kids an experience not like any other they've been able to experience," says Keith Flournoy, Detroit Parks Director. 

Heavy pothole damage is being reported on many major roads in Macomb County. Those include Garfield, Hayes, Romeo Plank, Metro Parkway, 10 Mile Road, Ryan, Dequindre, and particularly Mound Rd.

Tire shops in the area have been overwhelmed with repair calls for damaged wheels, tires, and suspensions, and many drivers are reporting multiple cars pulled over along the roadsides.

An outside expert will be hired to review the University of Michigan's polices and procedures related to sexual misconduct. U of M President Mark Schlissel announced the review at a meeting of the Board of Regents, and said it was prompted by sexual misconduct incidents across the country, as well as a scandal involving U of M doctor Mark F. Hoeltzel.

The Lecturers' Employee Organization at the University of Michigan is asking for a pay hike for its members.

Union members gathered at a public meeting of the Board of Regents to present their arguments during public comments. The LEO cited a report saying that the university generated $377 million in excess revenue from classes taught by its union members. However, the cost of salaries and benefits for all lecturers only totaled $85 million. And members claim those salaries are barely enough to live on.

Eastern Michigan University will add comprehensive primary care and seven-day-a-week urgent care to its existing on-campus health service offerings in a new, $6.6 million health facility.

The project is a collaboration between EMU, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, and Integrated Healthcare Associates, a multi-specialty health care group based in Ann Arbor. 

Services currently offered in the University's Snow Health Center will be incorporated into the new facility, as well as Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Some state lawmakers want to shift control of environmental rules from the Department of Environmental Quality to state-appointed boards, a move environmentalists say would put the fox in charge of the henhouse.

Senate Bill 652 would create an 11-member committee, mostly from industry groups like manufacturing, small business, oil and gas, and agriculture, to oversee all DEQ rule-making. And SB 653 would form another board with the ability to modify or reverse DEQ decisions.

Donations flooded an online legal defense fundraiser after the father of three daughters rushed disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar at his sentencing hearing last week.

Now, Randy Margraves says he wants to give that money back.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 665, launched the fundraiser -- which raised more than $30,000.

Margraves, an electrician, says he deeply appreciates the outpouring of support. But he says he does not need the money.

Thompson Elementary School in Highland Park has been vacant for 20 years. It's a scrapped-out shell of a building, reflecting the economic troubles of the city overall.

But now, there's a plan for it. The proposed Parker Village project will convert the school into a community center surrounded by energy efficient, net-zero homes that its developer, Juan Shannon, is calling a "smart neighborhood." 

Moments after asking for five minutes alone with Larry Nassar, Randall Margraves, a father of three of Nassar's victims, made a run at the defense desk.

It's well known that weight loss can reduce pain in obese people, but that's been generally assumed to apply to pain in load-bearing joints like the knees, hips, and back. A new study from Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan revealed a surprising new link between obesity and overall pain. The study was published in The Journal of Pain. It found that a 10 percent reduction in body weight helped patients with obesity reduce pain in places like the abdomen, arm, chest, and jaw, in addition to the expected weight-bearing areas. 

The Howell-based activist group Citizens for Unity has organized a "March Against Fear" Saturday afternoon in response to flyers distributed by a white supremacist group.

The incident occurred during a fundraising event at the Howell Theater for girls in India. When attendees left the event, they found their cars covered with flyers produced by Patriot Front, a nationally recognized white supremacist organization.

A new study from Michigan State University reveals an important mechanism in stress related illness. It's well-known that both physical and psychological stress are factors in a range of illnesses, including inflammatory and allergic diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, severe food allergies, and autoimmune disorders like lupus. Mast cells are a type of immune system cell believed to be involved in the development of these illnesses.

Saline Area Schools is partnering with First Presbyterian Church of Saline and Care Village Orphanage in Middleburg, South Africa to start a new school for about 100 children there. The project was inspired by a church mission trip last summer. While on the trip, Robert Cindric, a music teacher at Saline schools, recognized a need for an on-site school at the orphanage.

Ann Arbor's Delonis homeless shelter says it's seeking solutions for a lack of capacity created by funding cuts in 2016. The loss of more than $100,000 in funding forced the shelter to remove 27 beds and close the second floor of its facility. That reduced the shelter's capacity to 50 beds. However, at any given time there are as many as 60 people waiting for beds to open up in the shelter.

"We really want to get these beds back online in some way. There's up to 300 people homeless on any given night. That 300  number includes people in the streets and in shelters," says Kelly.

The Trump administration says federal prosecutors will begin to more aggressively enforce marijuana laws, even in states where marijuana is now legal.

The Justice Department is planning to roll back a policy instituted during the Obama administration that discouraged those prosecutions. It's not yet clear what specific type of enforcement the government is planning.