Judge restores power to Flint's mayor and city council
An Ingham County judge has restored authority to Flint's mayor and city council while ruling a state review team violated Michigan's Open Meetings Act during the process that led to a state-appointed emergency manager. The order Tuesday from Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina is another legal defeat for Governor Rick Snyder's administration since the adoption of a state law last year that gave emergency managers expanded powers when appointed to help cities and schools fix their finances. Aquilina's order comes in a lawsuit brought by the leader of a union that represents some city of Flint employees. The decision invalidates last year's appointment of Flint emergency manager Michael Brown. Snyder pokeswoman Geralyn Lasher said the state will appeal the ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals.
State Supreme Court to hear Oakland County Board of Commissioners case
The Michigan Supreme Court is getting ready to hear oral arguments over who has the power to redraw lines for the Oakland County Board of Commissioners' districts. Lawyers for the Republican-controlled board and Oakland County Democrats will argue the case at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Hall of Justice. The justices will decide at a later date whether they'll take up the case on appeal. The Court of Appeals and a lower court already have ruled that a law passed last year by the GOP-controlled Legislature to give redistricting power to the commission rather than a bipartisan apportionment committee was a local act affecting only one government. The courts said the measure didn't meet constitutional requirements because it didn't pass with the necessary two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate.
Interlochen Arts Academy celebrates 50th anniversary
The Interlochen Arts Academy is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a national concert tour. The academy's orchestra, band and choir are set to play Chicago's Harris Theater on Wednesday. They'll be at Orchestra Hall in Detroit on Thursday. The tour wraps up with shows in Washington on Saturday and New York on Monday. The students, faculty and staff will travel 2,200 miles by bus, transport 992 pieces of luggage and gobble up 6,750 boxed lunches along the way. Founded in 1962, the boarding fine arts high school has produced dozens of Grammy winners and Presidential Scholars. In 2006, the Interlochen Arts Academy was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for an arts organization. The school sits on a 1,200-acre campus in northwestern Michigan near Traverse City.
