TWO DEAD-ALPENA

Body of 2nd missing woman found in Alpena area

ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — Police found a woman’s body in a wooded area near Alpena, the second suspicious death in recent weeks. Residents in the northern Michigan community say they’re not accustomed to it. Taylor Allen says in a small community “it hurts.” The body of 31-year-old Abby Hill was found Friday in Alpena Township. She was Facebook friends with Brynn Bills, who disappeared in August shortly before she would have turned 18. Bills' body was buried at a home in Alpena when it was found in September. Two men are in jail in an unrelated case, including a man who owned the property where Bills’ body was discovered.

MICHIGAN REDISTRICTING

Michigan redistricting panel: 'Show up, speak up' on maps

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Members of Michigan’s redistricting commission are urging residents to speak up about draft congressional and legislative maps. The first of five public hearings will be held Wednesday in Detroit. The panel wants feedback on maps it drew collaboratively along with several more proposed by individual commissioners. The voter-created panel is responsible for the once-a-decade redistricting instead of the Legislature, which controlled the process the last two decades. Public meetings also are scheduled for Thursday in Lansing, Friday in Grand Rapids, Monday in Gaylord and Oct. 26 in Flint. People will have 90 seconds to speak, in person or virtually.

EDUCATION ACCOUNTS

Michigan Senate OKs accounts for private school tuition

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Low- and moderate-income children could qualify for scholarships to attend private schools and to cover educational expenses such as tutoring under bills approved on party-line votes in the Republican-led Michigan Senate. The legislation would let individual and corporate taxpayers claim a credit against their income taxes for donations to nonprofit organizations, which would send money to eligible students’ accounts. It is likely to be vetoed if it reaches Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Democrats likened the bills to “voucher schemes.” Republicans said the bills would boost educational opportunities for disadvantaged kids and give parents additional choices.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

Michigan business groups urge Biden to reconsider mandate

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan business groups are urging President Joe Biden to reconsider a plan to require most workers to get vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 but say, if it is enacted, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should ensure related state rules are no stricter. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce and six local chambers raised a host of concerns and questions over the pending federal mandate Monday. It will apply to all employers with at least 100 employees. Business officials cite the cost and the logistical challenge of checking workers’ vaccination status and test results at a time staffing is limited.

UTILITY WORKER ELECTROCUTED

Utility worker electrocuted after contact with live cable

BRIGHTON, Mich. (AP) — A utility worker has died after being electrocuted near Brighton in Livingston County. WLNS-TV reports that Michigan State Police said the 41-year-old DTE Energy employee from South Lyon was working on live wires in the ground about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Detroit-based DTE Energy said in a release that the field employee was working to restore power to the utility’s customers in Brighton “when he came into contact with an energized cable and sustained fatal injuries.” The employee’s name and further details about the incident were not immediately released. Brighton is about 44 miles northwest of Detroit.

AP-US-POWELL-RACE

Colin Powell had mixed legacy among some African Americans

DETROIT (AP) — Colin Powell was the first Black person to be national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs and secretary of state. But some African Americans say that his voice on their behalf could have been louder. Powell died Monday of COVID-19 complications. He spent 35 years in the Army and rose to political prominence under three Republican presidents. Through it all, some observers noted that Powell never seemed entirely comfortable talking about race. Andrew Rich is dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at City College of New York. He says Powell was “a trailblazer in every sense.”

EDIBLE LANDSCAPE

Free food and healthy, too: Small town grows its own veggies

DURAND, Mich. (AP) — Need a tomato for a sandwich? In one small Michigan community, it’s as easy as picking one from a plant growing downtown. Durand is in Shiawassee County, southwest of Flint. It offers an “edible landscape,” a variety of free fruits and vegetables. The city council recently gave the gardens a vote of confidence by agreeing to spend up to $500 a year. Program leader Michael Nazarian estimates the edible landscape will produce more than 300 pounds of fruits and vegetables this year. Nazarian approached Durand officials last spring. He pitched it as a way to invigorate downtown and promote healthy lifestyles.

AP-US-2020-CENSUS-COLLEGE-TOWNS

College towns plan to challenge results of 2020 census

Some college towns plan to challenge the results of the 2020 census. They claim they were shortchanged because the pandemic forced students to leave campuses. They also complain that the undercount could cost them federal money and prestige. The affected communities include Bloomington, Indiana; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and State College, Pennsylvania. Dudley Poston is a sociology professor at Texas A&M University. He says off-campus students ran the greatest risk of being missed. An Associated Press review of 75 metro areas with the largest share of residents between 20 and 24 showed that the census results fell well below population estimates in some cases but also exceeded them significantly in others.

HAITI-US-KIDNAPPED MISSIONARIES

Haiti gang seeks $1M each for kidnapped US missionaries

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A gang that kidnapped 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group is demanding $1 million ransom per person, although authorities are not clear on whether that includes the five children being held. That's what a top Haitian official tells The Associated Press. The official, who wasn’t authorized to speak to the press, said the gang called a ministry leader shortly after kidnapping the missionaries on Saturday and demanded the ransom. A person in contact with Christian Aid Ministries also confirmed the ransom amount. A wave of kidnappings in Haiti has prompted a protest strike that shuttered businesses, schools and public transportation.

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