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SEVERE WEATHER-MICHIGAN

Weather service: 4 tornadoes touched down in mid-Michigan

VERNON, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say four tornadoes touched down in mid-Michigan during a fast-moving storm that swept across the state.

National Weather Service meteorologist Danny Costello says two tornadoes struck Thursday in Shiawassee County. Homes were reported damaged, while power was knocked out to thousands of utility customers.

Two tornadoes also touched down in nearby Genesee County.

No injuries have been reported.

The first tornado touched down about 6:45 p.m. Thursday near Corunna. The second touched down at 7:03 p.m. to the southeast around Vernon, about 21 miles (34 kilometres) southwest of Flint. Officials say the second tornado also touched down in nearby Durand about 7:05 p.m.

The tornadoes that hit Genesee County struck the Flushing area just after 7 p.m. and just before 7:30 p.m. near Genesee Township.

Lower Michigan also saw severe thunderstorm warnings, watches, flooding, high winds and hail as a late-winter storm system trekked across the Midwest.

VEHICLES BURGLARIZED-GOVERNOR’S HOME

Arrest made after theft from vehicles at governor’s home

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An arrest has been made after property was stolen from two vehicles parked at the official residence of Michigan’s governor.

State police spokeswoman Shanon Banner tells the Lansing State Journal that a suspect was arrested Friday.

Banner declined to provide details of the theft or the suspect. How the person got onto the gated property early Thursday also was not released.

Armed security patrols the property where the ranch-style home sits. There also are security cameras.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer moved into the home with her family after taking office in January. Banner declined to say if the family was home at the time of the theft.

Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown tells The Detroit News that the state police’s “expertise and quick action” were appreciated.

RABID SKUNK-MICHIGAN

Health officials confirm rabies in skunk in suburban Detroit

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — A skunk found in suburban Detroit has been confirmed to have rabies.

Oakland County health officials say Friday that the skunk was removed from a location in Rochester Hills, north of Detroit.

Health officer Leigh-Anne Stafford said in a release that rabies most often is found in bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes. The rabies virus is found in the saliva of infected animals and is spread through bites or scratches.

Symptoms in animals include general sickness, swallowing problems and excessive drooling, slow and unusual movement, no apparent fear of humans and aggression.

Officials say rabies can become fatal in humans after symptoms begin to occur. Deaths can be prevented with a vaccine administered immediately after exposure.

WINTER WEATHER-THE LATEST

The Latest: Weather service confirms 4 tornadoes in Michigan

VERNON, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say four tornadoes touched down in mid-Michigan during a fast-moving storm that swept across the state.

National Weather Service meteorologist Danny Costello says two tornadoes struck Thursday in Shiawassee County. Homes were reported damaged, while power was knocked out to thousands of utility customers.

Two tornadoes also touched down in nearby Genesee County.

No injuries have been reported.

The first tornado touched down about 6:45 p.m. Thursday near Corunna. The second touched down at 7:03 p.m. to the southeast around Vernon, about 21 miles (34 kilometres) southwest of Flint. Officials say the second tornado also touched down in nearby Durand about 7:05 p.m.

The tornadoes that hit Genesee County struck the Flushing area just after 7 p.m. and just before 7:30 p.m. near Genesee Township.

Lower Michigan also saw severe thunderstorm warnings, watches, flooding, high winds and hail as a late-winter storm system trekked across the Midwest.

MICHIGAN MOOSE POPULATION

Moose population in western Upper Peninsula estimated at 509

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Officials say the moose population in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula continues to inch upward.

A recently completed aerial survey estimated the herd at 509 animals in a core area that includes parts of Marquette, Baraga and Iron counties. The Department of Natural Resources says moose there are increasing about 2 per cent a year.

The DNR says the total doesn’t include a small number believed to wander outside the core area, or a herd of fewer than 100 in the eastern Upper Peninsula.

The previous survey in 2017 was cut short because of bad weather. It put the population at 378, but officials believe a complete study would have turned up 420 to 470 moose.

The department says there aren’t enough moose for them to be hunted.

FBI ARREST-AX MURDER PLOT

FBI: Former assistant planned to kill professor with axe

NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI says a New York City man planned to travel to Michigan and buy an axe to kill a professor he once assisted with research.

Frank Segui (seh-GEE’) appeared in federal court this week on charges of stalking and sending threatening communications.

He was arrested last month before boarding a bus from New York City to Detroit. The FBI says Segui planned to kill a professor he blamed for his inability to find a job.

Court records say Segui worked as a research assistant for the professor before a falling-out.

Segui is accused of sending a threatening email to the professor saying he does “not deserve life.”

Neither the professor nor the university was named in court papers.

An email was sent to Segui’s attorney seeking comment.

AP-US-TRUMP-CAMPAIGN-RALLY

Trump campaign announces Michigan rally on March 28

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has announced he’s holding a rally in Michigan at the end of the month.

The announcement came shortly after Trump vetoed a congressional measure blocking his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border.

The campaign says the rally is set for the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on March 28.

Trump narrowly won the Midwest state’s 16 electoral votes in the 2016 presidential election.

The president recently declared a national emergency at the border in order to claim federal funding to build a wall there and fulfil a signature promise of his original campaign.

Both the House and Senate voted to block the declaration, but Trump vetoed that measure Friday. It was the first veto of his presidency.

PRISON WORKERS

Prison employees lose appeal over job status, pay

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Prison employees who challenged job classifications and lower pay grades have lost an appeal at the Michigan Supreme Court.

The court heard arguments in January but said an appeals court decision will stand. The order was released Friday.

The Corrections Department lowered the pay grade of 2,500 employees and reclassified their jobs, although their duties remained the same. The state Civil Service Commission upheld the moves.

The issue was technical and procedural. An Ingham County judge said the Civil Service Commission’s decision was “arbitrary and capricious,” but the state appeals court ruled in favour of the commission.

CRASH DEATHS-FORGIVENESS

Michigan man avoids additional jail time in fatal crash

(Information from: Lansing State Journal, http://www.lansingstatejournal.com)

CHARLOTTE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man who pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a crash that killed two people will avoid additional jail time through a sentencing agreement.

At a sentencing hearing Thursday, Chase Batdorff tearfully took responsibility for running a stop sign and causing the July 29 crash in Hamlin Township that killed John and Nancy Gutierrez.

Under the agreement, the charges against Batdorff will be reduced from felonies to misdemeanour counts of moving violation causing death if he remains out of trouble until February 2020. The Lansing State Journal reports he’ll then serve two years of probation.

He’s being released from jail on bond. Batdorff cannot drive, must stick to a 9 p.m. curfew, perform 100 hours of community service and pay $20,000 restitution.

The surviving family supports the deal.

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The Associated Press