News

IRON MOUNTAIN, MI--   An Iron Mountain man has been arrested in connection with child pornography charges.

The MSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force says Matthew Ance, 37, is charged with six counts of child sexually abusive material-aggravated possession and six counts of using a computer to commit a crime. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each count of possession and 20 years for each of the other charges.

A search of Ance’s Dickinson County residence was conducted. Multiple internet-capable devices and other evidence were seized.

MARQUETTE, MI--   A Marquette man has been arrested for possession of child sexually abusive materials and using a computer to commit a crime.

LANSING, MI (AP)--   Michigan lawmakers are proposing an $80 million funding increase for law enforcement, including $47 million to help recruit and retain officers at a time a top Republican says the profession has been “beaten down” by anti-police sentiment.

The proposed spending will be added to a budget bill in the GOP-led House. Incentives include signing bonuses for new officers, tuition assistance to attend police academies, and stipends during recruits’ training. Funding would incentivize the use of body cameras and community policing.

LANSING, MI (AP)--   Michigan legislators have approved mid-year spending bills, including billions of federal coronavirus relief to boost pay for frontline government workers, incentivize unemployed people to return to work, and upgrade infrastructure.

Under a $3.3 billion plan sent to the Senate by the Republican-led House, some federal funding would go toward payroll costs and free up state dollars to pay the Flint water crisis settlement instead of borrowing, and partially replenish an unemployment benefits fund.

DETROIT, MI (MPRN)--   Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer wants the Biden Administration to intervene in a dispute over the closing of a pipeline that carries oil to a significant portion of Canada.

Canadian energy company Enbridge is defying a deadline set by the governor this week to shut down the pipeline. 

Michigan officials say Enbridge’s Line 5 under the narrow Straits of Mackinac is old and could cause a catastrophic leak. 

Enbridge counters that it won’t shut the line down unless a U.S. federal judge orders it, not a Michigan court. 

MARQUETTE, MI--   Officials with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources say fire danger is high to very high across much of the state right now.

Fire prevention specialist Paul Rogers says even though the landscape is green, forests and grasses are very dry. He says a fire can escape and move quickly due to dry air and fuels like dry grass, brush, and downed tree branches.

MARQUETTE, MI--   Northern Michigan University officials say once the state of Michigan gives the okay, employees and students may take off their masks and stop social distancing inside only if they’ve given the Health Center proof of full vaccination through an app.

MARQUETTE, MI--   Officials want input from the Marquette community on plans for a new, inclusive Kids Cove playground at Mattson Lower Harbor park.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)--   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is easing mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.