A cellphone video shows an officer on top of Patrick Lyoya yelling “Let go of the Taser” before he shoots the 26-year-old man. Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom showed dashcam, cellphone and bodycam video of the shooting Wednesday during a press conference at city hall. The only video that showed a clear picture of the shooting was the cellphone video. Lyoya was shot and killed April 4 following what police said was a traffic stop at a Southeast Grand Rapids intersection. When asked what he thought after seeing the videos related to the shooting, Winstrom said: “It was just a progression of sadness for me.” A warning for those who plan to watch the videos included here -- they are violent and graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised.READ MORE
A bill that would set legal definitions for what is considered an active recall effort was discussed before the House Ethics and Elections Committee Tuesday. It would amend the Michigan Campaign Finance Act to require a recall candidate to form a recall committee within 10 days after becoming a recall candidate. The legislation comes in response to a fundraising loophole used last year by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. After Whitmer transferred $3.5 million to the Michigan Democratic Party, shifting fundsshe raised while facing campaigns to recall her from office, Republicans said she used a loophole in state campaign finance law to funnel cash into nonprofit groups that will help her reelection campaign. READ MORE
About 1.5 million Michigan households struggle to make ends meet. This impacts nearly half of the state’s children, according to a new report from the Michigan Association of United Ways, and financial hardship is starkly divided on race and ethnicity. The report found that 44% of Michigan children are living below ALICE—households that have an income but struggle to afford housing, food, childcare, transportation and other essentials—including 17% who are under the federal poverty line. READ MORE
Michigan’s Natalie Wojcik has added another accolade to her esteemed gymnastics career ahead of the Wolverines’ NCAA Championships semifinal on Thursday. On Tuesday, the senior was named the winner of the 2022 American Athletic Incorporated Award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy of women’s gymnastics given annually to the nation’s top senior gymnast. She becomes the third Michigan gymnast to earn the honor, joining Kylee Botterman and Beth Wymer. Wojcik was the individual NCAA champion on the balance beam in her freshman season and helped lead the Wolverines to their first national title in 2021. READ MORE
Michigan health officials on Wednesday, April 13, reported 7,725 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 81 deaths in the last week. The state’s most populous counties, including Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne, are seeing the highest number of new cases per capita, the percentage of positive tests are up and hospitalizations have increased after a months-long decline. The case average is still much lower, however, than it was in January, when the number peaked. READ MORE
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