Daily Briefs

 Judge: Parole hearings for Mich. juvenile lifers 

DETROIT (AP) — A judge signed a sweeping order Tuesday for hundreds of Michigan prisoners serving mandatory no-parole sentences, directing the state to give them an opportunity to apply for release or face the appointment of a special master to oversee the process.

The two-page order was the latest from U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara in a dispute over how to apply the U.S. Supreme Court decision to more than 300 inmates who are serving automatic no-parole sentences for murder committed under age 18.
 
The Supreme Court last year struck down that type of sentence, saying mandatory no-parole punishments are cruel and unusual for juveniles. Over Michigan’s objections, O’Meara has said the decision must apply retroactively to people in custody.

O’Meara is not guaranteeing a prisoner’s release. Rather, he’s ordering the state to allow inmates to apply for parole after they have served 10 years.

He set a Dec. 31 deadline for Michigan to notify inmates of their parole eligibility and set hearings. He said county judges cannot veto a parole application, a power that’s available in certain cases under state law.

O’Meara wants an update by Jan. 31. He may appoint a special master if he’s not satisfied with how the state is performing.
 

 

Program affords local small businesses more access to needed loans 

 
DETROIT (AP) — Political and national business leaders gathered in Detroit on Tuesday to launch a program that will provide small businesses with access to millions of dollars in loans and other boosts.
 
The $20 million partnership was announced by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein and billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses aims to help create jobs and boost economic growth through the loans as well as business support and education provided by local colleges and universities.

Snyder said the program’s strengths are in the combination of business education and access to capital in a place with a long history of starting and growing businesses.

“Small businesses are vitally important to Michigan’s continued economic comeback and Detroit’s turnaround,” the Republican governor said in a statement. “The entrepreneurial spirit is deep in our state’s DNA.”

Blankfein said the various prongs of the program increase the chances that startups will succeed in the city, which has suffered massive business and population loss during the past few decades and earlier this year became the largest city in the nation to file for bankruptcy.

Detroit’s program is scheduled to begin in March and will provide funding to two local organizations that will in turn loan the money. Classes are free to business owners, who are accepted through a competitive application process.
Goldman Sachs’ overall $500 million program is active in urban areas across the U.S., including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia, as well as parts of several states.

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