Second trial set for ex-state police trooper in boy’s death
DETROIT (AP) — A former Michigan state trooper will face a second trial in April in the death of a Detroit boy who crashed an all-terrain vehicle after he was shot with a Taser.
Mark Bessner's first trial ended without a unanimous verdict on Oct. 31. A judge on Wednesday set another trial for April 1.
Bessner is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of 15-year-old Damon Grimes, who crashed an ATV in August 2017.
Bessner shot Grimes from the passenger seat of a moving patrol car as he and his partner pursued the boy at high speed. Bessner says he believed Grimes was armed, but the teen had no weapon.
Challenge to California gun control denied
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is refusing a new invitation to rule on gun rights, leaving in place California restrictions on carrying concealed handguns in public.
The justices on Monday rejected an appeal from Sacramento residents who argued that they were unfairly denied permits to be armed in public. The complaint alleged that a prior Sacramento sheriff who was in charge of handgun permits arbitrarily rewarded friends.
The state urged the court to reject the case, noting that a new sheriff has changed the permit policy. But California Attorney General Xavier Becerra acknowledged that state and local gun restrictions might someday “warrant further consideration by this court.”
The court has rejected several appeals asking it to elaborate on the extent of gun rights it declared in earlier decisions.
Power fully restored to Florida residents hit by Hurricane Michael
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — Utilities are reporting that all power has been restored in the Florida counties devastated by Hurricane Michael.
The utility companies and cooperatives reported Tuesday to the Public Service Commission that they had zero outages for the first time since the Category 4 hurricane made landfall almost a month ago.
Michael slammed into Florida's Panhandle with 155 mph winds last month and also blew through Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.
More than 380,000 homes and businesses lost power in Florida.
Twins from different parties get different election outcomes
KENTWOOD (AP) — Twin sisters who represented different parties when they ran for seats on the same western Michigan county board will not be working side-by-side.
Monica Sparks, a Democrat, and her Republican sister, Jessica Ann Tyson, each won their party's nomination for the Kent County Board of Commissioners in August during the primary election.
They ran in different Grand Rapids-area districts for the seats. Unofficial results showed Sparks was the top vote-getter Tuesday for her seat, while Tyson finished second in her district. That means Sparks will serve on the board while her sister won't.
Sparks has said she decided to run for office when her sister declared her candidacy. They've said they were adopted into a family that taught them to pay attention to government and public affairs.
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