State Roundup

Man accused in horse slayings to stand trial GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) -- A western Michigan man accused of slitting the throats of two horses belonging to his wife and a stable owner as retribution for his belief that the two were having an affair will stand trial. The Grand Rapids Press says 47-year-old Dennis Finkler's trial date is pending after the Conklin resident waived his hearing Monday. Authorities say on Feb. 11 Finkler argued with his wife at the stable owner's property in Jamestown Township, about 10 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, and returned the next day with a knife that he used to kill a 12-year-old quarter horse and a 6-year-old Palomino. Finkler faces two counts of animal cruelty and one count of malicious destruction of property. He has no listed telephone number and could not immediately be reached for comment. Swartz Creek Michigan city to pay GM $308,000 after tax appeal SWARTZ CREEK, Mich. (AP) -- Swartz Creek will have to pay General Motors Co. $308,000 in a property tax dispute involving four properties. The Flint Journal says information released during Monday night's city council meeting indicated that a Michigan Tax Tribunal ruled that the mid-Michigan city must pay after the Detroit-based automaker filed tax appeals in 2009 and 2010. City Manager Paul Bueche says GM initially sought an 80 percent reduction on the value of the property but settled on 46 percent. The tribunal ruled in mid-February. The city will take $222,600 from its general fund and $85,400 from the garbage fund to pay GM. Bueche says officials anticipated owing the money "at some future point. Detroit Study: Mich. children overprescribed antibiotics DETROIT (AP) -- A study says children are among Michigan residents who continue to be over-treated with prescription antibiotic drugs. The Ann Arbor-based Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation's report says that's despite a 15-year federal campaign to educate consumers on how overuse lowers response to future infections. The report says children out-state received slightly more prescription antibiotics than kids in southeast Michigan. The study found a 4.5 percent increase between 2007 and 2009 in antibiotic prescriptions for children with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan health insurance. Adult use dropped 9.3 percent during the same time. The Detroit Free Press says the nonprofit, which is funded by the Blues and the University of Michigan, analyzed Blues data for the report. Blue Cross Blue Shield is Michigan's largest insurer. Lansing Michigan lawmakers may soon vote on farm proposal LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan lawmakers may soon vote on proposals that supporters say would lead to the expansion and strengthening of a voluntary program aimed at helping farmers protect the environment. Both the state Senate and state House could take key votes on the bills as early as Tuesday. The legislation deals with putting aspects of the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program into state law. The program aims to help farmers evaluate their operations to better identify and prevent possible environmental problems. Roughly 1,000 farms have become verified or requested verification through the program. Thousands more are in earlier stages of the verification process. Farmers must attend education seminars, have their properties assessed for environmental risk and implement an action plan to become certified. Ann Arbor Domino's Pizza 4Q net income edges up ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Pizza delivery chain Domino's Pizza Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income rose 2 percent as customers responded to its advertising and reformulated pizza. Quarterly net income rose 2 percent to $24.2 million, or 39 cents per share, from $23.6 million, or 41 cents per share, in the prior year period. Excluding a loss on extinguishment of debt, earnings were 40 cents per share. That matched analysts' expectations, according to FactSet. Per-share results were lower in the latest quarter because of a greater number of shares outstanding. Revenue rose 4 percent to $480 million from $462.9 million. Analysts expected $485.6 million. Revenue in U.S. restaurants open at least one year rose 6.3 percent during the quarter. The measure is considered a key gauge of a restaurant's financial health because it excludes restaurants that open or close during the year. Domino's international revenue rose 9 percent at restaurants open at least at year. The company has revamped its pizza recipes and heavily advertised the changes. J. Patrick Doyle, president and CEO, said: "In 2010, we demonstrated that we're a new Domino's. In the U.S., our decision to improve our pizza, and the success that resulted from it, allowed us to build a new base of customers and a stronger base of business from which to grow." For the year, net income rose 10 percent to $87.9 million, or $1.45 per share, from $79.7 million, or $1.38 per share. Revenue rose 12 percent to $1.57 billion from $1.40 billion last year. Long term, Domino's expects revenue in restaurants open at least one year to rise 1 percent to 3 percent in the U.S. and 3 percent to 5 percent internationally. The company, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., expects global retail sales to rise 4 percent to 7 percent. Published: Wed, Mar 2, 2011