State Roundup

Deerfield Twp. Township settles hay controversy for $45,000 DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A township in Livingston County has agreed to pay $45,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former employee who says she was fired after raising questions about a hay harvest in a public nature area. Diane James says a Deerfield Township recreation committee was never informed in 2009. The hay had been cut by a dairy farmer who was the spouse of the township clerk. The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus says the whistle-blower case was settled, avoiding a trial that was scheduled for Monday. James says officials made decisions about hay outside of public meetings. Her job as a $20-an-hour assistant assessor was eliminated after she complained. Township officials declined to comment on the settlement. Deerfield Township is 70 miles east of Lansing. Port Huron Judge is told he has no role in food-stamp case PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) -- A Port Huron store trying to get reinstated in the food-stamp program isn't getting any sympathy from government lawyers. Ryan's Party Store says a three-year penalty is unfair for the acts of rogue employees who mishandled coupons from the WIC program, which stands for Women, Infants and Children. As a consequence, the store also can't accept food stamps. Ryan's would prefer to pay a fine and get back in the food programs. But in a court filing this week, the U.S. attorney's office says judges have no authority to upset the punishment in this case. More than a dozen customers are supporting the store near the international Blue Water Bridge, saying it had been the closest place to shop with food stamps or WIC coupons. Some don't drive. Lansing Trooper cleared on 7 sexual assault counts LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A Michigan State Police trooper has been found not guilty on seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the alleged rapes of two women he met at a Lansing strip club. The Lansing State Journal reports that a jury returned their verdict Tuesday in 49-year-old Joseph Donovan's trial. They deadlocked on two other counts. Donovan's accusers cried as the verdict was read. One of the women had said she was lured to a house and sexually assaulted three years ago. The other said she was assaulted after consensual sexual acts. Donovan was put on unpaid leave in 2008. The state police will conduct its own probe before deciding if he will return to work. Donovan said after the verdict that his life had been put on hold. Kalamazoo Ex-Scout director enters pleas in child porn case KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -- The former director of a West Michigan Boy Scout camp indicted on charges of sexually exploiting children and child pornography has pleaded guilty to three of the seven counts he faces in federal court in Kalamazoo. The Muskegon Chronicle reports Tuesday that court documents show 39-year-old Scott Allan Herrick of Blue Lake Township will proceed to trial on the four remaining counts. Herrick was facing the child pornography charges when he also was charged in July with video-recording young boys in a Muskegon YMCA locker room with a cell phone. Herrick had run a Boy Scout camp in Muskegon County and worked as a pool safety instructor for third-grade boys at a Muskegon YMCA. The Associated Press left phone and e-mail messages late Tuesday seeking comment from Herrick's attorney. Lansing Snyder signs bill banning Mich. ergonomics rules LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a bill preventing state regulators from issuing mandatory workplace ergonomic rules. The rules were aimed at limiting injuries caused by lifting, repetitive motion and awkward work positions. Although they were worked on by regulators while Democrat Jennifer Granholm was governor, they were never enacted. The new Republican governor said before signing the bill Tuesday that the regulations would have placed on "undue burden" on businesses, many of which Snyder said already have good ergonomics practices. Businesses had said meeting the mandatory regulations could have been costly. The new law ensures Michigan can't have stricter ergonomics rules than the federal government. Opponents, including many Democrats, say the new law limits the state's ability to protect workers. Published: Thu, Mar 24, 2011