Today is Wednesday, May 25, 2016, and former Rep. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat are once again the center of attention in Michigan politics. A Michigan State Police detective questioned the merits of a criminal investigation against the two, calling it a “waste of time” during an interview with House Speaker Kevin Cotter, according to an audio recording obtained by The Detroit News.
The audio recording is part of a voluminous record of evidence amassed in an investigation that resulted in felony misconduct in office charges against Courser and Gamrat. Some of that evidence will play out in a Lansing courtroom beginning Wednesday as Ingham County District Court Judge Hugh Clarke considers whether the former lawmakers should stand trial for misconduct in office surrounding their extramarital affair.
Do you agree with the detective? Is the investigation a waste of time, or should they be held responsible for using taxpayer resources to cover up their affair?
Here's what else is making news today:
A fuel emergency
- Are you planning to drive somewhere for Memorial Day weekend? You should know that Gov. Rick Snyder has issued an energy emergency declaration over concerns of tightening gasoline supplies heading into the holiday.
- The governor’s action, he said, will loosen fuel transportation restrictions to ensure there will be enough gasoline for Michigan motorists following a shutdown of a fuel pipeline in Wisconsin and an unplanned outage of the Marathon refinery in Detroit.
DPS developments
- The Detroit school board may be a step closer to a forensic audit of contracts in the financially struggling district after Emergency Manager Steven Rhodes said he might be able to arrange for someone to do the work for free.
- And while Snyder and Republican legislative leaders have reached a tentative agreement on the state’s 2017 spending plan that includes provisions for Flint, they remain deadlocked on what to do about DPS.
"The Voice" finale
- [Major spoiler alert] Laith Al-Saadi won’t be returning to Ann Arbor crowned “The Voice,” but that doesn’t matter to residents and the local music community.
"Just Do It" on Woodward
- Nike Inc.’s first “community store” in Michigan opens its doors at 10 a.m. Thursday in downtown Detroit. In addition to selling apparel, the so-called community stores — there are six others in the U.S. — push for physical activity and give back to the cities through volunteer work and collaboration with local organizations.
Grand Prix down the road
- The Detroit Chevrolet Belle Isle Grand Prix may not be scheduled until June 3-5 but some of the IndyCar drivers are already visiting Belle Isle to get a few practice laps in on the 14-turn, 2.3-mile course.
Pizza with a badge
We’ve heard of police officers delivering babies, but pizza? That’s what happened Monday, and it turns out the customer got more than he ordered.
Captain America twist
- Love the Cap and everything he stands for? We won't spoil it for you, but this might break your heart.
Detroit News at noon is a daily roundup of the biggest stories on detroitnews.com. For updates anytime, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram (@detroitnews), Snapchat (Search for "Detroitnews") and LinkedIn.
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