I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Former Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for votes in the Synagro sludge hauling scandal. She could have faced a maximum of five years, so the sentence of just over three years could actually be seen as a light sentence.
But during the sentencing, Conyers told the judge that she wanted to withdraw the guilty plea she entered months ago. Judge Avern Cohn rejected the attempt, reading from her previous guilty plea and ruling that she made that plea with ample forethought. That set Conyers off on an angry rant as she left the courtroom.
She was still agitated after the sentencing as family and friends and court officials tried to calm her.
“I’m walking out the front door, and I’m appealing this case.” She also said, “I don’t want to go out the back.”
She repeatedly said she wanted to appeal the case as court security officers cleared the courtroom and eventually the hallway.
While Conyers vowed an appeal, her June 22 signed plea agreement indicates that if the sentence imposed falls at five years or less “defendant waives any right to appeal her conviction or sentence.”
It is highly, highly unlikely that an appeals court is going to accept her request to withdraw her guilty plea, which was made after months of negotiation and time for contemplation. She was questioned at the time, repeatedly, as to whether she was making that guilty plea with a sound mind and a full understanding of the situation and the consequences and she repeatedly said yes.
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter