Governor calls for foreclosure freeze in Michigan
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Jennifer Granholm is asking the nation's top lenders to suspend all Michigan foreclosures until an investigation is finished into legal irregularities. Employees of several major lenders have acknowledged in depositions that they signed thousands of foreclosure documents without reading them as required by state laws. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero also has called for a foreclosure freeze until the matter is investigated. Republican candidate Rick Snyder says that could hinder access to credit. Granholm said Thursday that she sent letters to Ally Financial Inc.'s GMAC Mortgage unit, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. Bank of America Corp. already has halted foreclosures in all 50 states.
MICHIGAN-HAMAS SUPPORT
Islamic singer pleads guilty to false statements
DETROIT (AP) - A prominent Islamic singer accused of concealing ties to a terrorist group has pleaded guilty to making false statements during the U.S. naturalization process. Syrian native Mohamad Masfaka uses the stage name Abu Ratib. He pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Detroit. The government says Masfaka was the Holy Land Foundation's Detroit-area representative in 1997-98 but didn't mention it in a 2002 application for naturalization. The U.S. labeled the foundation a terrorist group in 2001, saying it had provided money and support to Hamas. The U.S. attorney's office says Masfaka likely faces 10 too 16 months in federal prison before being deported to Syria. He'll be sentenced on Dec. 14. A message seeking comment was left for his lawyer.
PORT HURON SLAYING
Man serving life for '86 murder wins appeal
PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) - A federal judge has overturned the murder conviction of a man serving life for a 1986 killing in a college parking lot in Port Huron. Temujin (TEM'-uh-gin) Kensu was known back then as Fred Freeman. He says he didn't shoot Scott Macklem and was 400 miles away that day. Judge Denise Page Hood on Thursday said Kensu's rights were violated by an ineffective trial lawyer and misconduct by the prosecutor. The 52-page decision includes a reference to an informant who says he lied at the 1987 trial when he said Kensu had admitted the murder in the St. Clair County jail. The Michigan attorney general's office can appeal the decision or give Kensu a new trial. He won't immediately be released from prison.
MICHIGAN-IMAM KILLED
Family of slain Detroit cleric unhappy with probe
DETROIT (AP) - The son of a Detroit mosque leader killed during a shootout with the FBI says he's very disappointed with a U.S. Justice Department report clearing agents of any wrongdoing. Omar Regan called it "incomplete" Thursday. He says he'd hoped a review of the death of Luqman Ameen Abdullah would show violations by the FBI. Regan says there's no additional evidence to support the FBI's claim that his father shot or even possessed a gun. Abdullah was shot 20 times last year when agents tried to arrest him on stolen-goods charges. Agents say he was armed and fired his weapon. The Justice Department says there were no civil-rights violations in Abdullah's death, and Michigan authorities say no state laws were broken.
BABY KILLER-SUICIDE
Mother imprisoned for murdering baby hangs self
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) - A Michigan prison spokesman says a woman serving time for murdering her 2-month-old daughter has hanged herself in her cell. Corrections Department spokesman John Cordell told the Kalamazoo Gazette on Tuesday that 25-year-old Amber McIntyre-Roden was found dead Oct. 8 at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility. He says the Kalamazoo woman used a bed sheet to hang herself from an air vent while her cell mate was elsewhere. The prison is in Washtenaw County near Ypsilanti. McIntyre-Roden was serving 18 to 30 years for second-degree murder in the July 26, 2008, beating death of her baby, Tamiah McIntyre-Roden. The mother originally faced a first-degree murder charge and pleaded guilty to the lesser offense. --- Information from: Kalamazoo Gazette, http://www.mlive.com/kalamazoo
ILL GIRL TAUNTED
Taunted 7-year-old girl treated to shopping spree
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - A 7-year-old Detroit-area girl with Huntington's disease who was taunted by adult neighbors has been treated to a limousine ride and shopping spree at an Ann Arbor toy store. The Detroit News reports Thursday that Kathleen Edward and her family were greeted by other families and business people at the store where she chose toys for herself and children at a local hospital. Kathleen is in the final stages of the fatal brain disorder. She was taunted by neighbors in Trenton, about 17 southwest of Detroit. They posted her photo above a set of crossbones on the Facebook social networking website. Kathleen's mother died of the disease at the age of 24. News of the taunts has prompted more than $17,000 in donations for the girl's family and other sick children. --- Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/
PEACE CORPS-MICHIGAN
UM marks JFK Peace Corps speech with new program
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - The University of Michigan has marked the 50th anniversary of John Kennedy's Ann Arbor launch of his Peace Corps initiative with new graduate study option for volunteers in the program. The Massachusetts senator and future president outlined his plans for the Peace Corps during a campaign stop at the Michigan campus in 1960. Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams and university President Mary Sue Coleman have signed a memorandum of understanding for the Master's International program. The university said Thursday that its education, natural resources and social work schools will offer credit hours for Peace Corps service through the program. In all, 2,331 Michigan alumni have served in the Peace Corps.
