The Michigan agency in charge of unemployment benefits doled out hundreds of millions of dollars to people who are potentially ineligible, including some who were in prison or dead, according to the findings of the Office of the Michigan Auditor General.

Even after determining people who filed claims were in prison or dead, the Unemployment Insurance Agency still paid them $1.7 million, the auditor found.

When fraud was identified by the agency's investigations unit, the agency undercalculated penalties by nearly 50% due to issues with its internal computer system, the auditor found. And while it still can pursue an additional $840 million in fraud penalties, the agency rarely attempted to identify fraudsters, recoup ill-gotten benefits or assess penalties in a few selected transactions reviewed by the auditor.

The findings, released Wednesday, are the latest in a series of reviews by the auditor of the beleaguered agency, which operates under the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

A former Wayne State University student who wanted to become a teacher is suing the university for $1 million, alleging he was discriminated against because of his weight and disabilities when he wasn't allowed to do his student teaching virtually.

David Lopez, 44, was a student in the physical education kinesiology program, aiming to become a gym teacher. He finished every requirement for the program except for the student teaching.

Lopez weighs over 400 pounds and has diabetes, hypertension and asthma, according to the civil lawsuit filed earlier this year in Wayne Circuit Court.

"They don't think I fit the description of what a PE teacher was because I'm very overweight," Lopez said. "They didn't want me to graduate with my certification because I didn't fit what they perceived to be a gym teacher because of my size and because of my weight. There's no doubt that was the reason why. There was no other reason. I passed everything."

Lansing — Federal judges have declared 13 of Michigan's House and Senate districts unconstitutional and ordered them redrawn, overturning a key portion of the maps drawn in 2021 by Michigan's inaugural Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

The three-judge panel ordered the Secretary of State to refrain from holding elections in those districts until they are redrawn in compliance with the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The significant court ruling Thursday could have broad implications for the 2024 election, potentially forcing neighboring districts to be reshaped, and could influence which party controls the Michigan Legislature.

In their decision released Thursday, federal judges Raymond Kethledge, Paul Maloney and Janet Neff said the commission's experts relied on incomplete primary data to set Black voting age percentages that would guarantee a Black-preferred candidate could make it through the primary to the general election. That information was critical in the Detroit area, where elections are largely decided in the primary.

Electric scooter company Bird Global announced Wednesday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection in an attempt to stabilize its wobbly finances.

The move marks a sobering comedown for a formerly high-flying startup that was trying to make it easier to get around big cities in an environmentally friendly way with its fleet of electric scooters. The concept attracted about $500 million in investments from prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners before becoming a publicly traded company in 2021.

Now, the Miami-based company finds itself struggling to survive after losing more than $430 million since the end of 2021.

The city of Chicago impounded a “rogue bus” from Texas that was attempting to drop off 49 migrants at the city’s designated landing zone Wednesday night.

The impoundment occurred hours after the City Council approved an ordinance adding harsher penalties for bus owners whose vehicles violate restrictions governing unscheduled buses.

Under the revised rules, buses face “seizure and impoundment” for unloading passengers without a permit or outside of approved hours and locations. Violators will also be subject to $3,000 fines, plus towing and storage fees.

City officials hope the tougher penalties and enforcement efforts hold bus owners accountable to rules the city implemented in mid-November seeking to rein in chaotic bus arrivals from the southern border. The rules required drop-offs to occur on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The city also limited bus arrivals to two per hour and designated the West Loop’s 800 S. Desplaines St. as the location to unload passengers.

Detroit: A stranger has been charged with the killing of local Jewish leader Samantha Woll, according to prosecutors.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, appears to be a random stranger, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a press conference Wednesday announcing the charges.

Worthy said investigators believe Bolanos killed Woll during a larceny or home invasion. Bolanos allegedly lied to police about committing larcenies or attempted larcenies from motor vehicles the day of Woll's death.

Woll, 40, was stabbed to death Oct. 21 inside her home in the Lafayette Park neighborhood on Detroit's east side, police said. After the attack, Woll stumbled out of her house and collapsed on her front lawn, according to investigators.

Hasbro had about 6,300 employees as of earlier this year, according to a company fact sheet.

“We anticipated the first three quarters to be challenging, particularly in Toys, where the market is coming off historic, pandemic-driven highs,” CEO Chris Cocks said in the memo. “While we have made some important progress across our organization, the headwinds we saw through the first nine months of the year have continued into Holiday and are likely to persist into 2024.

Hasbro, which already laid off hundreds of employees earlier this year, had warned in October that trouble was on the horizon. In the company’s most recent quarterly earnings report, Hasbro slashed its already-soft full-year outlook, projecting a 13% to 15% revenue decline for the year.

Popular toy brand sales had dropped significantly, Hasbro also said in the October quarterly report. Popular brands like My Little Pony, Nerf and Transformer had fallen 18% at the time, due to “softer category trends.”

Democrats are calling out their Republican colleagues after the House voted on Thursday to censure Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for pulling a fire alarm while Congress was in session to vote on government funding.

Unsurprisingly, the vote ran along mostly party lines with a few exceptions, including Democratic Representatives Chris Pappas, Jahana Hays, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who voted to censure Bowman.

Representative Rashida Tlaib was quick to point out that it seemed as if Republicans were intentionally targeting people of color.“This censure of Representative Bowman is yet another attempt to silence a person of color in this chamber,” said Tlaib. “They are obsessed with attacking Black and brown members of Congress, but do nothing to help our families thrive. They need to get a grip.”

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also noted that the hypocrisy of the censure, saying Republicans were ignoring the rampant issues within their own caucus.

Whitmer signed a pair of bills into law that add acts of institutional desecration to the Michigan penal code, including acts of vandalism and threats targeting places of worship, cemeteries, community centers and other facilities.

If the amount of destruction or injury is $1,000 to $20,000 or the violator has one or more prior convictions for institutional desecration, they will be guilty of a felony punishable by up to five years' imprisonment, up to a $10,000 fine or three times the amount of destruction caused or both imprisonment and a fine.

If the amount of destruction or injury is more than $20,000 or the violator has two or more prior convictions for institutional desecration, they will be guilty of a felony punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment, up to a $15,000 fine or three times the amount of destruction caused or both imprisonment and a fine.

"Current law conflates attacks on houses of worship, cultural and community centers, minority-owned businesses, and other institutions with petty acts of vandalism—failing to recognize that attacks on our most sacred spaces terrorize and victimize entire communities,” said bill sponsor state Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, in a statement. "The passage of the Institutional Desecration Act marks a historic, long-overdue stride in Michigan’s battle against hate crimes, and I could not be prouder to see this bipartisan legislation become law."

Officials said the woman tried to steal more than $720 worth of merchandise from a Genoa Township Walmart store on Saturday. At the time of the alleged theft, 75 law enforcement officers, including some Michigan State Police troopers, were at the store for a "Shop with a Cop" event.

During the event, store staff informed a trooper about a woman trying to steal $727.86 in merchandise. The trooper had another officer fill in for him in the shopping event and left to investigate, according to authorities.

They said the trooper tracked the suspect to the store's parking lot. It turned out the suspect parked her vehicle next to a row of police patrol cars, officials said.