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Michigan at 5 p.m. EDT
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TOP STORIES:
GENERAL MOTORS-RECALL-CONGRESS
DETROIT — The fix for a faulty ignition switch linked to 13 traffic deaths would have cost just 57 cents, members of Congress said Tuesday as they demanded answers from General Motors' new CEO on why the automaker took 10 years to recall cars with the defect. At a hearing on Capitol Hill before a House subcommittee, GM's Mary Barra acknowledged under often testy questioning that the company took too long to act. She promised changes at GM that would prevent such a lapse from happening again. "If there's a safety issue, we're going to make the right change and accept that," said Barra, who became CEO in January and almost immediately found herself thrust into one of the biggest product safety crises Detroit has ever seen. By Auto Writers Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin. SENT: 770 words, photos DCPM101-148, DCSA101-111, WX106, NY107.
Also:
— GENERAL MOTORS-RECALL-TIMELINE
— GENERAL MOTORS-RECALL-FEINBERG — General Motors has hired attorney Kenneth Feinberg to advise it on its recall of small cars, but says his hiring doesn't necessarily mean it will establish a fund for victims. SENT: 245 words, photo WX106.
MEDICAID EXPANSION
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan launched an expanded Medicaid plan Tuesday that could provide health insurance for hundreds of thousands more low-income adults. The state started enrollment Tuesday for Healthy Michigan, which extends Medicaid eligibility to adults making up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. That's about $16,000 for an individual or $33,000 for a family of four. Enrollment was going smoothly by midday Tuesday, with people applying at state offices and accessing the website without issues, according to the Department of Community Health. The number could grow as high as 470,000 over time, he said. By Emma Fidel. SENT: 330 words. UPCOMING: 600 words by 6 p.m.
STATE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS:
OBAMA-MICHIGAN-MINIMUM WAGE
DETROIT — President Barack Obama is coming to Michigan to talk up his proposal to raise the national minimum wage. What the president will find when he gets to Ann Arbor on Wednesday is that some in the state are waging their own fight over the issue. A coalition of civil rights, religious, labor and community groups wants to put before voters a minimum wage ballot measure. Raise Michigan's plan would gradually hike the state's minimum wage from $7.40 to $10.10 an hour by 2017 and automatically increase it with inflation in future years. By Mike Householder. SENT: 130 words, photos MIARB501-505. UPCOMING: 500 words.
With:
— OIL DRILLING — On a visit to Western Michigan University, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed legislation Tuesday aimed at encouraging a type of oil drilling using carbon dioxide. The new laws lower taxes for drilling projects involving carbon dioxide, a process that has divided environmental groups. SENT: 130 words, photos MIKAL201-205. UPCOMING: 250 words.
— KIDS COUNT MICHIGAN — A report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds the well-being of Michigan's white children slightly below the national average while black children significantly lag the nation. SENT: 130 words.
— CONSOLIDATION AID-MICHIGAN — Michigan has announced $13 million in grants to local governments and agencies under a program that encourages consolidation of services to increase efficiency. The state announced 12 grants Tuesday. SENT: 125 words.
— ASIAN CARP-MICHIGAN — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has filed a protest to the federal government's latest report on ways to stop a Great Lakes invasion of Asian carp. SENT: 130 words.
BUSINESS:
AUTO SALES
DETROIT — U.S. auto sales went out like a lion in March. Automakers said Tuesday that new car and truck sales picked up speed halfway through the month, culminating in a strong final weekend. Toyota dealers had their two best sales weekends of the year at the end of the month, the company said. "We're optimistic that momentum will spring us into April," said Bill Fay, who manages the Toyota division in the U.S. Industry sales rose 6 percent to 1.5 million vehicles, far outpacing analysts' expectations. The sales pace was the fastest since November, according to Autodata Corp. By Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin. SENT: 610 words, photo NYBZ112.
Also:
— DETROIT BANKRUPTCY-PROTEST — Hundreds of people rallied outside of federal court in Detroit to show their opposition to Detroit's updated bankruptcy plan. SENT: 130 words, photos MIDTF601-604.
— DAIMLER-EVONIK— Automaker Daimler AG is acquiring the remaining shares in a lithium-ion battery cell maker from specialty chemical company Evonik Industries AG as it intensifies its focus on electric cars. SENT: 130 words on national lines.
AROUND THE STATE:
ANGEL FUND ENDING
DETROIT — A once-secret fund that allowed an anonymous donor to give $17 million since 2005 toward helping poor people in the Detroit area is ending this month, officials said. The "Angel Fund," which is run by the Archdiocese of Detroit and backed by a single donor, is ending April 30. Msgr. Michael Bugarin said in an email the donor indicated that his family's philanthropic plans shifted. SENT: 400 words, photos MIDTF201-202.
TURF WAR-JUDGES
DETROIT — Order in the court? A dispute over the hiring of a law clerk has revealed disorder in a western Michigan courthouse. Allegan County Judge Kevin Cronin is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to intervene in a turf battle with the chief judge, who vetoed his hiring of a law clerk. But it's more than a clash over a clerk. I'm not your "emotional whipping boy," Cronin said in an email about previous rows. By Ed White. SENT: 330 words.
EXCHANGE-MEAL MILESTONE
MONROE, Mich. — Nine years and 500,000 meals. It's a milestone Jeff Weaver never expected to reach when the God Works! Family Soup Kitchen served its first meal. "What makes it special for me is that I had no idea the program would take off the way it did," the Monroe resident said. An AP Member Exchange by Dean Cousino. Monroe News. SENT: 300 words.
FATAL ARSON-NEW TRIAL — A 47-year-old Battle Creek man serving a life sentence for the 1995 fire-related deaths of two young brothers in southern Michigan is seeking a new trial. The Michigan Innocence Clinic filed a motion with Calhoun County Circuit Judge James Kingsley for a new trial. SENT: 235 words, photo NY113.
MAIL CARRIER-RESCUE — A mail carrier in the Upper Peninsula knew something wasn't right. Daniel Thorne always hands mail to a 95-year-old woman on his route, but she didn't respond to a knock at the door. Thorne says he heard a plea for help: The Sault Ste. Marie woman had fallen and couldn't get up last week. SENT: 195 words, photo MISAU501.
SPORTS:
BBA--TIGERS-DOMBROWSKI
DETROIT — Dave Dombrowski might be the most recognizable general manager in baseball, and as the Detroit Tigers begin another season among the favorites in the American League, they owe much of their success to an executive who has remained at the top of his profession. By Noah Trister. SENT: Photo NY174. UPCOMING: 750 words.
BKC--MICHIGAN ST-HARRIS
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Gary Harris may hear Michigan State coach Tom Izzo tell him to go pro. Izzo insisted that if his research leads him to believe Harris would be among the top guards selected in June, he would probably tell the sophomore to enter the NBA draft. "I'd be leaning to advising him that it's time to make the jump," Izzo said Tuesday. Izzo met with Harris and the rest of his teammates on Monday, a day after the Spartans were eliminated from the NCAA tournament by Connecticut in the East Regional final. By Larry Lage. SENT: 425 words. MSG102, 109, 113, 116, 124, 134, 142, 201-202, 210, 212-213, WAYK116, 120, 130, 132, WAET106, 115, 118.
Also:
— BKN--FIVE THINGS-EAST RACE — The Miami Heat have caught the Indiana Pacers in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 560 words, photos.
BOX--KRONK FACILITY
DETROIT — The Kronk Gym Foundation has signed a lease for a facility in the Motor City that it hopes will help people of all ages in and out of the ring. Anita Ruiz, the nonprofit organization's executive director, says she signed a five-year lease on Monday to rent part of the Considine Recreation Center on Woodward Avenue. By Larry Lage. SENT: 130 words, photos MIDB101-102. UPCOMING: 500 words.
FBC--HEISMAN POSE-LAWSUIT — Ex-college football star Desmond Howard will get the copyright to a famous photo of him in a Heisman Trophy pose after scoring a touchdown against Ohio State in 1991. Attorneys for Howard and photographer Brian Masck announced the agreement Tuesday. SENT: 130 words, photo CER605.
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