WHITING, Ind. (WLS) — BP will lock out workers at its Whiting refinery amid ongoing contract negotiations starting Thursday.

The company said talks with the United Steelworkers Union have stalled despite months of bargaining.

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BP said it made the move over concerns about a possible strike and will continue operating the refinery with trained staff. The union said the company is demanding cutting jobs and pay cuts.

The company said it hopes to reach a deal while keeping operations running safely.

The president of the union, issuing this statement saying, “We presented British Petroleum with an offer today that included accepting several of their proposals – only for them to reject that after just four hours and serve us with a lockout notice.

“They continue to demand that we cut more than 100 jobs, accept pay cuts to nearly all positions and give up our bargaining rights. That’s just unacceptable.

“We are prepared to keep fighting for a fair agreement that protects local jobs, protects wages and protects the rights of our members.”

GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. – A Genesee County couple was charged after more than 90 living and dead dogs were found in their home last month, and now both are in custody.

Kim Mitchell Shires, 65, and Brenda Marie Shires, 61, of Flint Township, were each charged with one count of abandoning/cruelty to 25 or more animals, a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; one count of killing/torturing animals, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison; and a misdemeanor for failing to properly dispose of dead animals, which carries a minimum 30-day jail sentence.

Officials said Kim was found hiding at a hotel in Indiana and arrested on Monday, March 16. He is currently lodged there and is awaiting extradition to Genesee County to face charges.

On Thursday, March 12, Flint Township detectives asked Grand Rapids police to check an address for Brenda, and in under an hour, she was found and taken into custody. Brenda was transferred and lodged at the Genesee County Jail.

She was arraigned on March 13, and a judge set her bond at $150,000.

The charges stem from a complaint that Genesee County Animal Control received in February.

They were told that a home on Elms Road in Flint Township had more than dozens of dogs on the property, including some that were dead.

When officers and animal control searched the home on Tuesday, Feb. 17, they allegedly rescued 65 dogs and four cats, while an additional 26 dogs and one cat were found dead.

Officers said the floors of the home were covered in waste, and the smell of urine and feces burned their eyes and made it hard to breathe.

Dead dogs were found inside trash bags near the front door “as if they were garbage waiting to be taken out,” according to police.

Court records show the Shireses were involved in a similar case in Tennessee, where they previously lived.

In that case, officials reported more than a dozen animals kept in poor condition and said that four dead animals were discovered in a deep freezer.

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