Michigan
US supreme court sides with Michigan in its fight to shut down ageing pipeline
The supreme court on Wednesday sided with Michigan in ruling that the state’s lawsuit seeking to shut down a section of an ageing pipeline beneath a Great Lakes channel will stay in state court.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for a unanimous court that the Enbridge energy company waited too long to try to move the case to federal court.
The case is part of a messy legal dispute about a pipeline that has moved crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, since 1953.
Dana Nessel, Michigan’s attorney general, sued in state court in June 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows Enbridge to operate a 4.5-mile (6.4km) section of pipeline under the straits of Mackinac, which link Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Nessel, a Democrat, won a restraining order shutting down the pipeline from Ingham county judge James Jamo in June 2020, although Enbridge was allowed to continue operations after meeting safety requirements.
Enbridge moved the lawsuit into federal court in 2021, arguing it affects US and Canadian trade. But a three-judge panel from the sixth US circuit court of appeals sent the case back to Jamo in June 2024, finding that the company missed a 30-day deadline to change jurisdictions.
The pipeline at issue is called Line 5. Concerns over the section beneath the straits rupturing and causing a catastrophic spill have been growing since 2017, when Enbridge engineers revealed they had known about gaps in the section’s protective coating since 2014. A boat anchor damaged the section in 2018, intensifying fears of a spill.
The Michigan department of natural resources under Gretchen Whitmer, the state’s governor, revoked the straits easement for Line 5 in 2020. Enbridge filed a separate federal lawsuit challenging the revocation.
Enbridge won a ruling from a federal judge blocking the move, but Whitmer, a Democrat, has appealed to the sixth US circuit court of appeals. In March, the supreme court rejected Whitmer’s appeal claiming that she couldn’t be sued in federal court.
It was unclear how the federal ruling blocking Whitmer’s revocation attempt would affect Nessel’s case in state court. The company said in a statement that the judge in the Whitmer case had already decided federal regulators, not the state, are responsible for Line 5 safety and they had found no issues that would warrant shutting it down.
Enbridge also is seeking permits to encase the section of pipeline beneath the straits in a protective tunnel. The Michigan public service commission granted the relevant permits in 2023, but a coalition of environmental groups and Michigan tribes has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state permits for the tunnel. The state supreme court is weighing that case.
Enbridge also needs approval from the US army corps of engineers and the Michigan department of environment, Great Lakes and energy.
The pipeline is at the center of a separate legal dispute in Wisconsin as well. A federal judge in Madison last summer gave Enbridge three years to shut down part of Line 5 that runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior’s reservation. The company has appealed against the shutdown order to the seventh US circuit court of appeals, but it started work in February to reroute the line around the reservation.
The Bad River Band and environmental groups have filed a state lawsuit seeking to halt the work, arguing regulators have underestimated the damage the reroute construction will cause. That case also is pending.
DETROIT — A man who spent nearly 21 years in prison for the deaths of two Michigan hunters agreed to a $5.25 million settlement after accusing police of failing to turn over evidence that could have helped him at trial, a lawyer said Monday.
Jeff Titus was released in 2023 and his murder convictions were erased at the request of prosecutors. The Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school and two investigators got authorities to acknowledge that an Ohio serial killer might have been the person who killed the hunters in 1990.
Titus had long declared his innocence.
“It’s been a long road for Jeff,” attorney Wolf Mueller said. “He’s 74. He lost two decades of his life. The money doesn’t make up for the loss of decades, but it allows him to put this part of his life behind him.”
An email seeking comment from the lawyer who defended a retired homicide detective in the lawsuit wasn’t immediately answered.
Doug Estes and Jim Bennett were fatally shot near Titus’ property in Kalamazoo County in 1990. Titus initially was cleared as a suspect, but murder charges were filed against him 12 years later. Prosecutors portrayed Titus as a hothead who didn’t like trespassers.
Students and staff at University of Michigan law school were trying to get him a new trial when a 30-page file from the original investigation was discovered at the county sheriff’s office. It was a blockbuster: It referred to an alternate suspect, Thomas Dillon of Magnolia, Ohio.
Jacinda Davis, at the TV network Investigation Discovery, and Susan Simpson, through the podcast “Undisclosed,” had raised doubts about Titus’ guilt and aired questions about Dillon’s possible role.
Dillon died in prison in 2011. He was arrested in 1993 and ultimately pleaded guilty to killing five people in Ohio who had been hunting, fishing or jogging.
The lawsuit that was settled Monday did not center on Dillon as an alternate suspect. Rather, police were accused of violating Titus’ rights by not sharing information that could have cast doubt on the trial testimony of a key witness, Mueller said.
Warm and humid air will remain in place across southeast Michigan today and Tuesday, creating favorable conditions for multiple rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms. Stay weather aware with our 4Warn Weather app as storms may bring damaging winds, large hail, torrential rainfall, and isolated tornadoes. We have issued a 4Warn Weather alert for both afternoons and evenings.
Severe Weather Risk Today
A Slight Risk for severe weather covers nearly all of southeast Michigan today as an approaching disturbance interacts with unstable air and increasing humidity. Scattered thunderstorms could develop later this afternoon and evening. These storms will have the potential to produce:
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Damaging wind gusts
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Large hail
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Locally heavy rainfall
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Isolated tornadoes
The primary window for severe weather is expected between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., although a few isolated storms could develop earlier in the afternoon. Rain and thunderstorms may also linger into the late evening hours.
Another Round Possible Tuesday
The severe weather pattern is expected to continue Tuesday with another Slight Risk (Level 2 out 5) covering all of southeast Michigan. Warm, unstable conditions will clash with an approaching cold front and once again support thunderstorm development during the afternoon and evening hours, especially between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday’s storms may again be capable of producing:
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Damaging wind gusts
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Large hail
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Heavy downpours
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Isolated tornadoes
Make sure to monitor our forecasts closely and have multiple ways to receive weather warnings during both days.
Cooler Air Arrives Midweek
After the active weather pattern exits, a significant cooldown is expected across the region. Temperatures will fall nearly 20 degrees from Tuesday into Wednesday as cooler and drier air moves into the Great Lakes. High temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday are expected to remain in the 60s, bringing a refreshing break from the recent heat and humidity. Overnight lows will be in the 40s, so the cooldown doesn’t propose a threat for frost.
Memorial Day Weekend Outlook
Looking ahead, conditions appear much more comfortable for Memorial Day weekend. Forecast highs are expected to return to the 70s with seasonable late-May weather anticipated across southeast Michigan.
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NORMAN — Oklahoma softball is headed to its 16th consecutive Super Regional.
The No. 3 overall seeded Sooners defeated Michigan 8-1 in the NCAA Tournament Norman Regional final on Sunday afternoon in front of 3,947 at Love’s Field. OU will host Mississippi State or Saint Mary’s next weekend.
Speedy center fielder KaI Minor led the Sooners offensively, finishing 2 for 5 at the plate with a home run, a double and three runs scored. Isabela Emerling and Gabbie Garcia added two hits, while Ailana Agbayani recorded two hits and a solo homer.
In the circle, Audrey Lowry allowed just one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts and zero walks in 4 ⅔ innings. In relief, senior Kierston Deal struck out one in a full inning and Sydney Berzon tossed a hitless 1 ⅓ innings.
OU outhit Michigan 9-3 in the win.
The Sooners jumped out to an early three-run lead in the first inning after Minor ripped a double to left center, her third leadoff double in four games, while Ella Parker walked and Gabbie Garcia singled Minor in. Then, with the bases loaded, Isabela Emerling singled down the left field line to score Garcia and Kasidi Pickering, who was hit by a pitch.
OU added a run in the second and fourth, two in the fifth and one in the seventh to finish off the Wolverines. Minor crushed her 11th home run of the season 261 feet to deep left center field in the fourth.
The Sooners will begin Super Regional play on either Thursday or Friday. Mississippi State and Saint Mary’s meet in the Eugene Regional final at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Here’s a recap of the Sooners-Wolverines NCAA Tournament game:
Ailana Agbayani extended OU’s lead in the seventh with a solo homer to right field.
It was Agbayani’s second hit and second RBI of the day.
End 6: Oklahoma 7, Michigan 1 | Kierston Deal, Sydney Berzon handle Wolverines
Michigan was sat down in order in the sixth.
Sydney Berzon entered to record the third out of the inning after Kierston Deal ended her day with a strikeout in one full inning.
Kasidi Pickering popped up, Allyssa Parker fouled out and Abby Dayton grounded out in the sixth.
Audrey Lowry’s day is finished after she allowed just one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Kierston Deal recorded the final out of the fifth.
OU added two runs to its lead in the fifth.
Ailana Agbyani doubled to center field, scoring Abby Dayton. Then, Ella Parker walked with the bases loaded to score Agbayani.
Jenissa Conway, Sydney Hastings and Erin Hoehn all grounded out for Michigan in the fourth.
Kai. Minor.
The Sooners’ freshman center fielder crushed a solo home run to center field to give OU a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning.
Audrey Lowry forced two groundouts and struck out Ella Stephenson in the third.
Lowry has allowed one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts through three.
Abby Dayton flew out, Isabela Emerling struck out and Ailana Agbayani grounded out in the third.
Erin Hoen, Michigan’s current pitcher, smacked a solo shot 229 feet to left center field to put the Wolverines on the board. It was the first run OU has given up this weekend in the Norman Regional.
Ella Parker ended the inning with a diving catch.
Kai Minor reached on a fielder’s choice and scored her second run of the day following an Ella Parker single and Gabbie Garcia flyout. The RBI was Garcia’s second of the day.
Michigan starter Gabby Ellis’ day ended after one time through OU’s lineup. She allowed three earned runs and two walks in a full inning.
Erin Hoehn, in the Wolverines’ lineup as designated player, took over in the circle and allowed a hit and walk.
Michigan left fielder Ella Stephenson singled but the Wolverines stranded her at first.
Kai Minor is inevitable. The Sooners’ speedy center fielder ripped a double to left center, her third leadoff double in four games before Ella Parker walked and Gabbie Garcia singled Minor in. It was Garcia’s 72nd RBI this season.
Then, with the bases loaded, Isabela Emerling singled down the left field line to score Garcia and Kasidi Pickering, who was hit by a pitch.
OU leads 3-0 early.
Oklahoma is starting sophomore left-hander Audrey Lowry against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament Norman Regional final on Sunday. Lowry started the Sooners’ 11-0 run-rule victory over Binghamton on Friday, allowing a leadoff single before retiring the next six batters she faced and striking out three across two innings.
Here’s OU’s starting lineup against the Wolverines:
- CF: Kai Minor
- RF: Ella Parker
- SS: Gabbie Garcia
- DP: Kasidi Pickering
- C: Kendall Wells
- LF: Abby Dayton
- 1B: Isabela Emerling
- 2B: Ailana Agbayani
- 3B: Sydney Barker
What time is Oklahoma vs Michigan today? When is OU softball game today?
- Date: Sunday, May 17
- Time: 2 p.m. CT
The Oklahoma vs Michigan game starts at 2 p.m. CT Sunday from Love’s Field in Norman. If OU loses, Game 2 will start about 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
What channel is Oklahoma vs Michigan today? Where to watch OU softball on TV, streaming
Oklahoma vs Michigan will be broadcast on SEC Network and streamed on ESPN+.
How to listen to OU softball on the radio
Chris Plank (play-by-play) will have the OU radio call on The Franchise 2 (KEBC 1560 AM) and the Varsity Radio App.
Norman Regional schedule
Double elimination from Friday-Sunday (May 15-17) at Love’s Field.
Friday’s games
Game 1: No. 3 Oklahoma 11, Binghamton 0 (5)
Game 2: Kansas 1, Michigan 0 (8)
Saturday’s games
Game 3: No. 3 Oklahoma 9, Kansas 0 (5)
Game 4: Michigan 6, Binghamton 0
Game 5: Michigan 12, Kansas 10
Sunday’s games
Game 6: No. 3 Oklahoma (50-8) vs. Michigan (36-21), 2 p.m.
Game 7 (if necessary): Rematch Game 6, 4:30 p.m.
OU softball highlights vs. Michigan
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Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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