Dead human fetus found on sidewalk, Michigan woman arrested
A 26-year-old Michigan woman was arrested in connection with a human fetus being abandoned on a sidewalk.
Just before 11 p.m. on April 18, police officers responded to reports of a dead human fetus lying on a sidewalk in Flint, Michigan. Police arrived to find the human fetus to have "no signs of life at that time."
A medical examiner determined that the gestational age of the deceased male fetus was approximately 20 to 23 weeks.
Police launched an investigation and determined that a 26-year-old woman, who was previously pregnant, was involved with the abandoned fetus. The woman was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment then discharged and arrested by police. The woman is being held at the Genesee County Jail.
Criminal charges are "pending review by the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office," according to a statement from the Flint Police Department. The woman has yet to be identified.
Authorities did not specify whether the unnamed woman suffered a miscarriage or carried out a late home abortion.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact detective Sarah Egbert at 810-237-6912. Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County at 1-800-422-JAIL (5245), on the P3Tips mobile app, or online at CrimeStoppersofFlint.com.
The Mayo Clinic noted that a 22-week fetus has eyebrows and hair. A 23-week fetus has rapid eye movements, plus fingerprints and footprints begin to develop.
According to a study by the University of Rochester Medical Center, pre-term babies born at 22 weeks have a 30% survival rate with treatment, and 23-week-old newborns have a 55.8% survival rate with treatment.
Earlier this month, the remains of an infant were discovered in Massachusetts.
On April 11, officers with the Revere Police Department found the body of an infant outside of an apartment in Revere, Massachusetts.
"The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner took custody of the remains to conduct forensic examination," read the statement from the Massachusetts State Police. "The infant was determined to be a female, who was at or close to full-term, and who likely was white or light skinned."
The Massachusetts State Police have not released an update on the deceased newborn.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Lawsuit demanding that more than 10% of election inspectors be Republicans thrown out by Whitmer-appointed judge
A Whitmer-appointed judge dismissed a Republican lawsuit that claimed election officials in Flint, Michigan, hired too few Republican election inspectors. Consequently, nearly 90% of election inspectors entrusted with administering and overseeing the election will be partisan actors belonging to a single political party.
Republican concerns, Democrat overrepresentation
The Michigan Republican Party and the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit in the 7th Circuit Court for Genesee County on Oct. 28, seeking a court order that would require election officials to hire more Republican election workers.
The lawsuit claimed that Flint's interim city clerk Davina Donahue, city attorney William Kim, and city assessor Stacey Kaake failed to ensure a fair number of election inspectors from both parties in accordance with Michigan law.
Michigan Election Law specifies that the "board of election commissioners shall appoint at least 1 election inspector from each major political party and shall appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party."
The Detroit Free Press reported that figures provided by the city's attorney indicate that only 120 of 680 election workers (roughly 17%) hired to work in the upcoming midterm are Republicans.
The lawsuit claimed that notwithstanding the Michigan GOP's provision of 122 Republican applications sent to the former city clerk in May (who resigned amid scandal on Sept. 30), there only wound up being 49 Republican election inspectors during the state's August primary, for which there were 442 Democrat election inspectors.
According to MLive, the Michigan GOP reached out to the former city clerk in September with another list of Republicans keen to work on the election but was told on Oct. 15 that only 57 (10%) of the 562 election inspectors would be Republicans.
Ron Weiser, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, stated, "Corrupt Democrats in elected office continue to change the rules or not follow the rules, and that’s unacceptable. We believe this blatant attempt to skirt the law will negatively impact our elections, and we’re not going to stand for it."
RNC Chairman Ronna McDaniel said, "Michigan election law clearly states that election commissioners have a responsibility to hire an equal partisan breakdown of election inspectors, but Flint has hired hundreds more Democrats than Republicans."
McDaniel added, "This is unacceptable and unfair to Michigan voters."
9:1 representation good enough for the equity party
On Nov. 2, Circuit Court Judge Mark Latchana rejected the Republicans' case, saying they lacked standing to bring the complaint under state law. Latchana agreed with the city that only the county chair of the Republican Party would be in a position to bring the complaint to court.
Gustavo Portela, communications director for the Michigan Republican Party, said, "Flint has over 80% Democrat inspectors, and over 90% Democrat inspectors for the absentee vote counting boards. ... This is unacceptable."
According to MLive, city attorneys claimed Flint had satisfied the requirements of the law, having appointed "as nearly as possible" an equal number even if the result was a ratio of 9 to 1.
The Republicans indicated they would appeal the ruling with only five days left to go until Election Day.
RNC Sues Flint, Michigan For Stacking Polls With Democrat Workers Ahead Of Key Midterm Election
The Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit against the city of Flint, Michigan, for failing to hire an equal number of poll workers from each of the two major political parties in preparation for the midterm elections. Michigan law requires election officials appoint an equal number “of election inspectors in each election precinct from each […]Lawsuit: Michigan Secretary of State Broke The Law With Rogue Restrictions On Poll Challengers
The RNC has filed a lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s alleged unlawful guidance restricting poll challengers.Flint, Mich. Clerk Resigns After Elections Group Calls Out Lopsided Number Of Democrat Poll Watchers
Flint, Michigan’s longtime city clerk is retiring after an election integrity group sent a letter to her office demanding she balance out the number of Democrat and Republican election inspectors. On Sept. 6, Pure Integrity Michigan Elections (PIME) and attorney Erick Kaardal of the Thomas More Society sent a demand letter to Flint and City […]City Officials In Flint, Michigan Disproportionately Hired Democratic Poll Watchers In Violation Of State Law
92 percent of poll watchers in Flint, Michigan are Democrats.Schools close indefinitely in Flint, Michigan, students moved to virtual learning contrary to CDC guidance
Schoolchildren in Flint, Michigan will be moved to remote learning indefinitely after the school district decided it will not be resuming classes on Jan. 24.
In a notice to parents, district Superintendent Kevelin Jones said the decision was made to shift to "distance learning" in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
"While this decision was not made easily, it is necessary for the greater health of our community," Jones said in a statement posted Wednesday. "We know this is not an easy time for many across our district and we want you to know that you are not alone."
Flint, Michigan schools closed indefinitely. This district's minority enrollment is 90%. 80% of students are in living in poverty. You want to talk about economic inequality, talk to your union bosses keeping these kids and families locked out.https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2022/01/flint-schools-extends-virtual-learning-period-indefinitely.html\u00a0\u2026— Rory Cooper (@Rory Cooper) 1642691173
Flint Community Schools were scheduled to reopen after winter break on Jan. 24, but this more recent decision means students will attempt to learn remotely at home until further notice.
The announcement cited state data that shows the COVID-19 testing positivity rate in Genesee County is 38.4%. The county reported 1,232 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 weekly.
Michigan is experiencing a statewide surge in COVID cases caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, the state reported a seven-day average of 17,595 new cases, breaking a record.
The seven-day average number of new reported deaths is 107, up from 95 a week ago, according to Michigan Live.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines state that places with a positive rate exceeding 10% are areas at risk of "high transmission." The CDC recommends that people in areas of high transmission wear face masks in public, indoor settings.
"To lower the transmission number, and to keep it low, we must actively continue distance learning until further notice," Jones said.
However, the decision to close schools for in-person instruction goes against the recommendations of the CDC, which the agency says are based in scientific study.
"Evidence suggests that many K–12 schools that have strictly implemented prevention strategies have been able to safely open for in-person instruction and remain open," the CDC says. The federal government has provided recommendations for schools that wish to stay open on how to do so safely, including the widespread use of face masks and social distancing.
Even in areas of high COVID transmission, the CDC says K-12 schools should be the last settings to close after all other prevention measures in the community have been employed and the first to reopen when they can do so safely. In the absence of a city-wide pandemic lockdown, the CDC says schools should be open if businesses and other public places are open too.
The CDC in recent months has prioritized keeping schools open, embracing "test-to-stay" policies in December to keep kids in classrooms. These policies let students exposed to someone with COVID-19 stay in school as long as they test negative for the virus.
Remote learning is widely acknowledged to be harmful for students, which is why reopening schools has been a priority for public health officials. Studies have shown virtual school resulted in "significant" academic learning loss throughout school closures during the pandemic. A study published by the CDC last March found that the mental health and wellness of children and their parents suffered without in-person interactions with teachers and peers in the classroom.
Jones acknowledged that virtual learning has left many students behind during a Board of Education meeting last week, but said remote learning was necessary for the safety of students and teachers.
“We want to get scholars back into the buildings, but it is just not safe,” Jones said. “... We are going to be catching up, educationally, for a while anyway. Most people do not understand that ... We are going to have to catch up, but the world has not ended. We are going to keep going and keep educating.”
Today's top stories
www.theblaze.com
www.theblaze.com