Michigan News Digest

Here's a look at how AP's general news coverage is shaping up today in Michigan. Questions about today's coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP-Detroit bureau at 800-642-4125 or 313-259-0650 or [email protected]. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org.

A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern.

Some TV and radio stations will receive broadcast versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

TOP STORIES:

XGR--DISTRACTED DRIVING

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and safety advocates want to combat distracted driving by restricting the use of cellphones, though pending legislation does not go as far as what she proposed nearly a year ago. The bill would prohibit motorists under 18 from using a phone while operating a vehicle, except in emergencies. Adults, however, would be exempt from the ban that already applies to drivers with a learner's or intermediate permit — typically 15- and 16-year-olds. By David Eggert. SENT: 700 words, photo.

ELECTION 2020-IRAN

MONROE, Mich. — As the U.S. and Iran barreled toward the brink of war this week, the anxiety was felt most viscerally in places like Monroe County, a place that has buried young soldiers at a rate higher than most of the country and where matters of war and peace are personal. They’re also political. This swing corner of a swing state is among a cluster of Rust Belt counties that helped put President Donald Trump in office in 2016. Its assessment of his performance as commander in chief could decide whether he stays there next year. By Claire Galofaro. SENT: 1,800 words, photos.

AROUND THE STATE:

MUSEUM-MOVING ART

DETROIT — Conservators at the Detroit Institute of Arts have spent dozens of hours preparing to move an enormous three-dimensional painting into storage to create space for a new display. Anselm Kiefer's “Das Geviert,” which was completed in 1997, is so deeply textured that conservators set aside more than 100 hours to ensure it can be safely moved and stored, The Detroit News reported. SENT: 340 words.

DETROIT FIREFIGHTERS-FACEBOOK PHOTO

DETROIT — A group of Detroit firefighters who posed in front of a vacant burning home for a photo to celebrate a battalion chief’s impending retirement will be disciplined for what the city’s fire commissioner called their “momentary lapse in judgment.” SENT: 225 words.

WINTER JAZZFEST-DETROIT LEGACY

DETROIT — A New York City jazz festival comes with a musical slice of Motown. The Winter Jazzfest was set to include in its lineup a show on Sunday entitled “From Detroit to the World: Celebrating the Jazz Legacy of Detroit and Honoring Marcus Belgrave.” The Le Poisson Rouge show was created to honor the late trumpeter, who graced stages and studios with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie and Motown artists galore. SENT: 200 words.

EXCHANGE-DOG WHISPERER

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Neko has trust issues. “He’s a big baby,” Janelle Jewell, a certified professional dog trainer, told the Traverse City Record-Eagle with affection. “I mean, his previous owners said he’s afraid of bumble bees and mice.” But Neko, a three-year-old mixed breed, also has a really loud bark. And doesn’t always present well to Cherryland Humane Society visitors looking for a pet to add to their family. He’s just the kind of dog a new $10,000 grant from the Pedigree Foundation was designed to help. And Jewell is just the kind of trainer to provide it. By Mardi Link, Traverse City-Record-Eagle. SENT: 440 words.

IN BRIEF:

— WINTER FILM FESTIVAL-HOLLAND: International and independent movies are set to take center stage throughout the winter as part of a western Michigan film series.

— CYBER SECURITY PROGRAMS-DETROIT: A Detroit-based nonprofit focused on technology education and workforce development training will present two free events about cybersecurity.

SPORTS:

BKN--BULLS-PISTONS

DETROIT — The Pistons try to rebound from their overtime loss to Cleveland when they host the Bulls. By Noah Trister. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7 p.m.

BBA-TIGERS-ARBITRATION

DETROIT — Matthew Boyd and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a $5.3 million, one-year deal on Friday. SENT: 240 words.

Also:

— BKC--WESTERN MICHIGAN-TOLEDO. UPCOMING: 150 words, more on merit.

— BKC--EASTERN MICHIGAN-NORTHERN ILLINOIS. UPCOMING: 150 words, more on merit.

— BKC--CENTRAL MICHIGAN-KENT STATE. UPCOMING: 150 words, more on merit.

— BKC--OAKLAND-CLEVELAND STATE. UPCOMING: 150 words, more on merit.

— BKC--DETROIT MERCY-YOUNGSTOWN STATE. UPCOMING: 150 words, more on merit.

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