BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) —.Five pro-Palestinians arrested at a May 30 protest event on the Detroit campus at Wayne State University won't face charges. That was the decision revealed today (Sept. 24, 2024) in a press release via the office of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed felony charges against 11 pro-Palestinians on Sept. 11 after they were arrested in a protest on the campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Prosecutor Worthy said, "I want to make it exceedingly clear that this office will not ever tolerate protesters that engage in behavior that is not peaceful or turns violent in any way. But that is not present in these cases," 

Witnesses accused Detroit Police Department officers of arriving with riot gear as they cleared an encampment set up on Wayne State's campus.

Prosecutor Worthy wrote in her press release: "On May 30, 2024, there was a protest on the Wayne State University campus by Students for Justice on Palestine. On that date five people were placed under arrest and later released. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office received five warrant requests for alleged incidents stemming from the protest from the Wayne State Police in July 2024. The evidence included body worn camera footage from seven officers that was reviewed in conjunction with police reports."

After reviewing the body cam videos and police reports, Prosecutor Worthy said she found no reason to charge anyone because she ruled no crimes were committed. She added that tickets issued against other protesters will be dismissed.

She said a Detroit police officer arrested a protester in one case based on the allegation that she “hit” his shield, but her investigation of video footage shows that was not true. She said a female was "targeted by police" because she had a bullhorn.

Prosecutor Worthy issued a statement, saying, "The right to peacefully protest and demonstrate is deeply woven into the American fabric. The WCPO has thoroughly studied and examined these cases and we have determined that they do not rise of the level of criminal behavior. We will not be charging any of these criminal case requests that have been presented to us."

Dozens among the protesters participated in the encampment on Wayne State's campus that was both a show of solidarity for Palestinians and a protest against Israel's attack on the besieged Gaza Strip where more than 40,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed  since Oct. 7 when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 and took more than 200 hostage on an attack against Israel.

PHOTO CAPTIONP: Pictured above this story is Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy who declined to prosecute 5 pro-Palestinians arrested at Wayne State University protest on May 30.

BY IZZY ROSS

 Special Report for Public News Service

Broadcast version by Chrystal Blair for Michigan News Connection, reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration 

CHARLEVOIX (PNS) —  On a Sunday morning in Charlevoix, a small town surrounded by lakes in northern Michigan, people gathered in the Greensky Hill Indian United Methodist Church. The small, one-room log building is almost 200 years old and the hymns are sung in English and Anishinaabemowin.

It was December, so Pastor Johnathan Mays was leading an Advent service, one of his last, since he would soon retire. In between reflections on scripture, Mays touched on an important venture: The church was planning to install solar panels on its larger meeting hall, working with Michigan-based nonprofit Solar Faithful to do so.

Greensky Hill has a long history of environmental care and stewardship, grounded in Anishinaabe culture, with a majority Native congregation.

One of the ministry's priorities is the "greening of Greensky Hill."

Mays said that prompts them to ask "how we can use our space and our resources to address those issues for climate care, or creation care, or what some people call Earthkeeping."

As Greensky Hill works to become more sustainable, it's switching from propane to heat pumps to become more energy efficient. Mays said solar will allow them to use renewable energy and give that energy back to the grid.

"The biggest issue was how can we get this huge building off of greenhouse gas creation?" he said, referring to the meeting hall, which was built in the 1990s.

Across the country, houses of worship are pursuing solar systems. 

 As of 2021, about 2 percent of houses of worship in the United States have solar systems, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which the University of California manages for the U.S. Department of Energy. That's disproportionately high; houses of worship make up only 0.6 percent of all non-residential buildings.

But these projects can be difficult to execute. Congregations can have tight budgets, older buildings, and more pressing priorities. And switching energy systems can mean a lot of bureaucratic paperwork for which they might not have the staff.

And, because houses of worship generally don't pay taxes, they've also had trouble capitalizing on renewable energy tax benefits.

One alternative has been for them to work with third parties that could benefit from the tax credits. For instance, an investor could buy and install solar panels on a church. The church would buy that power from the investor, but wouldn't own the panels - an arrangement called a power purchase agreement.

Now, they have another option. The federal Inflation Reduction Act has made it possible for governments and tax-exempt entities, including houses of worship, to get tax credits for renewable projects. Called direct pay, the program provides them with a tax credit worth up to 30 percent of the installation cost. That can help cover some expenses, and advocates say it's critical to getting more congregations to consider solar. 

 "I expect in the coming year, it's really going to boom, the solar on houses of worship," said Sarah Paulos, the programs director for Interfaith Power and Light. "It makes a lot of sense. If they can cut their utility bill way back, then they have more money to do what they're there for, which is their mission."

Interfaith Power and Light might sound like a local utility (or maybe a prayer group) but it's actually a national network focused on climate action and religion, started in 1998 as a coalition of Episcopal churches that worked together to buy renewable energy. It has since expanded to other denominations and faiths.

Paulos has worked in this field for almost 20 years. She said when she started, there were a lot of climate deniers, especially in churches.

"In the beginning, people of faith were really, really being courageous and stepping out and talking about responding to climate change through renewable energy and energy efficiency as a moral call to care for creation," she said.

While there's increasing acceptance that climate change is happening, religious Americans are still far from unified in their views.

A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that most religious adults believed they should protect the Earth. But for a variety of reasons, highly religious people tend to be less concerned about climate change than other adults in the U.S.

One way to reach people and engage them in climate action is through tangible efforts like solar, said Leah Wiste, the executive director of Michigan Interfaith Power and Light.

 "In the public conversation, I think we've kind of failed to see the leadership that people of faith and conscience are taking on these issues," she said.

Local involvement is critical to getting more people to install solar, and non-residential buildings - such as schools or houses of worship - are part of that.

A study published last November in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Energy Policy found that when non-residential buildings install solar, they can spur other installations in the area.

But raising awareness of solar doesn't necessarily make it more equitable.

The researchers say it's unclear how effective houses of worship can be in encouraging more solar in their communities "without directly addressing low-income barriers to solar adoption," like budget constraints and lower home ownership rates.

And houses of worship with solar are located disproportionately in "relatively wealthy, white and educated census tracts," according to Berkeley Lab, mirroring the broader trend.

Still, many people working at the intersection of religion and renewables say these projects are an opportunity for more people in those communities to learn about solar.
 

 "Part of that can happen just through the simple physical act of putting a system on the roof," said Galen Barbose, a scientist at Berkeley Lab. "But houses of worship are also in a unique position to be able to sponsor events, talk to their membership, and potentially really serve as emissaries for solar energy."

Rob Rafson has worked to put solar panels on churches for years. He's the president of the solar energy company Chart House Energy.

About a year ago, Chart House Energy teamed up with the Climate Witness Project, Michigan Interfaith Power and Light, and climate activists in the Detroit area to launch Solar Faithful.

Rafson wanted to make it easier for houses of worship to adopt solar.

"It's been a very big challenge," Rafson said. "Because churches - they're nonprofits, they don't have a budget, they don't want to borrow money, and the size project ... is too small for investors to invest in."

Despite such challenges, congregations have managed to install panels. At the First Lutheran Church in Muskegon, a new solar array shines on the roof.

"They're hard to see," said Pastor Bill Uetricht. He's walking around the church, craning his neck, trying to get a good view of the panels. "You can see that it's on about half of that roof up there."
 

 Now that it has solar panels, the church needs to buy less power from utilities. That's expected to lower the energy bill.

It's an example of a power purchase agreement. By purchasing the solar-powered energy, First Lutheran will pay off the project cost of around $175,000 to an investor. Buying the power from their own array, they're slowly paying back their investor. Once that's done, the power that comes from the array is essentially free.

Uetricht said First Lutheran got involved with solar when a couple in the congregation gave the church two panels they didn't know what to do with.

"I contacted a cousin of mine who works in alternative energy, and I said, 'Hey, send me to someplace where I can do something with these two panels,'" Uetricht said.

They ended up working with Solar Faithful.

Uetricht said installing solar panels is one way of fulfilling the church's mission. He said that the world doesn't belong to us, but that it is a gift - one that we haven't been caring for.
"Old technologies have contributed to that lack of care," he said. "So it only makes sense that we would be at the forefront of encouraging alternative energy sources."

(Izzy Ross initially wrote this article for Grist) 

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is a small, nearly 200-year-old church in Charlevoix spurring installation of solar power in their area.  — PHOTO BY ROB RAFSON 

 BY CHRYSTAL BLAIR

Public News Service

(PNS) — Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. 

This spring, Michigan was awarded $156 million to use as grants, which is the largest initiative of its kind in history. The goal is to strengthen the nation's economic competitiveness and advance energy independence, while at the same time reducing energy costs in historically underserved communities.

Shalanda H. Baker, the University of Michigan's first Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action, pointed out the disparities in communities of color that this funding is poised to address.

"Over half of Black households in America experience energy insecurity, and around 47% of Latinx households experiences energy insecurity. We also know that there are many Native American households that simply lack access to electricity altogether," she said.

The program is expected to create new jobs in clean energy, strongly focusing on building an inclusive workforce in disadvantaged areas. Communities like Southwest Detroit, known for facing environmental challenges, is expected to benefit from the grant.

The funding also boosts the "MI Solar for All" program, which aims to provide affordable solar energy solutions to low-income communities across the state. Baker said these are the places where households are more likely to live in the shadows of fossil fuel production facilities - so they're also more likely to have the health impacts related to living in that environment. She added the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund should help change that.

 "This program is really designed to bring more access to clean energy to those communities, and just bring more clean energy on the grid, to overall clean up," she explained.

The program is expected to reduce energy bills by about 20% for eligible Michiganders, and support the state's goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2040. 

INKSTER (CCN) — A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office has announced that the former mayor of Inkster has taken a plea deal and admitted to taking bribes of $100,000.

Federal Prosecutor Dawn Ison was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson who is the Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Patrick Wimberly, 50, served as the Mayor of the City of Inkster from 2019 until 2023. Charging documents on felony bribers counts In the spring of 2022 said Wimberly demanded $100,000 in cash payments to facilitate the sale of property owned by the city to an outside party that was referred to  “Person A” in the indictment.

Over several months, Person A provided Wimberly with monthly cash bribes to secure the purchase of this property. The monthly payments started at $5,000 but the parties agreed to eventually increase that amount. After the initial bribes, Wimberly explained that he was ready to increase the payments. Person A agreed. But when Person A later did not provide the amount Wimberly expected, Wimberly complained that he was due “10,000 a month.” Person A then increased the monthly payments to $10,000. 

In total, Person A provided $50,000 in cash to Wimberly for the purpose of winning the bid for the property he wanted. The FBI investigation intervened before the property could be transferred to Person A.

The bribery charge is a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666, and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

“Public officials who act in their own best interests, motivated by greed, betray the trust of their communities and the general public,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “ We will continue to aggressively prosecute corrupt public officials for their illegal actions.”

Special Agent Gibson said, "Investigating public corruption is a primary concern and priority of the FBI in Michigan.” 

The case against Inkster's former mayor was being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eaton P. Brown until this week's guilty plea deal was reached.