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The Detroit Tigers were hoping to get a couple of their injured starters back in action this week, but so far are just treading water. The Tigers placed second baseman Josh Harrison on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder contusion on Tuesday afternoon, just minutes before opening their mid-week series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The move was made retroactive to April 27, which puts Harrison eligible to return to action as early as Wednesday, May 8.

To replace Harrison on the 25-man roster, the Tigers recalled infielder Harold Castro. Castro, a 25-year-old Venezuelan, made his major league debut with the Tigers last fall after a long trek through their minor league system. He went 3-for-10 with a stolen base and two runs scored in six games for the Tigers last September, but was designated for assignment during the offseason to make room on the 40-man roster. Castro will take Matt Moore’s spot on the 40-man roster; Moore was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Tuesday.

The busy afternoon of transactions didn’t end there. Prior to the Harrison announcement, the Tigers placed righthander Tyson Ross on the paternity list. Ross was originally scheduled to start for the Tigers on Tuesday, but now has more important matters to attend to. Outfielder Victor Reyes was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to replace Ross, who must be reactivated within three days per MLB rules — though Thursday’s off day allows the team to juggle the rotation if Ross needs more time away.

The Tigers also activated shortstop Jordy Mercer off of the 10-day injured list. Mercer will replace outfielder Dustin Peterson, who was optioned to Triple-A Toledo following Sunday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox. Mercer is playing shortstop and batting eighth as the Tigers take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

While that was all for the roster moves, we also heard an update on outfielder Christin Stewart, who has been nursing a quad injury. Stewart is heading to Lakeland to begin a rehab assignment with the Flying Tigers.

President Trump boasts that this is the strongest American economy ever. Many Michigan political and business leaders are celebrating the strength of the state’s economy. One problem: this is the first time ever that Michigan has been a low-prosperity state with a strong domestic auto industry.

From 1929, when the federal government started calculating state economic well-being, through 2000 (the last time Michigan had a strong domestic auto industry), every year Michigan was a top 20 state in per capita income. No more!

As the slides that accompany this column depict, Michigan is 31st in per-capita income; an even lower 33rd in employment earnings (wages and employer paid benefits) per capita; 38th in the proportion of those 16 and older who work; and 31st in the proportion of those 25 and older with a four-year degree.

The gap between Michigan and top ten states is substantial on each measure: Nearly $11,000 in per capita income; nearly $7,800 in wages and employer paid benefits; 6.0 percentage  points (483,000 Michigan residents) in the employment-to-population ratio; and 6.9 percentage points (470,000 adults) in college attainment.

Yes, you read that right. If the same proportion of Michiganders worked as the 10th-ranked state, there would be nearly a half million more Michiganders working today. So not enough Michiganders working is one of the main reasons that Michigan is a low-prosperity state today. Another major reason is too many of us work in low-wage jobs.

Of the 4.21 million payroll jobs (those working for an employer) in Michigan, 2.34 million are in occupations with median wages below $37,690 (the national median wage). By contrast, only 950,000 Michigan jobs are in occupations with a median wage of $61,110 (national 75th percentile wage) or higher.

Of the jobs in occupations with median wages of $61,110 or higher, 77 percent are in occupations that require a four-year degree or more. Another 16 percent are jobs in occupations where work experience - doing well in a previous job - earns one a promotion.

So along side not enough of us working and too many of us in low-paid jobs, the third major reason Michigan is a low-prosperity state in a strong economy is low four-year degree attainment. The single best predictor of state per-capita income is the proportion of adults with a four-year degree or more. The only exceptions are states with lots of oil and natural gas like Alaska and Wyoming.

Given how often we are told by political and business leadership that one can do just as well with an Associate’s degree or occupational certificate as a four-year degree, it is worth pointing out that the data do not support that claim. There are 735,000 Michigan jobs in the highest-pay category in occupations that require a four-year degree. That compares with just 58,000 Michigan jobs in the highest-pay category in occupations that require something more than a high school degree, but not a four-year degree.

Maybe the most concerning measure of the economic well-being of Michigan households in a strong economy is the Michigan Association of United Ways report that in 2017, 43 percent of Michigan households were unable to pay for housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, a cell phone and taxes. That’s up 6 percent from 2010 when the Michigan economy was just starting to grow after the Great Recession.

How can that be? The simple answer is that - even in a strong economy - 61 percent of all jobs in Michigan paying less than $20 per hour. More exact, for lower-paid workers, wages and benefits are growing slower than the cost of paying for basic necessities.

In 2017 1.66 million Michigan households were ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households compared to 1.57 million in 2010. There are no counties in the state with less than 30 percent ALICE households. Not only is ALICE geographically diverse, it also is prevalent across age, race and ethnicity.

What the ALICE data make clear is that this is a structural problem. We are not going to grow our way out of far too many Michigan household unable to pay for the basics. And a low unemployment rate will not drive wages, benefits and hours worked up enough to substantially dent the proportion of ALICE households.

To substantially reduce the ALICE rate we need a new economic strategy in Michigan. One that starts with making raising household income for all the state’s economic mission. Income - not employment or growth - needs to become the focus of economic policymaking.

The first step though is to end the self-congratulations among far too many of Michigan’s political and business elites who think just because the unemployment rate is low and they and corporate Michigan are doing well that the Michigan economy is a roaring success.

It isn’t.

After tonight, top prospects Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko will no-doubt know where they end up ahead of the NHL Draft.

The Red Wings damaged their chances to get the aforementioned players because of a late-season surge. They ended up with the fourth-best odds landing a 1st overall pick. Tonight’s lottery will consist of three separate drawings — for first, second and third overall. The Avalanche (by way of Ottawa) locked up a pick in the top-four. Here’s how you can watch:

Tonight, 8pm ET
WATCH: NBCSN
STREAM: NBC Sports Live

Lottery odds (Fewest Points to Most)
Colorado Avalanche (from OTT) 18.5%
Los Angeles Kings 13.5%
New Jersey Devils 11.5%
Detroit Red Wings 9.5%
Buffalo Sabres 8.5%
New York Rangers 7.5%
Edmonton Oilers 6.5%
Anaheim Ducks 6.0%
Vancouver Canucks 5.0%
Philadelphia Flyers 3.5%
Minnesota Wild 3.0%
Chicago Blackhawks 2.5%
Florida Panthers 2.0%
Arizona Coyotes 1.5%
Montreal Canadiens 1.0%

As we wait feverishly throughout the day, be sure to head on over to Tankathon, it’s great for burning a couple of hours off the day. It’s also a great tool to put everything into perspective, and get a basic roundabout mock draft.

While the storyline of this draft is Jack vs. Kaapo, there are a ton of really interesting prospects to be taken after the top-two. Names I have my eye on for the Red Wings are Alex Turcotte, Bowen Byram, Trevor Zegras, and Cole Caufield. Once we learn where every team will be picking, we’ll begin profiling all of the top prospects ahead of the event.

This year’s draft is set for Vancouver’s Rogers Arena on June 21 and 22.

The Red Wings have a 9.5% chance at 1st overall, so the odds aren’t great, but a great man once asked: “so, you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance...”

CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, Mich. - Troopers from the Gaylord Post were called to investigate a complaint of child abuse involving a teacher and student at Wolverine Elementary School on April 9.

The investigation led to a warrant being issued April 29 by the Cheboygan County Prosecutor’s Office for 44-year-old Jennifer Sumbera, of Wolverine, on suspicion of fourth-degree child abuse.

Sumbera is a teacher at Wolverine Elementary School and has been placed on administrative leave throughout the course of the investigation. 

Sumbera turned herself in May 1 to the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department, and was arraigned in the 89th District Court in Cheboygan on the same day.

If convicted, Sumbera could face up to one year in jail. 
 

Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

The Michigan appeals court says Flint can't be sued for the death of a man who killed himself after police returned a gun to him.

Kyle Wheeler's gun was taken after he tried to kill himself in 2014. The weapon was returned 13 months later in January 2016. He killed himself in May of that year.

Wheeler's family says Flint was negligent in returning the gun. The appeals court says police failed to follow "guidelines, ordinances and statutory requirements," but Flint still is immune to a lawsuit because the conduct doesn't fall into any of six exceptions.

The court reversed a decision by Genesee County Judge Geoffrey Neithercut.

The Tampa Bay Lightning rolled through the 2018-19 season on the way to a Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign, but the real work starts now.

The team begins a best-of-seven series in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night at Amalie Arena.

Tampa Bay, which won the 2004 Stanley Cup over the Calgary Flames, has been a rock-solid fortress on home ice this season, sporting a 32-7-2 record.

The team's overall 62-16-4 record matched the NHL single-season record for victories, set by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings, who fell in the conference finals to the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche in six games.

The Lightning enter the postseason with some incredible numbers.

Nikita Kucherov established a record for the most points ever scored by a Russian-born player. His 128-point total was one better than Alexander Mogilny's mark set in 1992-93.

Captain Steven Stamkos tallied 45 goals while Kucherov and Brayden Point each produced 41 to scale the 40-goal plateau, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy led the league in wins (39) and notched six shutouts.

However, that means little now, and only the Lightning's overall success against the Blue Jackets probably matters at all in the postseason -- Tampa Bay won all three meetings in overwhelming fashion, outscoring Columbus 17-3.

Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Victor Hedman was a full participant in Monday's practice after missing the past four games with an upper-body injury, but fellow rear guard Anton Stralman and right winger Ryan Callahan remain out.

"He looked good," coach Jon Cooper said of Hedman. "Just the mere fact to have him out there was nice. He hadn't been on the ice with the team in a while. It's looking encouraging."

The Blue Jackets (47-31-4) finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division, but their two-game winning streak on the final weekend put them two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card spot and just one point out of the first position held by the Carolina Hurricanes.

While the Blue Jackets have had no success against Tampa Bay this season and have never won a postseason series in franchise history, they were 25-14-2 on the road this year.

They also possess a pair of difference-makers in left winger Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, both of whom are unrestricted free agents and likely will be lost by the Blue Jackets on July 1.

Panarin scored a team-best 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) and had eight game-winning markers in 79 games, and Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, authored a league-high nine shutouts and was second in wins (37) to Vasilevskiy.

The two Russian stars will need to be in top form if coach John Tortorella's group hopes to take down the NHL's juggernaut, but center Pierre-Luc Dubois feels the team is in a good spot as it enters its third consecutive playoff appearance.

"We've been playing really well this last stretch of games," Dubois said. "We won seven of eight to finish the season. We feel good about ourselves, and come playoffs, everything starts at zero."

--Field Level Media

“We want things to look like alcohol… the way that alcohol works with impairment and blood levels of alcohol is convenient” for measurement and enforcement, said Carol Flannagan, a professor at the University of Michigan who specializes in traffic safety and served on the Impaired Driving Safety Commission appointed by former Gov. Rick Snyder to research a THC limit and report back to the governor and Legislature.  

Critics say the lack of standards may give too much discretion to police officers, though they agree the state shouldn’t set standards without supporting science. The issue is one of many gray areas Michigan officials are navigating as the state transitions to legal recreational marijuana following voters’ approval of a ballot measure last November.

It’s a world where regulations and scientific research are fumbling to catch up to consumers.

Here’s a look at arguments that frame the issue.

The case against a blood test standard

Unlike alcohol, there isn’t a direct link between how much of marijuana’s intoxicating component, THC, is in drivers’ blood and their level of impairment, said Flannagan.

That’s because pot isn’t linear –  there’s a spike in THC levels right after smoking that quickly drops to low levels even though users may feel high for hours, she said. Conversely, traces of pot can be found in users’ blood for days after their high.

So super-stoned drivers can have little THC in their system, while others could be dead sober and show the same amount.

That’s why the report recommends that if police suspect drivers are high, officers should perform the same roadside tests as for drunk drivers.

Among them: Following a light or finger with only eyes; walking heel-to-toe along a line- and standing on one leg for 30 seconds.

These standard tests have “mixed results” for detecting intoxication, the commission found, but they’re essentially the best option police currently have to test impairment on the roadside.

“It’s a wise recommendation in the sense that science is really unsettled in this area,” said Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson, president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan.

“For the last several years, we’ve been prosecuting these cases without the use of a (blood THC) level and just relying on the facts of the case to help make that determination.”

Do field tests give police too much discretion?

That’s a “a legitimate concern,” said Brett Rendeiro, an attorney specializing in cannabis law at Butzel Long.

On television, roadside tests involve stumbling drunks falling out of cars in front of police, he said.

“But what about those areas where it’s not so obvious?” Rendeiro said. “Is there potential for the police to allow their prejudices or their mere suspicion to color their subjective determination of whether someone passed a roadside sobriety test?”

Carl Taylor, a professor of sociology at Michigan State University, said “it’s going to be a nightmare, it’s wide open for abuse.”

Neither the public nor police know enough about how legalized marijuana will work in practice, Taylor said, which is a recipe for roadside clashes with cops. “It’s virgin territory.”

Flannagan, the UM professor, said the commission discussed concerns about police subjectivity “extensively.” Until cannabis-specific tests become more reliable, roadside tests are the best option, she said.

In the meantime, the public should have faith in a system that is already used to prosecute impairment cases, she said.

“It’s trust in the system, it’s trust in the test, it’s trust in the process,” Flannagan said.

That’s all the more reason technology needs to catch up, Rendeiro said.

“Communities that are historically marginalized or have concerns about police tactics, this is an area that would be of great concern,” he said.

So now what?

Given the amount of subjectivity, the report recommends state lawmakers invest in police training of stoned driving and research to improve testing technology.

All police officers are required to be trained in the basic roadside sobriety tests, but only 20 percent have advanced training in detecting whether drivers have taken drugs, alcohol and combinations of both, the report says.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer “recognizes that there still needs to be a process in place to identify impaired driving and protect motorists, and she is ready to work with experts and her legislative partners to get it done,” her spokesman, Robert Leddy, wrote in an email to Bridge.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield has not yet seen the report, spokesman Gideon D’Assandro said. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey did not respond to requests for comment from Bridge.

The Michigan State Police have piloted a roadside spit test for marijuana and other drugs that is promising, Flannagan said. The test is better at determining whether someone used marijuana recently, which would help reduce the chance cops arrest someone who is sober but shows THC blood levels from previous use.

Entrepreneurs in California have also developed a roadside breath test that promises to measure whether someone used cannabis recently. It’s being tested by a few police departments in the region.

“It’s been hard to do research on marijuana because of its status as an illegal drug. So I have some hopes that we can get somewhere” now that it is legal at the state level, Flannagan said.

So how high is too high?

Because everyone metabolizes marijuana differently, there’s no clear guideline such as the one-drink-per-hour rule for alcohol, said Flannagan.

“The best advice that I’ve seen is if you feel different, you drive different,” Flannagan said. “If you are feeling affected by anything you’re ingesting… then it is presumably affecting your cognitive skills that you need to drive.”

Being high on marijuana has been proven to muddle critical driving skills such as reaction time, judgment, anticipation and attention, the report says.

The best rule: Don’t risk it, said Robert Stevenson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.

“Don’t smoke and drive. Don’t take a chance with somebody else’s life or your own,” he said.

Illustration by Samara Pearlstein

There are a lot of terrible choices you could make this election cycle. You could be voting for hate, fear, cronyism, corruption, stupidity, greed, and so much more. How can a responsible voter cut through all this mess and come up with an answer they can feel good about? Cat friends, we have your answer. Vote for the one candidate we all know to be correct.

Vote Ian Kinsler for All Star 2016!

This is the Final Man Vote and you have until 4:00 pm ET on Friday July 8. Happy clicking.