Gus Burns

Hamtramck

Investigative Reporter at MLive

MLive investigative reporter. Pls contact me with any important, interesting stories. [email protected]

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Articles

Former Michigan sheriff pushes for roadside drug testing, calls opposition a ‘smoke show’

1 day ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

LANSING, MI -- A longtime Michigan sheriff wants police armed with a handheld spit-test device to help determine whether drivers are high on drugs. State Rep. Brian BeGole, R-Antrim Township, the former Shiawassee County sheriff, held up one of the Abbot Laboratories’ SoToxa devices during a Michigan House Rules Committee hearing on Thursday, June 6. By inserting a swab containing saliva, manufacturer’s claim it can detect the presence of certain drugs within a few minutes.
Abandoned U.P. graveyard sparks small-town feud, police investigation

3 days ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

Who’s buried there? No one really knows. The dead souls are lost to history. But their final resting spot in the natural beauty of the Upper Peninsula is at the center of a small-town rivalry that’s led to trespassing complaints, 911 calls and a criminal investigation into the former director of the local conservation district, the board of which was elected by fewer than a dozen voters at a pizza party inside a pavilion. But it all starts at an abandoned graveyard.
Inside Michigan’s ‘secret’ elected bodies that doled out $32 million last year

3 days ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

The average voter has probably never heard of a conservation district. Yet last year in Michigan, these little-known public bodies cumulatively spent more than $32 million. Meanwhile, an MLive investigation into conservation districts revealed the reins are loose, the watchdogs few and problems abundant.
Government immunity blamed as final Michigan school shooting lawsuits fizzle

1 week ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

LANSING, MI -- School officials won’t be held civilly liable for their roles in a 2021 school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. Attorneys for the victims say governmental immunity is at fault. The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 28, denied a request that justices review a previously dismissed lawsuit filed by Oxford High victims and their families. The U.S. District Court of Appeals likewise dismissed other civil lawsuits on May 20.
Michigan lawmakers want to revive roadside drug testing. Critics say, ‘Don’t spit’

1 week ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

LANSING, MI -- Michigan motorists may soon be subjected to roadside saliva drug tests, which studies show are imperfect. A package of House bills, 4390 and 4391, would allow police to give the tests to help determine whether drivers are impaired. The testing devices, however, don’t tell police anything about impairment. They only determine the presence of certain drugs. The legislation unanimously passed out of the Government Operations Committee Thursday, May 22.
If your moldy weed failed testing, you probably won’t find out

2 weeks ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

LANSING, MI -- Michigan marijuana regulators are passing on a chance to increase consumer transparency. For years, a segment of the marijuana industry has asked for more information, specifically the ability for consumers to determine if marijuana they buy failed safety testing or has undergone a decontamination process known as “remediation.” The Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) has so far balked at forced labeling.
Marijuana insiders say Gov. Whitmer’s proposed 32% tax would strangle golden goose

3 weeks ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

LANSING, MI -- Marijuana is lucrative and state government has taken notice. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a 32% tax on wholesale marijuana transactions to generate nearly $470 million annually for roads and infrastructure spending. That’s in addition to $232 million the state government received for schools and roads from the 10% excise tax on marijuana sales in 2024.
Regulators could soon spy on Michigan marijuana businesses, customers

4 weeks ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

LANSING, MI -- Any time, any day and without notice, Michigan regulators might be able to legally spy on marijuana businesses and their customers. That’s if one among a myriad of proposed rule changes currently being considered by Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) take effect. Under existing rules, businesses are required to record various locations within their operations, including sales, processing, shipping and access points.
Former EMU football player turned marijuana entrepreneur banned from industry

1 month ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

LANSING, MI -- For the first time ever, Michigan marijuana regulators have banned a former business owner from the industry. “The Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) has permanently excluded Youssef Barakat from being employed by or being a supplemental applicant of any medical or adult-use marijuana business in Michigan,” the CRA said in a statement issued Tuesday, May 6.
Medical examiner unable to determine how Kevin Graves died at Electric Forest

1 month ago | mlive.com | Gus Burns

OCEANA COUNTY, MI -- What led 28-year-old Kevin Graves to take his final breath at the Electric Forest music festival on July 1, 2018, may remain an eternal mystery. The cause of death was ruled “undetermined after investigation and anthropology studies,” reads the death certificate filed April 7. The death investigation concluded early this month, according to Lisa Kapriak, a representative for the Oceiana County medical examiner.