A petition to end gerrymandering is circulating in Michigan. Stryker Corp. wins a $240 million lawsuit for patent infringement. WMU will upgrade the president's house on campus before Edward Montgomery's first day.
A group has started a petition to end gerrymandering in Michigan. The Detroit Free Presssays the organization Voters Not Politicians would hand over the job of drawing up political districts to an independent commission. Said commission would be made up of 13 people. Elected officials, lobbyists, party leaders, and political insiders would not be allowed on the commission. Members of the commission would also have to approve the district maps by a majority vote. To get the issue on the November 2018 ballot, the group would have to collect almost 316,000 signatures. (NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that the Republican and Democratic parties would get to "hand-pick" representatives on the commission. It would actually consist of four Republicans, four Democrats, and five independents chosen by lottery.)
A competing company will pay more than $240 million to the Stryker Corporation for patent infringement. Mlivesays a U.S. district court found Zimmer Biomet of Indiana “egregiously infringed” on Stryker’s design of a device used to rinse and suction a wound after surgery. Zimmer refused to turn evidence over in the court case that started in 2010. So the judge tripled the jury’s award to Stryker. The company was allegedly selling Stryker’s patent-protected product even after the jury had delivered its verdict.
The Western Michigan University president’s house on campus will be upgraded before the new president arrives. The narrow two-car garage on the 1920s building will become a three-car garage to accommodate modern vehicles. The Kalamazoo Gazette says the new WMU President Edward Montgomery was once referred to as President Barack Obama’s “auto czar.” He was part of Obama’s auto task force and led the White House Council for Auto Communities and Workers. Montgomery’s first day as WMU president is August 1st.