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Southwest Michigan Today: Wednesday May 2, 2018

Guilty verdicts returned on all counts in the crash that left five bicyclists dead and four others seriously injured. The Michigan Supreme Court overturns felony convictions against a Benton Harbor political activist. WMU opens play in the NCAA men's tennis tournament next week against Notre Dame. 

A Kalamazoo County jury has returned guilty verdicts on all counts in the 2016 crash near Kalamazoo that left five bicyclists dead and four others seriously injured. The Kalamazoo Gazette says the jury deliberated for about four hours Tuesday before finding Charles Pickett Junior guilty of five counts second degree murder. He was also convicted on multiple counts of operating under the influence causing seriously injury and death. Pickett faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on June 11th.

The Michigan Supreme Court has reversed five election-related felony convictions against a Benton Harbor minister and political activist. That’s after Edward Pinckney served two and a half years for falsifying dates on petitions seeking to recall Benton Harbor’s mayor. The Supreme Courtsays Pinckney was charged with the wrong crime, and dismissed the charges and the sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Two Democratic candidates for governor are challenging each other’s eligibility to appear on the August primary ballot. Shri Thanedar questions whether Abdul El-Sayed was a legally registered voter in Michigan for four years prior to taking office. That’s required by the Michigan Constitution. Thanedar says the issue needs to be settled before the August Democratic primary.The issue is whether El-Sayed invalidated his Michigan registration when he voted in New York in 2012. He didn’t re-register in Michigan until 2016. The El-Sayed campaign countered by challenging the legitimacy of thousands of petition signatures to put Thanedar on the Democratic primary ballot.

Gibson Guitar has filed for bankruptcy protection. The Tennesseanreports that the filing by the company that was founded in Kalamazoo will allow them to continue operating.

Western Michigan will face Notre Dame next week in the first round of the NCAA men’s tennis tournament. The Broncos and Fighting Irish will play in Ann Arbor on May 11th or 12th. Western enters the tournament with a record of 22-4 and have won their last 11 matches. The field for the national tourney was announced Tuesday.

In softball, Western Michigan beat the University of Michigan 8-2 Tuesday in Ann Arbor. It’s the first home loss this season for the Wolverines. The Broncos improved to 26-21 overall, and will play at the University of Detroit Wednesday.

In baseball, Western Michigan lost at Notre Dame Tuesday 14-4. The Broncos will host Northwestern Wednesday afternoon at Robert J. Bobb Stadium.