Fake Michigan Certificate of Votes mailed to US Senate after 2020 presidential vote

(AP) — An official says a fake Certificate of Votes was submitted to the U.S. Senate following Michigan’s 2020 presidential election. Dan Schwager served in 2020-2021 as general counsel to the secretary of the Senate. He testified Tuesday in Lansing District Court during a preliminary hearing for six people facing forgery and other charges for allegedly serving as false electors. Schwager said the “purported” Certificate of Votes didn’t match an official document signed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and featuring the Michigan state seal and that officials could tell “it was a fake.”

Flight attendants are holding airport rallies to protest the lack of new contracts

(AP) — Flight attendants for major U.S. airlines are holding rallies at airports around the country to push for higher pay. Tuesday’s protests are not, however, a strike. Federal law makes it difficult for airline unions to go on strike. Flight attendants are frustrated that pilots won huge pay raises last year while they continue to work for wages that, in some cases, have not increased in several years. The protests are being organized by three unions that represent cabin crews at American, United, Southwest and several smaller airlines.

Police: Man arrested in Jackie Robinson statue theft was not motivated by race

(AP) — Police say a 45-year-old man has been arrested in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue found dismantled and burned. Wichita police say Tuesday that Ricky Alderete was taken into custody in an unrelated case earlier this month and charged Monday. Police say the motive appeared to be financial and was unrelated to race. Thieves cut the bronze statue from its base at a Wichita park where a youth baseball league called League 42 plays. It is named after Robinson’s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues’ color barrier in 1947.

Accident investigators push the FAA for better cockpit voice recorders on all planes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal accident investigators are pushing for better cockpit voice recorders. They are pointing to limits of the device on the jetliner that suffered a door-panel blowout last month over Oregon. The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration should require all current planes to have recorders that can capture 25 hours of audio, up from the current standard of two hours. The FAA has proposed the 25-hour standard but only for new planes. Airlines typically keep planes for many years, so much of the existing fleet would not be covered.

Biden administration expands program to help rural towns with sewage problems

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it’s expanding a program to help rural communities with serious sewage problems get technical help to plan improvements and apply for funding. The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that 150 more communities will be able to apply for assistance, in addition to 11 chosen in 2022 for a pilot program. More than 2 million people in the U.S. lack indoor plumbing and more live with failing sewage systems that can result in waste backing up into homes or pooling on the ground, threatening public health and degrading basic dignity.