Nineteen-year-old man convicted of attempted murder

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — A Saginaw Township man convicted of attempted murder and other charges in a 24-minute attempt to set a house ablaze has been sentenced to 12 years and six months to 20 years in prison. A Saginaw County Circuit Court jury had convicted 19-year-old Paul D.B. Henderson in the case. Authorities say Henderson, who went to high school with the homeowner’s daughter, torched a shed and tried for 24 minutes to set fire to the house in August 2006. Police say he was caught on video.Defense lawyer George C. Bush had argued Henderson wanted to scare the family members, not kill them.

Mich. gas prices above average

DETROIT (AP) — Gas prices in Michigan are up 8 cents over the past week. AAA Michigan said Monday the statewide average is $3.33 per gallon. That’s 66 cents higher than last year at this time. Drivers in the Detroit area are paying about $3.31 per gallon. AAA Michigan surveys 2,800 Michigan gas stations daily.

U.S. Census Bureau opens new temporary office in Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau has kicked off its 2010 population count two years and one day early with the ceremonial opening of its regional office in Detroit. Local, state and federal leaders joined Census officials Monday morning to open the office, one of 12 regional centers. The temporary center will employ about 160 at its peak in 2010. Last week, census figures showed that between July 2006 and July of last year, Detroit lost more than three times as many people as any other metro area in the country. Census Day is April 1, 2010.

Mandatory tests for drunk drivers

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) — The Macomb County sheriff has ordered that all suspected drunken drivers stopped by his deputies face a blood test. The Macomb Daily reports that Sheriff Mark Hackel’s change to the department’s general orders took effect Friday and requires deputies to seek a search warrant for the immediate withdrawal of blood for any arrested motorist who refuses to take a breath test.