Broken chair costs $920K; short shorts brouhaha; pot prices shock

DETROIT — The government says $13 million to $14 million has been recovered so far from a Detroit-area cancer doctor who gave unnecessary treatments to patients.

Federal prosecutor Catherine Dick says victims will be first in line to get some compensation from the assets of Dr. Farid Fata. But she says the process will be "extremely complex" and will need help from a professional.

Dick gave an update Thursday to a federal judge, three weeks after Fata was sentenced to 45 years in prison for fraud and other crimes. There are more than 500 victims.

The government says they will eligible for some money for out-of-pocket health expenses as well as reimbursement for problems due to his fraudulent care.

Separately, some former patients are pursuing malpractice lawsuits against Fata.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — One of Minnesota's medical marijuana manufacturers has raised its prices substantially after less than a month in business, adding to a cost that many patients are already struggling to cover.

Dr. Kyle Kingsley of Minnesota Medical Solutions told the Associated Press Thursday that the company raised prices on its pills, vapors and liquids by 15 percent to 20 percent last week. The company also reduced the size of a discount for low-income Minnesota residents, he said.

"That's not something we do lightly. The reality is, it's very expensive to do this," he said.

Kingsley said the price changes were driven largely by an unexpected influx of patients who qualified for the low-income discount. And low enrollment since medical marijuana sales began July 1 has kept savings from producing in mass quantities out of reach. Just 220 patients were registered to buy medical marijuana with the state as of July 23.

The price increases, which weren't announced in advance or publicized, riled some patients faced with big bills for the medication. Insurance doesn't cover medical marijuana.

For Patrick McClellan, the cost for a vaporizer to treat his muscular dystrophy increased from $47 to $66.

Kingsley said he hopes to decrease costs as enrollment in the program expands. Manny Munson-Regala, CEO at the state's second medical marijuana manufacturer called LeafLine Labs, said they have not discussed raising prices.

PERU, Ind. — A northern Indiana orthopedic surgeon has pleaded guilty to escape from in-home detention

Authorities say 49-year-old Gregory Konrath entered the plea Thursday in Miami Superior Court in Peru. They say Konrath also pleaded guilty to violating probation and violating in-home detention.

Sentencing was scheduled for August 18.

Authorities have said Konrath was on home detention when he cut off his tracking bracelet on April 28. He was found two days later near Flagstaff, Arizona.

Konrath had been released from jail two weeks before his escape after serving time on stalking charges. The charges stemmed from Konrath's alleged plot to kill his ex-wife.

Konrath is being held without bond in the Miami County Jail.

Konrath worked for Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru when he was arrested last year.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Two Texas men have set a new record in a race by canoeing the Missouri River from Kansas City, Kansas, to St. Charles, Missouri, in 34 hours and 34 minutes.

Phil Bowden and Chris Issendorf rowed their way across the finish line on Wednesday near the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center in St. Charles in the 10th annual MR340 race, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The 340-mile competition ends at midnight Friday, and hundreds of paddlers are expected to finish the race over the next couple of days.

The two-man crew had set off on their journey with chips, soda, fruit, ramen noodles and a powder meal replacement.

Rough waters on Tuesday night almost caused the duo to pause their trek and seek shelter, but they kept going as lightning flashed around them. They managed speeds of around 14 mph at times, and averaged nearly 10 mph. A high, fast-moving river provided an extra push.

Friend and assistant Andrew Condie, also from Texas, offered to help the pair at checkpoints along the banks.

When Bowden and Issendorf arrived in St. Charles, they beat the MR340 record that Condie helped set in 2013. Condie offered the winners a victory drink: two cans of cold beer.

For Bowden and Issendorf, the idea to participate in the race started only a couple of weeks ago. Issendorf had managed to find a spot even though enrolling in the race took place months earlier.

Bowden also had completed a similar marathon river trek weeks earlier. The two only had gone out once in their black boat once before the race, but Bowden trusted Issendorf, who was a top student at Bowden's River Fitness school in Texas.

Around a dozen people gathered to meet the first-place finishers.

Adam Crawford of St. Charles brought his sons Gus, 3, and Charlie, 7, to watch. Crawford's friend Mark Malkowicz joined them as well.

Malkowicz and his brother once paddled the Missouri River from Kansas to Illinois. He said he loves floating down the Missouri, and said, "as far as rivers go, this is the most beautiful I've seen."

BELLVILLE, Ohio — The parents of a 5-year-old in central Ohio have created a visual bucket list for their daughter after she was diagnosed with a condition that will eventually cause her to go blind.

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Myers, of Bellville, was recently diagnosed with Usher Syndrome Type II, a rare genetic condition that causes hearing and progressive vision loss, and can result in blindness.

Her father, Steve Myers, tells the Mansfield News Journal they have about five to seven years to get her out and see things, particularly at night. They plan to take Lizzy to attractions like the Northern Lights, the Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls and Yellowstone.

The Myers hope their story encourages other parents to get their children tested.

LANSING, Mich. — A Lansing-based taxidermist used the longtime rivalry between Michigan State University and the University of Michigan as inspiration for his latest creation.

Nick Saade, a full-time taxidermist for 18 years, recently made a football display with 22 stuffed chipmunks wearing little Spartan and Wolverine helmets. The chipmunks are mounted to a small-scale football field in passing, throwing, catching and tackling positions.

Saade enlisted the help of his son, who's a football coach at Sexton High School, to help him plan the layout and plays in his display.

The owner of Taxidermy by Nick Saade told the Lansing State Journal that the Spartans are about to score the winning touchdown, with the chipmunk quarterback winding up to throw the football to his teammate in the end zone.

The Wolverine players from the University of Michigan look "kind of cool but everybody knows MSU is better — even the chipmunks," Saade said.

Four referees will be added to the display when another one of Saade's relatives, a dollmaker, is finished creating their uniforms.

"Every once in a while we do something cute," he said. "I'm going to have as much fun as I possibly can, then sooner or later it will end up for sale."

After the display is complete, Saade plans to sell his creation for $1,500.

"I don't even care if it sells or not. It's just a cute thing," he said.

Saade said he doesn't kill animals for his projects, and instead he uses road kill, nuisance animals and leftover parts from the hunting and fishing trophies he makes.

The chipmunks in the football display were trapped by several friends who wanted to rid their cabins of the rodents, which Saade called "destructive ... little Tasmanian devils." When a friend donated a chipmunk, he put it in the freezer, and then waited until he collected enough of them for his project.

Other creations Saade has dreamed up are two fencing squirrels, an upright white-tailed doe holding a cocktail tray and a lounging muskrat.

"I basically do this because I love to do it, and I don't like to see any parts of animals wasted," he said of his self-taught taxidermy.

INDIANAPOLIS — A wild black bear that's been roaming far northern Indiana for nearly two months has returned to the state after a short trip home to Michigan, and wildlife officials are waiting for it with live traps baited with delicacies.

The bear re-entered a wooded area near Michigan City, Indiana, on Monday after spending time in adjacent Michigan, said Budd Veverka, a farmland game research biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Since its return, there haven't been any additional reports about its possible whereabouts, but DNR Fish and Wildlife staff are keeping watch for the furry interloper, Veverka said Thursday.

Michigan has an estimated black bear population of between 15,000 and 20,000 animals, but when the bear wandered south into northern Indiana in early June it became Indiana's first confirmed wild back bear presence since 1871.

Wildlife officials launched an effort to capture the young male in mid-July after it began making forays onto residential property near Michigan City, about 60 miles east of Chicago. The bear overturned trash cans and bird feeders while searching for food, climbed onto patios and porches, and even pounded on the doors of several homes.

The DNR has said the bear needs to be removed from Indiana to protect both it and humans from possible injury in an encounter.

Veverka said the trapping efforts are continuing in wooded areas near Michigan City where DNR staff have set up two barrel traps with doors that close when the bait inside is seized by animals. Those traps, as well as a separate bait station, are all baited with the bear delicacies of sardines, bacon, liquid smoke, honey and marshmallows.

"We have the honey and there's also some bird seed in there as well. The reason we use liquid smoke, marshallows, bacon and those others is because all of them have strong scents," he said. "We hope to draw him in and we're hoping if he's passing by he won't be able to pass that up."

If the bear isn't captured in one of the traps, the DNR can't drive it back into Michigan or it doesn't return home on its own, officials might sedate the bear using a gun that fires tranquilizer darts and turn him over to their Michigan counterparts. They would likely relocate the bear to Michigan's northern counties.

CARMEL, Ind. — Firefighters running into a house is a familiar sight.

Firefighters running out of a house, across a backyard and to a nearby elementary school parking lot to board their firetruck? Not so much so.

Such is the case, though, when the temporary fire station becomes the house down the street.

"They've been extremely pleasant," new neighbor Skip Goodwin said of the firefighters from Station No. 44 of the Carmel Fire Department. "They've come over in the yard and offered to help me."

Stations No. 43, at 106th Street and Keystone Avenue, and No. 44, at 131st Street and Gray Road, of the Carmel Fire Department are undergoing major remodels that have moved the firefighters from the stations into nearby homes. The locations have given the firefighters a chance to get more involved in the community while continuing to speedily serve their areas of the city.

Joel Heavner, the department's public information officer, said renting a home for each temporary station was cheaper than, say, buying a house trailer.

Station 44 firefighters built a garage behind the house in the parking lot of Mohawk Trails Elementary School to house the truck and their gear.

A radio for alerts was put in the home's living room, and a small gym was put in the garage. The firefighters sleep in twin beds in two of the bedrooms, while the remaining bedroom is used as an office.

Storage is limited, but the firefighters are enjoying the extra space the home provides, such as the backyard patio and TV room.

Station 44 Capt. John Moriarty said the neighbors have been welcoming, offering to bring cookies or lasagna for dinner. He said others have questioned whether the firefighters were living in the garage in the school parking lot, rather than the house on the hill.

"They thought we were living in that," he said, pointing to the garage. "I was at the store, and this woman said to me the other day, 'I thought you'd be awful hot in there.'"

Once the firefighters moved in a kindergarten teacher at the school got her class to send pictures and letters to the crew. They asked the firefighters to show them the firetruck. Moriarty said they obliged and even brought out Sparky, the fire station's mascot.

Expansions and updates were needed at both stations, the firefighters said.

"The quarters that we had before, we had outgrown the station," Moriarty said. "We opened it with two firefighters in 1981."

Station 43's remodel is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, but Station 44 has been demolished and won't be ready until spring or early summer of 2016.

Clay Township has provided most of the funding through a $6.5 million bond to demolish and rebuild Station 44, renovate Station 43 and build a maintenance and training facility in an agreement with the township board and the City of Carmel.

Station 44 houses 18 firefighters with six on each shift. Station 43 houses 12 firefighters with four on each shift.

Although firefighters from Station 44 say their temporary home is nice, they are eager for the new station. Moriarty said the crew made design suggestions.

The new station will be built up instead of out so it won't take up more space on the lot. The bunk rooms will be bigger, and fire poles will be above the truck bays to get downstairs quickly. Officers will have their own lockers in the bunk rooms and more bathrooms and changing areas. There also will be a television room, a kitchen and a gym.

But the move-in date is still a year away. In the meantime, the firefighters will be getting to know their new neighbors, ready to help whenever needed.

As the firefighters wait, they will be getting to know their new neighbors, ready to help whenever needed.

"If we had a fire," Goodwin said, "of course we probably would forget 911. Just run next door."

ST. PAUL, Minn. — New standardized test scores show Minnesota students made no overall improvement in math, reading or science this year and made little progress in closing achievement gaps between white and minority students.

Sixty percent of students met state math standards, down from nearly 62 percent in 2014, the Star Tribune reported. And about 60 percent of students mastered state standards in reading, compared to 59 percent last year.

White students in Minnesota continued to outperform minority students by more than 20 percentage points on average.

Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said she isn't satisfied with the results, but they don't paint a complete picture of student achievement in the state because they fail to measure academic growth that students may be making.

"This is one measure at one point in time," she said. "It does not look at students who move from not proficient to partially proficient."

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests were taken this spring by about 500,000 elementary and high school students across the state. They're meant to measure student achievement and teacher performance in some districts; chart the progress of schools and districts; and monitor school improvement and accountability.

Although testing season was complicated by computer glitches, attacks by computer hackers and other testing problems, Cassellius said there's no statistical evidence showing they impacted student's test scores.

Cassellius believes the state is seeing stagnant scores in reading because the test is relatively new and educators are still getting used to teaching a more rigorous curriculum. When the state changed its reading exam in 2013, there was a significant drop in test scores, from 75 percent proficiency to 58 percent. Scores have only gone up about 1 percentage point each year since then.

The exam now places a greater emphasis on critical thinking skills and requires students to read and comprehend longer nonfiction passages, Cassellius said.

"Reading is an area where we are working toward," she said. "As teachers master the standards and get better, it will work."

Statewide math scores also haven't seen any major changes since 2011, according to Cassellius, who's still working to determine why Minnesota students aren't improving in that area. She believes the state will offer more training to math teachers to help encourage growth.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Usage of seat belts by drivers and front-seat passengers in Illinois has reached an all-time high.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that the rate is at 95.2 percent. That's an increase of 1.1 percent from last year's previous high of 94.1 percent. The state has had a mandatory seat-belt law since 1985.

The National Highway Safety Administration said earlier this year that Illinois ranked seventh nationally in safety-belt usage for 2014. IDOT officials say they're happy about the number but still want it to be higher.

IDOT undertook a survey of 155,175 front-seat occupants on roads across Illinois.

Data for back-seat passenger seat-belt usage is due in October. Illinois law has required back-seat passengers to wear seat belts since 2012.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A Sioux Falls teenager has garnered national attention by quitting her job when told by a manager that the shorts she had bought in her own store's career section were too short.

Sylvia Stoel, 17, quit as a J.C. Penney Co. sales clerk on July 24 rather than change her shorts. She went home and posted on her Twitter account a photo of herself wearing the shorts and a brief description of what had happened, drawing more than 20,000 followers and 14,000 tweets — from accolades to threats. She also has been interviewed by People magazine and has been featured on the "Today" show and "Good Morning America."

The high school senior told the Argus Leader newspaper that she is not trying to take on a corporate giant.

"It's not like a 'me vs. J.C. Penney' situation," she said. "I don't have a public grudge or feel victimized by J.C. Penney. I think it's about a larger issue of misogyny and dress codes."

J.C. Penney said its dress code is not sexist.

"We do not comment on personnel matters, but J.C Penney's dress code policy for store associates does not allow the wearing of shorts of any length. This policy applies to both male and female associates," the company said.

Stoel is seeking a new job.

URBANDALE, Iowa — The Iowa Board of Regents is creating a new position to run its daily operations, with a base salary that's more than $85,000 higher than what its executive director can receive by law.

University of Iowa administrator Mark Braun has been named to a one-year interim appointment as chief operating officer for the board, which governs the state's three public universities.

If approved by the board during a meeting next week, Braun is expected to begin the position Aug. 5 with a $240,000 annual salary. In an unusual arrangement, he'll remain on the University of Iowa payroll during the interim appointment rather than transferring those costs to the board office.

The board's executive director, Bob Donley, has a base salary of $154,300, the cap set for the position by state lawmakers. But Donley receives extra compensation in the form of bonuses and deferred compensation.

Board spokesman Josh Lehman said nothing precludes a subordinate employee from earning a higher salary than Donley. He said the board was fortunate to have Braun, a longtime top aide to departing University of Iowa president Sally Mason.

The new position is part of a restructuring of the 20-employee board office in Urbandale designed to "achieve and maintain greater operational efficiencies," according to a report given to regents.

While all employees previously reported to Donley, the new structure means chief academic officer Diana Gonzalez and Braun will be responsible for overseeing subordinates in their areas. Gonzalez and Braun will report to Donley.

For about a year, Braun has been leading a wide-ranging review of the universities' operations to find efficiencies and cost savings. A significant part of Braun's new position will include overseeing the recommendations, which include restructuring functions such as purchasing, human resources, and information technology.

"Mr. Braun is uniquely qualified to manage this massive project as we move into this critical implementation phase and has the experience and dedication to ensure its continued success," Lehman said.

MADISON, Wis. — Newly released documents show Gov. Scott Walker's office was involved in drafting a state budget amendment that would have overhauled Wisconsin's open records law and kept some government materials secret.

Walker, who is seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, has acknowledged his office played a role in developing the proposal but, in the wake of fierce bipartisan backlash, called it a "huge mistake." Documents released to a number of media outlets, including the Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, show Walker's assistant legal counsel, David Rabe, was involved in drafting the amendment weeks before the Legislature's budget committee approved it.

A June 15 email from the Legislative Reference Bureau's Michael Gallagher to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos aide Andrew Hanus began with the subject line "Governor's request." Gallagher wrote in the email that he was in communication with Rabe about Walker's request to draft the amendment.

The next day, the reference bureau emailed draft amendment language that would have exempted legislative drafting documents and notes, personal property and other materials from the open records law, including so-called "deliberative process" materials, communications that include opinions, analyses, briefings, recommendations, suggestions and drafts related to bills.

The liberal Center for Media and Democracy is suing Walker to obtain documents related to his budget proposal to eliminate the University of Wisconsin's mission statement. Walker has argued the files are part of the deliberative process and should be kept private, an exemption not currently allowed under the open records law.

Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick responded to the State Journal's request for comment by referring to a previous statement that acknowledged the governor's staff provided input after legislative leaders told them they wanted to make changes to the open records law.

Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald have said the amendment was a collaborative effort with the governor.

The Republican-controlled budget committee added the amendment to the budget on July 2 but GOP leaders removed it days later amid an uproar from open government advocates.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Police say a 69-year-old man has shot and wounded a man who was repossessing his vehicle in suburban Detroit.

Southfield police say the man shot a 44-year-old man from Southgate in the leg around 5:30 a.m. Thursday. The wounded man was taken to a hospital for treatment and the 69-year-old was arrested.

Police say they recovered a handgun believed to be used in the shooting, which is under investigation. Additional information wasn't immediately released.

GERING, Neb. — A man who was injured at a Union Pacific facility when a chair he was sitting on broke has been awarded more than $920,000 by a jury in western Nebraska.

Dan Anderson filed the lawsuit in March 2010, alleging that the railroad failed to provide him a safe place to work. The accident occurred on Oct. 2, 2007, when Anderson was 55 and working as a control operator at Union Pacific's South Morrill facility in Scotts Bluff County. The verdict was rendered last week after a three-day trial.

It's unclear whether Union Pacific plans to appeal. An attorney for the railroad didn't immediately return a call Thursday from The Associated Press.

Anderson's attorney Kyle Long says Anderson lost 61 days of work and had to undergo back surgery.

TOWN OF WESCOTT, Wis. — Authorities say a man has gone missing in Shawano Lake in northeastern Wisconsin after he jumped in the water to rescue his 10-year-old son, who was later found safe.

WLUK-TV reports the search for the man who went missing Wednesday is being considered a recovery mission. The search was suspended Wednesday night, and officials said it was expected to resume Thursday morning.

Shawano County Sheriff Adam Bieber says the boy was tubing on the lake without a lifejacket and lost his grip while trying to get back on a pontoon boat. Bieber says the boy's father jumped in the water, and the boat carrying the boy's grandfather and 9-year-old brother drifted away.

The 10-year-old boy was found by sheriff's deputies near a buoy.