Accused killer testifies at Hutch trial • Boy badly hurt in Rochester explosion • Teachers fight for contract

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - The family of a boy hurt in last weekend's explosion in downtown Rochester recounted the blast that seriously injured the 12-year-old.

Matthew Vincler was riding his bicycle with friends when they stopped to look at decorative torches that were on fire Saturday outside 423 Main Bar & Grill. Employees attempted to extinguish the flames but couldn't, and the propane tank exploded.

Matthew doesn't remember what happened after being hit by shrapnel from the blast.

"It was terrifying for me to realize 'OK it's getting dusk, where are the boys?' So I start calling, I start texting. I do find my iPhone – nothing," Rachel said.

A paramedic picked up her call on Matthew’s phone and told her to get to Corewell Health in Royal Oak.

"The scariest moment was that moment you're not sure he's gonna be there," said the 12-year-old's father, Joe Vincler.

Troy teachers fight for new contract

With only a couple of weeks left in the school year, Troy teachers are fighting for a new contract.

The teachers have been working without a contract since February. The district said strides have been made during the 15 bargaining sessions that have been held, but no deal has been reached yet.

Teachers say they want better wages and improved working conditions. They say that they work for one of the best school districts in the state, so their wages should reflect that.

"We have 16 more days of school left and unfortunately, if we don't get a contract before the last day of school, then we won't get to vote on a contract until the day before school starts in August," teacher Sarah Ritter said.

Accused killer testifies at trial

The man accused of shooting and killing Oak Park jeweler Dan ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson two years ago took the stand in his defense Tuesday.

Roy Larry is expected to continue testifying Wednesday after giving heated testimony yesterday.

Roy became argumentative at times as he denied being the shooter,

"If you look at that video and you can see clearly if that man on the bike never made an attempt to shoot Mr. Dan or whatever his name is, I don't mean to be disrespectful. He didn't swing that gun forward or around," Roy said. "I know I'm not the shooter."

Roy's cousin, Darnell Larry, was also charged in connection with the murder plot. He pleaded guilty and testified against Roy and Bisbikis. Roy denied having any contact with Darnell and said he hasn't seen him in about 35 years.

"The point is, if Darnell told me to kill these people and I know I got to kill both people, I'm going to make him to shoot me. I'm not just going to shoot him," Roy said. "And I know this is the plan. It don't make common sense. It don't make stupid sense."

Michigan Central tickets being released after blunder

After the website to get tickets to the Michigan Central opening concert and tours crashed Tuesday, tickets are being released Wednesday at 9 a.m.

 Registration was slated to open at noon on Tuesday. However, minutes before, the Michigan Central website became overloaded and crashed. The decision was made to pause registration and reschedule the ticket release.

Michigan Central has been abandoned since the late 1980s. After sitting vacant for decades, Ford Motor Co. bought and renovated the historic train station. Next month will be the first time the public sees the renovations. 

Attending is free, but you must register for a ticket in advance.

4 arrested as police break up UM pro-Palestine encampment

Police deployed pepper spray and arrested multiple protesters Tuesday in Ann Arbor after officers moved in and cleared the encampment staged in the heart of the city.

Erected as a protest against the University of Michigan's endowment that it has invested in companies in Israel, those who had been stationed in the Diag had refused to move until the school had met their demands.

Police moved in early Tuesday to remove protesters and break up the camp.

"They gave me chemical burns, they pepper sprayed a student on the ground and sent them to the hospital," said Ryan Mersole-Barg, a student protester, pointing to his arm and wearing a towel over his face.

Four protesters were arrested and later released Tuesday afternoon while charges are pending. 

University of Michigan police say they asked protesters to leave before moving to remove them.

Daily Forecast

Today will be slightly cooler but highs will still be in the 80s. 

What else we're watching

1. A woman was arrested Tuesday night after slamming into a Farmington Hills 7-Eleven, leaving a gaping hole in the building. 
2. Spencer Park's beach won't be open this Memorial Day weekend due to a lifeguard shortage.
3. The body of a Plymouth man who went missing while kayaking in the Detroit River has been recovered, the Department of Natural Resources said. James Kuntz, 63, was last seen at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle on May 10. 
4. A 52-year-old woman is accused of pretending to be a nurse in Oakland County. Cassandra Alvera Gilleylen didn't have a nursing license, authorities allege. 
5. It's almost the holiday weekend. Find a Memorial Day parade here.

Testimony ends as defense rests without calling Trump to stand

Donald Trump's hush money trial moved into a new phase Tuesday, drawing closer to the moment when the jury will begin deciding the former president's fate after testimony ended without Trump taking the stand in his own defense.

The jury was sent home for a week, until May 28, when closing arguments are expected, but the attorneys returned to the courtroom to debate how the judge will instruct jurors on deliberations, a sort of road map meant to help them apply the law to the evidence and testimony.

Trump, the first former American president to be tried criminally, did not answer questions about why he did not testify.

He previously said he wanted to take the witness stand in his own defense, but there was no requirement or even expectation that he do so. Defendants routinely decline to testify. 

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