Community Loses Lawsuit To Keep UP Prison Open
(AP) — A judge has turned aside a legal challenge aimed at trying to keep a prison open in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
State law requires the Corrections Department to consider the economic impact on a community when planning to close a prison. Marenisco Township in Gogebic County claims the department didn't follow the law.
But Judge Stephen Borrello says the lawsuit doesn't offer any additional details. He says the department simply had to consider the economic impact of closing the Ojibway prison. The judge says there's nothing in law that would force the department to change its decision.
The Snyder administration acknowledges that the economic impact will be significant. The prison has 203 employees, including some who live in Wisconsin. Ojibway is expected to close by Saturday.
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