Judge won’t immediately put Michigan professor back in class

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan professor suspended for making a provocative video for his history students won’t be returning to class any time soon. A federal judge rejected Barry Mehler’s request for immediate reinstatement Wednesday and set a March 7 hearing on his bid for a preliminary injunction. The 74-year-old Mehler was suspended with pay earlier this month after making a sarcastic 14-minute video that included profanity and criticism of Ferris State University’s COVID-19 policies. His attorneys say the professor was wrongly punished for expressing free speech. Mehler says he was performing when he used salty language in the video.