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Rep. Aiyash to join hunger strike in D.C. calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza
A Michigan legislator will be among five state lawmakers from across the country participating in a hunger strike while demanding a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck) says he will leave for Washington, D.C,. on Wednesday night to join the hunger strike with four other state lawmakers — […]
Tentative deal announced in 11-week strike by Blue Cross Blue Shield workers
A little over a week after ratifying contracts with the Detroit Three automakers, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union announced on Tuesday it had reached a tentative agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) and its HMO subsidiary, Blue Care Network. Approximately 1,300 UAW members have been on strike since Sept. 13 — […]
Whitmer signs climate change legislation setting 100% clean energy standard for Michigan by 2040
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a slate of bills Tuesday that take her proposals from the MI Healthy Climate Plan and make them into state law. Held at Detroit’s Eastern Market, the ceremony followed House passage earlier this month of a half-a-dozen pieces of climate change legislation from Democrats that address, among other issues, clean energy […]
Federal judge finds former owner of mid-Michigan dams liable for nearly $120M in damages
A default judgment has been entered against the former owner of a mid-Michigan dam that failed in 2020, forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people and damaging thousands of homes and businesses. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on Monday awarded a $119.8 million judgment against Lee Mueller, whose business, […]
Meta admits it does ‘very little’ to keep underage users off its platforms in unredacted docs
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, received millions of complaints about underage users on Instagram, but never disclosed that fact nor made any serious effort to close those accounts. That’s according to details that have emerged from a newly unsealed complaint, which had key portions redacted when it was originally filed in October by 33 attorneys general […]
Kathleen Wilbur, respected force in state government and university administration, dies at 70
A trailblazer in state government in Michigan, who was also a key player in university administration, died over the weekend after more than four decades of public service. Kathleen Wilbur, 70, died on Sunday after a sudden recurrence of cancer. Wilbur, who was Michigan State University’s senior vice president for government relations, only just last […]
Michigan voting rights advocates decry ‘calamitous ruling’ on Voting Rights Act
Following a federal court ruling limiting the scope of the Voting Rights Act, Michigan officials say the urgency has only increased to pass state-level legislation to protect minority voters. On Monday, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that only the United States attorney general can enforce the Voting Rights […]
Michigan may have fewer deer hunters, but venison donations to food banks are up
Despite an ongoing trend in Michigan of fewer people heading into deer blinds, the amount of venison being donated to local food banks and other charities has been steadily increasing. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2022 Deer Harvest Survey, the total number of hunters declined by about 4% from 537,014 in […]
‘Michigan has showed the world’: Whitmer signs pared-down Reproductive Health Act into law
Underneath a digital billboard that said, “Today we are taking another bold step forward to ensure Michigan laws reflect Michigan values,” Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed into law bills that repeal several abortion restrictions in Michigan. The ceremony, held at Schoolcraft College’s Vistatech Center in Livonia, featured dozens of reproductive rights supporters and […]
‘They were full and beloved people’: Vigil honors those lost to anti-trans violence
In spite of a blustery day, as the sun refused to make an appearance from behind the low gray clouds, nearly two dozen people gathered Monday in downtown Ann Arbor Monday to mark 2023’s Trans Day of Remembrance. The annual observance is held on Nov. 20 to honor the memory of those transgender people whose […]
40 pro-Palestinian protestors arrested Friday during U of M demonstration
Leaders of a pro-Palestinian protest Friday at the University of Michigan claim that police acted “aggressively” and “violently” toward students as they staged a sit-in at the office of university President Santa Ono. In a release issued by Students Allied for Freedom & Equality (SAFE), also known as the university’s local Students for Justice in […]
Junge joins GOP race to replace Rep. Kildee in Michigan’s 8th District
There are now two Republican candidates seeking to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint), as Paul Junge of Grand Blanc officially joined the race on Friday, a day after Kildee announced he would not seek another term. Junge joins Republican Martin Blank, a surgeon and U.S. Army veteran, who announced in […]