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State reports 3,962 new COVID-19 cases since Tuesday
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Friday that a total of 910,500 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 19,950 have died from the virus — an additional 3,962 cases and three deaths since Tuesday. The state is only reporting COVID-19 data on Tuesdays and Fridays each week. The new numbers […]
LGBTQ+ rights group appeals to Michigan Supreme Court after state board rejects ballot measure
Fair and Equal Michigan, the group aiming to amend the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to expand anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ residents, filed an appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court Wednesday after the Board of State Canvassers last week rejected the group’s petition. The LGBTQ+ rights advocates are aiming to get the initiative on the […]
Michigan AFL-CIO proposes redistricting maps for state commission
Updated 11:14 a.m., 8/5/21 The Michigan AFL-CIO drew up its own set of state legislative maps for the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) to consider before the panel begins crafting new U.S. House and state House and Senate district lines for the next 10 years. Along with drawing up maps for the state House […]
Hillsdale proposes abortion ban, ‘spontaneous miscarriages’ would be open to prosecution
Hillsdale, a small city near the Ohio border best known as the home of conservative Hillsdale College, proposed an ordinance Monday that would ban abortions within the city limits and would it a “sanctuary city for the unborn.” The ordinance would criminalize any person from performing abortions or providing abortion-inducing drugs at any stage of […]
Study: Michigan electing more LGBTQ+ local officials, still far off from equity
LGBTQ+ representation in elected offices has taken big strides in the last year nationwide, especially on the local level in Michigan, according to a recent study. A report by the Victory Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to help LGBTQ+ people get elected to office, shows that nationally there are 986 openly LGBTQ+ people currently […]
6 Michigan GOP lawmakers sign brief to overturn Roe v. Wade
Six Michigan Republican members of Congress signed on to an amicus brief Thursday seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade. In May, the Supreme Court, which is considered to have the most right-wing tilt in decades, agreed to hear arguments on a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. U.S. […]
Study: SNAP benefits don’t come close to covering the cost of a meal in Leelanau County
Leelanau County in northern Michigan has the largest gap nationwide between maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and the average cost of a meal, according to a recent study. Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based social and economic policy research nonprofit, found that in 2020, the average meal in Leelanau County, which is estimated to […]
Report shows Catholic Conference funding opposition against LGBTQ+ rights initiative
The Michigan Catholic Conference has largely funded the opposition against Fair and Equal Michigan’s petition to amend the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to expand anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ residents, according to campaign finance reports filed Monday. The petition aims to get the issue before voters in 2022, but was rejected this week by a […]
DPSCD reaches deal with union on school reopening plan, includes hazard pay, paid sick leave
Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) announced Monday that a deal has been struck with the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) for the schools’ reopening plan with updates for COVID-19 safety standards. “We are all excited to have our students back in schools and classrooms in the fall. As a district, I am proud that […]
State board nixes LGBTQ protections ballot initiative
The bipartisan Board of State Canvassers unanimously voted Monday to reject the Fair and Equal Michigan petition to amend the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to expand anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ residents due to a lack of valid signatures. The group was aiming to get the issue before voters in 2022. The board, which consists […]
‘It would force me to lie to patients’: Republicans consider so-called abortion pill reversal legislation
The latest anti-abortion bill introduced in the Michigan Legislature would require physicians to inform patients who are getting medication abortions of a medically unproven procedure known as abortion pill reversal (APR). Some doctors are concerned that this legislation, if passed, would require them to lie to patients and give them unsound medical advice. On June […]
State reports 1,295 new COVID-19 cases since Tuesday
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Friday that a total of 899,921 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 19,883 have died from the virus — an additional 1,295 cases and 21 deaths since Tuesday. The state is only reporting COVID-19 data on Tuesdays and Fridays each week. The new numbers […]