Author
Voter suppression legislation in Michigan boosted by company donations to Republicans, nonprofit says
After a police officer murdered George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, sparking protests against police brutality across the country, companies nationwide began issuing statements and policies advocating for racial justice. General Motors, for example, published a statement last year on Juneteenth—a holiday that commemorates the emancipation of Black individuals […]
Bipartisan police reforms win broad support at Senate hearing
A package of bipartisan police reform bills received the backing of Democratic and Republican lawmakers, a retired police detective, a civil rights lawyer and others during a state Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee hearing on Thursday. The bills would create guidelines for investigations into officer-involved deaths, limit no-knock warrants and boost support for de-escalation […]
How QAnon is seeping into Michigan GOP politics
QAnon has found a home in Michigan. The right-wing conspiracy theory — which is rooted in anti-Semitic tropes and revolves around former President Donald Trump hunting down and eventually killing Democratic politicians and wealthy liberals who lead double lives as Satan-worshipping cannibals running a child sex trafficking ring — is increasingly spreading from the fringes […]
Grand Blanc school board member’s QAnon posts spark protest
Lucas Hartwell couldn’t wait to vote in his first election last November. To prepare, the then-Grand Blanc High School senior researched all candidates on the ballot, but could find very little information about one of the individuals running for the Grand Blanc Board of Education, Amy Facchinello. So he turned to her social media. That […]
‘Biological females are one of our nation’s greatest treasures,’ says backer of anti-trans sports bill
A state Senate bill that aims to prevent transgender athletes in Michigan high schools from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity landed condemnation and support during a legislative hearing in Lansing Tuesday afternoon. Senate Bill 218, which was introduced in March by state Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton) and is co-sponsored by […]
Why are some health care workers refusing the COVID vaccine?
Not long after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Dr. Michelle Moniz said she and her colleagues learned of health care workers around the country reporting they would not get a vaccine to protect them from the disease that has killed thousands of their colleagues. “When COVID started happening, I was very curious about what we were […]
Report: Waste from coal-fired plants threatens Michigan water safety
Michigan’s coal-fired power plants are annually generating more than 1 million tons of waste that’s laden with lead, mercury and arsenic and poses significant dangers to the health of residents and the state’s groundwater and surface water, the Michigan Environmental Council said in a new report released Tuesday morning. “The storage of coal ash in […]
The silent majority: As Michigan begins to emerge from the pandemic after more than a year, those who followed the rules now speak out
These are the days of fragile hope. These days, when the vaccines are here and COVID cases skyrocketed last month but are falling, we talk about our coming returns: to offices we left long ago, to schools, to restaurants and friends’ houses and parents’ dining room tables. We think of hugging those we’ve known only […]
Feds send Michigan $150M to fight homelessness
For Michiganders facing homelessness in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, help is on the way, federal and state officials said Thursday. Michigan is set to receive more than $150 million in new federal grants for rental assistance, the creation of affordable housing and other initiatives meant to decrease homelessness, U.S. Department of Housing and […]
‘This could set women back generations’: The pandemic recession’s toll on the workforce and families
When the COVID-19 pandemic began driving women from their jobs en masse a little more than one year ago, West Michigan Works employees were ready to help them return to the labor force. But they’re not returning. “Women are actually dropping out of the workforce; it’s not just an issue of they’re looking for work […]
West Michigan Republican faces resignation calls over social media posts, allies say he’s ‘no racist’
Updated, 2:47 p.m., 4/6/21 For at least the third time this year, Republican Muskegon County Commissioner Zach Lahring is facing calls for his resignation — and this time it’s from groups and residents who say he has a history of social media posts that are racist, transphobic and ableist. Lahring, who also is the chair […]
The spring surge: Michigan’s COVID case rates, hospitalizations soar
Updated, 3:05 p.m., 3/26/21 with comments from DHHS While the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel may be getting closer as more vaccines are doled out across Michigan, the pandemic is still far from over. And the public cannot pretend otherwise unless it wants to prolong the disease’s grip on the state, health […]