Author
What do parents need? A more affordable life, Flint residents tell Whitmer
One by one, parents spoke up: They can’t afford to have more children. Great-grandparents are caring for young children because working grandparents and parents aren’t making enough to foot bills for childcare or preschool. Early childhood programs range from accessible and affordable — one parent paid $17 a week at Mott Community College’s Early Childhood […]
Dems propose $180 ‘inflation relief’ checks, increasing EITC, repealing retirement tax
After weeks of negotiations, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Democratic legislative leaders announced Monday morning that Michigan taxpayers would receive $180 “inflation relief” checks as part of a proposal that includes boosting the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and rolling back the state’s so-called retirement tax. “I’m excited about delivering the largest tax break in decades […]
As trauma from gun violence builds, survivors campaign for change
Sixteen-and-a-half years after her brother, Ben, died by gun suicide, Mary Miller attended Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address. As she heard the governor call for gun reform — “the time for only thoughts and prayers is over,” Whitmer said during the Jan. 25 speech — she thought of her older brother, a […]
Sen. Santana reintroduces bill establishing Juneteenth as state-recognized holiday
After years of attempting to pass bills that would honor Black history in Michigan, state Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) reintroduced legislation on Wednesday that would establish Juneteenth as a state-recognized holiday. Santana introduced Senate Bill 50 on the first day of Black History Month after attempts to pass similar legislation in 2020 and 2021 under […]
‘Cruel, inefficient and just wrong on so many levels’
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, struggling Michiganders who had lost jobs watched as their bank accounts dwindled. As the world around them was engulfed by sickness and death, they saw their savings — often built over years — being depleted while they attempted to put food on their tables and pay their rent […]
‘Everyone is exhausted and burned out’: McLaren Central nurses authorize potential strike
For nearly 20 years, Christie Serniak has loved being a nurse at McLaren Central Michigan Hospital in Mount Pleasant. As tends to be the case in health care, there have been plenty of ups and downs — this is, after all, a world in which life begins and ends. But, over the past couple of […]
MyMichigan Alma nurses approve strike authorization
An overwhelming majority of nurses at MyMichigan Alma voted Wednesday to authorize a strike should union leaders determine it’s necessary in negotiations over their contract that expired in November, the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) said. Ninety-seven percent of the nurses who voted backed the strike authorization; 3% opposed it. There are approximately 150 nurses working […]
Nurses at two mid-Michigan hospitals voting on strike authorization this week
Updated 2:57 p.m., 1/25/23 Years of deteriorating labor conditions and months of working without a contract have prompted nurses at two hospitals in mid-Michigan to hold strike authorization votes this week, union leaders said. Approximately 150 nurses at MyMichigan Alma are holding their strike authorization vote Wednesday, and about 100 nurses at McLaren Central in […]
After years of misogyny, racism and threats in Lansing, progressive women are in charge
The paintings lining the walls of the Michigan Capitol tell a story of power, of the primarily white men who — year after year, decade after decade — have dominated the state’s political landscape. There are the exceptions: The portrait of Eva McCall Hamilton, a suffragist from Grand Rapids who became the first woman elected […]
‘The youth of America were never meant to attend so many funerals’
Updated 3:35 p.m., 1/19/23 with additional comments from Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks At first, there was chaos. As students ran from the bullets being fired into an Oxford High School hallway on Nov. 30, 2021, Maddie Johnson and her best friend, Madisyn Baldwin, were separated while the teenagers desperately looked for a safe space. […]
Benson, Dem lawmakers announce plans to protect election officials in wake of threats
After threats against election workers have soared in the wake of a right-wing campaign to push lies about the 2020 election, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Democratic lawmakers announced Tuesday plans to protect election officials and crack down on those intentionally sharing misinformation about elections and voting. “As Michigan’s chief election officer, my […]
Democratic leaders detail tax plans they say will lift Michiganders out of poverty
Hundreds of thousands of Michigan families could soon see thousands of more dollars in their pockets if the state legislature backs Democrats’ plan to repeal the state retirement tax and expand Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democratic leaders said during a press conference on Thursday. “Rolling back the retirement […]