Author
Whitmer administration rolls out clean energy initiative
As Michigan works to transition toward clean energy, state officials have a new initiative aimed at navigating that path. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), the state’s regulatory authority for utilities, last week established the MI Power Grid initiative to educate the public on the changes in the energy industry and […]
Bipartisan bills would shield domestic and sexual violence victims’ addresses
Legislation introduced this month in the Michigan Legislature could help stop perpetrators from finding victims of domestic or sexual violence again. The bipartisan Address Confidentiality Act would require all government entities to use a confidential “designated address” to mail items, such as voter registrations and driver licenses to victims of violence. Victims of crimes — […]
Senate passes bills aimed at helping deaf, autistic people with police interactions
Bills seeking to alert law enforcement to the needs of those with communication barriers at traffic stops were unanimously approved Wednesday in the state Senate and are now headed to the Michigan House of Representatives. The two bills would allow those on the autism spectrum, deaf or facing other communication barriers to place to receive […]
Flint water meets state, federal standards for 3rd straight year
Flint’s water system meets state and federal requirements for the third year in a row, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). In 2018, Michigan adopted the strict rules surrounding lead in drinking water. Michigan’s revised Lead and Copper Rule requires all lead service lines be removed over the next […]
Slotkin tells supporters, protesters on backing impeachment inquiry: ‘I believed it was the right thing to do’
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) addressed her decision to support the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump in an overcrowded constituent event Wednesday at the Grand Traverse Pie Co. in East Lansing. Slotkin cut her event short, announcing that “the fire marshal is on his way,” but managed to fit in comments about the “imperative” […]
Update: State delays mosquito spraying due to weather
Updated, 4:24 a.m. 9/30/19 with the state canceling spraying due to weather. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced on Sunday that it would delay plans due to inclement weather to conduct aerial spraying in 14 counties across the state because of a mosquito-borne virus. Future plans will be announced Monday.* The […]
Protesters pan new auto insurance law
Thousands rallied at the Michigan Capitol steps Wednesday to protest a new auto insurance law reforming the no-fault insurance policy that protected those injured in auto crashes. The law passed in May the state House 94-15 and in the state Senate 34-4, only opposed by Democrats. There were no votes in the Legislature Wednesday, but […]
Feds grant Flint $1.6M to process untested rape kits
Flint received a federal grant for more than $1.6 million to empower local law enforcement to process a backlog of more than 1,000 rape kits and investigate crimes of a sexual nature, according to a press release from U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint). The kits provide sexual assault victims an opportunity to have DNA evidence […]
Volkswagen clean air settlement money powers first-ever electric school buses in Michigan
Seven Michigan school districts will receive electric school buses by next school year as part of a program to promote cleaner energy and air quality. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) designated funds for 17 electric buses to replace diesel buses at schools in Kalamazoo, Three Rivers, Oxford, Gaylord, Roseville, Ann Arbor […]
Climate change study: Lyme disease spread cost Michigan $8M in 1 year
A study of 10 climate-impacted events in 2012 estimates the health-related costs of those events at $10 billion, with an $8 million price tag for Lyme disease spreading in Michigan alone. The study from the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says the costs stem from an estimated total of 917 deaths, 20,568 hospitalizations […]
No agreement reached on ‘Me Too’ home sexual assault kits, AG files for subpoena
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s fight against home sexual assault evidence kits continues, as the company that produces them failed to respond to the office’s demand to cease and desist sales in Michigan. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based “Me Too Kits” Co. markets the product as the “first ever sexual assault evidence kit for at-home use” — […]
Peters calls on Defense Department to investigate Pence travel
This week, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) called upon the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General to investigate the U.S. Air Force spending taxpayer money on traveling to President Trump’s hotels and resorts. As ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters is asking for an independent investigation to find […]