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Pro-Palestinian protesters march to U of M president’s house after cancelation of student votes
A steady cold rain did nothing to dampen the passions of several hundred University of Michigan students and community members protesting the cancelation Thursday of voting on competing resolutions over the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The protesters gathered Friday afternoon outside the Michigan Union where Joseph Fisher, activism chair for Students Allied for Freedom […]
Michigan cities rank above national average on annual LGBTQ+ scorecard
More than one-third of the Michigan cities ranked in a national survey of LGBTQ+ rights, including Detroit, received perfect scores. The 12th annual Municipal Equality Index, released Nov. 14 by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, in partnership with the Equality Federation, ranked 506 cities across the nation based on criteria in five areas; non-discrimination […]
Businessman Sandy Pensler joins jammed GOP field for Michigan U.S. Senate seat
Saying he wants to take the “Senate back from the morons,” Grosse Pointe Park businessman Sandy Pensler is making another run for U.S. Senate, announcing via a video Friday morning that he has joined the race for the Republican nomination to replace Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Lansing, who announced earlier this year she would […]
U of M student vote canceled on competing resolutions over Israel-Hamas conflict
A vote by students at the University of Michigan on competing resolutions concerning the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been canceled. In an email to the student body Thursday morning, U of M’s Vice President and General Counsel Timothy Lynch said that due to the inappropriate use of the university’s email system, the voting […]
DHHS redoubles efforts as Michigan residents continue to lose Medicaid coverage
While 168,088 Michigan residents renewed Medicaid or Healthy Michigan plan coverage in October, more than 85,000 others did not, with Thursday the deadline to turn in their paperwork or face being disenrolled from the programs. That’s according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which announced the latest renewal numbers Wednesday for […]
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 […]