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‘Don’t say that we can’t do anything. Don’t say that now is not the time.’
For the second straight day, Republicans who control the Michigan Senate blocked Democrats from speaking out on proposed gun reform legislation. The Senate session was ended Thursday by the GOP majority before statements, the time normally set aside for senators to speak for up to five minutes on any topic of their choice. Some Democratic […]
Michigan officials say over half of Benton Harbor lead lines have been replaced
State officials announced this week that a major milestone had been reached in the city of Benton Harbor, as more than 50% of the lead lines had been replaced with new copper lines or verified as lead-free. On Tuesday, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Director Liesl Clark gathered in Benton Harbor […]
Michigan white supremacist leader sentenced on civil disorder charge
The leader of a national white supremacist group was sentenced Tuesday in Michigan on civil disorder charges. Tuscola County Circuit Court Judge Amy Gierhart ordered Justen Watkins, 25, of Bad Axe to a term of 32 months to 4 years in prison for conspiring to train for a civil disorder and a mandatory consecutive 2 […]
Whitmer, White House tout Michigan electric vehicle efforts
Efforts to advance Michigan’s automotive sector in a “pro-climate” direction was the focus of an online discussion Tuesday hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) featuring Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “The Future of Mobility, From the Midwest to Beyond,” was hosted by CAP President and CEO Patrick Gaspard and featured what was billed as “a […]
Benson claims Trump wanted her tried for treason and ‘potentially executed’
Updated, 9:58 a.m., 10:53 a.m. 5/23/22 with additional comments from Benson’s office Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a national TV interview that former President Donald Trump wanted her to be tried for treason and “potentially executed” following his loss in the November 2020 election. Speaking with NBC News last week, Benson said […]
Report: GOP legislator who requested voting tabulator access ‘entangled’ in MSP investigation
A Michigan legislator is under scrutiny as part of an investigation into whether third parties gained unauthorized access to election equipment and data after the 2020 election. State Rep. Daire Rendon (R-Lake City) tried to gain access to a tabulator, according to Reuters, which reported that a township clerk in Roscommon County said Rendon made […]
Michigan GOP House candidate says birth control should be banned, blasts sex outside marriage
A former President Donald Trump-endorsed GOP candidate for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives says if elected, she will work to ban all forms of birth control. In an interview with the far-right website Church Militant, Jacky Eubanks said that if it ever came to a vote in the Michigan Legislature, “I would […]
Voting rights advocates organize in SE and West Michigan to get measure on the Nov. ballot
Updated, 12:38 p.m., 5/16/22 Voting rights advocates are ramping up efforts on a ballot initiative that seeks to expand voting access in Michigan. On Saturday, Voter Not Politicians (VNP), the nonprofit group that successfully amended the Michigan Constitution in 2018 to create a nonpartisan citizen-led redistricting process, hosted a series of large-scale trainings and petition […]
Updated: Blue Lakes Fire in the northern Lower Peninsula is now 75% contained
Updated, 4:12 p.m., 5/16/22 Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, which, as of Monday, is about 75% contained. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports its fire crews, along with local partners, continued to connect remaining containment line gaps in wet, low-lying areas in Montmorency and Cheboygan counties. The […]
GOP resolution seeks to abolish Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission
Just months after the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) completed new maps for each of Michigan’s new congressional, state Senate and state House districts, a resolution has been introduced to abolish the commission and return the state to a partisan process. The resolution was introduced Wednesday by state Rep. Beau LaFave (R-Iron Mountain) and […]
Senate confirms MSU professor to Fed board, first Black woman in its 108-year history
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Michigan State University economist and professor Lisa D. Cook to become the first Black woman to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Cook was nominated by President Biden in January to serve on the board, which governs the Federal Reserve Bank, the central bank […]
Bills seek to subject Detroit Zoo and DIA to Open Meetings Act and FOIA
A pair of GOP-sponsored bills would seek to bring the organizations that operate the Detroit Zoo and Detroit Institute of Arts under the authority of both the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Senate Bill 818, sponsored by state Sen. Jim Runested (R-White Lake), would amend the Open Meetings Act […]