Author

Jon King is the Senior Reporter for the Michigan Advance and has been a journalist for more than 35 years. He is the Past President of the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors Association and has been recognized for excellence numerous times, most recently in 2022 with the Best Investigative Story by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Cleary University. Jon and his family live in Howell.
Republican Mike Rogers slams DOJ prosecution of Trump
By: Jon King - September 25, 2023
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is doubling down on his bid to pick up far-right supporters as he seeks the Republican nomination for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. The 60-year-old Rogers is a former FBI agent who represented mid-Michigan in the U.S. House for seven terms from 2001 to 2015, and also served as chair […]
Ramaswamy rouses Michigan GOP faithful on Mackinac, claims there is ‘a war in this country’
By: Jon King - September 25, 2023
In years past, the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference would attract several GOP presidential candidates, but this time Michigan Republicans had to settle for just one: Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur from Ohio, who enthralled the MAGA-dominated crowd with a full-throated embrace of anti-science rhetoric and an outright rejection of compromise. “I think we’re in the […]
Meet the parents who say their rights are ignored by the ‘parental rights’ movement
By: Jon King - September 11, 2023
Updated, 12:38 p.m., 9/11/23 While right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty have emerged as a potent political force in the latest chapter of the decades-old “parental rights” movement, parents of LGBTQ+ children and children of color say their rights are being marginalized even further and hope to spark a wake-up call that the nation’s public […]
Former Rep. Mike Rogers woos Trump voters in Michigan U.S. Senate announcement
By: Jon King - September 6, 2023
Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Livingston County native who graduated from Howell High School, has made it official that he is running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. In a video posted Wednesday morning to his X account (formerly Twitter), Rogers appears to make a strong bid to attract supporters of former President […]
M.O.M.S. Tour visits Detroit to support improving maternal health outcomes
By: Jon King - August 14, 2023
Mental health professionals, birth workers, medical professionals and community members came together Saturday as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched its M.O.M.S. Tour (Maternal Outcomes Matter Showers) in Detroit. HHS said over 500 pregnant and postnatal women, dads and children gathered at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ […]
GOP Rep. Maddock on tape: ‘We’re going to have a civil war or some sort of revolution’
By: Jon King - August 12, 2023
A Michigan legislator was caught on tape predicting somebody would “shoot someone” and a civil war could happen if the government continues to prosecute conservatives for election crimes. The comments, heard on a recording provided to The Messenger, are from state Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford) who, along with his wife, former Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn […]
Huron County woman charged with illegally purchasing guns for son who threatened Michigan officials
By: Jon King - August 10, 2023
The mother of a man from Michigan’s Thumb region, who authorities say made numerous threats to kill FBI agents, members of the LGBTQ+ community, President Joe Biden and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, has been charged with illegally purchasing firearms for him. Michelle Berka, 56, faces five counts of making a false statement during the purchase of […]
Nessel calls ‘ghost gun’ regulation reinstated by SCOTUS ‘essential’
By: Jon King - August 9, 2023
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday narrowly voted to reinstate a Biden Administration policy against so-called “ghost guns,” which Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says is “essential” to efforts at curbing gun violence. The 5-4 decision, which granted a stay of enforcement against a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of […]
Coleman and Stone advance in two SE Michigan mayoral races
By: Jon King - August 9, 2023
Following Tuesday’s local primary elections, Democrats are one step closer to potentially losing, albeit temporarily, their slim majority in the Michigan House. Two of the contests in Southeast Michigan featured Democratic lawmakers, Reps. Kevin Coleman (D-Westland) and Lori Stone (D-Warren), who advanced in mayoral races in their respective cities amid light voter turnout. In Westland, […]
Here’s how Michigan factors into Trump’s indictment for the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack
By: Jon King - August 2, 2023
As it has since his election in 2016, Michigan has again played a prominent role with the ongoing saga of former President Donald Trump. In the 45-page indictment handed down Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., Michigan is mentioned often among the charges leveled against Trump for his alleged role in the […]
Livingston Co. GOP claims ‘censorship’ from local newspaper, calls for boycott
By: Jon King - August 1, 2023
Claiming that they have been the victim of “censorship,” the Livingston County Republican Party has called for a boycott of the local newspaper, and the creation of a “conservative publication” with “conservative values.” At issue is a story published last week by the Livingston Daily, a Gannett publication previously known as the Livingston County Press […]
Rep. James to DeSantis on attacking Black Republicans: ‘You’ve gone too far’
By: Jon King - July 31, 2023
U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) on Friday joined a growing chorus of Black Republican lawmakers to call out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his state’s new Black history education standards. DeSantis, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, slammed both Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who also is running […]