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State reports 488 new COVID-19 cases Monday
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Monday that 78,507 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 6,154 have died from the virus — an additional 488 cases and five deaths since Sunday. DHHS also notes that an additional 8,666 Michiganders have been identified as “probable” cases for COVID-19, as well as […]
Nessel, AGs file suit against EPA for limiting state authority over environmental projects
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Friday that she has joined yet another multi-state lawsuit, this time challenging a President Trump administration rule that curtails state authority under a longstanding federal statute. The suit alleges that a rule finalized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 13, as directed by an April 2019 […]
Bill would create civil rights office for African, Caribbean, Diaspora residents
State Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) wants Michiganders of African descent to have more of a say in the state’s civil rights policy-making process. Senate Bill 1034, introduced by Geiss on Thursday, would establish the African, Caribbean and Diaspora Affairs Commission and the Office of African, Caribbean and Diaspora Affairs. Both would be housed within the […]
Michigan’s 1st PFAS drinking water standards clear final hurdle
After nearly a year of rulemaking debate, Michigan’s very first set of PFAS limits for drinking water passed its last obstacle Wednesday as a panel of state lawmakers allowed them to take effect. Those rules, which establish maximum contaminant levels for seven toxic contaminants known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are the strictest and […]
Whitmer blasts Enbridge for nixing agreement to pay for oil spills
Updated, 4:41 p.m. and 6:25 p.m., 7/22/20 The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced Wednesday that it has sent another letter to Canadian oil company Enbridge Inc., requesting again that it enter into a legal agreement to pay for any future oil spills from its controversial Line 5 pipeline after Enbridge refused to do […]
GOP lawmaker wants Sterling Heights as Trump’s Space Force HQ
A Republican state senator introduced a resolution Wednesday that seeks federal consideration of the city of Sterling Heights as the new headquarters of the U.S. Space Force. State Sen. Michael MacDonald (R-Macomb Twp.) represents the city in the Legislature. “The City of Sterling Heights is located near the Arsenal of Democracy, a well-known and world-renowned […]
State reports 573 new COVID-19 cases, 9 deaths
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Tuesday that 74,725 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 6,135 have died from the virus — an additional 573 cases and nine deaths since Monday. The state notes that four of Tuesday’s additional deaths come from its most recent review of vital records and […]
House Republicans push debunked claim that Whitmer encouraged violence against unmasked residents
Updated, 5:18 p.m. 7/21/20 with comments from the House Republicans The partisan divide over mask-wearing during the pandemic rages on this week in Michigan, with House Republicans now pushing a debunked internet claim that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has called for violence against unmasked residents. “In a mind-boggling statement this month, Gov. Whitmer called for private […]
Chatfield appointed co-chair of national GOP legislative group
Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) was announced Monday as the new co-chair of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee (RLCC), a caucus of the national Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) dedicated to seeing the GOP gain and hold majority control of state legislatures across the country. Chatfield previously served as the co-vice chairman of the […]
DNR asks Enbridge to pledge full financial responsibility for Line 5
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to ensure that Canada-based multinational oil company Enbridge will pay up in the event of a catastrophic rupture of the dual Line 5 pipeline. In an emailed letter to Enbridge Inc. Friday, DNR Director Dan Eichinger requests that the company enter into a written financial agreement with […]
Board faces suit after approving ‘defective’ anti-Whitmer petition language
The first major right-wing ballot petition aimed at permanently limiting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive powers to clear the first hurdle with the Board of State Canvassers is being challenged in court, just 10 days after it received the go-ahead to collect signatures. The “Keep Michigan Safe” committee, led by former Republican state Sen. and U.S. […]
Michigan sees ‘notable rebound’ in June unemployment rate
Michigan’s unemployment rate declined to 14.8% in June, signaling a 6.5 percentage point decrease from the month before — although labor experts caution that it remains significantly higher than pre-COVID-19 levels. The unemployment rate in May had been recorded at 21.3%. “Michigan’s labor market in June recorded a notable rebound in jobs, led by significant […]