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Michigan State Police adds gender identity hate crime category
The Michigan State Police (MSP) has added a hate crimes category for attacks against people based on their gender identity, department spokeswoman Shanon Banner confirmed Tuesday. Attorney General Dana Nessel praised the decision — which went unannounced by the State Police itself — in a statement last Friday. According to Nessel’s office, the MSP added […]
Whitmer signs farm loan bill after rain has pummeled Michigan crops
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday signed legislation authorizing $15 million in loans for farmers reeling from crop loss and damage during one of the wettest years in state history. Whitmer signed House Bill 4234, a supplemental appropriation for farmers under the Qualified Agricultural Loan Origination Program, during a visit to a local farm in Charlotte […]
New state rules smooth the road for recreational pot businesses
Updated 3:58 p.m., 7/5/19 New rules announced Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) will make it easier for upstart pot businesses to open their doors. LARA announced it will scrap the minimum capital requirements that had been in place, among other measures. Local communities will have four months to take […]
Members of Congress, activists decry border camp conditions
As public scrutiny intensifies over conditions in migrant detention facilities at the U.S.-Mexico border, both protesters and congressional lawmakers from Michigan are voicing their opposition to President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies. About 60 people gathered outside of the Ypsilanti office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) on Tuesday, as part of a nationwide […]
Air Force agrees to additional PFAS cleanup in Oscoda
The U.S. Air Force has agreed to install an additional groundwater treatment system in Oscoda as it continues a years-long investigation into pollution from the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base. In addition to the new system and the interim pumps the Air Force already has been operating in Oscoda, the Air Force also will broaden […]
Michigan members of Congress visit Asian carp ‘choke point’
A bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers on Monday toured a critical “choke point” stopping invasive Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) and Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.), along with U.S. Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), Dan Kildee (D-Flint), Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield), John Moolenaar (R-Midland), Andy Levin […]
Michigan Supreme Court removes Livingston County judge
The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered 53rd District Court Judge Theresa M. Brennan to be removed from office and suspended from pay for six years if she is ever elected to another judicial office. Michigan’s high court issued the order unanimously following a recommendation from the Judicial Tenure Commission (JTC), which investigates matters of judicial […]
State panel proposes nation’s toughest drinking water limit for 2 toxic chemicals
A panel of experts put together by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed the nation’s most stringent drinking water limits for two chemicals in a suite of thousands of man-made, toxic substances. The panel submitted on Thursday its recommendation to the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART), which suggested drinking water limits for a handful of […]
Nessel asks court to shut down Line 5, dismiss Enbridge lawsuit
Updated 2:50 p.m. with a letter from Senate Republicans Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday that her office has filed a lawsuit seeking to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Nessel, who made decommissioning the oil pipeline a central promise of her 2018 campaign, asked the Ingham County Circuit […]
Lawmakers plug electric vehicle plan
A bipartisan package of bills in the state House and Senate would create a network of electric car charging ports and support the electric vehicle industry in Michigan, according to bill sponsors and supportive conservation groups. The legislation would form a new Electric Vehicle Council to create a statewide electric vehicle charging network. The plan […]
Nessel’s office joins nationwide anti-spam action
Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 14 other states taking legal action against intrusive spam callers, her office announced Tuesday. Nessel’s office brokered a settlement with the Detroit-based Ardent Natural Gas LLC in March after the company allegedly violated the Home Solicitation Sales Act for illegal robocalls to Michigan […]
Michigan immigrants on alert after Trump raid tweets
Michigan immigrant rights activists and lawyers say President Donald Trump’s recent raid announcement has spurred a new wave of panic in a community that has lived in fear for years. Trump on Saturday announced via Twitter that his planned immigration sweep in 10 major U.S. cities — none in Michigan — would be placed on […]