Briefs
Snyder scales back constituent relations for transition
Gov. Rick Snyder’s constituent relations team is scaling back certain features it offered during the transition to Democratic Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer, but the office is still open, according to his spokesman.
‘I’m insulted’: Service industry worker berates Michigan lawmakers over minimum wage, sick time maneuvers
Longtime service industry worker Tracy Pease told House members on Tuesday morning that she was “insulted” by GOP maneuvering to override citizens who supported a minimum wage increase via ballot proposal. The comments came during a hearing of the GOP-led House Competitiveness Committee, in which members voted along party lines to advance legislation that would […]
Koch think tank leads legal push with big implications for Great Lakes
A conservative think tank founded and led by one of the Koch brothers is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on a case that could determine whether people have the right to walk along Great Lakes shorelines.
New bill could trash part of Milliken’s environmental legacy
The “bottle bill” was a key part of GOP former Gov. William Milliken’s environmental legacy.
Fish out of water: ‘Soapy’ Williams was an environmentalist before it was cool
G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams, the lanky, bow-tied, Michigan governor of the late 1940s and 1950s, is generally remembered as a progressive who supported civil rights and fought for the “little guy.”
U of M prof: Insurance cost hikes might convince people of global warming
For many people, climate science may not seem real until it hits their wallets, a University of Michigan professor says.
Michigan is one of 16 states with lower tax revenue than before the Great Recession
Gov. Rick Snyder is fond of bragging about Michigan’s “comeback” since the Great Recession, but one key economic indicator continues to lag.
Trump report: Rising temps could hurt Michigan farmers, Great Lakes
A new report from the Trump administration says rising temperatures over the next century will pose serious consequences for the United States and the world.
Michigan is almost at full employment. What impact will minimum wage maneuvering really have?
While many progressives are up in arms at the GOP-led Legislature’s attempts to gut an initiative raising the minimum wage, a report this week in Crain’s Detroit points out that it could be a moot point anyway. That’s because many economists believe that because Michigan’s low unemployment rate is under 4 percent, the market rate […]