Criminal Justice
Gilchrist presided over the Senate during the April armed protest. He says Shirkey’s meeting with militia leaders is ‘incredibly problematic.’
With news that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had issued a warning about rising domestic terrorism threats and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) meeting with leaders of militias last summer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, the first Black person to hold the post, has seen the anger and hatred up close. He calls the […]
Shirkey-tied group donated $550K to Unlock Michigan
A group with connections to Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) donated more than half a million dollars to the embattled anti-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer group “Unlock Michigan” group in 2020, according to newly filed campaign finance disclosures. Unlock Michigan turned in signatures last year to dump a law Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used to issue COVID-19 […]
Oil and water: Resistance, construction intensify on Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline
The camp was quiet when Winona LaDuke stepped outside to share the news: Enbridge didn’t have permission to drill under the frozen Mississippi River. Construction on that piece of the Line 3 oil pipeline would be delayed — at least as long as the frigid weather held. LaDuke had barely finished the sentence when cheers […]
Gilda Z. Jacobs: We can’t let 2020 be Michigan’s best year in bipartisanship
Bipartisanship might not feel very plausible right now, and in fact, seems to be getting more far-fetched by the day. I had planned to use this column to look ahead and echo the chord of accord Gov. Gretchen Whitmer struck in her 2021 State of the State address last week. But it’s hard to sound […]
Nessel took more than 200 legal actions in the Trump era. Here’s a look at where they stand.
Since the first week Attorney General Dana Nessel took office in January 2019, the Democrat has been busy joining multi-state lawsuits and other legal actions against now-former President Donald Trump’s administration. With a new Democratic administration now in charge, and President Joe Biden already reversing a number of Trump-era policies, the Advance took a look […]
Enbridge secures 1 of 3 permits needed for Line 5 tunnel, angering enviros
Embattled Canadian oil company Enbridge has now cleared one of three major permitting hurdles in its venture to replace the aging Line 5 pipeline with a new tunnel-encased line under the Straits of Mackinac. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) announced Friday morning that it has decided to grant certain permits […]
Whitmer plot suspect pleads guilty, admits to plans to storm Capitol, abduct her from N. Michigan home
A man accused of plotting with a group of anti-government radicals to abduct Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pleaded guilty to kidnapping conspiracy charges on Wednesday, setting the stage for him to testify against others who were allegedly involved. Hartland resident Ty Garbin, 25, admitted to conspiring to kidnap Whitmer, a Democrat. Garbin on Wednesday appeared in […]
Dems protest naming Greene to education panel after she cast doubt on school shootings
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats are denouncing GOP leaders for tapping Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to serve on the Education and Labor Committee, amid a growing outcry over the Georgia Republican’s past comments challenging the veracity of deadly school shootings. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “appalling” that Republicans selected someone who “has mocked the […]
Take 3: Shirkey’s militia confab story evolves again
State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) is telling another version of the story of his meeting with state militia leaders last year. The latest evolution occurred during a Monday interview with Radio Free Hillsdale, the radio station of Hillsdale College. Shirkey made the new comments responding to the host asking about attacks leveled by […]
Column: The Trump next time
Before we Americans undertake gymnastic contortions patting ourselves on the back for heading off an autocratic insurrection that would have nullified the presidential election, perhaps we should take a sobering look at just how lucky we were. Yes, democracy, the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States ultimately prevailed over Trump’s sustained, […]
Hawley pushes ethics probe of U.S. Senate Dems who filed complaint over his role in the insurrection
WASHINGTON — Seven U.S. Senate Democrats urged the chamber’s ethics panel to investigate Sen. Josh Hawley’s role in the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol, and the Missouri Republican is now asking the committee to probe them. In a Monday letter, Hawley argued that the seven Democrats filed an improper complaint last week against him and Sen. Ted […]
Detroit residents hope pot business opportunities don’t elude them
With Detroit poised to open up the city to recreational marijuana retail and production opportunities, a push is under way to give longtime city residents, people of color and those hampered to find employment because of minor drug convictions a chance to participate in the businesses that the industry creates. By designating themselves as “Legacy […]