Search Results for:
MSU student comes forward as plaintiff in rape suit, says school discouraged reporting
A 22-year-old woman came forward Wednesday as the plaintiff in a previously anonymous lawsuit against Michigan State University over her alleged rape by members of the school’s men’s basketball team, according to a New York Times report. MSU student Bailey Kowalski was a freshman at the time. She said that when she approached MSU counselors […]
Whitmer, Cousins to speak at MSU commencement
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will both speak at Michigan State University’s commencement ceremonies in May, the university announced this week. The two alumni, who have distinguished themselves in very different — yet no less competitive — fields, will both receive honorary doctorates at the May 3 ceremonies. Whitmer will speak […]
DeVos under fire from Michigan Dems over school sexual assault policy
WASHINGTON — U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is facing intense criticism from congressional Democrats and advocacy groups as she prepares to overhaul how schools handle sexual assault allegations. The forthcoming final rule — expected in the coming months — stands to be one of the most controversial moves of her tenure as education secretary. DeVos […]
AG’s office: Why we canceled Engler interview
Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Friday that she had never encountered a situation in which an attorney was asked to recuse herself because someone essentially said, “I don’t like you.” Nessel and Assistant Attorney General Christina Grossi were elaborating at a joint roundtable with reporters on their decision to cancel a planned interview with […]
AG office ‘certainly hopes’ subpoenaing Engler won’t be necessary
A dispute over former Gov. John Engler’s scheduled interview with Attorney General Dana Nessel’s investigators regarding his role overseeing the Dr. Larry Nassar scandal turned public — and nasty — this week, as Engler’s lawyer accused her investigation of bias. Engler had served as interim president at his alma mater, Michigan State University, until he […]
Archdiocese, AG spar over clergy abuse probe
Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday asked Catholic churches in Michigan to halt an internal investigation into clergy sexual abuse and accused the state’s seven dioceses of making the attorney general’s investigation more difficult. But the Archdiocese of Detroit denied Nessel’s assertions made at a press conference, which also included an update on Flint water […]
AG seeks to settle Flint civil cases, taps Worthy for criminal case
Attorney General Dana Nessel will stay out of the ongoing criminal prosecution cases against current and former state and local officials related to the Flint water crisis, she said Thursday. She held a wide-reaching press conference in Lansing that also touched on that ongoing criminal probe and two separate investigations related to sexual abuse from […]
Nessel says after Schuette, ‘Every day I don’t set a kitten on fire, I’m a hero’
As Michigan Democrats gathered this weekend in Detroit to pick new party leadership, the 2020 election loomed large. Almost 3,000 activists filled Cobo Hall and elected Michigan Democratic Party Chief Operating Officer Lavora Barnes as chair. Leaders also talked about 2018 victories and how to defeat President Donald Trump next year. In an interview last […]
Engler’s 1991 tax cut: ‘Robin Hood in reverse’
When Gov. John Engler offered his first tax cut proposal to the Michigan Legislature on this day in 1991 — which chopped $4.2 billion over three years — one prominent House Democrat called out the conservative Republican. State Rep. Perry Bullard (D-Ann Arbor) said at the time: “It is a Robin Hood in reverse […]
Susan J. Demas: John Engler, living embodiment of toxic masculinity
Nobody expected John Engler to go gently into that good night. And he didn’t. In an 11-page screed dripping with bitterness and a twinge of self-pity, Michigan State University’s interim president essentially told the board last week: “You can’t fire me; I quit.” The GOP former three-term governor — who has remained a larger-than-life figure […]