Besieged Michigan farmers back new trade pact with Canada and Mexico
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) LANSING 鈥 Michigan farmers are calling on Congress to swiftly pass a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, saying it could provide partial relief from low prices, a trade war with China and heavy rains that kept crops out of the ground this spring. 鈥淚t huge to our futures in […]
Talk about Pure Michigan: Outdoor pursuits generate $10B, report says
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) Outdoor recreation contributes $10 billion annually to Michigan economy, according to new data that confirm聽the importance of the industry that is spurring growing jobs, talent and spending from Monroe to Marquette. The data, released last week from the federal government Bureau of Economic Analysis, shows that Michigan boating industry is the […]
Michigan government won鈥檛 shut down, state tells workers
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING 鈥 Michigan government will not shut down next week, the budget office and department directors said late Friday in a memo to state employees telling them to plan to report聽to work as usual Tuesday morning. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has until the end of Monday to decide the fate of […]
Michigan law limiting ballot drives unconstitutional, court rules
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Multiple provisions of a lame-duck law that makes it harder for groups to get a citizen initiative on the ballot are unconstitutional, a Court of Claims judge ruled Friday. The law places a 15 percent cap on the number of signatures ballot petitioners can gather in any one of the state […]
Judge slams Dana Nessel in gay adoption case for 鈥榯argeted attack鈥 on religion
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING 鈥 A federal judge on Thursday temporarily suspended Michigan new gay-friendly adoption policy and accused Attorney General Dana Nessel of 鈥渁 targeted attack on a sincerely held religious belief.鈥 U.S. District Court Judge Robert Jonker also denied most elements of the state motion to dismiss the highly-charged case, allowing the […]
Michigan House considers expungement of marijuana, traffic convictions
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING鈥擧undreds of thousands of Michiganders would be eligible to set aside their criminal record 鈥 or parts of it 鈥斅爑nder a bill package before the state House Judiciary Committee. The proposal to expand criminal expungement would include misdemeanor聽marijuana convictions for conduct that is now considered legal under the adult-use marijuana law […]
Majority of Michigan public schools started school year short on teachers
by Ron French (Bridge) Six out of 10 Michigan school districts started this school year without enough full-time teachers to fill their classrooms, according to a survey of Michigan school superintendents. The survey, conducted the second week of September by the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, found 518 classrooms in 178 school districts that […]
Deadly EEE virus in Michigan forces daylight football starts, cancellations
by Robin Erb (Bridge) Mosquitoes carrying the deadly Eastern equine encephalitis have driven at least one Friday night football game in Michigan to the daylight hours. Superintendents from Kalamazoo County 鈥 the epicenter of an outbreak that has claimed three lives in Michigan and seriously sickened five聽other residents 鈥 agreed to reschedule school activities that […]
t’s official: Flavored e-cigarettes are now illegal in Michigan
by Robin Erb (Bridge) Michigan ban on flavored nicotine vaping products 鈥 the first to be announced in the nation 鈥 is now in effect. Sales and distribution of flavored nicotine vaping products are now a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $200 fine, according to the emergency rules released […]
Dems break with Whitmer, pass small funding increase for Michigan schools
by Ron French, Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING 鈥撀燤ichigan House Democrats broke with their governor on Thursday and voted to approve a 1.4 percent to 3 percent increase in per-pupil funding for state schools and a small boost in special education money. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expressed disappointment in the bill that passed the House and Senate […]
