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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

Madison Heights mayor: Bring Detroiters into schools

By Justin Miller | 04.03.09 | 9:03 am

Madison Heights Mayor Ed Swanson is backing his superintendent’s controversial request to bring hundreds of Detroit students into the city’s schools.

Swanson said at a Thursday city council meeting that he supports raising the cap on school-of-choice students to allow more students to enroll in the city’s schools, the Free Press reported. Superintendent John Telford, a former Detroit public schools teacher, wants to enroll more students to receive $7,500 from the state per pupil.

This extra money is needed to close a $600,000 deficit that’s been largely the result of losing about 1,000 students in the past nine years. Without extra state revenue, the district will be forced to make a 10 percent budget cut, which could mean closing two elementary schools, Swanson said.

As the Michigan Messenger reported Thursday, the proposal did not sit well with many Madison Heights residents speaking at a school board meeting. The idea’s support fell along racial lines, with the mostly white crowd speaking out against Telford’s plan and African-Americans voicing their support for his idea.

Swanson is up for re-election this year and his support for raising the school-of-choice cap could cause him trouble politically. However, he has been mayor for 10 years and ran unopposed last time.

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