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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.

Proposed Bay City coal plant gets public hearings this week

By Eartha Jane Melzer | 04.13.09 | 10:31 am

The Department of Environmental Quality will host public hearings this week on a plans to build a new 930 megawatt coal-fired power plant at the Consumers Power Karn-Weadock facility at the mouth of the Saginaw River.

Consumers Power, the largest electricity provider in Michigan, announced an 11 percent rate increase in March and some worry that construction of a new plant would result in much steeper increases for ratepayers. The utility company’s own projections forecast declining demand for electricity in Michigan.

According to the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club, the proposed coal plant will emit 8.1 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year along with 64lbs of mercury, 1,820 tons of nitrogen oxides, 2,154 tons of sulfur oxides and 911 tons of particulate matter.

The hearings this week will be among the first to allow discussion on whether a proposed coal plant is needed and whether coal power is the best way to meet the state’s energy needs.

An executive order by Governor Jennifer Granholm two months ago directed the DEQ to take these questions into consideration when evaluating coal plant permit requests.

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