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 [...]
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.
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.
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.
California and Michigan prison officials continue to negotiate a move of California prisoners to two of Michigan’s soon to be closed prisons. Michigan officials have been in California this week as part of the negotiations which started with a letter from Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. That letter indicated Michigan would be happy to play host to overflow prisoners from California.
Prison officials in Standish, near Saginaw, say the moves by both states have created a sense of optimism, according to a report in the Bay City Times.
Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said the state is interested in keeping the 550 prison guards and officials slated for lay off with the closure of the two prisons on the job. But, that hope is not keeping the Standish facility occupied. Officials say the move of prisoners from the prison will continue in preparation for a closing at the end of July.
Michigan’s prison population peaked in 2006 with 51,454 prisoners, and this year it is at 48,000. Granholm wants to reduce that number by 3,000 to 45,000 by Oct. 1 with early releases in order to save money in the state budget which is facing a projected $1.7 billion budget hole. By reaching the 45,000 prisoner mark, the MDOC will be housing the lowest number of prisoners since 1999.
Michigan pays $30,000 per year to house a prisoner, while California pays $46,000 a year to house its prisoners.
California currently has a prison population of 168,000, with 7,600 of these prisoners housed in private prison facilities in such states are Arizona and Mississippi.
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