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.
One of the men involved in the controversial Haslett drunk shaming incident has resigned his post as girls’ varsity basketball coach for the Haslett schools.
Timothy Beebe, 40, resigned Thursday, reports the Lansing State Journal, saying he wanted to protect the girls who play on his team.
“I know it’s best for the kids, which I care about the most, and the program not to have this hanging over them the whole season,” Beebe said. “It’s a lot to put kids through.”
Beebe was one of two men who admitted to police they had drawn on the unconscious body of fellow teacher Veronica Piechotte. The incident was the culmination of a day of partying which included excessive alcohol consumption and marijuana use.
In an interview with Michigan Messenger prior to the story becoming public, Beebe said the group had no “ill intent” in drawing on Piechotte. Eespite advice from the teachers union to not speak about the situation publicly, Beebe spoke to Michigan Messenger to “get my side of the story out.”
“Had it been one of us laying there on the ground, the same things could have happened to us,” Beebe said. “I’ve been drawn on before when I’ve been intoxicated. I guess it was one of those things that after the fact you realize it was a bad decision, but at the time it was — you know, there was no ill intent, no ill harm or maliciousness intended at all.”
He said it was unfortunate it had happened to Piechotte because “she took it the way she did.” Beebe noted that of the approximately dozen staff members present during the incident, some had been involved in drunk shaming before, and others had not.
He told Michigan Messenger that while drunk shaming had been an activity in which the group had engaged previously, the group has not done it since.
“No. No. Absolutely not,” he said emphatically.
The incident came to light when Piechotte provided Michigan Messenger with a copy of the 100-page police report. Although police sought several warrants in the case, no criminal charges were filed.
The incident has garnered intense media scrutiny for the Haslett schools, located in Meridian Township just east of East Lansing and Michigan State University. In addition, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights says it is now evaluating what actions it might take in the case.
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