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.
FERNDALE– Charles Pugh, the recently elected Detroit City Council President, says he won’t back cuts to police or fire programs, public transportation or cuts to the city’s health department programs dealing with HIV/AIDS.
“Everything else is on the table,” Pugh said.
He said moves to cut services from public safety programming would hurt the city as it tries to reinvent itself.
“Public transportation should be protected,” he said, noting its importance as a key vehicle for moving around the city for many.
Pugh also said he was interested in exploring partnerships with Wayne County’s health department in sharing some of the burdens of public health services, which includes food safety, sexual transmitted infections, including HIV, as well as services for children. But for Pugh, who called the HIV epidemic’s impact on Detroit an “emergency” and a “crisis” on Wednesday night, said the HIV services were essential.
“We have a crisis, but our commitment to the health department should reflect that,” said Pugh, who is openly gay.
The former television reporter also said that the city had to reach out for help.
“Having a deficit that big is going to require help not only from Lansing, but D.C.,” Pugh said of the city’s $300 million plus budget hole. He hinted that the city council would take up a measure Friday at its session which might begin the process of addressing the budget, although he would not provide any details.
Asked where he stood on the on-going battle between Mayor David Bing and the city’s unions, Pugh said he did not support the mayor’s stance.
“I understand how the union can want us to look at the layers of management,” Pugh said. “I don’t think that’s inappropriate.”
Bing and the city’s unions have been in a stand off since Bing said he wanted them to take wage concessions. The hold out on such concessions is also the city’s largest union, AFSCME Council 25.
“AFSCME is gonna be the union that will fight the longest and the hardest,” Pugh said.
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