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.
The Lansing City Council decided to put a vote on Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero’s $109.4 million budget proposal until next Monday. The body also put off a planned vote on a .4 mill increase in Lansing property taxes which would shore up a faltering budget.
Both moves were done, when at the last minute council members were approached by union members with the idea of 26 furlough days, rather than a proposed 13. By doubling the number of furloughs, the city would save $1.7 million, not have to raise property taxes or shift the daily operational hours of city hall from a Monday to Friday schedule to a Monday to Thursday schedule.
Derrick Quinney, a council member at-large, says the idea was “popped” on him just before the council’s committee of the whole meeting Monday night.
“It was just popped on me. I’m not going to go out there supporting this without talking to people,” Quinney told Michigan Messenger.
The delay, and possible deal, could take some of the pressure off Bernero. By agreeing to this deal, Bernero could possibly balance the budget without either increasing taxes or shutting down city hall on Fridays, and shift attention to Democratic opponent Andy Dillon. Dillon, as Speaker of the House, has overseen budget cycles that have resulted in deep cuts to local revenues sharing.
The proposed tax increase plan was not polling well with voters in the capitol city either, the Lansing State Journal reports. With just under 500 survey responses, 61 percent opposed the tax increase, 37 percent favored it and two percent were unsure.
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