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.
As the Legislature prepares to vote on a bill authorizing the construction of a new publicly owned bridge to connect Detroit and Windsor the Detroit Free Press takes a look at the massive campaign contributions made by Manuel “Matty” Moroun, the billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge which is currently the only bridge connecting the cities.
Moroun has given $1.8 million to Democrats and Republicans over the last 13 years, but the Free Press suggests that this spending has had only “middling success” in advancing his goals.
Now, with his bridge’s near-monopoly on freight traffic at North America’s busiest border crossing facing its most serious threat in its 81-year history, Moroun needs help.
Promoted by the Canadian government, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, the rival Detroit River International Crossing, or DRIC, has won a key vote in the state House. A win in the state Senate as early as this week could seal it, though there could be resistance in the courts, or from Congress.
Moroun, his family and top executives have given $51,700 to Gov. Jennifer Granholm but she is one of the main supporters of the DRIC. Since 2000 U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has received more than $60,000 from Moroun — but she also supports the DRIC.
Some of the most vocal supporters of Moroun’s proposal to build another span on the Ambassador Bridge — state Sen. Alan Cropsey (R-DeWitt) and Rep. George Cushingberry (D-Detroit) — don’t seem to have received any direct contributions from Moroun.
The main argument among those who oppose the construction of a the DRIC is that it would be financially safer to allow Moroun to enhance the Ambassador Bridge at his own expense.
Canada has offer to finance Michigan’s portion of the costs of building the DRIC. Supporters of this project point out that by connecting highways on both sides of the border the DRIC will relieve traffic congestion.
The Free Press has a database of Maroun’s contributions viewable here.
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