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 Traverse City Commission meets tonight to decide whether to introduce an ordinance that would make it illegal for employers to fire employees because of their sexual orientation. It would also ban housing discrimination against gays.
State and federal law do not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and around 20 Michigan cities have adopted ordinances intended to close that loophole.
Traverse City Mayor Chris Bzdok writes on his blog:
The ordinance would prohibit discrimination in Traverse City – on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, height, weight, marital status, physical or mental disability, family status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
A key difference between the ordinance and general Michigan law is that the ordinance is more inclusive: it includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Under general Michigan law, employees who have done nothing wrong can be fired from their jobs or denied housing or access to public accommodations because they are gay or transgender. The ordinance would prohibit this. It would also require contractors doing business with the city to comply.
The ordinance has important exemptions to protect religious beliefs. It does not apply to chruches (sic) or religious organizations. The housing section does not apply to landlords in one or two-family owner-occupied dwellings, who may choose not to rent to someone based on their own personal beliefs. It also does not shield illegal conduct.
The Traverse City Record Eagle reports that if the ordinance is introduced tonight it could be given final approval on Oct. 4 following a standard waiting period for new laws.
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