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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

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 [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

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.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

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.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

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.

Snyder promises changes in Human Services

By Ed Brayton | 12.08.10 | 7:11 am

Gov.-elect Rick Snyder helped avoid a lawsuit to be filed against the state of Michigan by a child welfare organization by promising to reform the Michigan Department of Human Services and bring it in line with previous court orders regarding the state’s foster care services. The Detroit News reports:

A child advocacy group backed away from plans to seek a federal takeover of Michigan’s child welfare system after a federal judge said she received assurances from Gov.-elect Rick Snyder that his incoming administration will make fixing the Department of Human Services a top priority.

Children’s Rights, a New York-based agency, had announced earlier today that it planned to file a motion of contempt Wednesday in federal court in Detroit and ask the judge to appoint a receiver for Human Services, the agency that oversees foster care and adoption. The agency cited a progress report publicized today that showed the state was failing to comply with court-mandated reforms.

Instead, after a meeting in chambers this afternoon with U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds, attorneys for Children’s Rights agreed to meet again with DHS officials in late January — after Snyder takes office — to devise a plan to get reforms on track.

Court-appointed monitors have concluded that DHS has failed to properly train case workers, reduce their workload or recruit enough foster parents.

Comments

  • Anonymous

    The whole “federal takeover” routine was a charade, essentially a legal two-by-your with which to hit the new Governor over the head and be sure he was paying attention. There was no way the judge would approve a federal takeover without giving the new Governor a chance to try to fix things first.

    Not that there aren’t grounds for such a takeover. The report is even more scathing than most news accounts suggests. The monitor appears to be suggesting that the new governor replace the entire child welfare leadership at DHS – which certainly would be a good idea.

    But the group that calls itself Children’s Rights also shares responsibility for this debacle. They imposed a hyper-bureaucratic settlement that, among other things, has forced thousands of children out of the homes of loving grandparents. I hope Gov.-Snyder will move to renegotiate the settlement to end such absurdities and focus on the heart of the problem – the fact that Michigan takes too many children needlessly.

    Details on our Child Welfare Blog: http://bit.ly/dY19Jy

    Richard Wexler
    Executive Director
    National Coalition for Child Protection Reform
    http://www.nccpr.org