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 Michigan Senate has approved legislation that gives state-appointed emergency managers the power to take over financially troubled local governments and schools and break labor contracts.
The Wednesday afternoon vote was 26-12 with all Democrats voting against it.
On the heels of the vote, Senate Democrats issues a series of stern statements criticizing the legislation as an attempt to gut local electoral control and to crush unions. Republicans claim the legislation will allow the state to intervene sooner with troubled local governments and thus prevent a takeover by an Emergency Manager.
Yesterday opponents of the legislation — including many unions and union members — rallied on the steps of the Capitol, and filled the public areas of the building and the Senate gallery to make their opposition known.
Numerous Democratic amendments, including one to cap the salary for Emergency Managers at the level of compensation received by the governor, and another to require that Emergency Managers appointed for school districts have some background in education, were voted down by Republicans during debate.
“This legislation gives Emergency Financial Managers a vast and dangerous expansion of powers, undermining local authority and voters, while establishing little oversight to ensure that they actually help these financially strained communities,” said Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-Westland). “They will have the power to unilaterally send teachers packing, slash local police and fire, and receive virtually unlimited salaries that will exceed even the Governor, all on the taxpayers’ dime. The Governor’s budget will push scores of our communities into insolvency and we should be extending a helping hand, not an iron fist. We need greater accountability and oversight before we hand over the keys to our schools and cities.”
The legislation now goes to a conference committee so the House version and Senate versions can be reconciled. Once that happens the conference bill will be sent to both chambers for approval and then to Republican governor Rick Snyder who is expected to sign it into law.
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