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 Department of Treasury has warned 300 tobacco shops that machines they have which roll cigarettes on location may be considered illegal.
The $30,000 machine rolls about 20 cigarettes an hour, the company that produces the machine says.
“A cigarette manufacturing machine will roll upwards of 20,000 cigarettes a minute,” [RYO president Phil] Accordino said. “Ours may hit about 20. It defies logic to say that our machine is a manufacturing device.”
The machine rolls the cigarettes from pipe tobacco which is not taxed as heavily as pre-rolled cigarettes, according to the Associated Press.
Because of a bargain tax rate on pipe tobacco created by Congress, smokers can take a box of pre-made cigarette tubes, 8 ounces of tobacco and 15 minutes to produce a carton for under $30 — much less than retail. Federal tax is $1.01 on a pack of cigarettes, with another $2 added by the state.
In relation to state taxes, some of that money is directed into the state school aid fund which has struggled in previous years to adequately fund public schools.
The state warned the businesses in March, to date, however, department officials say no business has been cited.
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