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 office of Gov. Rick Snyder has declined to release contingency plans related to possible layoffs or firings in the event negotiations with unions representing state employees fail to achieve millions in planned for concessions.
The Lansing State Journal requested the plans under the state’s Freedom of Information Act. But on Friday the state declined to release the documents, citing an exemption in the law which allows a public body to withhold notes of a purely advisory nature.
In a letter dated Sept. 14, Gary Buckberry, FOIA coordinator for the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget, said the budget proposals were being withheld because they are “notes within a public body” of an advisory nature that precede a final agency decision.
“This exemption does not apply unless the public body shows that in the particular instance the public interest in encouraging frank communication between officials and employees of public bodies clearly outweighs the interest in disclosure,” wrote Buckberry, citing the state exemption.
The Snyder administration is trying to get state unions to concede $145 million in negotiations. Unions have said that the governor and his administration would be better off looking at contractors and managers in state government workforce.
In preparation for the negotiations, Snyder’s office directed all state departments to prepare to fire staff as of Oct. 1 if concessions are not met.
The Journal has appealed the decision.
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