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.
LANSING — State lawmakers on Wednesday heard testimony on legislation that would eliminate the current requirement that patients provide written, informed consent to receive an HIV test. While Republican State Sen. Tom George said his bill is meant to “modernize” testing, others say it leaves patients vulnerable. “What someone might call a barrier, another person might call a safeguard,” said fellow GOP lawmaker Bruce Patterson.
LANSING — A letter from the head of Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox’s criminal division exonerating Lansing City Attorney Brigham Smith of any criminal wrongdoing in the public release of an arrested man’s HIV-positive status has activists and political leaders up in arms.
LANSING — A city councilwoman trying to unseat Mayor Virgil Bernero in November is demanding that his city attorney develop a new Freedom of Information Act policy in the next 14 days or she’ll introduce a new city ordinance that would craft new regulations following the controversial release of an arrested man’s HIV-positive status in a public information request of documents related to a May 22 undercover sex sting.
HAMTRAMCK — Despite a spate of recent troubles and controversies over equal rights in this increasingly diverse and divided Wayne County city, the tone at a meeting sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Conyers to discuss hate crimes legislation he has introduced in Congress was mostly conciliatory and cooperative.
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission is not alone in opposing a new rule proposed by the Michigan Supreme Court that would allow judges to force Muslim women to remove their hijab when testifying in court. The ACLU of Michigan has joined with many other organizations and individuals to file a statement (PDF) with the court [...]
Hawkeye State lacks residency requirements for marriage, opening the door to out-of-state same-sex couples to wed.
Supporters, tired of seeing a bill they say will protect students from bullying and suicide, shift support to new legislative language. But the move has others crying foul.
One of our sister sites, the Minnesota Independent, has an interesting article about Jim Ramstad, the Minnesota Republican who is being considered for two positions in the Obama administration, either head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) or head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Looks like Ramstad [...]
The California Supreme Court has agreed to hear legal motions brought by the ACLU, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Lambda Legal Defense Fund to prevent the controversial marriage amendment from taking effect. The amendment was approved Nov. 4 by 52 percent of California voters, but the legal action argues the passage of the [...]
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