Appeals Court to hear Bay County Judicial election flap

The Michigan Court of Appeals has agreed to hear a case revolving around the question of incumbency in Bay County. At the heart of the matter is whether or not a judge, appointed to replace a retired judge, should be designated as an incumbent. The Bay City News has the scoop on this case.

Bay County official suggests wind power royalties should be shared with all residents

Next Era Energy, a Florida company that operates 75 wind parks across the U.S. and Canada, as well as the Point Beach nuclear power plant in Wisconsin, is planning a 66 turbine 100 megawatt commercial wind park in Bay and Tuscola Counties. Jeff Kart of the Bay City Times reports that Bay County Executive Thomas [...]

Consumers Energy plans to build new coal plant on wetlands, groups warn

A coalition of environmental groups is asking state and federal regulators to take a careful look at the potential wetlands impact of a coal-fired power plant planned by Consumers Energy along Saginaw Bay.

EPA downplays dredging risk to Bay City water supply

Nearly a month after the onset of a navigational dredging project in the Saginaw River that some worry will send dioxin-contaminated sediments downstream toward the intakes for Bay City’s water supply, EPA officials responded to citizen concerns by announcing it would not test the water for the toxin.

“I can understand why people would be concerned,“ EPA Superfund manager Wendy Carney, said in a phone interview. “But there are a lot of issues out there.”

As it sponsors Bay City fish fest, Dow claims ignorance on toxic walleye advisories

Dow Chemical Co. — which is sponsoring a walleye tournament, a “Celebrity Chowder Challenge” and fresh fish market at Bay City’s BayFest this weekend — claims that it learned about the state’s walleye consumption advisory just last week when it was brought to its attention by Michigan Messenger.

Saginaw River dredging project begins without safety measures sought by the state

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started a project to remove contaminated sediments from the Saginaw River without safety measures requested by the state, a move that sparked worry because toxins such as dioxin could make their way into the water supplies for Saginaw and Bay City, which don’t test for the toxins.

Michigan’s HIV disclosure law: Overly broad and open to abuse

BAY CITY — The case of Michael S. Holder, complete with a cast that includes an admittedly racially-biased jury, a scorned lover and a life-threatening virus surrounded more by fear than fact is only one example of several prosecutions brought under a 1988 law that experts warn is vague and can lead to vindictive prosecutions.

Consumers Energy seeks tax break for coal-fired power plant

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest power company, is seeking tax abatement for an 800 megawatt coal-fired power plant planned for its Karn-Weadock Generating Complex in Bay County’s Hampton Township. The company said that the new plant is expected to add at least 80 new employees to the 370 person workforce at the generating complex. The Bay [...]