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 — As the deadline to pass a balanced budget is looming large on the horizon, the Michigan House on Saturday announced the cancellation of it’s planned 2 p.m. session on Sunday. The Democratic-run House will meet again next on Tuesday, after taking Monday off for the Yom Kippur holiday. Lawmakers have until Wednesday at [...]
LANSING — The Michigan House on Friday evening moved on a bill to increase fees for air quality permits and questions are beginning to be asked if Democratic Speaker Andy Dillon of Redford Township, has changed strategies over the budget battle, or if he has lost control over the Democratic caucus.
LANSING — With the budget clock ticking and the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate adjourned until Sunday, the Democratic-led House approved a two-bill package that would move $12 million from a restricted highway fund into the general fund. The move also addressed a 2006-2007 budget move of $6 million to the general fund from the Transportation Economic [...]
LANSING — The Democratic-controlled Michigan House voted Friday afternoon to adopt budgets for the departments of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth; Agriculture; and Military and Veterans Affairs. The Senate adopted the same three conference committee budgets Thursday evening, so they head to Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s desk for her signature or veto. The House vote included [...]
A proposal by Michigan House Republicans to privatize what’s left of the state’s juvenile justice system in order to save money has critics arguing that the plan wouldn’t achieve sizable savings and in some cases leave the state’s most dangerous incarcerated youths with no options for private-sector rehabilitation.
Attorney General Mike Cox told a House committee that he opposes legislation to push settlement funds into state coffers, rather than continue the current process of allowing the AG to distribute those funds. Calling the hearings on the legislation “shameful,” Cox, who is running for the GOP nomination for governor, said former Democratic AG Frank [...]
DETROIT — State lawmakers negotiating a bill package aimed at keeping the North American International Auto show at Detroit’s Cobo Convention Center are confident that a compromise will be reached by the end of the day Thursday, the Detroit Free Press reports, confirming a dispatch from Mayor Dave Bing’s Twitter feed from Wednesday night declaring: [...]
LANSING — With the state facing massive deficits in the budget year ending Oct. 1, lawmakers are scrambling to trim the state budget to balance it. But those cuts, including the Republican move to eliminate the Michigan Promise scholarship program, millions of dollars in cuts via an executive order issued by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and a battle over whether to proceed with a controversial lease agreement for a new headquarters for the Michigan State Police, are now getting deeper — with one state legislator issuing a dire warning of “draconian” cuts in during the next budget cycle.
Dan Levy, chief legal officer of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, announced today that two bills have been introduced in the state House to combat hate crimes. The bills, HB 4835 and HB 4836, were introduced by Rep. Robert Jones (D-Kalamazoo) and Rep. Woodrow Stanley (D-Flint), respectively. HB 4835 will add additional sentencing for [...]
Republicans and Democrats confirm with Michigan Messenger that confusion about what may happen in today’s House session abounds. It’s unclear that any deals have been reached, although negotiations continue between and within both parties. At 4:00 today the House will begin to consider a rumored compromise deal, as well as today’s Senate actions.
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