The Michigan Messenger

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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

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 [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

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.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

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.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

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.

Posts Tagged Tom George

Eight states agree to join Cox in fighting Arizona immigration lawsuit

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.15.10 | 10:10 am

Attorney General Mike Cox has rallied eight attorneys general from other states to join him in challenging the Obama administration’s Department of Justice lawsuit to stop Arizona’s controversial immigration law, slated to go into effect July 29. Cox announced Monday he was intervening in the case, and has sought other states to join him in [...]

Lack of federal Medicaid funds means deep budget cuts

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.15.10 | 8:06 am

LANSING — As Congress continues to battle over whether to extend additional federal Medicaid funds to states, Michigan lawmakers are making plans to deal with what will translate to be an unexpected $500 million gap in the next fiscal year’s budget.

Bouchard campaign launches ‘right-to-work’ push

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.14.10 | 9:02 pm

Oakland County Sheriff and GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Bouchard released a new ad Wednesday calling for Michigan to become a right-to-work state. Right-to-work states have laws which prevent employers from demanding that employees join unions. These laws prohibit the employers from paying the dues for the union employee from his or her pay check. Twenty-two [...]

Freep calls out GOP field over ‘unrealistic schemes’ for Michigan recovery

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.14.10 | 10:14 am

In an editorial following Tuesday night’s GOP gubernatorial primary debate in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press has called on the candidates to show how a GOP governor will bring a new era of bipartisanship to Lansing. And that, the Free Press says, will be difficult with the ‘unrealistic schemes’ being floated by the candidates.

New gov poll: GOP deadlocked, Dillon leads Dems

By Ed Brayton | 07.14.10 | 7:23 am

A new state poll focusing on the gubernatorial primaries finds the Republican race all bunched up at the top and House Speaker Andy Dillon extending his lead on the Democratic side. The survey of 895 likely Republican primary voters had Attorney General Mike Cox, Rep. Pete Hoekstra and Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder all tied [...]

Cox ties to foreclosure industry come under scrutiny

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.13.10 | 3:33 pm

Michigan Attorney General and Republican candidate for governor Mike Cox continues to receive large amounts of money from the mortgage and foreclosure industry, prompting renewed concerns about those ties during the most serious foreclosure crisis in history.

Reading the Tea Party leaves

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.12.10 | 10:24 am

In an extensive article from the Detroit Free Press over the weekend, state pundits tried to weight the potential impact of the Tea Party movement in state politics. For Republican candidate for Michigan’s 1st Congressional District Tom Stillings the meetings with the Tea Party have been like “the Spanish Inquisition,” reports Freep reporter Todd Spangler.

Ad wars heat up in governor race

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.01.10 | 10:52 am

The television commercials in the races for the GOP and Democratic nominations for governor are heating up. On the Democratic side, House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Township) has had two television commercials hit the airwaves, while Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero has had none. An article in the Detroit News says Bernero is promising his message [...]

Television ad buys in West Michigan could signal flood of Gov. commercials to come

By Todd A. Heywood | 06.29.10 | 2:06 pm

The Grand Rapids Press is reporting that two GOP gubernatorial hopefuls have purchased nearly $1 million in ad time in west Michigan television stations. And that move could signal a likely barrage of television commercials for the month of July. Here’s how the Press laid out the spending:

Hoekstra criticizes BP escrow

By Todd A. Heywood | 06.24.10 | 10:10 am

Following up on Wednesday’s story about Congressman Pete Hoekstra’s ties to the Republican Study Committee, Hoekstra has told the Grand Rapids Press that the feds should have filed suit against British Petroleum to secure the $20 billion escrow.