Michigan in Focus

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan legislation to support the victims of crime by expanding access to support services for domestic and sexual violence survivors and adding privacy protections. Whitmer said the bills will "protect people's privacy and safety while ensuring swift prosecutions for those who commit these crimes.” Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...

 At 2 p.m. Wednesday, all new faces will be sworn into the Green Township Board after voters recalled five board members for supporting the Gotion electric vehicle battery plant that’s acted as a flashpoint to locals. The $2.4 billion EV plant has divided locals. Some welcomed the estimated 2,350 jobs created over 10 years in a county fighting population and job loss, while others questioned the $...

While the United Auto Worker union auto strike might soon end, Detroit's casino strikes are ongoing. The three casinos remain open but 3,700 members from five unions have been on strike since Oct. 17 seeking better pay and benefits affecting MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown. In 2020, workers agreed to a three-year contract extension with minimal wage increases...

The United Auto Workers Union and General Motors have reached a tentative agreement to end the auto strike, a report says, marking the possible end of a 45-day historic strike against the Big Three Automakers. Bloomberg News first reported the deal. The UAW hasn’t publicly released contract details yet. The deal follows days after the UAW and Stellantis reached a tentative deal after six weeks of...

The Michigan Court of Claims ruled Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office must either rescind or revise a May 2022 Manual for election poll challengers. The 15-page ruling analyzed four restrictions on poll challengers, including the credential form requirement, the requirement that communication only is with the “Challenger Liaison”, the prohibition on recording “impermissible challenges,” an...

A new bill aims to help Michigan students with dyslexia learn to read and write. Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, R-Jackson, introduced the plan. House Bill 5135 aims to ensure all Michigan school districts have at least one teacher trained in the Orton-Gillingham method, a well-established and effective approach to teaching students with dyslexia that breaks reading and spelling down into smaller skills invo...

 On the 41st day on strike, the United Auto Workers Union reached a tentative deal with Ford Motor Co. About 20,000 Ford workers at the Kentucky Truck Plant, Chicago Assembly Plant and Fort Wayne Assembly Plant will return to work while the agreement goes through the ratification process, with the UAW National Ford Council convening in Detroit to review the agreement. Support this podcast: https:/...

A Farmington Hills man was sentenced to 128 days in jail and two years probation for organized retail fraud by Judge Cheryl Matthews in the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland. In September,  Brian Roussey, 31, pled guilty to three counts for operating a theft and resale scheme of KitchenAid brand stand mixers from metro Detroit Target stores. He was ordered to pay $20,108 in restitution to Target. Suppo...

The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday about whether the government can use drones to surveil private property without a warrant and use that evidence in court for zoning disputes. For two years, Long Lake Township zoning officials flew a drone over Todd and Heather Maxon’s property in northern Michigan near Traverse City, taking photographs and videos as part of a zoning dispute tha...

About 3,700 casino workers in Detroit walked out on strike at noon Tuesday after failing to reach a new contract. The strike affects operations at the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown and workers including dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers, and more. Workers represented by the Detroit Casino Council are seeking higher pay and...

Despite receiving federal COVID funds, Michigan's financial condition worsened in 2022. A new report found every Michigander must pay $12,100 to bail the state out of debt. Financial watchdog Truth in Accounting released its 14th annual Financial State of the States report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health of all 50 states based on the latest available data. The report...

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. unveiled “You Can in Michigan” — a new talent attraction marketing campaign launching nationally. The campaign follows reports of population loss and an estimated more than 270,000 more people will leave the state by 2050. Michigan has lost more than 40,000 residents since 2020. The $20 million campaign showcases Michigan via new te...

A federal judge has found the owner of the Edenville Dam responsible for widespread flooding in May 2020, that together with heavy rain, forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from 3,500 homes in mid-Michigan. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Maloney granted Attorney General Dana Nessel a summary judgment against Boyce Hydro. Nessel had filed the motion on behalf of the Department of Envir...

Michigan House Republicans want an investigation into potential conflicts of interests for House Appropriations Committee Chair Angela Witwer, who was instrumental in forming the state’s record $82 billion budget. On Sept. 5, a Detroit News report disclosed Witwer’s business connections involving a company she co-founded in 2007, Lansing-based public relations firm Edge Partnerships. Witwer was me...

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel moved to dismiss an August lawsuit arguing the state's income tax drop from 4.25% to 4.05% should be permanent. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy sued State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks over an interpretation of a 2015 law requiring the individual income tax rate to decrease automatically if year-over-year state general fund revenues increase at a greater rat...

Eleven Michigan Republican lawmakers filed a federal lawsuit challenging election changes voters approved in 2018 and 2022. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the plaintiffs say election officials violated state legislators’ rights because the U.S. Constitution and the Michigan Constitution require state legislatures to regulate the times, places, and manner of...

 A day after Ford Motor Co. said it would pause construction on its $3.5 billion Marshall electric vehicle battery plant subsidized by $1.7 billion, the state of Michigan allocated the site another $65 million. The Michigan Strategic Fund approved a $65 million Strategic Site Readiness Program Grant to the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance for land acquisition, site studies and water and...

 A group called on the Democrat-dominated Michigan Legislature to boost electric vehicle incentives so the state can reach 2 million registered statewide by 2030. Illinois leads the Midwest race to register EVs with nearly 80,000 EVs, while Minnesota has 41,417 and Michigan has 34,380. For Michigan to reach its EV goal, it must register 280,803 EVs each year until mid-2030, which would require reg...

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Office of The Inspector General will receive $749,987 to reduce food stamp fraud. The grant funds innovative concepts and best practices over the next three years to detect, investigate and prevent the misuse of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program Benefits, which security experts say is a “national problem.” The award will support...

More than $553 million in funding to underinvested pensions will flow to 120 Michigan communities. The Protect MI Pension grant program, a $750 million appropriation included in the fiscal year 2022-23 budget, allows local municipal units with pension plans funded below 60% as of December 2021 to receive state funds. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michigan-in-focus/s...

Michigan lawmakers are frustrated after the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected a request for financial aid to fix damages from flooding in the Upper Peninsula between April and May. State Reps. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, and Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River said the flooding caused millions in damages to the UP. The request for a major disaster declaration would have brought public assistance...

United Auto Worker Union President Shawn Fain gave the Big Three Detroit Automakers a noon deadline on Friday to strike a deal or more workers will walk out of factories. It’s the first UAW strike in history hitting Ford, Stellantis and General Motors simultaneously. But this time, the strikes target specific plants, dubbed the “stand-up strike,” in which they’re striking about 12,700 of their wor...

 A Michigan lawmaker wants Auditor General Doug Ringler to investigate state prison staffing practices. Rep. Sarah Lightner, R-Springport, sent a letter to Ringler requesting a review of staffing shortages and alleged violations of federal and state labor regulations within the Michigan Department of Corrections. The MDOC has more than 13,000-full time positions as of fiscal year 2023. Lightner re...

Some Republicans and Democrats agree Michigan's Freedom of Information Act should be reformed and will propose legislation later this year. Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Southfield Democrat, called FOIA reform a “good government” issue. A 2015 report gave Michigan an ‘F’ grade for government transparency and accountability. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michigan-in-focus/supp...

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sued the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority over alleged PFAS contamination. The lawsuit claims the airport authority is liable for previous releases of PFAS-containing firefighting material known as aqueous film-forming foams, under Part 201 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, as well as for violations of its National Pollut...