A state House committee has voted to send a $38 billion budget to the House floor. Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter is happy to see bipartisan support at the committee level. Most Democrats passed on their votes rather than directly voting against it after the GOP-controlled committee rejected dozens …

A new report out this morning shows nearly 230,000 children in Michigan have had a parent in jail. Researchers from the Annie Casey Foundation say incarceration continues to devastate families of color. Black kids are seven times more likely and Latino kids are three times more likely to have a …

Governor Snyder and a group of business leaders are in Germany today taking part in a technology trade fair. The Governor will be at the opening of what is considered the world’s largest industrial tech trade fair in Hannover. Stops in Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands are also planned. The governor’s office …

Consumer complaints about insurance and financial wrongdoing continue to increase. The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services says it helped more than 8,000 people in March and helped collect more than $1.7 million. In one case, state workers were able to restore a $1 million annuity for a Wayne County resident. …

A legislative committee created to review Flint’s water crisis will hear next from top ranking leaders in Governor Rick Snyder’s administration. Department of Environmental Quality interim Director Keith Creagh (CRAY) and Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon are among those scheduled to testify today in Lansing. A task …

Gas prices in Michigan have gone up six cents over last week. AAA Michigan says the current statewide average is about $2.17 a gallon, but it’s still about 34 cents less than at this time last year. The lowest prices can be found in Metro Detroit at about $2.13 a gallon and …

Months ago, Hancock’s City Council formed an ordinance committee to update the city’s ordinances. The reasoning was because some ordinances were so out of date that they were nearly unenforceable. Most importantly, an ordinance was added which decriminalizes a majority of the city’s ordinances. Previously, a misdemeanor was filed upon …

A group of students from Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools are the first from the area to qualify for the eCybermission regional competition. The event is sponsored by the Army Educational Outreach Program and involves students selecting a science or engineering project that will benefit the community. Using a common method of …

Michigan Tech’s accreditation will continue. The university’s newsletter, Tech Today, reported the approval from the Higher Learning Commission — the official accrediting body for colleges in several states. Tech participates in the HLC’s open pathway system, which gives schools independence to pursue improvement projects geared towards their current needs and …

HOUGHTON—The Houghton Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) is holding its second Great LED Light Bulb Swap from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (April 23) at the Michigan Tech Lakeshore Center, in downtown Houghton. The first 100 households that bring in an incandescent light bulb will each receive one free LED …