News

Democrats in Lansing continue to rail against majority Republicans for moving the Senate offices into a new building. They say the move was unnecessary and expensive, with State Representative Scott Dianda calling the whole situation a “boondoggle”. Democrats also charge that the offices are home to registered lobbyists and is …

Property taxes are one of the primary ways counties collect revenue to pay for the services offered to residents. In Houghton County, residents can at least be assured that their money is being put to good use, according to a national review. SmartAsset, a New York based financial technology company, …

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — New estimates from a state department show fewer Michigan infants dying while the state develops policies to save more babies. A February report from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says the state’s infant mortality rate fell by 14.6 percent from 2000 to 2013 …

Michigan ranks 11th in the country when it comes to financial literacy. The analysis comes from WalletHub.com. The ranking looks at financial education programs and consumer habits. Their key metrics in the analysis included Champlain University’s High School Financial Literacy Grades, to the percentage of residents with a rainy-day fund. …

High school students could claim computer coding classes as a way to fulfill their foreign language requirement to graduate under legislation introduced in Lansing. State Representative Lisa Posthumus-Lyons, R-Alto, is sponsoring the bill and says coding is a recognized language worldwide and should fulfill a world language requirement in Michigan. …

A state lawmaker says he’d like to see legislation this summer to implement recommendations from the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission. The commission released several recommendations earlier this year and Representative Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth, says one of the proposals he’d especially like to see legislation on would allow victims of forced …

Gasoline prices in many parts of Michigan have experienced up to a 20 cent per gallon increase, according to Gasbuddy.com. Patrick DeHaan of Gasbuddy says it’s the result of a culmination of falling retail prices colliding with continued increases in wholesale gas prices. He also says while oil inventories continue …

Michigan Democrats are urging Governor Rick Snyder to condemn policies throughout the country that they say discriminate against gay and transgender people. The call comes in the wake of North Carolina enacting a law that, among other things, requires LGBT citizens to use public restrooms that correspond with the gender …

Concussions in high school sports are on everyone’s mind these days. One local athletic trainer is taking part in a nationwide pilot program designed to identify when a student athlete is showing symptoms of a concussion. Aspirus Keweenaw’s Dorothy Jamison has been using the program at Calumet and Lake Linden-Hubbell …

Should students be allowed to choose which school bathroom they use based on the gender they identify with? State Senator Tom Casperson doesn’t think so and he is taking steps to prevent it from happening. Under guidelines being considered by the Michigan Board of Education, students would also be allowed …