News

While most people are decking the halls this time of year, for many holiday stress can lead to a blue Christmas. Kathryn Salmi of Christian Counseling in Hancock says this time of year can be especially difficult for those who have lost a loved one. Salmi says people who are …

Homeless people living in Houghton County have few choices of where to go since there are no shelters in the immediate area. That could change very soon. Local resident Brian Foreman works with homeless teens and families through Child and Family Services. Having previously been a member of the Homeless …

The Board of State Canvassers will meet next Tuesday, and will examine recall petitions against Governor Rick Snyder, State Senator Wayne Schmidt and Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof. Schmidt and Meekhof are being targeted for their votes to raise fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees to pay for road funding. …

Michigan’s court filing system is modernized by a half dozen bills signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder. The bills take the filing system online, make it more efficient and will save money for cities, according to the bill’s sponsors. Among other things, the bills define the terms of the …

Sentencing guidelines in Michigan will be updated to include criminal intent when smaller crimes are committed under a bill signed into law by the governor. Previously not every statute took into account if someone meant to break the law. The new law would change that by putting a default criminal …

Some good news on the revenue front in Lansing. There could be as much as $700 million more in state tax revenue. And some would like to spend that money on roads, to add to the $1.2 billion plan that was approved earlier this year. The plan was criticized as …

The chairman of a House committee on tax policy says new legislation will be introduced sometime in early 2016 to address the “Dark Store” theory big box stores are using to reduce their property taxes. Stores claim their property should be valued as if it were empty, or dark, because …

Michigan’s governor has signed bills into law clearing the way for a massive data center to open near Grand Rapids. The measures allow new and existing data centers in the state to skip paying the sales tax and use tax for the next 20 years. Nevada-based Switch wanted to the …

A state Senate Democrat is calling for a constitutional amendment to eliminate referendum proofing bills. The Michigan constitution currently protects spending bills from being contested by voters. But Senator Curtis Hertel says too often majority Republican’s add appropriations to bills just to make bills immune from voter referendum. He’s calling …

Are state lawmakers willing to vote to take away money from schools in their district to help Detroit Public Schools? It’s the $715 million question that awaits lawmakers when they return to Lansing after the first of the year and talks resume on how to help DPS get out of …