News

Registered medical marijuana patients that smoke pot in their cars in a public parking lot aren’t immune from prosecution. The Michigan appeals court ruled Wednesday that a parking lot is a public place so the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law provides no protections for a patient who uses the drug …

Retired and off-duty Department of Corrections’ (DOC) officers would be added to the list of those allowed to carry a gun in gun free zones, under a legislation signed by the governor Monday. Currently in Michigan, you can’t carry a pistol into a school, hospital or sports stadium because they …

EMTs and paramedics are protected from getting sued if they provide emergency medical care while off duty under a bill signed in to law by the governor. The measure passed the House last month and cleared the Senate in October. Previously only doctors and nurses had Good Samaritan protections. Providing …

A measure designed to make it easier for firefighters coming from out-of-state to be certified in Michigan has been signed into law by the governor. The bill passed the House in November and the Senate in October. State Senator Dale Zorn, the bill sponsor, says it would provide firefighter certification …

A second hearing is planned this month for legislation that aims to stop big box stores from asking the Michigan Tax Tribunal to value their property – for tax purposes — as if it were empty, or dark, arguing the layout is unique and wouldn’t be worth much if the …

Some changes to how concealed handgun licenses are issued take effect Tuesday. Three-member county gun boards are no longer part of the mix, with their duty of issuing, denying, revoking or suspending licenses transferring to county clerks. State police will be responsible for background checks to ensure someone who’s not …

As state lawmakers weigh changes to the state’s medical marijuana law, law enforcement officials are advocating more regulation of transporting the drug. Legislation in Lansing is aimed at regulating the state’s medical marijuana industry by allowing for dispensaries, taxing them and creating a seed to sale tracking system. The bill …

A state lawmaker is pushing for support of a so-called “Yes Means Yes” legislation. The measure, sponsored by State Senator Curtis Hertel, would require sex education courses to expand the conversation involving consent. Hertel says a recent survey conducted on college campuses found unclear answers to questions like, if someone …

The head of the Michigan Department of Transportation is responding to recent criticism from State Representative Scott Dianda. The Upper Peninsula lawmaker wants a no confidence vote against Kirk Steudle because Dianda thinks funds were mismanaged on projects like the I-696 corridor in Detroit, where mulch was used to spread …

While the legislature and the governor have put in place a new funding mechanism for road and bridge maintenance in Michigan, the package did not include anything about toll roads. But the idea of toll roads is still not being abandoned by many. Lance Binoniemi of the Michigan Infrastructure and …