News

Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly is holding a raffle to raise money to replace the truck volunteers use to plow snow and deliver heating wood to elderly friends in the Copper Country. The truck will cost $40,000, once it’s equipped with a plow and a dumping system. A $10,000 donation …

A budget subcommittee in the Michigan House has approved a higher education budget in Michigan for next year that increases spending by about 77 million dollars over the current fiscal year. However, it’s five million dollars smaller than what the governor recommended. A proposed amendment to bring the funding up …

A Hawaiian judge who created a probation program so successful in reducing crime, drug use and jail time that it has become the model of reforms across the nation was in Lansing Wednesday touting the benefits Michigan could realize if the state’s similar program were expanded statewide. Judge Steven Alm, …

Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped for the sixth consecutive month in February edging down by one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.7 percent. According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, total employment rose by 26,000 in February and the number of unemployed declined slightly by 4,000. The state’s …

Lt. Governor Brian Calley will sign legislation tomorrow to remove all instances of the words “retardation” and “retarded” from state laws. The state Legislature unanimously passed the respective bills, earlier this month, that would replace the words with “developmental disability” or “intellectually disabled.” While the terms retarded, retardation, and mental …

Tonight’s Houghton City Council meeting will begin with a public hearing regarding a Michigan State Housing Development Authority Rental Rehab Grant application for Portage Lake Properties LLC, specifically two apartments above Roy’s Bakery. One of the resolutions to be voted on by the council is to authorize City Manager Eric …

A Big Bay man will be back in court in April on a charge related to the fatal hit-and-run accident involving 54 year old Robin Rahoi. 46 year old Michael Nels Nelson is charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault, resulting in death. …

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is extending its hold on gay marriages in Michigan. The appeals court voted 2-1 yesterday to extend its temporary stay on same-sex marriages until formal arguments are heard in the case, as requested by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, who is considering asking …

Michigan Democrats are alleging that Governor Rick Snyder’s cousin got preferential treatment in landing a $41 million furniture contract with the state in 2011, his first year in office. The party has filed a massive document, filled with internal emails inside the governor’s office with the U.S. Attorney in West …

A new class action suit has been filed against General Motors in connection with an ignition switch problem that has led to dozens of crashes and at least 12 deaths. The lawsuit filed Monday includes stories from 13-plaintiffs who all outline how the faulty switch caused them to lose control …