State News

There’s been a little progress on the Michigan budget. House Democrats and Republicans agreed on funding for K-12 education yesterday. Details have not been released, but reports indicate it would add $30-million in special education funding. A spokesperson for Governor Gretchen Whitmer called it “a move in the right direction… …

Michigan’s emergency rules banning flavored nicotine vaping products have been released. The rules become effective immediately. Retailers and resellers – including online sellers – have 14 days to comply. Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued the emergency declaration September 4th, accusing e-cigarette companies of “getting our kids hooked on nicotine by marketing …

Michigan Democratic lawmakers are lining up to support the United Auto Workers Union in its strike against General Motors. Governor Gretchen Whitmer posted a photo on Twitter as she delivered food to a picket line in Lansing. More than a dozen state and federal legislators have either made public announcements …

There’s been no breakthrough in Michigan’s budget stalemate. With 13 days to go before the end of the fiscal year, Republicans in the State House and Senate pushed forward their budget bills yesterday. Party leaders say they have had no direct communication with Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and hope to have …

They can’t agree on a budget, or how to fix the roads, but there is one important issue that Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and legislative Republicans can agree on – it’s not nice to steal people’s mail. You might think that stealing mail has been illegal in Michigan for all …

The State has emailed layoff notices to most of Michigan’s government workers. The layoffs that would be caused by failure to approve a new budget are far from certain, but law requires advance notice. About 30,000 of the state’s 48,000 employees would be sent to the bench if budget negotiations …

If you qualified for a home heating credit on your 2018 Michigan Income Tax, there could be a check in your mailbox soon. The state wound up with an extra $6.5 million in that fund. They did the math, and the 288,000 taxpayers who received the credit will get a …

A former Michigan state representative will probably not spend time in jail, after pleading no contest to a charge of trying to have a state employee help cover up his extramarital affair. Todd Courser has been sentenced to 12 months of probation, along with 45 days in jail. He can …

For the first time in a dozen years, members of the United Auto Workers have struck General Motors. Union employees walked off the job at 11:59 last night. The strike includes 46,000 union members at 55 GM facilities in the United States. Union contracts with Ford and Fiat Chrysler have …

The State of Michigan has rolled out a new form for reporting elder abuse. The Elder Abuse Task Force headed by Attorney General Dana Nessel and Supreme Court Justice Megan Cavanagh introduced the form this week, calling it Michigan’s first standardized system to help law enforcement prosecute elder abuse crimes. …