Michigan House considers expungement of marijuana, traffic convictions
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING—Hundreds of thousands of Michiganders would be eligible to set aside their criminal record — or parts of it — under a bill package before the state House Judiciary Committee. The proposal to expand criminal expungement would include misdemeanor marijuana convictions for conduct that is now considered legal under the adult-use marijuana law […]
Majority of Michigan public schools started school year short on teachers
by Ron French (Bridge) Six out of 10 Michigan school districts started this school year without enough full-time teachers to fill their classrooms, according to a survey of Michigan school superintendents. The survey, conducted the second week of September by the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, found 518 classrooms in 178 school districts that […]
Deadly EEE virus in Michigan forces daylight football starts, cancellations
by Robin Erb (Bridge) Mosquitoes carrying the deadly Eastern equine encephalitis have driven at least one Friday night football game in Michigan to the daylight hours. Superintendents from Kalamazoo County — the epicenter of an outbreak that has claimed three lives in Michigan and seriously sickened five other residents — agreed to reschedule school activities that […]
t’s official: Flavored e-cigarettes are now illegal in Michigan
by Robin Erb (Bridge) Michigan’s ban on flavored nicotine vaping products — the first to be announced in the nation — is now in effect. Sales and distribution of flavored nicotine vaping products are now a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $200 fine, according to the emergency rules released […]
Dems break with Whitmer, pass small funding increase for Michigan schools
by Ron French, Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING – Michigan House Democrats broke with their governor on Thursday and voted to approve a 1.4 percent to 3 percent increase in per-pupil funding for state schools and a small boost in special education money. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expressed disappointment in the bill that passed the House and Senate […]
Michigan Legislature, Gov. Whitmer head for showdown on roads, redistricting
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING — Michigan’s Republican-dominated House and Senate kicked off the final stage of the state budget process on Thursday, including votes on multiple funding decisions likely to irk Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democratic state officeholders. The committee-level votes included cuts to Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office and the […]
What to expect when you’re expecting a Michigan government shutdown
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Buy your hunting license and visit your favorite state park soon — there’s no guarantee you’ll have that option come Oct. 1. That’s the first day of the new fiscal year. If the Michigan state budget isn’t agreed to by the end of September, nearly two-thirds of the state’s 49,000 employees will […]
Critics rip Michigan vaping ban, citing harm to smokers and vape shops
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed ban on flavored vaping products came under fire Thursday ‒ with a state lawmaker vowing to fight it, saying he worried about adults who use the products to quit smoking and about small businesses that rely on vaping sales. Rep. Beau LaFave, a Republican from Iron Mountain, said he has […]
Michigan schools would get 2.4 percent hike in GOP budget plan
by Ron French (Bridge) In a proposed budget that appears to be a compromise between the Republican-controlled House and Senate ‒ but spurns the education priorities of Michigan’s Democratic governor ‒ a conference committee recommended a 2.4 percent increase in public school funding Thursday. That’s between the 2.7 percent hike initially approved by the Senate […]
Whitmer, GOP must solve these 5 disagreements to pass Michigan budget
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did an about-face Monday, agreeing to negotiate the state budget without a plan to raise $2.5 billion for road repairs. So is everyone in agreement now? Not at all. Dropping her roads-money-or-bust vow, the Democratic governor agreed to finish a budget with the GOP-Legislature to […]
