Redistricting guru: Michigan’s maps are legal, even if process was political
by Joel Kurth (Bridge) DETROIT – Michigan’s controversial political districts were drawn in secret by Republicans and written in part to help incumbents – and there’s nothing wrong with that, one of their chief architects testified Thursday. The final witness in a three-day federal trial to determine if Michigan’s political districts are constitutional, GOP consultant Jeff Timmer […]
Meet the ex-drug cop who now helps regulate Michigan marijuana
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) In September 2017, a ballroom full of people at the Eagle Eye Golf Club north of East Lansing waited for the Michigan Medical Marihuana Licensing Board’s third-ever meeting to begin. Many of them didn’t know what to expect from the five-person panel, gatekeeper to a medical cannabis industry that had operated in a […]
Budget tests Gretchen Whitmer’s promise to repeal Michigan pension tax
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) Along with “Fix the damn roads,” it was a signature promise of then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer. “We need to repeal the retirement tax. Our seniors deserve better,” she said weeks before the November election, repeating a vow she made countless times throughout her campaign. As she settles into the governor’s seat, Whitmer […]
In one month, Dana Nessel erases many of Bill Schuette’s federal pursuits
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel capped a dizzying first month in office by reversing the state’s position in more than a dozen cases previously steered by her Republican predecessor. Nessel aligned with three other states and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in seeking to join a federal lawsuit protecting the Affordable Care Act, which previous […]
Michigan Republicans move to block Gov. Whitmer’s environmental overhaul
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) LANSING — Michigan Republicans are trying to block Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to overhaul the state’s environmental department because it would eliminate oversight panels favored by the GOP. (See article on Gov. Whitmer’s plan HERE) In an early blow to bipartisanship, the Republican-led House voted by party lines, 58-51, on Wednesday afternoon to override the […]
Gretchen Whitmer reshapes Michigan environmental watchdog agency
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is overhauling the Michigan agency charged with environmental regulation, citing the need to more urgently protect the state’s water, bolster the response to climate change and direct more resources to communities disproportionately harmed by pollution and other environmental threats. The Department Environmental Quality (DEQ) will be reshaped and […]
Michigan’s energy vulnerability exposed by natural gas scare, bitter cold
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants Michigan to learn from this week’s natural gas crisis that highlighted vulnerabilities in the state’s energy grid during bone-chilling weather. Whitmer, a Democrat, on Thursday called on the state Public Service Commission to investigate the state’s supply — and deliverability — of natural gas, electricity […]
Legal marijuana didn’t end black market elsewhere. What can Michigan learn?
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Out of the darkness and into the light. That’s how Michigan marijuana proponents framed the state’s transition to legalized pot — a regulated system they promised would bring new tax revenues, expand access for medical patients and protect public safety by making it unnecessary for consumers to buy from underground pot dealers. But […]
In Flint, trust is lost. And bottled water supplies are running low.
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) FLINT — On a freezing Tuesday morning, Jim Carnes rolled his shopping cart across the parking lot of Asbury United Methodist Church. Wearing winter gear and the confidence of a man who has been here before, the retired truck driver approached a table piled high with grocery bags full of green beans, […]
Flint residents welcome Nestlé donations. But its ads? Not so much.
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) FLINT — Peaceful music plays in the background. Residents wait for donations before dawn. And Nestlé Waters North America is there to help, as workers load a semi-truck of the company’s Ice Mountain bottled water and head south to Flint. “Some people have forgotten about Flint,” Flint water volunteer Sandra Jones says in […]
