Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is portraying GOP legislative leaders as failing to seriously negotiate on how to raise $2.5 billion to repair the state’s roads and bridges. Now, the business community is exerting its own pressure on the GOP.
In the fierce debate over regulation of Airbnbs and other short-term home rentals, Michigan legislators are bringing adversaries to the table, including groups representing local government, hotels and the real-estate industry.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican legislative leaders are still meeting to discuss road funding and the 2020 budget, but they haven’t yet reached a compromise. They have until the end of September to pass a budget or risk a shutdown.
Lack of affordable housing is spreading beyond seasonal workers. It’s now hurting manufacturing and healthcare firms trying to attract workers. Local leaders want Lansing to help incentivize developers to build more affordable projects.
Jocelyn Benson swept into office vowing to serve customers in 30 minutes. But wait times in 2019 are at their highest in five years, up to two or three hours in some branches. Benson says it's the result of long-term underinvestment to be solved with hard structural change.
Lines have gotten longer so far this year, compared with wait times in 2018. This Bridge database allows you to see how times have changed in branch offices near you.
VNP, the group behind the successful drive to create an independent body to draw political lines in Michigan, seeks entry in a Republican lawsuit to have that commission shut down before it starts.
Democratic lawmakers say shootings in California, Texas and Ohio show the need for legal tools to seize weapons from people who pose an urgent danger. State Republicans have yet to sign on, with due process rights a sticking point.
Voters in Grand Traverse County want to recall Inman after his indictment on federal charges for alleged bribery, extortion and lying to FBI agents while in office. His attorney says he will consider an appeal on the recall petition’s approval.
The lawsuit, filed in 2016, alleges that the state violated the Headlee Amendment to the Michigan constitution in how it calculates state spending to local governments. Depending on how the case ultimately is resolved, experts say the lawsuit could have significant impacts on both state and local government funding.
Republican plaintiffs argue the independent, voter-approved commission violates their First and 14th-Amendment rights by forbidding some people with political ties from serving. They want a federal judge to stop the state state officials from seating the commission.
From stagnant population to Great Lakes threats and lousy sewers, Michigan has extraordinary problems that require specific solutions. This is what we want the Democratic presidential hopefuls to address.
As a bipartisan task force looks into Michigan’s county data, researchers at the Pew Charitable Trusts are trying to make sense of a patchwork of jail records. It’s going to be a heavy lift, with only months to get the job done.
As veteran teachers flee the troubled district, Benton Harbor officials will try to sell Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on giving them at least four years to fix their struggling high school.
The state’s marijuana regulatory industry announced rules to give license discounts for qualified residents in cities that were most heavily targeted for pot crimes. An industry official said the rules are well-meaning, but she doubts their impact.
Basic reference books on computers and electronics, starting a business or even driving a truck are prohibited as perceived threats to the “order and security” of prisons. Officials say they are now rethinking this policy.
Does Michigan’s constitution allow the legislature to adopt and amend citizen initiatives in the same two-year term, or does it explicitly prohibit the practice? It’s now up to the state’s highest court to decide.
