Michigan News Archives

Tax incentives aimed at boosting Michigan's film industry may come with a hefty price tag. via NewsCenter 25

“Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes has enjoyed a 21-year partnership with Magna Donnelly and we are delighted that they have teamed up with Toyota to impact young people in West Michigan through Junior Achievement”

Magna Donnelly and Magna Electronics, two operating units of Magna International, and Toyota announced a $25,000 gift to Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes during a ceremony today at a Magna ... via Automotive

Gas prices in Michigan are up 8 cents over the past week.

AAA Michigan said Monday the statewide average is $3.33 per gallon. That's 66 cents higher than last year at this time.

Of the cities the state auto club surveyed, the cheapest price is in the Flint area, where a gallon costs $3.30. The highest average can be found in Marquette at $3.50 per gallon.

Drivers in the Detroit area are paying about $3.31 per gallon.

The statewide average for biodiesel is $4.18 and $2.99 for ethanol. Read more

“My attitude is that Sen. Clinton can run as long as she wants. Her name is on the ballot ... she should be able to compete and her supporters should be able to support her for as long as they are willing or able”

IN THE PAPERS She's not going anywhere anytime soon. Amid calls to exit the Democratic nomination race for the sake of party unity, Sen. via ABC News

“Clearly there are people that need to replace a product”

Just like everyone else in Southeast Michigan, Desta Woudenh is worried about declining home values, high gas prices and the economic slowdown. via StarTribune

Bond for two Michigan men arrested in Colorado on marijuana charges has been set at $150,000.

Mesa County sheriff's officials say 46-year-old Christopher Johnson of Detroit and 22-year-old Nathan McRae of Belleville were arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession with intent to distribute and being special drug offenders.

An affidavit says officers at a port of entry on Interstate 70 found about 600 pounds of marijuana behind a false wall in their semitrailer Friday. Read more

Michigan Democrats are not following that advice and have made an even uglier mess out of this ill-fated and mishandled embarrassment called a presidential primary re-do. Last week an agreement was reached to ... via The Dexter Leader-Heritage Newspapers...

A West Michigan woman indicted on federal charges that accuse her of trying to hire a hitman online is planning to plead guilty. via WOOD-TV Grand Rapids

“I do want to make sure that ... we show some restraint and that we are measured in how we present the contrasts between myself and Senator Clinton”

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Saturday said Hillary Clinton can stay in the nominating race as long as she wants and expressed confidence that Democrats will coalesce around the winner despite ... via Popsugar.com

I would be a lot more worked up about getting Michigan and Florida delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention this summer if we were hearing a coherent economic policy from either of the two ... via Monterey County Herald

The Michigan Department of Agriculture has given special approval to a pesticide to fight the emerald ash borer. via WXYZ

The 2007 survey of Michigan Physicians shows some alarming medical trends. It says, 41% of active doctors plan to practice medicine for 1 to 10 more years. via NewsCenter 25

This year's planned Hash Bash in Ann Arbor has hit a snag. The Michigan Daily and The Ann Arbor News report organizers of the pro-marijuana legalization event learned that the Diag on the campus of the ... via WXYZ

“With growth in the WLI having stabilized around recessionary readings, the economy remains locked on the recession track”

Consumer confidence fell further into recessionary territory in March, hitting a 16-year low, even as other data showed incomes rose and inflation dipped in February, which should support the Fed's efforts to ... via Portland Tribune

Former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard says the Democratic National Committee is so focused on punishing Michigan and Florida for moving up their primaries that it has lost sight of winning the November election. via WZZM-TV Grand Rapids

The Michigan Senate has voted to require that state government use more green energy, but the mandate isn't being extended to residents and businesses. via WTOM-TV Traverse City

“They keep saying things like the tracks are from a very large cat that was 'most likely' a cougar. They won't list it as 'verified.' I guess they won't say for sure that we've got a cougar until somebody catches one.”

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said tracks found recently in the Upper Peninsula's Delta County were "most likely" from a cougar, although it refuses to say that this is further evidence for a ... via Grand Haven Tribune

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation allowing voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to decide whether to use a property tax to help fund the Detroit Zoo.

The measure gives counties the power to form zoological authorities that will seek voter approval of a tax to support local zoos.

Granholm's office says in a statement Thursday the measure was given immediate effect.

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The zoo tax bill is Senate Bill 1135.

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On the Net:

Detroit Zoo: http://www.detroitzoo.org Read more

“It's a sweet day. He's an innocent man and he's been in prison for nine months”

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman is not just getting to go home after spending nine months in federal prison. via Belleville News

“There may be very real and valid business reasons why you wouldn't want to be totally transparent about everything”

U.S. markets were lower Thursday after an updated gross domestic product report came in unchanged. via Daily India

“On the other hand, the idea of sticking the finger in the eye of the voters of Florida and Michigan is a huge mistake and I think we'll pay a price for it in November”

New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine says Democrats risk offending Florida and Michigan voters by stripping the states of delegates. via PhillyBurbs.com

“It's a very low-hanging piece of fruit”

The Michigan Senate on Thursday voted to make state government use more green energy but didn't ask the same of residents and businesses because of Republicans' worries that renewable power costs too much. via Crain's Detroit Business

Governor Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation requiring all children who are both under age 8 and shorter than 4-foot-9 to be fastened into booster seats. via WXYZ

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in foreign service, Georgetown University, 1976; law degree, University of San Francisco School of Law, 1979. via WOOD-TV Grand Rapids

“We see no greater academic achievement on the whole, nor are they creating any new teaching techniques that couldn't be introduced to the public schools.”

Each year since 1994, at least one charter school has joined ranks with customary public schools in Michigan to compete for students, teachers and administrators. via The Milan News-Leader

“The trip was to see the plight of the Iraqi children. That's the only reason we went.”

Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. via Journal Gazette

“From our standpoint, it has never been about who has access to the list, it has been about whether or not Michigan should move its primary up, and we did that”

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a Michigan law that allowed only the Republican and Democratic parties access to voter information from the state's Jan. via WOOD-TV Grand Rapids

“While the listing doesn't place any significant legal restrictions on a vessel, it does bring a certain validity to the discovery and the research that went into the designation”

The wreck of the steamship Hennepin, discovered two years ago in Lake Michigan by Holland-based Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. via Grand Haven Tribune

“At this juncture, based on the public record and based on the company's stock price, which continues to trade at a premium ... the $10-a-share figure remains inadequate”

JP Morgan Chase's attempted takeover of ailing Bear Stearns could be foiled by two pension schemes which yesterday revealed they were considering court action that could block progress of the takeover. via The Herald

“Nancy and I both well remember the agony that we went through (in 1984). We always take up knotty issues, as we may well again”

WASHINGTON - Nancy Pelosi is scrambling to quell Democratic infighting. Two states broke the rules with earlier-than-allowed primaries, and two candidates are dueling for an advantage among superdelegates who ... via KAAL

“The question I look at is, do you want to throw your hat into a mud-wrestling match or do you take a post that we haven't always recruited very well for?”

Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Bill Schuette doesn't plan to run for re-election this year. via WOOD-TV Grand Rapids

“Nine percent of a small number is still small”

With the clock running, University of Michigan graduate student instructors were gearing up to walk picket lines today and Wednesday, and they were asking students not to cross them. via Detroit Free Press

The state Senate has passed a spending plan that would give each of the state's 15 public universities the same percentage increase. via 760 WJR

“Any such reductions would amount to an unconstitutional taking of the tribe's property right in fish resources of rivers and streams”

An American Indian tribe says bills pending in the Legislature to regulate high-volume water withdrawals would violate its rights by reducing fish populations in some rivers and streams. via MLive.com

Posted online at 2:16 AM EST on 3/25/08 Howard Dean sure knows how to crash a good party. via The Justice

“That's a lie. I'm a registered voter in Redford.”

House speaker's supporters ramp up defense BY DAWSON BELL * FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER * March 20, 2008 You may have forgotten about Michigan's bout with recall fever, which spiked in the immediate aftermath of ... via Detroit Free Press

“The students gave the most wonderful presentation about peepers”

Michigan's Lt. Governor John Cherry urged local Democrats to continue to press for improving the lives of state residents through a number of initiatives. via The Dexter Leader-Heritage Newspapers...

Mr. Murphy was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Thomas E. Brandon, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. via US Department of Justice Bureau of ATF

Officials say a woman died in the Florida Keys after a stingray jumped out of the water and struck her upper body. via Arizona Republic

The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care is seeking to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes in the state. via High Times

“Today's news that the Senate will continue to thoroughly deliberate legislation to reform the individual insurance market is welcome news for all Michigan consumers”

The debate about changing Michigan's rules guiding health insurance for individuals who aren't covered by employer or government plans may last several more weeks. via WSBT

Officials in Florida are investigating a bizarre death. Jorge Pino, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said a Michigan woman was on a boat with her family off Marathon when an Eagle Ray ... via Cbs2chicago.com

“We cannot continue doing the same thing and getting no progress.”

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's educational ideas are hitting roadblocks as lawmakers start working on how to spend the state's money in the next budget year. via WOOD-TV Grand Rapids

Officials say a 75-pound stingray killed a Michigan woman yesterday when it flew out of the water and struck her face as she rode a boat in the Florida Keys. via WLAJ

“Looking at those numbers, we ought to pull back and say, 'Let's go slow on Public Act 141,'”

A popular argument for rewriting Michigan's energy laws this year is that more electricity will be needed by 2015 -- not a lot of time for new power plants to be built. via MLive.com

Graduate student instructors at the University of Michigan plan to hold a two-day walkout on Tuesday and Wednesday. via WXYZ

Michigan's regional unadjusted jobless rates for January ranged from a low of 4.8 percent in Ann Arbor to a high of 12.4 percent in northeast lower Michigan. via Bay City Times

ST. LOUIS - Mark Perry earned a return trip to the finals of the NCAA wrestling championships, and this time it'll be a victory lap. via Coshocton Tribune

“It was a bunch of headaches -- going around and around to get this done”

Just when consumers and the U.S. economy need banks to lend more freely, the mortgage industry is making it harder to borrow -- even for those with good credit. via Detroit Free Press

“We would encourage motorists not to go out unless they find it to be absolutely necessary.”

Posted by Gazette Staff Reports and Associated Press March 21, 2008 19:05PM Categories: Top Photos Scott Harmsen Gazette A black squirrel seeks shelter in a snow-covered spruce tree in the Westnedge Hill ... via MLive.com

The spotted eagle stingray which killed a Michigan woman is seen in this photo released by the Monroe County Sheriff's Dept. via WBT-AM Charlotte

The state has settled a long-running dispute with two American Indian tribes over the Michigan Lottery Club Keno game. via WNDU-TV South Bend

The state House has approved a plan that would add $40 million to Michigan's No Worker Left Behind retraining program. via WILX-TV Lansing

“The bottom line is the plant has performed extremely well”

For the second time in three years, Boar's Head Provisions Co. Inc. is expanding its Holland Township operation. via Grand Rapids Press

“He brought with him a sense of mission to improve this newspaper and he has succeeded in doing that”

Rich Oppel, editor of the Austin American-Statesman, has announced he will retire effective June 1. Current managing editor Fred Zipp has been selected by publisher Mike Laosa to succeed Oppel. via KRISTV.COM Corpus Christi

Officials in Florida and Michigan are continuing to come up with ideas for how to seat their delegates at the Democratic National Convention. via ClipSyndicate

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - An autopsy reveals that a 2-year-old West Michigan boy died after ingesting a solvent or rubbing alcohol. via NewsCenter 25

A letter sent Wednesday by Democratic Govs. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania to Michigan Gov. via KDBC

“We need to rewrite Michigan law so it protects consumers”

House Democrats plan to take another stab at changing Michigan's auto insurance rules in an effort they say could make rates more affordable for those who need a break most. via WSBT

“And I could learn from the senior. I feel comfortable with coach Tressel - not that I don't feel comfortable with coach Rod.”

Terrelle Pryor, the nation's No.1 football recruit according to most recruiting services, announced in a press conference at his high school yesterday that he will attend Ohio State next fall. via The Michigan Daily Online

The University of Michigan is offering a $1,000 reward related to the theft of tens of thousands of dollars worth of stones from its geology department. via WWUP-TV Cadillac

Community therapy, not prison, is the best way to treat the mentally ill Mark Reinstein Michigan has a tremendous problem with mentally ill people entering adult and juvenile justice systems. via Detroit News

“Sen. Obama speaks passionately on the campaign trail about empowering the American people”

Hillary Clinton today stepped up the pressure on Barack Obama to back a re-vote in Michigan, calling it a crucial test of whether he means what he says. via Hotline On Call

Environmental groups are urging Governor Granholm to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. via WWUP-TV Cadillac

An 11-year-old accused of sexual misconduct involving a 7-year-old boy on a Howell school bus has received two years of probation and ordered to undergo counseling. via ClickOnDetroit.com

An 11-year-old accused of sexual misconduct involving a 7-year-old boy on a Howell school bus has received two years of probation and ordered to undergo counseling. via Lansing State Journal

The Associated Press Tuesday, March 18, 2008 A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a Michigan law that bans racial and gender preferences in government hiring and university admissions. via WQXI-AM Atlanta

“Instead, it's a huge opportunity to make management changes that would otherwise be impossible.”

We've all seen the stories: some publicity-hungry magazine or web site grabs a bunch of statistics and then purports to "rate" American states on measures ranging from "livability" to child care centers, tax ... via Stateline.org

“We actually do get people saying 'We heard the most wonderful ads about Michigan, and we just had to come,'”

Most residents are tired of winter in Michigan, but Steve Yencich wants to see a lot more of it. via Lansing State Journal

“With more lighthouses than any other state in the nation, Michigan has an opportunity to build upon these communities' characters and unique sense of place”

More than $215,800 has been raised for lighthouse restoration through the sale of "Save Our Lights" license plates, according to the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. via LivingstonDaily

Gas prices in Michigan have risen 5 cents over the past week. AAA Michigan reports the statewide average is $3.34 per gallon. via WSBT

“If the Obama campaign thwarts a fair election process for the people of Michigan, it will jeopardize the Democratic nominee's ability to carry the state in the general election.”

Legislative leaders reviewed a measure Monday that would set up a do-over Democratic presidential primary in Michigan, The Associated Press learned.

The draft legislation included language that would approve spending privately raised funds for the election and setting the date for June 3, according to a Democratic leader who spoke on condition of anonymity because lawmakers and the campaigns are still considering the proposal.

The campaigns of Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama also received copies of the bill Monday. Clinton has said she would go along with another primary, but Obama's campaign has raised some concerns. Read more

A strike at American Axle will move into its fourth week Tuesday and no end is in sight. via WWJ-AM Southfield

“The bill continues to restrict access for women who seek reproductive health care services.”

Main Category: Abortion Article Date: 14 Mar 2008 - 7:00 PDT newsletters The following highlights recent state news about abortion-related legislation. via Medical News Today

“This report provides further evidence of why health care in this country should be a right not a privilege. That's why I will continue my fight to ensure every American has access to quality, affordable health care.”

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Article Date: 14 Mar 2008 - 15:00 PDT newsletters Nearly two people die each day in Michigan because they don't have health insurance, says a new report by ... via Medical News Today

Michigan has divided political power at the state Capitol, with Democrats controlling the governor's seat and the House and Republicans running the Senate. via Chicago Tribune

There's a decided lack of sunshine in Michigan. And it's not just from the long Midwest winter. via Battle Creek Enquirer

“I have not heard of anything this tailored. It's inspiring to me as a shareholder”

Faten Saad knew she wasn't in a typical Wal-Mart when she saw an end-of-the-aisle display featuring Mamool. via Free Republic

“We are the envy of other states - I'm offended that some out-of-state group would criticize our system of government”

We've all seen the stories: Some publicity-hungry magazine or website grabs a bunch of statistics and then purports to 'rate' American states on measures ranging from 'livability' to child care centers; from ... via Hartford Courant

“These are dangerous bills and a precedent that I don't think this Congress wants to set”

Key House members built opposition Friday to two proposed Indian casinos in Michigan, arguing that the deals would set a bad precedent skirting current gambling laws. via WOOD-TV Grand Rapids

The operators of mid-Michigan's new baseball team always intended to give back. How to pick the recipients became the question when officials at the Michigan Baseball Foundation and the Great Lakes Loons ... via Saginaw News