LANSING - Calling it a good day for the state by improving its overall competitiveness, Governor Rick Snyder signed a package of 12 bills that begins the process to phase out Michigan's personal property tax on industrial property. At a signing ceremony in the press auditorium, surrounded by legislators, civic officials and business executives, Snyder
LANSING - Michigan got an okay news/bad news story from the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. Michigan saw population growth in 2012, but with Georgia adding more than 100,000 people in the last year, the Peach State surpassed Michigan to the nation's eighth largest state. And Michigan's state demographer said at current growth rates, Michigan
JACKSON - Consumers Energy wants to spend $750 million to build a 700 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Thetford Township, about 20 miles northwest of Flint. The project is expected to create about 600 construction jobs. The bulk of the construction jobs are expected to be filled by members of skilled trades unions. When
DETROIT - Elliott Management made the unsolicited bid in a Monday letter to Compuware's board of directors, offering to acquire the software and services company for $11 per share, or $2.3 billion. But Compuware is under intense pressure from investors to fix its business and cut employees that could persist even if an attempted takeover
AUBURN HILLS - Accel Partners has made a $30 million strategic investment in ERP manufacturing software maker Plex Systems and will gain a seat on the board of director, joining Francisco Partners, which acquired Plex Systems earlier this year. ?Plex Systems was early in bringing the cloud to manufacturing ERP, and it now has the
LANSING - Critics have said Governor Rick Snyder undermined his trustworthiness when he agreed to support making Michigan a right-to-work state after nearly two years of disdaining the proposal as not on his agenda, but Snyder disputed such accusations Monday. "Trust is a perception. I think, factually, I was fairly clear this whole process," he
LANSING - The Natural Resources Trust Fund has approved $14.47 million to purchase new public lands and $9.07 million for development on existing lands. Of the funding, 17 local government purchases would share $11.96 million and 49 local units would share $7.82 million for development. The Department of Natural Resources would have $2.51 million for
LANSING - The House has concurred in the Senate version of the Detroit Lighting Authority with a number of Detroit lawmakers opposing the package, putting the measure on Governor Rick Snyder's desk. Rep. Maureen Stapleton chastised her colleagues for opposing the measure, arguing it was needed to improve Detroit. "The good news is that the
LANSING - The Senate breathed life back into long-dormant legislation that would allow community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees in certain programs on Thursday after some discontent at the discharge of HB 4496 from committee. Community colleges under the bill could offer four-year baccalaureate degrees in cement technology, maritime technology, energy production technology and
LANSING - The state will soon have a new law to address financially troubled local governments and school districts with the Senate on Thursday giving final approval to what amounts to a "replacement emergency manager law" after voters repealed PA 4 of 2011 in November. The Senate passed SB 865 on a largely party-line vote,