LANSING - Officials in the office of Gov. Jennifer Granholm are refusing to comment on reports she has suggested an increase in the state's beer tax, and possibly the tobacco tax, as one way of helping resolve the 2009-10 budget. The state's beer tax has not been raised in more than 40 years and reports
LANSING - Political leaders must be willing to muster the courage to confront four essential elements - two spending and two revenue issues - to help establish a stable long-term state budget, former top state budget officer Tom Clay said in an interview. The willingness to confront spending in corrections and health care, along with
LANSING - Prosecutors would have to maintain any electronic recordings used in a trial as long as there are appeals left under a rule being considered by the Michigan Supreme Court. Under the proposal, submitted by the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly, any electronic recordings made by a governmental agency not available during a
LANSING - Saline Lectronics received $998,000 Wednesday to back a loan to expand its manufacturing facility, becoming the first participant in the Strategic Fund's Supplier Diversification Fund. The money, part of the 21st Century Jobs Fund, was put in a certificate of deposit at Comerica Bank to act as collateral for the $2 million loan
LANSING - With municipalities like Macomb County "scrapping for every dime we can get," Finance Director Dave Diegel told the Michigan House Tax Policy Committee is makes sense to look at what economic development incentives aren't working. Diegel's comments came after the Michigan Association of Counties testified Wednesday about the impact tax policy changes in
LANSING - Late Wednesday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm issued a directive implementing a series of recommendations to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the state by 20 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. The directive, 2009-4, implements the recommendations of the Michigan Climate Action Council. The group, appointed by Granholm in 2007, issued
JACKSON - Consumers Energy launched this week an energy efficiency program designed to help residential customers save energy and save money. Consumers Energy Saving Solutions offers a wide range of incentives to help customers reduce their utility bills by using energy more efficiently. Those incentives include discounts on compact fluorescent light bulbs at participating retailers
LANSING - Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced Thursday that 46 communities will receive more than $14.1 million in support of public infrastructure projects to create jobs through the Community Development Block Grant funding made available by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. "Dynamic communities are the engine of Michigan's continued economic success," Granholm said. "Investment in public
ANN ARBOR - GradeCheck.Net, a web site that helps student-athletes prepare for the tougher academics at college, and perhaps help them win scholarships, is gaining traction among students, high schools and colleges. The TechTown tenant pitched investors for money at the July New Enterprise Forum event. a>>
HOLLAND - Momentum, the new West Michigan technology start-up incubator developed by Rick DeVos, grandson of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos, graduated its first three projects on Tuesday night at a coming out party in Holland, this Lake Michigan shoreline community. Public Collections, Revetto, and Downstream all made pitches to potential investors for money. To listen,