Politics Archives

PSC Report: Fewer Michigan Customers In Electric Choice Program, But 11,000 Waiting To Join

PSC Report: Fewer Michigan Customers In Electric Choice Program, But 11,000 Waiting To Join

LANSING - Some 300 fewer customers are participating in electric choice programs as of December 2015 when compared to 2014, the Public Service Commission announced Monday in its annual report on electric competition. But approximately 11,000 customers remain in the queue. Specifically, the report founded about 6,140 customers participating in electric choice programs as of

By Gongwer|2016-02-02T15:06:10-05:00February 2nd, 2016|Clean Update, Politics|

Unemployment Falls 1 Percentage Point In Michigan From 2014 To 2015

Unemployment Falls 1 Percentage Point In Michigan From 2014 To 2015

LANSING - Every labor market in Michigan saw a drop of at least 1 full percentage point in their annual average unemployment rate from 2014 to 2015, reports the Department of Technology, Management and Budget. What’s more, just about every labor market in the state reported their jobless rates fell in December, from November. The

By Gongwer|2016-02-01T20:12:32-05:00February 1st, 2016|Politics|

O’Meara Hired As Lobbyist For Michigan Restaurant Association

O’Meara Hired As Lobbyist For Michigan Restaurant Association

LANSING – The Michigan Restaurant Association has hired Robert O’Meara as Vice President of Government Affairs. O’Meara started at the MRA on January 18. In this position, he is responsible for all government relations and lobbying activities of the Association. “Robert joins the MRA with a reputation as a respected and influential advocate in Lansing

By Mike Brennan|2016-02-01T19:16:33-05:00February 1st, 2016|Politics|

Michigan Union Membership Rises Despite Right-To-Work Changes

Michigan Union Membership Rises Despite Right-To-Work Changes

LANSING - Union membership in Michigan rebounded significantly in 2015 after suffering a sharp decline in 2014, the first full year of Michigan being a right-to-work state. This despite the fact that the state went from 14.5 percent of all employees belonging to a union to 15.2 percent even as more contracts ratified prior to

By Gongwer|2016-01-29T09:58:18-05:00January 29th, 2016|Politics|

Anonymous Targets Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Activates #OpFlint

Anonymous Targets Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Activates #OpFlint

FLINT - The hacktivist group known as ‘Anonymous’ has launched a campaign called ‘OpFlint,’ which promises online attacks directed toward Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration in response to the Flint water emergency. Website Vocativ.com broke the story, noting that Anonymous Intelligence Group, an account associated with Anonymous, "released a statement on Wednesday morning entitled, "'Anonymous Activates #OpFlint … And

By Dan Lohrmann|2016-01-27T11:07:28-05:00January 22nd, 2016|Cyber Defense, Featured, Politics|

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Orders State, Flint To Take Immediate Action To Address Water Crisis

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Orders State, Flint To Take Immediate Action To Address Water Crisis

FLINT - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is ordering the state and city of Flint to take a series of immediate actions to address the city's drinking water crisis, declaring the state and city "have failed to take adequate measures to protect public health." Additionally, in a series of rapid developments Thursday evening, President Barack

By Gongwer|2016-01-22T11:01:36-05:00January 22nd, 2016|Featured, Politics|

Snyder Emails Show A Flalling Department Of Environmental Quality

Snyder Emails Show A Flalling Department Of Environmental Quality

LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder's critics, hoping to find a damaging email he sent regarding what he knew and what he did about Flint water, likely came away disappointed from reading almost 300 pages of emails he sent and received on the topic in 2014 and 2015. In fact, most of the emails - which

By Gongwer|2016-01-21T15:24:49-05:00January 21st, 2016|Politics|

Michigan PSC Examining Consumers Energy Billing Practices

Michigan PSC Examining Consumers Energy Billing Practices

LANSING - The Michigan Public Service Commission on Tuesday opened an investigation into Consumers Energy Company's estimated billing practices after hearing complaints from customers about estimated bills. "Problems have persisted for several years despite repeated meetings between the MPSC staff and the utility to reduce the number of estimated bills," PSC Chair Sally Talberg said

By Gongwer|2016-01-20T18:50:24-05:00January 20th, 2016|Clean Update, Politics|

DEQ Interim Director Sees Need For Change In His Agency

DEQ Interim Director Sees Need For Change In His Agency

LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder called for some drastic changes in culture and communications to prevent another city suffering the crisis that struck Flint, but after the governor's State of the State Address Environmental Quality Interim Director Keith Creagh saw the most need for change in his agency. Neither Creagh nor Health and Human Services

By Gongwer|2016-01-20T18:38:31-05:00January 20th, 2016|Politics|

Contrite Snyder Says He Will Release Emails On Flint

Contrite Snyder Says He Will Release Emails On Flint

LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder said tonight at the opening of his State of the State speech that he will release his emails from 2014 and 2015 on Flint water. Whether that will include just Snyder’s emails or those of all those in the Executive Office was not immediately clear. Under the Freedom of Information

By Gongwer|2016-01-19T21:16:52-05:00January 19th, 2016|Featured, Politics|