Politics/Government

Agriculture Weathering State Economic Storm

LANSING - Agriculture has been hit by the state's economic struggles, but that means falling to only single-digit growth instead of the double digits it had seen in some recent years, Agriculture Director Don Koivisto told Gongwer News Service in a recent interview. The state's farmers and food processors are poised for more growth as

By |2010-02-22T00:00:00-05:00February 22nd, 2010|Archive, Politics/Government|

Snyder Says Does Not Remember Outsourcing Gateway Jobs To China

LANSING - Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder said Friday that he did not remember whether the Gateway Board of Directors, while he was a member, voted on the company's decision to outsource a portion of its U.S. operations to China. Snyder, Gateway's former CEO, said on Michigan Public Television's "Off the Record" that the company

By |2010-02-22T00:00:00-05:00February 22nd, 2010|Archive, Politics/Government|

House Bill To Ban Top Michigan Officials From Applying For Grants

LANSING - Lawmakers, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state would be banned from directly or indirectly applying for state grants and it would be a misdemeanor for candidates or their campaign staff to accept donations on state property under a two-bill ethics package passed by the House on Wednesday. The legislation

By |2010-02-11T00:00:00-05:00February 11th, 2010|Archive, Politics/Government|

Legislature Looks To Fund Pure Michigan Ad Campaign

LANSING - A plan passed by the House to fund the Pure Michigan advertising campaign through assumed increased revenue in sales tax collections that come from tourism-related expenditures is faulty, the lead senator on tax policy said Thursday. Sen. Nancy Cassis (R-Novi), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said sales tax revenues continue to decline

By |2010-02-05T00:00:00-05:00February 5th, 2010|Archive, Politics/Government|

Cox Dominates GOP Donations, Snyder Spends $2.7 Million From Own Pocket

LANSING - Attorney General Mike Cox moved toward claiming frontrunner status in the Republican gubernatorial race as campaign finance reports filed Monday reflecting fundraising activity in 2009 showed him dominating in donations and leading the field in cash on hand. Cox's fundraising - he raised $1.83 million and had $1.47 million on hand - combined

By |2010-02-02T00:00:00-05:00February 2nd, 2010|Archive, Politics/Government|

Granholm State Of The State Needs To Frame Legacy, Deliver Farewell

LANSING - When Gov. Jennifer Granholm delivers her final State of the State address to the Legislature and a live television audience, she will face the challenge of meshing her proposals for 2010, framing her legacy and expressing gratitude to her family and staff, said Gleaves Whitney, former Governor John Engler's long-time speechwriter. "A farewell

By |2010-01-26T00:00:00-05:00January 26th, 2010|Archive, Politics/Government|

Group Urges Legislature To Review High-Speed Rail From Detroit To Lansing

LANSING - After nearly a year of reviewing a proposal to add a high-speed railway that would travel between Detroit and Lansing, workgroup members announced on Tuesday that they would urge the Legislature to go ahead with the proposal, although not without cautionary notes. Chair of the Interstate Traveler Taskforce, Rep. Bill Rogers (R-Brighton), said

By |2010-01-19T00:00:00-05:00January 19th, 2010|Archive, Politics/Government|