Politics/Government

5 Michigan Governors Urge Legislature To Approve New Detroit River Bridge

LANSING - Michigan's four former governors Thursday turned up the heat on the Legislature by jointly announcing their support of a new international trade crossing to connect Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Governor Rick Snyder announced his support for plans to build a second bridge over the Detroit River in his State of the State address

By |2011-01-27T00:00:00-05:00January 27th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Snyder Reappoints Richardson, Madigan To Natural Resources Commission

LANSING ? Gov. Rick Snyder has reappointed J.R. Richardson and John Madigan to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. "J.R. and John continue to serve the NRC and Michigan's outdoors community well," Snyder said. "Their professional backgrounds and immense respect for our state?s natural resources heritage add a valuable perspective to the commission?s decision-making." Richardson, of

By |2011-01-25T00:00:00-05:00January 25th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Snyder Appoints 6 To Western Michigan, Ferris, Michigan Tech boards

LANSING ? Gov. Rick Snyder Tuesday announced appointments to the governing boards of Western Michigan University, Ferris State University and Michigan Technological University. Dana Debel and Ken Miller will serve on the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees. Debel, of Ann Arbor, is the director of state and local government affairs for Delta Air Lines.

By |2011-01-25T00:00:00-05:00January 25th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Study: Item Pricing Law Provides No Consumer Benefit

LANSING - A study commissioned by the Michigan Retailers Association showed the state's current item pricing law provides no consumer benefit, when measured against newly available technology, and costs some $2.2 billion annually. The study, by the Anderson Economic Group, showed Michigan residents are now paying about 9 percent more than similarly-situated residents in other

By |2011-01-25T00:00:00-05:00January 25th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Legislative Committees To Hold Hearings On Detroit River Crossing Bridge

LANSING - The House and Senate Transportation committees could hold joint hearings on legislation to create the Detroit River International Crossing. Sen. Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba), chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he and Rep. Paul Opsommer (R-DeWitt), the House Transportation chair, have been discussing how they will handle the legislation in the wake of

By |2011-01-25T00:00:00-05:00January 25th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Michigan Unemployment Rate Drops In December

LANSING - Michigan was one of 15 states and the District of Columbia to see its unemployment rate drop in December, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While Michigan has typically ranked first or second in national jobless reports for years, December's 11.7 percent unemployment rate placed the

By |2011-01-25T00:00:00-05:00January 25th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Snyder Urges Michiganders To Take Active Rule In Helping State Rebuild

LANSING - In his first State of the State Address that hammered home a commitment to actions that could help business, and with a headlining enthusiastic endorsement of the controversial Detroit River International Crossing, Gov. Rick Snyder called on all residents of the state to take an active role in helping rebuild Michigan. Snyder kept

By |2011-01-21T00:00:00-05:00January 21st, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Michigan Manufacturers Pay Higher Overall Tax Rate Than Other Companies

LANSING - Michigan manufacturing companies pay a higher overall tax rate than other companies, officials with the Michigan Manufacturers Association said Tuesday, and to make the state more competitive the overall tax rate should drop to the national average that manufacturers pay. Meeting that goal could be helped if the state would eliminate its personal

By |2011-01-19T00:00:00-05:00January 19th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Major Gen. Vadnais To Take Command Of Michigan National Guard

LANSING - Major General Greg Vadnais, a former division commander who led troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and in the Hurricane Katrina rescue effort, will assume the post of adjutant general and take command of the Michigan National Guard, Gov. Rick Snyder announced Tuesday. In that role, Vadnais (pronounced VAD-nay) will also serve as director

By |2011-01-04T00:00:00-05:00January 4th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|

Gov. Snyder Splits DNR, Environmental Quality Into Separate Departments

LANSING ? As earlier reported, Gov. Rick Snyder Tuesday signed an executive order splitting the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality into two separate departments. Executive Order 2011-1, the governor?s first executive order, creates a Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as separately functioning departments so each is

By |2011-01-04T00:00:00-05:00January 4th, 2011|Archive, Politics/Government|