ST. IGNACE - The Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority Board approved the agreements Wednesday to allow construction of a new utility tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac after a public comment period that leaned toward support for the tunnel and the current pipeline. Board members noted the statute required them to approve the agreement if it
LANSING - Legislation requiring public sector unions to biennially hold decertification elections is dead for the current term from a lack Senate Republican votes but may be pursued by the Legislature in the upcoming term, the majority leader told reporters following session Thursday. Another major bill, Governor Rick Snyder's proposal to increase the tipping fee on
LANSING - An inaccurate claim, apparently started by a Chicago-area conservative author and picked up by a number of Michigan residents on social media, asserted that 60 percent of Michigan counties report more registered voters than residents, a charge easily refuted by looking at voter data and state population data. The claim was initially made
LANSING - A pair of bills were introduced in the Senate Thursday that would radically change the initiative petitions adopted in September by the Legislature requiring employers to provide paid sick time to their workers and raise the state's minimum wage, making them more business-friendly according to Republicans and likely to spark a major lame-duck
LANSING — The Michigan Strategic Fund has supported two business expansions, in Washtenaw County’s Pittsfield Township and in Kent County’s Plainfield Township. Pacific Industrial Development Corp. received a $400,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant to support an investment of $17.2 million expansion that will create 50 jobs. (A photo of the plant is above.)
LANSING - Gov. Rick Snyder has named a new director to steer the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and replace long-time director Kirk Steudle. Kirk Steudle Mark Van Port Fleet took the helm as MDOT's new leader Thursday, moving up from his post as senior chief deputy director. He has 38 years of experience at
EAST LANSING - If passed on November 6, Proposal 18-1 that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana would generate between $81 million and $175 million in additional sales and excise tax revenues in 2023, which is when the market would likely reach maturity. While tax collections on recreational marijuana would increase by at least
LANSING - The U.S. Senate has passed legislation that provides funding for a new lock at Sault Ste. Marie. The bill, which had already passed the U.S. House, appropriates $992 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a new lock. "Today's vote shows there is strong bipartisan support for the Soo Locks," U.S.
LANSING - Despite a room packed largely with opponents to the package, the House Energy Policy Committee reported legislation Thursday that would set terms and fees for permits for new 5G cellular systems. The bills (SB 637 and SB 894) moved without changes from the Senate versions, but on 15-4 votes with bipartisan concerns raised about the
WASHINGTON DC - The United States' privacy regulations shouldn't be anything like Europe's, tech giants argued on Wednesday. During a hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, members of Congress heard six tech companies discuss what they want in a federal privacy law. Lawmakers are still crafting a potential data privacy bill, but multiple
