Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City

Michigan House staffers are unionizing: What could it look like? 

HOUSE UNION: Some staff in the state House are organizing a unionization drive which, if successful, would add Michigan to the small roster of states with unionized employees. It would be up to the House leadership, now Democratic, to recognize such a union. We talk to an MSU labor expert and to lawmakers from Clare, Garden City and Northfield Township. By Liz Nass. FOR DETROIT, CLARE, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Schools adapt to free meals for all students

SCHOOL MEALS: School districts are adapting to the mandate to offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students, regardless of income. The state is paying for the initiative. They say hungry students don’t learn well, and that students who can’t afford to pay for meals feel stigmatized. We talk to school lunch experts in Marquette, Oakland County and Traverse City. By Alex Walters. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.

Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt, is sponsoring legislation to tighten state oversight of labor contractors.

Advocates call for more protection of migrant farmworkers

FARMWORKERS: Advocates are calling for more protection for foreign temporary farmworkers with H-2A visas, who are essential to agriculture in the state. The Farm Bureau reports a jump in their numbers in Michigan. An Ottawa County blueberry farm is involved in a lawsuit accusing it of migrant labor law violations. We talk to the Farm Bureau, a Holt legislator and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, which has offices in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Detroit and Ann Arbor. By Owen McCarthy. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, OCEANA, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP!, DETROIT, AND ALL POINTS.

Right to Repair bills still being debated in Michigan House

House Bill 4673, one of two “right to repair” bills currently being considered by Michigan legislators, is intended to make it easier for farmers and their independent mechanics to get access to parts, documentation and important software needed to restore the expensive machines back to full functionality. 

Rep. Kara Hope, a Democrat from Holt, is a sponsor of legislation to ease women’s access to contraceptives

Proposal would ease access to hormonal contraceptives

ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVES: Some lawmakers, including ones from Livonia and Holt, are again pushing legislation to allow pharmacists to sell hormonal contraceptives without a prescription. Advocates say that would expand women’s access to reproductive health care. The Michigan Health & Hospital Association expresses concerns about how the bill is worded. By Sophia Ceru. FOR DETROIT, CORP! GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Michigan lags in preventing tobacco use but more funds, new laws could change that

TOBACCO MONEY: Michigan isn’t doing well in its anti-tobacco initiatives and spending, the American Lung Association says. The governor wants to boost spending, and some lawmakers want tighter controls over the sale of tobacco products. We talked to Health & Human Services, the Michigan unit of the American Cancer Society and an East Lansing lawmaker. Includes references to anti-tobacco programs by groups in Detroit and Grand Rapids and legislators from Metro Detroit and Flint. By Liz Nass. FOR DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, GREENVILLE, LANSING CITY PULSE, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.

Republican Sen. Jonathan Lindsey of Allen.

Some lawmakers eye ban on gender-affirming medical care

TRANSGENDER HEALTH: Some Michigan lawmakers would like the state to follow Ohio in restricting gender-affirming medical care. Among them are legislators from Clare, Oxford, Allen, Brighton and Niles. The ACLU calls such a proposal cynical and political and argues that it would interfere with the right of individuals and families to make their own medical decisions. By Sophia Ceru. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, CLARE, DETROIT, FOWLERVILLE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HILLSDALE AND ALL POINTS.

Mike Yoder, founder of Drone Deer Recovery, flies a drone used to recover deer carcasses.

Lawsuit could complicate drone laws for hunters and anglers.

DRONES, DEER & FISH: Do drones mesh or clash with hunting and fishing ethics and regulations. A company that uses drones to locate deer carcasses is suing to challenge Michigan’s ban on the practice. Meanwhile, wildlife officials, anglers and hunters debate the ethics and implications of drone use. We hear from the head of the company, the Natural Resources Commission chair, the DNR and a Holland angler. For news and outdoors sections. By Ben Eiler. FOR HOLLAND, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.

Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake Township.

Michigan works to pass new laws surrounding juvenile justice system

JUVENILE JUSTICE: Michigan is poised to change the rates at which it reimburses counties for juvenile justice services. That means more state funds for county-run residential and mental health services. The legislation passed the House and Senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature. Sponsors are from Detroit, West Bloomfield, Warren, Northfield Township and Taylor. We hear from the Michigan Center for Youth Justice in Ann Arbor, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association president, from Kalamazoo County, who supports the measure and an Oakland County senator who voted against it. By Stephanie Rauhe. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Uncovering Information During the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Since the Israel-Palestine conflict resurged again on Oct. 7, students, professors and residents in Michigan have been pressured to choose one of two sides. The Palestine supporters in Greater Lansing include those originally from Palestine, who have family currently or formally there or for other reasons. 

Since the attacks, MSU’s Students United for Palestinian Rights (SUPR) have held multiple protests, rallies and discussions to gain support for people who are pro-Palestine, or those who want to have a better understanding of the conflict. Initially, they held a “Justice for Palestine” protest at the Michigan Capitol, where over 400 people gathered to support Palestine in its ongoing conflict with Israel. SUPR’s message was to “stop the genocide” and to “tell Biden and all elected officials to a ceasefire.”

Many attendees were wearing or waving the Palestine flag, throwing a fist in the air or holding signs.