Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/government/page/3/)
ELECTIONS: State election officials say their goal is to strike a balance between easy voter access and election security this year. The county clerks in Kent and Ottawa counties, the former state Elections director and the deputy secretary of state explain. By Owen McCarthy. FOR ALL POINTS.
RESTORING CIVICS: There’s a need for more civics education for youth and for more public trust in the election system, according to conference panelists at Wayne State University and Secretary of State Jocylen Benson. By Sophia Ceru, Anish Topiwala and Elijah Taub. FOR ALL POINTS.
BENSON DEMOCRACY: Secretary of State Joceyln Benson talks about protecting the integrity of Michigan’s election system. That includes combating misinformation, taking measures to avert the dangers that artificial intelligence may pose and creating Voter Confidence Councils. By Alex Walters. FOR ALL POINTS.
Two new projects have been approved by the City Council that could change traffic patterns for many in the Greater Lansing area. The projects mainly focus on Trowbridge and Hagadorn roads and switching them from four-lane to three-lane roads, with improved crosswalks and biking lanes.
When Beech Woods Golf Course closed in 2019, many ideas were pitched to the city of Southfield during the public input survey on how to repurpose the greenspace. Some ideas included an amphitheater and splash pad, but one common consensus persisted. In November of 2023, a partnership was approved through Oakland County’s Healthy Communities Park and Outdoor Recreation Investment Plan to redevelop the golf course into the latest Oakland County park, to be named Southfield Oaks.
CIVICS EDUCATION: Social studies teachers and civics educators say they want school administrators and the Legislature to focus more attention on civics education for elementary and middle school children. It’s especially important in light of the upcoming election. We talk to a Grand Valley State professor who is the president-elect of the Michigan Council for Social Studies and the director of the Michigan Center for Civic Education. By Anish Topiwala. FOR GREENVILLE, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.
DIAPERS: Michigan’s 13 nonprofit diaper banks are trying to fill the need of low-income families but say they need more resources. We talk to the Capital Area Diaper Bank and Metropolitan Detroit Diaper Bank. By Elijah Taub. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
DENTAL: For the 2024-25 school year, the Department of Health and Human Services plans to expand statewide a pilot program that gives free dental examinations to children entering kindergarten. The Whitmer administration proposes to spend $4 million next year, but advocates say that’s not enough. The Michigan Oral Health Coalition, Michigan Association for Local Public Health and Michigan Dental Association explain. Includes references to Petoskey, Detroit and Grand Traverse, Chippewa, Oakland, Ottawa, Marquette, Leelanau, Mason, Emmet and Cheboygan counties. By Theo Scheer. FOR PETOSKEY, DETROIT, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, LUDINGTON, HARBOR SPRINGS AND ALL POINTS.
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.
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.