Efforts to reform local police departments — along with an influx of targeted local, state and federal funding over the past decade — are fueling an expansion of community policing units.
Federal Government
Supreme Court ruling on LGBTQ+ case sparks controversy in state
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When the Supreme Court ruled that Lori Smith, a website designer from Colorado, could deny her services to those of the LGBTQ+, it was unclear how the decision would affect LGBTQ+ clients nationwide. But Fenton resident Ky Orvis wasn’t too worried — yet. “Specifically in Fenton, I don’t see it foreseeing it being a problem,” said Orvis, the president of the Fenton Pride Collective. “The concern of a lot of people, not just in Fenton, not just in Michigan, but across the U.S. is like what does this set the precedent of and justify discrimination against a class of people.”
The ruling is sparking controversy as to what this means for groups, such as minorities and LGBTQ+, and raises concerns for those it affects. “Why does this exist?
Federal Government
Students React to Arrest of Former President Donald Trump
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Earlier this month, prosecutors announced that they are filing criminal charges against Donald Trump, accusing him of taking part in a plot to conceal a possible sex scandal during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Energy
Ohio train derailment raises safety concerns about nation’s infrastructure
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The derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in Ohio has captured the nation’s attention for weeks as government and local officials have struggled to contain the hazardous waste and provide answers to the public.
Federal Government
Early presidential primary could shift campaign strategies
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PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY: Traditionally, presidential candidates have focused their efforts in Michigan on a handful of heavily populated metropolitan areas such as Detroit and Grand Rapids. But iIf Michigan moves the date of its primary to be earlier in 2024 – and earlier in the nominating process – that could change. The Senate has passed a bill to do that. We hear from a former Northern Michigan University political scientist and legislators from Groveland Township and Royal Oak. With Marquette and Traverse City references By Andrew Roth. FOR DETROIT, MARQUETTE, TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
Construction & Development
Federal funds aid efforts to plug orphan wells
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ORPHAN WELLS: Orphan oil wells plague the Midwest, but new federal funds will help plug them. Michigan has around 450 orphan wells throughout the Lower Peninsula, with large concentrations in Manistee and Benzie counties and along the border of Charlevoix and Otsego counties. A Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy official explains. By Jake Christie. FOR MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, BENZIE COUNTY, CHEBOYGAN, TRAVERSE CITY AND ALL POINTS.
Business & Economy
End of child tax credit expansion could return some Michigan children to poverty
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TAX CREDIT: The expansion of a federal tax credit to low-income families during the pandemic lifted more than half a million Michigan children out of poverty. That is set to end at the end of the year, and advocates worry some of those children, especially in rural families, could slip back into poverty. By Sarah Atwood FOR ALL POINTS
Elections & Politics
Obama visits Detroit for the Democratic Get-out-the-vote rally
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Former President Barack Obama stopped at Renaissance High School in Detroit this past weekend for a limited national tour to support democratic candidates up and down the ballot. More than three thousand Michiganders attended the event.
Elections & Politics
Gerald Ford’s media relations calm compared with others
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GERALD FORD COMMENTARY: When Gerald Ford, who represented the Grand Rapids area in Congress, became GOP president in 1974, the nation was in agony after the corruption of the Nixon White House and the trauma of the Vietnam War. Ford’s tenure was unspectacular as he wrestled with still-familiar problems such as inflation and international conflicts. He endured no crises that created major conflict with the press – and thus earned only two short references in a new book on press-presidential clashes during crises. For news and opinion sections. By Eric Freedman. FOR WKTV, HOLLAND, LANSING CITY PULSE, DETROIT and ALL POINTS.
Capital News Service
Book details the rescue of one of the nation’s most polluted rivers
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ROUGE RIVER: The Rouge River was so polluted by the 1980s, it emitted a rotten egg smell and a young man who fell into the river later died from rat fever. A new book, “Rouge River Rescued,” details the back story of how a Southeast Michigan community rescued one of the most polluted rivers in America. Co-editors Jim Hartig and James Graham look at the bottom-up efforts, including an annual river clean up day, that might be replicated in other communities. By Anastacia Pirrami. FOR MONROE, DETROIT, DETROIT PLANET, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS and all points.
News
Michigan’s automotive industry shifts toward an electric future
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With Michigan housing several automotive manufacturing plants, the state looks to expand into the world of vehicle electrification.
“If we want to continue to expand ourselves as a species, we need another way to power and transport ourselves around, a cleaner more sustainable way of doing it, because we’re just going to run out of gas at some point,” said Steve Radosevich, geometric modeler for Rivian.
General Motors Co. is one of the manufacturers making Michigan a hub for electric vehicle production. The GM factory in Orion Township is set to become one of the company’s main electric vehicle manufacturers. The plant, which originally produced Chevrolet Malibus and Pontiac G6s, will now build all-electric trucks.
GM is also shifting its manufacturing in Detroit. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant, nicknamed “Factory Zero,” will construct electric variants of the Hummer, Sierra, Cruise, and Silverado.