Business & Economy

Passenger train from Detroit to Petoskey could be prioritized under new majority

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HIGH SPEED RAIL: Plans for high-speed rail connecting Detroit and Ann Arbor to Traverse City and Petoskey are chugging along. A Traverse City nonprofit is studying the possibility of using existing freight lines for passenger travel, a necessary step in the process. Some say the Democratic majority in the Legislature could help and signs indicate the Whitmer administration is on board. By Andrew Roth. FOR DETROIT, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY AND BUSINESS AND NEWS PAGES OF ALL POINTS.

Elections & Politics

Sheriffs plan training on how to stop excessive force

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OFFICER TRAINING: Sheriff deputies around the state will be offered training in how to intervene to stop excessive force by another officer. It’s especially important when a more experienced officer or superior is letting emotions dictate decisions or otherwise making a bad choice that could harm a person under arrest. The training is by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. We talk to the deputy director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association and the Alpena County sheriff. By Sophia Brandt. FOR ALPENA and ALL POINTS.

Elections & Politics
Michigan’s state flag is based on the state’s 1835 coat of arms.

Lawmaker wants to replace “seal-on-a-bedsheet” state flag

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FLAG REDESIGN: The state flag is, well, musty, old-fashioned and dull. Does Michigan need a new one? If so, it would be following Utah, which recently radically redesigned its flag. The proposal from an East Grand Rapids lawmaker would involve a design contest, with a new state flag commission as the decider. By Andrew Roth. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV, GREENVILLE AND ALL POINTS.

Education
Paula Herbart, president of the Michigan Education Association.

School vouchers could be issue, particularly for rural districts

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SCHOOL VOUCHERS: Grand Rapids’s Betsy DeVos is no longer U.S. Secretary of Education, the GOP no longer controls the Legislature and conservative-led efforts to get the state to issue vouchers to pay for children to attend nonpublic schools are stymied. Critics say taxpayer-funded vouchers would damage public education, especially in rural areas. School choice advocates still hope for alternatives, such as tax credits for donors to state scholarships for private school pupils. We talk to the Michigan Education Association, the Michigan Association for Non-Public Schools and the Great Lakes Education Project. By Jack Timothy Harrison. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Elections & Politics

Mileage-based road tax ideas could stall out over privacy concerns

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ROAD FUNDING: To pay for road and bridge maintenance and projects, there’s some interest in taxing motor vehicles by the number of miles they’re driven rather than by the traditional fuel tax. A few states are experimenting with such an approach, but there are lots of legislative, political, economic and logistical challenges to such a huge change. We talk to the MDOT director, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland and the top Republican on the House Transportation Committee, from Six Lakes. By Andrew Roth. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MIDLAND, GREENVILLE, WKTV, IONIA AND ALL POINTS.