Diversity Issues

New criminal laws aim to combat ethnic intimidation

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ETHNIC INTIMIDATION: New hate crime laws pushed by the attorney general and a West Bloomfield legislator are intended to reduce ethnic intimidation and protect groups such as the Amish. We hear about a recent attack by a Clare resident on an Amish family in Manistee County and talk to two experts on crimes and harassment against the Amish. Many of Michigan’s Amish live in Hillsdale, Lenawee, Branch, St. Joseph, Oscoda and Calhoun counties. By Sophia Ceru. FOR LUDINGTON, CLARE, LANSING CITY PULSE, HILLSDALE, BLISSFIELD, CLARE, ADRIAN AND ALL POINTS.

Education
Rep. Matt Koleszar, D-Plymouth, supports more state oversight of homeschooling.

Proposed homeschooling registration sparks protests

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HOME SCHOOL SAFETY: A state Education Department proposal to require homeschooling parents to register their children is sparking protests. The department says the change is intended to protect the safety of those students, but homeschool advocates counter that it’s a ploy to funnel more state aid to public schools and an intrusion on family privacy. We hear from homeschool promoters, including two from Grand Traverse County, and lawmakers from Plymouth and Livonia. By Liz Nass. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy

Bicycle accidents increase drastically in Michigan, study says

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BICYCLE ACCIDENTS: Bicycling deaths are up in Michigan, and that worries cycling advocates, law enforcement and traffic safety experts. We hear from the League of Michigan Bicyclists and a former Washtenaw County deputy sheriff. Includes references to serious accidents in Ionia County, Clinton Township and Hillsdale. The Office of Highway Safety Planning has given grants to the sheriffs’ offices in Berrien, Macomb and Oakland counties and to police in Chikaming Township, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Lansing and St. Joseph. By Sophia Ceru. FOR GREENVILLE, IONIA COUNTY, HILLSDALE, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy

Michigan Capitol first to deploy AI gun detection

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ZEROEYES: Michigan’s State Capitol is the first in the nation to deploy a gun detection system using artificial intelligence for security. The system, ZeroEyes, supplements the recently installed metal detectors that lawmakers, state staff and hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through each year. We learn more from the State Capitol Commission’s executive director andt he Michigan Coalition For Responsible Gun Owners director for Southwest Michigan. By Kelsey Lester. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND AND ALL POINTS.

News
The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is intended to deter drunken and drugged driving during the holiday season

State gives cold reminder during National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

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DRUNKEN DRIVING: The Office of Highway Safety Planning, State Police and other agencies are raising awareness of the dangers of drunken and drugged driving during the winter holiday season. In 2022, the state registered 9,331 alcohol-involved crashes, with 322 fatalities, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. By Kayte Marshall. FOR ALL POINTS.

Elections & Politics
Chief Eric Winstrom has overseen the implementation of drones by Grand Rapids police.

Drones used in law enforcement raise privacy concerns 

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POLICE DRONES: The expanded use of drones by law enforcement agencies raises privacy concerns. Police agencies say drones are valuable tools in documenting crime scenes, finding fleeing felons and locating missing people, but critics worry about them threatening First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights. The ACLU, a University of Detroit Mercy law professor, the Association of Chiefs of Police and Grand Rapids police chief discuss. By Liz Nass. FOR WKTV, LANSING CITY PULSE, GREENVILLE, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Environment
Michigan communities with the highest rates ofpPrimary and secondary syphilis

Health experts worry about rising syphilis rates

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SYPHILIS: Syphilis rates are on the rise in Michigan, especially among women, and that worries state health officials. Detroit has the highest rate, followed by Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Washtenaw and Genesee counties. There is a significant difference in rates between Black and white men. A new CDC study traces five cases of Southwest Michigan women infected after having sex with the same man. We talk to the state medical executive and a Kalamazoo County health official. By Kenzie Terpstra. FOR DETROIT, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy

Drug testing could hinder driver shortage progress

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DRUG TEST: Mandatory drug testing for bus drivers, including testing for legal medical and recreational marijuana, makes it harder for public transit agencies to recruit and retain drivers. It’s a matter of public safety, but causes problems when many local transit need more drivers. We talk to the Michigan Public Transit Association, the Ionia director of transportation and Harbor Transit in Harbor Springs. By Brandy Muz. FOR IONIA, GREENVILLE, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY AND ALL POINTS.

East Lansing

East Lansing residents seek changes to neighborhood speeding concerns

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City residents advocated for change in regard to neighborhood speeding concerns at the Transportation Commission Meeting on Nov. 6.  Public comments to the commission calling for better traffic regulation come less than 24 hours after a fatal hit-and-run near Michigan State University’s campus. While a suspect was arrested in connection to the crash, which killed a 20-year-old Oxford man, it is just one of many road safety concerns, according to the city residents. The residents’ focus? The children.