After dedicating 25 years to the mainstream media, I've decided to forge a new path. Starting every weekday morning at 7 a.m., I'll be sending out this email that shows the untold stories—those that CNN and your nightly news might overlook.
I aim to provide a fresh perspective and share insights that often go unnoticed in the mainstream narrative. Join me on this journey as we explore the news beyond the headlines and foster a deeper understanding of the world.
BREAKING: Charges Dropped Against Michigan Duck Rescue Founders After DNR Case Collapses
The legal battle between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary has come to an end. with all charges dismissed against the couple who run the operation.
Matthew and Teresa Lyson, founders of the Salem Township sanctuary, had faced six criminal charges each after state officials accused them of keeping and caring for waterfowl without proper permits. This week, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the cases in their entirety, following months of public scrutiny and growing political pressure.
“This is great news,” Lyson told Keeping It Real. “All charges against me and Teresa are 100 percent gone. It’s a done deal, and we get to start new.”
Background of the Case
The Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary has operated for nearly two decades, caring for injured or abandoned ducks, geese, and other waterfowl — many of which suffer from “angel wing,” a deformity often caused by people feeding them improper food. The Lysons say their work ...
ALPENA, Mich. — A new rule banning applause and other displays of emotion at Alpena Public Schools board meetings has sparked pushback from community members who say the policy infringes on their free speech rights.
The board recently adopted a policy prohibiting clapping, cheering, booing, or any demonstrations from audience members during meetings. Board President Eric Lawson said the restriction is meant to prevent disruptions and maintain order.
“We’re doing our best to show respect to you all and make sure you have adequate time for your comments,” Lawson said during a recent meeting. “Please show the board a little respect as well.”
Not everyone in attendance agreed. Several residents voiced frustration, including one woman who argued that clapping constitutes symbolic speech protected under the First Amendment.
“Clapping is a universal symbolic action that typically expresses approval,” she said. “Up until one week ago, clapping was a regular occurrence at these ...
I want to take a moment to speak directly to you. Many of you know why I walked away from the media after twenty five years. I reached a point where I could no longer sit in a newsroom and pretend the truth did not matter.
I left a comfortable salary and every safety net that comes with corporate media because I believed you deserved honesty, transparency, and real stories that powerful people would rather you never hear. There is no company paying my way. There is no corporation protecting me. It is just me, my work, and this community.
I want to keep growing this platform and I want to devote even more time and resources to real independent journalism. That includes possibly hiring someone to help me investigate deeper, travel more, and bring you information that others ignore.
To do that I need more paid subscribers. It is six dollars a month and you can leave any time. There is no commitment and no pressure. Your support directly funds the work. Nothing goes to a network or a parent...
Your Financial Data Now Has a Cost — Courtesy of JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase has secured deals ensuring it will get paid by the fintech firms responsible for nearly all the data requests made by third-party apps connected to customer bank accounts.
The bank has signed updated contracts with the fintech middlemen that make up more than 95 percent of the data pulls on its systems, including Plaid, Yodlee, Morningstar and Akoya, according to JPMorgan spokesman Drew Pusateri.
“We’ve come to agreements that will make the open banking ecosystem safer and more sustainable and allow customers to continue reliably and securely accessing their favorite financial products,” Pusateri said in a statement. “The free market worked.” Click here to read more.
Michigan Poverty Task Force Rolls Out the Red Carpet…for Foreigners
Michigan’s Poverty Task Force has a new webinar available, and it appears to have less to do with helping struggling Michiganders and more to do with hosting a job recruitment drive for people who are noncitizens.
Today’s big event? A state-promoted Zoom webinar offered by the Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) and spotlighting “employment opportunities for immigrants and refugees.” Yes, Michigan tax dollars are sponsoring a statewide job- search pep rally and information session for who the Democrats in Michigan government often call “newcomers.” Click here to read more.
Biden-era executive order harms business owners, forcing them into union agreements
The Trump administration recently enforced a Biden-era executive order, harming contractors and subcontractors that provide services to federal entities, and Bill Slayden is one of the many contractors who have been harmed by this rule. If Bill wants to continue providing construction services to the federal government, which is a major source of his company’s revenue, the company must enter into a forced agreement with labor unions—something that neither Bill nor his employees wants to do.
Bill Slayden started his plumbing business in 1979, performing residential and light commercial jobs. His small start-up eventually grew into a leading mechanical engineering company, which provides vital contracting services to the federal government—and what once was as a garage business has scaled to a company that employs over 60 people. Click here to read more.
Who is Clay Higgins, the only House member to vote against releasing the Epstein files?
Both Democrats and Republicans alike readied for a unanimous House vote Tuesday to pass a bill to force the release of the case files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But in the end, one lawmaker stood alone in opposition: Republican Rep. Clay Higgins.
Higgins, who is in his fifth term representing a congressional district in southwest Louisiana, explained in a lengthy statement that he was “a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning.” He raised some of the same objections that House Speaker Mike Johnson, another Louisiana Republican, had with the bill, yet even Johnson said Tuesday he would vote for it because, “None of us want to go on record and in any way be accused of not being for maximum transparency.” Click here for more.
K-12 moving to Labor as Trump administration accelerates bid to dismantle Education Department
The U.S. Education Department is moving management of K-12 and higher education to the Department of Labor and parceling out other job duties to other federal agencies in the most sweeping effort so far to dismantle the agency.
The Education Department announced the changes Tuesday, describing them as fulfilling President Donald Trump’s promise to “return education to the states.”
Management of both the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Postsecondary Education will be moved to the Department of Labor, which oversees workforce development programs and protects workers’ rights, among other responsibilities. Click here to read more.
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After 2,500 days, Whitmer ignores her open government promise
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is running out of time to keep a campaign promise. During her first gubernatorial run, she pledged to open the governor’s office to the state Freedom of Information Act.
Nov. 4 marked day 2,500 of the Whitmer administration. The governor has yet to keep her promise.
Here’s what Whitmer wrote in 2018: “If the legislature won’t act, I will use the governor’s authority under the Michigan State Constitution to extend FOIA to the Lieutenant Governor and Governor’s Offices.”
This was a significant pledge because Michigan is the only stat in the country whose open records law expressly excuses the governor from following the law.
The Michigan Legislature enacted our public records law in 1976. The law had a simple and compelling purpose: “The people shall be informed so that they may fully participate in the democratic process.” Click here to read more.
Taxpayers pay $23.6M for Chicago Public Schools vacations
Chicago Public Schools employees spent $23.6 million in tax dollars on lavish vacations at 5-star hotels and overseas trips. Much of it was without approval.
Hotel rooms costing $945 per night. Anniversary trips to Las Vegas. South African safaris. Nearly $5,000 for trips to Hawaii.
Grand total: $23.6 million in six years. All at taxpayer expense. All by Chicago Public Schools employees and students.
Much of it was never approved.
While staffers were seeing Hawaii, students were seeing their achievement suffer. Only 2-in-5 CPS students can read at grade level. About 1-in-4 perform math proficiently. Click here to read more.
Clay Higgins Voted Not To Release Epstein Files — Here’s Why
The House voted 427-1 on Tuesday to force the Justice Department to release Jeffrey Epstein-related files, and the lone “no” came from Republican Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins who says the bill endangers innocent people.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act would require DOJ to publish all unclassified records tied to the Epstein investigations. Congress’ summary says the department could still protect classified material and active probes.
“If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt,” Higgins wrote Tuesday on X, explaining his vote. He added that he would support a Senate-amended version that better shields victims and uncharged Americans named in the files. Click here to read more.
Yes, Millions Of Illegals Are Receiving Food Stamps
Despite legacy media claims, illegal immigrants do indeed receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps.
In fact, it’s estimated that millions of illegal immigrants are collecting food stamps.
Though SNAP data is hard to come by, seemingly intentionally so, a 2024 Survey of Income and Program Participation that’s been analyzed by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) gives us some insight.
CIS estimates that up to 4.5 million illegals are using SNAP, even though SNAP is restricted to applicants who have legal status.
Notably, only the applicant, in theory, must have legal status in the U.S. Members of households who indirectly benefit from food stamps do not have to disclose legal status.
Moreover, illegal immigrants are already permitted to use WIC, which is another welfare food program, though it’s more restrictive than SNAP. Click here to read more.
Howell Township considers moratorium on data centers amid 1,000+ acre rezoning request
Residents in Livingston County’s Howell Township are expected to pack into Howell High School on Thursday as trustees mull how to address a rezoning request for a 1,000-acre data center.
The township’s board of trustees will consider whether to impose a moratorium on approvals for data centers as they review potential regulations, after local residents came out to voice their opposition at an informational meeting on Monday, MLive reports.
“There are a lot of things that could really go wrong,” Aaron Currie, a local real estate agent who organized the Monday town hall, told the news site. “There are no data centers in Livingston County, so I don’t think you’ll find anyone in the room who doesn’t have fears and concerns about the unknown.”
Developer Randee, LLC, submitted a conditional zoning request for more than 1,077 acres in Howell Township, claiming the $1 billion data center would create 1,000 temporary jobs and “likely generate more tax revenue than many of the largest taxpayers in Livingston County combined,” Planet Detroit reports. Click here to read more.
Jocelyn Benson’s husband, Ryan Friedrichs, works to sell controversial data center to Saline City Council
Ryan Friedrichs, husband of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the leading Democrat candidate for governor, presented details this week on the data center his company is forcing on Saline Township.
Friedrichs, vice president of billionaire Stephen Ross’ Related Companies, was at the Saline City Council on Monday, when he alleged the community is behind a plan to convert 575 acres of prime farmland in Saline Township into massive warehouses filled with computers.
“We’ve gone and knocked every single door in the township twice,” Friedrichs told the council. “The doors I knocked were 10 to 1 in support. Our overall numbers in the end were about 4 to 1 – about 70% either neutral or support, and about 30% opposing.” Click here to read more.
Former Obama Staffer Who Worked at Climate Activist Groups Now Regulates Energy in Trump Admin
A former staffer in the Barack Obama White House who went to work for climate activist groups joined a federal agency regulating energy under President Joe Biden and appears to still remain in his post under Donald Trump.
The staffer, Brett Cozzolino Bhave, has set off alarm bells among conservatives who support the Trump administration’s approach to energy and climate.
“During my time in the federal government, I learned that the idea that the federal government is staffed entirely with public servants who show up every day to do their jobs in an apolitical fashion is a myth,” Michael Chamberlain, president of the nonprofit watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust, told the Daily Signal. “While the number of activists in the civil service may be small, it is large enough to cause problems in an administration they disagree with.” Click here to read more.
The homeless population in Portland, Oregon, has surged by 61% over the past two years, with more than 4,000 additional people now living on our streets. With Portland Metro having a yearly budget of $724 million, we have to ask: do we keep increasing the budget to meet the demand, or is the growing demand itself driving those increases? Either way, one thing is clear: if money alone were the solution, we would have solved this crisis long ago.
For over twenty-five years, I worked inside Portland’s social services system — the very system that claims to fight homelessness, addiction, and despair. I was proud of the mission and proud to serve. I still believe that helping people rebuild their lives is sacred work. But over time, I began to see something that troubled me deeply: the cause had become an industry. Click here to read more.
School teacher arrested after students allegedly ate THC edibles she left in the classroom
STEUBEN COUNTY, Ind. - Indiana authorities say they are investigating after students at an area high school reportedly ate THC edibles.
According to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, two students at Angola High School unknowingly consumed THC candy that was left out in a classroom during their last class period on Thursday.
Deputies said it was determined that the candy was brought into the classroom by a teacher, later identified as 49-year-old Debra McGillem.
Investigators said they also found additional food items suspected of containing THC in McGillem’s possession.
Detectives conducted interviews with the students involved, as well as McGille, who had driven to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office. Click here to read more.
Disney Axes ‘Diversity’ and ‘DEI’ from Financial Report, Company Event for First Time in Years
A leaked Disney email about a recent employee event reportedly revealed the company has quietly reworked its approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), axing the term entirely for the first time since 2019.
Moreover, the entertainment company removed the divisive terms “diversity,” “inclusion,” “diversity, equity and inclusion,” and “DEI” from its annual business report, and only mentioned “equity” when speaking in a financial context.
The 2025 report is noticeably different from Disney’s 2024 SEC filing, which featured a dedicated section on DEI.
“Our DEI objectives are to build and sustain teams that reflect the life experiences of our audiences, while employing and supporting a diverse array of voices in our creative and production teams,” the 2024 report read. Click here to read more.
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Join me on locals. I quit my job in the main stream media and I am about to keep it real.
I worked in local television news for 25 years and am ready to move on. My goal is to bring you unbiased current events, fun, inspiration and an inside look at the media.
