MIDLAND, Mich. — Families in the Midland area will soon have another public school option when Founders Grove Classical Academy opens Sept. 8, offering a tuition-free classical education for students beginning in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The public charter school, located on Wheeler Street, will add one grade level each year until it becomes a K-12 school.

“There is no other school in the greater Tri-City area right now that really offers a tuition-free classical education,” said Sara Ladwein, board president of Founders Grove Classical Academy.

00:16:33

Dave Bondy@davebondy

June 16, 2026

200,000 Michiganders wait for tax returns

LANSING, Mich. — Thousands of Michigan taxpayers are still waiting for state income tax refunds months after filing, and state officials say a new tax processing system is a major reason why.

The Michigan Department of Treasury recently acknowledged that roughly 5% of tax returns remain unresolved, affecting an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 taxpayers. Officials told lawmakers that the delays stem from the state’s transition from a 40-year-old mainframe system to a new platform known as GenTax.

State Rep. Brad Paquette criticized Treasury officials following recent legislative testimony, arguing that taxpayers deserve better accountability and communication.

“The Michigan Department of Treasury says approximately 200,000 Michiganders still have problems with their tax returns,” Paquette wrote on social media. He questioned whether Treasury leadership has been adequately prepared to manage the new technology while implementing what officials have described as a culture of tax compliance.

Treasury ...

00:02:46

Dave Bondy@davebondy

June 15, 2026

Michigan Attorney Philip Ellison Breaks Down Your Fourth Amendment Rights

A Michigan attorney says many homeowners misunderstand when government officials can legally enter private property and what protections are guaranteed under the Fourth Amendment.

Attorney Philip Ellison of Outside Legal Counsel discussed property rights, government inspections and constitutional protections during a recent interview with independent journalist Dave Bondy.

Ellison said government officials generally may approach a home’s front door to initiate contact, a practice commonly referred to as a “knock and talk.”

You can also learn more about the 4th ammendment and your rights from Ellison by clicking here.

“The law recognizes this national implied license that we permit Girl Scouts, law enforcement and trick-or-treaters all to come to our front door and knock,” Ellison said.

According to Ellison, that authority extends to police officers and other government officials, including zoning inspectors, health inspectors and federal agents. However, he said officials typically cannot move beyond ...

00:13:50

Dave Bondy@davebondy

July 19, 2026

There will be no show tonight.

No show tonight.

Dave Bondy@davebondy

July 17, 2026

Just in: President Trump issues a statement saying he will hold Canada accountable for the wildfire smoke that has overtaken Michigan and beyond.

Dave Bondy@davebondy

July 15, 2026

This is what the Canadian wildfire smoke looks like at Lake Charlevoix near Boyne City.

Dave Bondy@davebondy

July 16, 2026

News they don't want you to see

Thursday July 16, 2026

I left the mainstream media to go independent and need your help to continue this work. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to support my mission.

Google AI search poses ‘unacceptable’ risk to kids: Common Sense Media

Artificial intelligence tools built into Google’s search engine present an “unacceptable” risk for kids, according to a report published Wednesday by Common Sense Media.

Google’s AI Overview and AI Mode, woven into the functionality of its internet browser, failed in test scenarios to reliably detect signs of kids in crisis, according to the youth advocacy organization.

The browser-based AI tools also completed homework without fail, giving kids a way to generate answers for school assignments without necessarily learning, and regularly produced answers deemed “unreliable.”

“And with an ‘unacceptable risk’ rating comes a recommendation that teens and kids don’t use this product,” said Robbie Torney, head of AI and digital assessments at Common Sense Media’s recently formed Youth AI Safety Institute. Click here to read more.

Is Gavin Newsom’s White House dream fading?

Gavin Newsom is, as usual, indulging in a public relations blitzkrieg. But some suspect he may be losing his grip on his real ambition: a move to the White House.

Recent polling suggests that Governor Brylcreem is losing ground to California’s other potential presidential contender, Kamala Harris. Indeed, as both have used book tours to boost their profiles, it is Harris — not Newsom — who appears to be extending her lead in early Democratic presidential polling.

That may be partly because Harris, after a long period of relative silence, is increasingly starting to sound like a candidate again. Unlike Newsom, she also does not have to defend a record as governor of California that is at best mixed, and which offers plenty of ammunition for potential rivals. Her bigger challenge will be distancing herself from the unpopular Biden years and her role within them. Click here to read more.

https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png

First Amendment Orgs Skewer Bipartisan Lawmakers’ ‘Frightening’ Attempt To Police Election Speech

Republican New York Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer urged four agencies to crack down on so-called election misinformation propagated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, prompting pushback from First Amendment organizations.

The lawmakers asked the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to monitor AI tools to prevent the spread of election misinformation in a letter Tuesday. The letter elicited warnings from First Amendment organizations who expressed their concerns about what it could mean for Americans’ constitutional rights to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Click here to read more.

Why an Illinois home costs almost $100,000 more than it did before COVID

The average Illinois home price has skyrocketed nearly $100,000 since 2019 as the state’s housing inventory recovery lags far behind the nation’s.

The typical home in the state costs just over $294,000, up from about $198,500 seven years before, according to Zillow’s Home Value Index, which compares prices of similar homes over time

That’s an increase of nearly $96,000, or 48%, and highlights the need for more housing supply.

The price surge hasn’t hit all Illinois communities equally. Some have seen even steeper increases far exceeding the statewide trend, with home prices more than doubling. Click here to read more.

Illegal Migrant Trucker Sentenced to Only 4.8 Yrs. After Killing 3 Americans in Highway Crash

An illegal migrant from India was just handed a “slap on the wrist” sentence of only four years and eight months in prison after being convicted for killing three people in a disastrous eight-car pileup in Southern California in 2025.

Jashanpreet Singh, who entered the country illegally in 2022, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, Fox News reported.

Singh slammed into slow-moving traffic at full speed in October of 2025 on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County. Three people were killed outright and a dozen others were injured.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, blasted Singh’s light prison sentence as a mere “slap on the wrist.” Click here to read more.

Subscribe now

Read full Article

Dave Bondy@davebondy

July 15, 2026

News they don't want you to see

Wednesday July 15, 2026

I can’t continue doing my independent journalism work without the support of you. If you are not yet signed up as a paid subscriber consider becoming one by clicking the button below.

Michigan’s Bridge card system was hacked, police say

An Oakland County law enforcement officer reported in 2024 that Michigan’s Bridge Card system had been hacked. The report, which Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained through a records request, was included in the county’s investigation of food-stamp theft reported by a 66-year-old resident.

“I forwarded the report to (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) Investigator (Joseph) Adcock for follow up,” Officer Matt McPherson wrote in a May 13, 2024 comment on a police report of alleged SNAP fraud. “This has been an ongoing issue for sometime where the Bridge card system was hacked and multiple users numbers/pins were discovered.”

The investigation centered on a claim by Alfred Audry Dendy II that $248 worth of his food stamps benefits were stolen and spent at a Sam’s Club in Georgia. Dendy canceled the card after his balance was depleted. Click here to read more.

Nick Shirley And Medicaid Czar Dr. Oz Report Billions In Senior “Adult Daycare” Fraud in Queens: “Korean And Chinese Mafias”

Nick Shirley's latest video claims to have uncovered millions in fraudulent "adult daycares" for the elderly, getting state funding for adult and personal home care in New York City. Medicaid czar Dr. Mehmet Oz joined Shirley and claimed senior services centers in the borough of Queens have generated $2.1 billion in the last three years.

At one point, Shirley asks to see one of the places under the pretense of enrolling his grandmother and is told, "No Americans here."

"Only Koreans here, so I think she can not get along with the other people because they cannot speak English," the man says. Click here to read more.

GOP governors, utilities join Trump data center pledge

President Donald Trump is expanding his data center pledge to include some Republican governors and several large utilities, according to state officials and industry executives.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe have all signed the White House’s so-called Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a set of principles committing data center developers to pay for their fair share of energy and water use, along with electric grid improvements and maintenance, according to officials in each state. Electric utilities are also expected to sign the pledge, according to seven people familiar with the plans.

The White House declined to confirm the signatories, but said the pledge was drawing new support. Click here to read more.

Coalition of Anti-Trump Prosecutors—Bankrolled By Secret Donors—Raises ‘Stunning’ Constitutional Concerns, Legal Experts Say

A coalition of progressive prosecutors promising to target federal immigration agents has amassed a war chest funded by secret donors with the help of left-wing networks. Legal experts said the arrangement is “terribly corrupt” and blurs the lines between legitimate law enforcement and politically motivated prosecutions.

The Project for the Fight Against Federal Overreach—or FAFO, an acronym that also stands for “fuck around and find out” in internet lingo—was formed by two George Soros-funded prosecutors, Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner and Mary Moriarty of Hennepin County, Minn., after federal officials shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti as they interfered with immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Several elected district attorneys have said Krasner, who pledged to target ICE agents “the way they hunted down Nazis for decades,” personally recruited them. Click here to read more.

Consumer prices fall more than expected in June as gas prices tumble

WASHINGTON — Consumer prices fell sharply in June, driven by a steep drop in gasoline costs, marking the largest monthly decline in more than six years as inflation continued to moderate.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers dropped 0.4% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.5% in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. It was the biggest one-month decrease since April 2020, when the index fell 0.8%.

Over the 12 months through June, the all-items index rose 3.5%, down from a 4.2% increase for the 12 months ending in May.

The energy index plunged 5.7% in June, the largest one-month decline since April 2020, with gasoline prices falling 9.7%. Electricity costs also eased 1.0%, though natural gas prices rose 0.5%. Energy prices were up 15.7% over the past year, driven largely by a 26.7% surge in gasoline. Click here to read more.

Subscribe now

Read full Article

Dave Bondy@davebondy

July 15, 2026

News they don't want you to see

Wednesday July 15, 2026

I can’t continue doing my independent journalism work without the support of you. If you are not yet signed up as a paid subscriber consider becoming one by clicking the button below.

Michigan’s Bridge card system was hacked, police say

Nick Shirley And Medicaid Czar Dr. Oz Report Billions In Senior “Adult Daycare” Fraud in Queens: “Korean And Chinese Mafias”

GOP governors, utilities join Trump data center pledge

President Donald Trump is expanding his data center pledge to include some Republican governors and several large utilities, according to state officials and industry executives.

The White House declined to confirm the signatories, but said the pledge was drawing new support. Click here to read more.

Coalition of Anti-Trump Prosecutors—Bankrolled By Secret Donors—Raises ‘Stunning’ Constitutional Concerns, Legal Experts Say

Consumer prices fall more than expected in June as gas prices tumble

WASHINGTON — Consumer prices fell sharply in June, driven by a steep drop in gasoline costs, marking the largest monthly decline in more than six years as inflation continued to moderate.

Over the 12 months through June, the all-items index rose 3.5%, down from a 4.2% increase for the 12 months ending in May.

Subscribe now

Read full Article

Available on mobile and TV devices