LANSING, Mich - A Michigan state agency is seeking to spend $200,000 on a consulting contract to help it develop a program with the stated intention of reducing emissions in the maritime sector.
The program will “advance greening, electrification, decarbonization, equity and environmental justice, infrastructure, and the sustainability of Michigan’s maritime sector while ensuring the efficient movement of goods,” according to an announcement from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
The notice for the taxpayer-funded project includes creating an “engagement and dissemination strategy” to engage maritime stakeholders. The program aims to tug Michigan toward its MI Healthy Climate Plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Click here to read more.
FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA - During his tenure in office he refused to face the American flag during the pledge and at one point took a knee, emulating disgraced NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Holden said the pledge did not represent the district’s commitment to “diversity, equity and inclusion.”
“Given that the word ‘God’ in the text of the Pledge of Allegiance is capitalized… the text is clearly referring to the Judeo-Christian God, and therefore, it does not include any other faiths such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism,” Holden said in 2022, adding that this made the pledge of allegiance a “non-inclusionary act.” Click here to read more.
LANSING, Mich - Michigan House Democrats on Thursday approved legislation to strip away verification and validity measures specifically enacted to prevent election fraud.
Senate bills 603 and 604 eliminate the current ability of county canvassers to investigate fraud during recounts, limiting the basis for requesting a recount to errors that could sway the outcome.
Proponents contend fraud investigations should be handled by law enforcement.
The legislation also increases fees for recounts based on the margin of victory.
“This fee structure includes per-precinct fees which charge less for precincts where the results are closer and more for precincts where the margin is so large that it is unlikely a recount could change the outcome,” Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, told Michigan Public Radio.
Other changes included in the bills deal with precincts where ballot counts are out of balance, making all ballots in those precincts ineligible to be recounted, according to the news site. Click here to read more.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Indiana Republican Party is moving forward with plans to appoint a new GOP candidate after the primary race for a U.S. congressional seat was won by a woman who passed away months before the election.
Jennifer Pace won a GOP primary for Indiana’s 7th Congressional District on May 7 with 31.2% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. The 59-year-old had been deceased since March 6 after suffering a heart attack. Pace’s name appeared on the ballot anyway, and the news of her death did not appear to be widely reported at the time of the election. Click here to read more.
LANSING, Mich - Since 2023, Michigan has authorized $4.4 billion of select corporate business subsidies.
Assuming that money is fungible, what could it have bought Michiganders?
The average price of a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert in 2023 was $1,088, as calculated by CNBC. At that rate, Michigan could have bought Taylor Swift tickets for 40% of the state population.
Or, Michigan taxpayers could have bought 33 million days — 90,000 years and then some — at Disney World via $130-day passes.
The money could have funded child care and living expenses for the roughly 10,000 Michigan kids in foster care. It could have lowered Michigan’s personal income tax rate to 2.85%, down from 4.25%. Click here to read more.
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