Help me grow this newsletter. Invite a friend.

Become a Supporter

 

 

Michigan school funding tops inflation since before the pandemic

Funding for public schools in Michigan has grown faster than inflation since before the pandemic.

Yet some school teachers, like Amanda Walker of Bay City Schools, have said that schools are being defunded. Walker is vice president of her district’s chapter of the Michigan Education Association.

“I do think there’s been a concerted effort to dismantle public education by defunding, by diverting funds to private schools, by tearing down teachers and accusing them of all sorts of nonsense. People see it, and they feel it, and they don’t like it,” Walker told an MEA news publication recently.

It can feel that way at school districts such as Bay City, where the student count dropped 16% between 2018-19 and 2025-26, according to MiSchoolData.org. Fewer students means less in per-pupil funding. Click here to read more.

 

Data centers become midterm minefield as candidates scramble to answer voter backlash

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his support for building new data centers across the country, but candidates in both parties are trying to show voters they are listening to growing concerns about the technology. With the midterms two weeks away, the issue could help decide who voters ultimately choose.

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting. Click here to read more.

Stay in contact with family with push to talk nationwide waterproof walkie talkies. Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)","title":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false,"align":null,"offset":false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)" title="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 1456w" sizes="100vw">

 

Cops Release Woman Who Plowed Through Soccer Field: No Charges, No Explanation

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting.

In Hermantown, Minnesota, a rural community of about 10,000 people in the northeastern part of the state, the city council moved closer to approving a new Google data center. Some residents said officials haven’t pushed hard enough. Click here to read more.

 

Consumers Energy’s rate hike request comes days after $139M increase approved

Consumers Energy is looking for a rate hike on natural gas prices less than a week after the public service commission approved a $139 million increase.

The utility provider filed its notice of intent with regulators on Monday, which is required before it can submit its rate request.

The previous rate hike came out to about a 4.3% bump in monthly payments for natural gas.

Big picture view:

Consumers Energy has not said how much more it is asking for it its latest failing, but did say the new rate would last 12 months, ending Oct. 31, 2028.

Utility companies cannot set rates themselves. Instead, they submit a request to increase rates for either natural gas or electricity with the Michigan Public Service Commission.

After making the request, both parties and any other stakeholders weigh in on the case.

The Michigan Attorney General frequently intervenes in these cases. Click here to read more.

 

Trump and Vance announce $25M whistleblower program to encourage public to report alleged fraud

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.

The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.

During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.

“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It’ll be a binding arbitration.”

Trump said journalists could participate in the program. Click here to read more.

LANSING, Mich. — Children under Michigan's guardianship underwent medical procedures without required consent or documentation, while thousands of others were not being consistently tracked by the state agency responsible for them, according to a new audit.

The Michigan Office of the Auditor General released a 40-page report Oct. 15 identifying significant deficiencies within the Michigan Children's Institute, which operates under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The institute serves as the legal guardian for children whose parental rights have been terminated.

Auditors concluded that the institute's selected guardianship activities were not sufficient, identifying problems with

I may have to close up shop if I don’t get more help funding my independent journalism. If you can support my work by becoming a paid subscriber click the button below to learn more.

Become a Supporter

 

 

Michigan Senate bill targets paid political posts on social media

A Michigan Senate bill seeks to require people and organizations that publish certain paid political social media posts to disclose who funded them. It includes specific requirements for videos, graphics and audio but exempts certain media.

Senate Bill 1199, introduced Oct. 1 by Democrat Sens. Jeremy Moss of Bloomfield, Rosemary Bayer of Keego Harbor, Erika Geiss of Taylor, Sue Shink of Northville, Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak, and Paul Wojno of Warren, would amend Michigan’s Campaign Finance Act. The change would establish disclosure requirements for social media communications that support or oppose candidates or ballot questions. SB 1199 is a narrower version of an upcoming ballot proposal that Michigan voters will see on Nov. 3. Click here to read more.

 

State Health Dept. Sued Over Forced Unionizing of Michigan Home Caregivers

MIDLAND, Mich. — The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s effort to classify home caregivers as state employees for union representation. The lawsuit seeks to enforce the Michigan Constitution’s rules governing state employment and invalidate the election that certified SEIU Healthcare Michigan as the bargaining representative for home caregivers.

The foundation represents James “Jase” Bolger, a former member of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Bolger brings the lawsuit as a citizen, as the Michigan Constitution allows any citizen to sue to enforce its civil service provisions.

“Michigan’s Constitution puts safeguards around state employment for a reason: to keep politicians from using it to serve special interests,” said Bolger. “Having served on the Civil Service Commission, I understand the importance of those protections. Click here to read more.

Stay in contact with family with push to talk nationwide waterproof walkie talkies. Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

 

Cops Release Woman Who Plowed Through Soccer Field: No Charges, No Explanation

Police in Wichita, Kansas, released the 34-year-old woman who drove her truck through a crowd at the Stryker Sports Complex, killing two people and leaving another ten injured. No charges have yet been filed, and no explanation was given.

The Wichita Police Department released a lengthy statement via X, giving updates across several aspects of the tragic incident that left Adrian Cole, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, dead.

Investigators interviewed more than 30 witnesses — including the two children who were in the truck with the driver — before speaking with the driver herself. Click here to read more.

 

Why are people protesting in France? The issues fueling nationwide unrest

What began as student protests over failing public schools has grown into a nationwide movement against rising living costs, with violence and looting reported on the sidelines of some marches.

Demonstrations began in late September, a week after the school year started. Students have cited teacher shortages, run-down classrooms, long school days, and an opaque university admissions system. Some say they have missed months of instruction because staff absences went unfilled.

Other groups joined the marches to protest the cost of living, including high fuel prices. The CGT, one of France’s largest unions, has called for lower prices, higher pensions, and higher wages. Fuel costs have risen amid inflation tied partly to the war in the Middle East; reports also link added pressure to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. bombing. France announced petrol subsidies for some industries in mid-September. Click here to read more.

 

State commission wants parent, teacher input on classroom screen time

A commission tasked with studying the use, risks and benefits of screen-based instruction is asking for feedback from parents, teachers and administrators before finalizing its report for Gov. Kay Ivey.

The survey, co-created by Dr. Cailin Kerch, a commission member and professor of early childhood education at the University of Alabama (UA), will help the commission “understand perceptions about screen use in public schools,” according to the survey summary.

About 2,000 people have completed the survey, said Kerch, and those results are being reviewed and prepared for analysis.

“The statewide survey of parents, educators, and school leaders helps us capture voices from educators in the classroom along with parents’ perspectives. Most educators teach a child for a year, or two, at most. Capturing families’ perceptions of the impacts of screen use in schools on their child’s education matters. Parents may see cumulative impacts of screen use, positive, negative, or null, across time,” said Kerch. Click here to read more.