Dave Bondy
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Wednesday January 15, 2025
January 15, 2025

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LANSING, Mich - Government mismanagement to save fish in California is now fueling wildfires that are putting millions at risk, a situation that’s familiar for folks victimized by similar malfeasance in Michigan in 2020.

President-elect Donald Trump placed the blame for at least four wildfires raging across southern California that have claimed the lives of five residents on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, and his decision against shipping water to southern California from the north out of concerns for Delta smelt.

“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday, deliberately misspelling Newsome’s name. Click here to read more.

 

MOBILE, Ala. - A property manager in Alabama was sentenced for stealing rent money from government-assisted low-income housing tenants, according to authorities.

According to court documents, 48-year-old Shannon Caruso worked as a property manager with two government housing authorities providing affordable housing for low-income Mobile-area residents.

She admitted that while working for both housing authorities, she fraudulently convinced renters to make their checks out to her or to give her their rent checks with the payee lines left blank.

Then, rather than depositing the money with her employers, she stole it for her own use, court records revealed. Click here to read more.

 

BUFFALO, NY - A federal judge in Vermont sentenced Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, 29, to 18 months in prison for smuggling nearly 100 migrants across the Canadian border into the United States. Barragan-Palacios, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, earned approximately $500,000 from the human smuggling operation over a five-month period. He is expected to be deported upon completing his sentence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New York reported that Barragan-Palacios organized and executed around 30 smuggling trips between August 2023 and January 2024. He transported migrants from the border near Richford, Vermont, to the New York City area. His activities came to an end when Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended him during a high-speed pursuit on icy roads.

Agents attempted to stop Barragan-Palacios while he was driving a rented pickup truck near the Canadian border, but he fled, reaching speeds of 85 mph. Despite dangerous road conditions, he continued evading law enforcement. When stopped, agents discovered six migrants lying unsecured in the truck bed and cab. Click here to read more.

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill, SB 196, was filed in the Florida Senate that would deem a drug or food misbranded if it contains vaccines or vaccine materials without appropriate labeling.

The sponsor: Republican Sen. Joe Gruters.

What it does: The legislation would change the definition of “drug” to include food that contains vaccines or vaccine materials.

  • It defines “vaccine or vaccine material” as a substance authorized or approved by the FDA to stimulate immunity.

  • The bill says a food is deemed to be misbranded if it “contains a vaccine or vaccine material unless its label bears the words ‘contains vaccine or vaccine material’ and specifies that the food is classified as a drug under the Florida Drug and Cosmetic Act.”

Next steps: The bill has not yet been assigned to any committees. A House version of the bill has not yet been filed.

If approved, it would take effect July 1. Click here to read the legislation.

 

DETROIT, Mich - With the turn of the calendar, eggs in Michigan seemed to disappear from the shelves – as if a snowstorm was coming and people were stocking up. At the same time, the price seemed to have soared.

So what caused the vanishing act of the eggs and your money? As with everything, there's not a simple answer – but instead a perfect storm of events that led to, what is hopefully, a temporary shortage.

By the numbers:

The price of a dozen eggs in the United States are up 38% over the past year – with the average price at $3.65 nationwide for a dozen eggs. This is down a bit from January 2023 when a dozen was $4.82 but they're climbing back up again. Click here to read more.

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Michigan schools have lost more than 100,000 students in just nine years, but somehow, they’ve added more than 35,000 full-time employees.

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Michigan High School Students depicts Charlie Kirk murder during school
School district is investigating

LIVONIA, Mich. — Livonia Public Schools says administrators at Churchill High School took action after becoming aware of a student’s reported depiction of the killing of Charlie Kirk.

According to information provided to Keeping it Real, a student reportedly arrived at Churchill High School dressed to depict Kirk being killed, including what appeared to be fake blood running down the student’s neck.

The incident raised questions about how the school responded and whether the depiction violated district policies.

A photograph of the student in the costume was subsequently posted to a non- affiliated

Churchill Instagram account, with the song “We Are Charlie Kirk.”

I have obtained a copy of the photo, but due to its disturbing nature, I have chosen not to publish it.

Keeping it Real contacted school officials seeking an explanation of what happened and how administrators handled the situation.

Stacy Jenkins, administrator of district communications, said Churchill High School officials learned about the situation at the beginning of the school day and acted quickly.

 

“Churchill High School administration was made aware of the situation at the start of the school day and swiftly addressed it with the student involved,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins acknowledged that the depiction was inappropriate.

“While we cannot prevent every poor choice a student may make, we can ensure that inappropriate behavior is addressed when our administration becomes aware — that is exactly what occurred in this situation,” Jenkins said. “The depiction was inappropriate and did not align with our expectations for student behavior.”

The district’s response does not specify what action was taken involving the student or whether disciplinary measures were imposed.

The incident comes amid heightened concerns about how schools handle depictions or references to real-world political violence, particularly when they involve students.

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September 10, 2026
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Michigan pays out smaller portion of pothole damage claims

Michigan drivers who traverse state highways often incur vehicle damage from potholes. Many of Michigan’s roads tend to be riddled with potholes that blow out tires, crack windshields and break suspensions.

Some drivers seek state compensation, but only about 12% of those people received it last year, according to a document that Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained via a records request.

Michigan paid 10 out of 86 claims for pothole-related damages in 2025, totaling $4,844, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Those 10 people who received compensation from the state claimed damages caused by potholes on I-75, I-96, US-12, M-77, M-89, Saginaw Street, Plymouth Road, and Fort Street. Click here to read more.


 

Trump Asks SCOTUS to Permit Voter Verification System Ahead of Midterms

On Tuesday, Solicitor General John Sauer wrote to SCOTUS asking the justices to stay an order from Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by former President Joe Biden.

In June, Sooknanan issued an order preventing the government from using an updated Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. The updates greatly streamlined the process for states to purge voter rolls of ineligible voters.

According to Sauer, Sooknanan’s order is “indefensible” and “threatens the integrity of upcoming elections by vacating the federal government’s authority to internally use Social Security data when fulfilling its duty to respond to requests by States to verify the citizenship of individuals for voting and other purposes.”

“The order will irreparably harm the federal government, the States, and the public by depriving the government of an effective tool to verify the eligibility of registered voters and benefits applicants under various state and federal programs,” Sauer writes to SCOTUS. 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.

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Illinois woman accused of killing son represented by Casey Anthony attorney

A mother accused of killing her young son before trying to harm herself will be represented by an attorney who helped defend Casey Anthony.

Corie Walsh, 40, is facing three counts of first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son, Barrett, who was found dead in her suburban Chicago home. Walsh also had what was described as self-inflicted injuries.

Walsh’s first court appearance was set for Tuesday morning and she is being represented by Andrea Lyon, an attorney who has dubbed herself the “Angel of Death Row.”

Lyon helped defend Casey Anthony, who was found not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter in a highly publicized and controversial case. Lyon is arguing Walsh was suffering from a psychotic episode. Click here to read more.

 

NYC releases 170,000 pages of long-sought 9/11 health, air quality records

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release of more than 170,000 pages of records detailing the government’s response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the aftermath, including documents related to air quality and health concerns.

In a press release, the city said it also settled two lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch, ending a years-long legal dispute over access to post-9/11 health and air-quality records.

First responders, elected officials and families have sought the records for years. Mamdani’s FY27 budget includes $34 million to create and maintain the public portal.

The portal includes about 170,000 pages covering post-9/11 health concerns, air quality and the city’s response. Among the records are the Harding Memo, 68 boxes of documents discovered in 2025 and records related to World Trade Center 7. Click here to read more.

 

Florida blocks 10 CDL training schools after federal regulators remove them from registry

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida education officials are blocking 10 commercial driver training schools from recruiting new students or collecting tuition after federal regulators removed the providers from a national registry as part of a crackdown on commercial driver training.

The Florida Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is taking action against the 10 schools following their removal from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry.

Through the Commission for Independent Education, the state ordered affected licensed programs to immediately stop advertising, recruiting, enrolling new students and collecting tuition while their federal removal remains in effect.

The schools must also identify students who have been affected, provide refunds where required and report to the state on corrective actions and communications with federal regulators. Click here to read more.

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