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WASHINGTON D.C. - President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week to bar “chemical or surgical mutilation” sex-change procedures for minors.

The executive order, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” declares that the United States “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another,” and defines “child” as anyone under the age of 19.

“Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions. This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end,” the order states. Click here to read more.

 

NEW YORK CITY, NY - Taxpayer-funded nonprofit homeless shelters in New York City are filled with nepotism and conflicts of interest, and their executives take home salaries of up to $1 million, according to a report from the city’s Department of Investigation.

Key facts: The report reviewed 51 nonprofit homeless shelters and found issues with every single one of them.

Five of the nonprofits had executives who earned salaries of more than $700,000, and eight others paid more than $500,000.

CORE Services Group, which is “almost entirely funded by the city,” paid its CEO “more than $1 million” in one year, according to the audit. CORE received $467.5 million from the city between 2017 and 2023.

Acacia Network received $1.5 billion from the city from 2017 to 2023, according to checkbook data at OpenTheBooks.com. Click here to read more.

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich - The mayor of Michigan’s second-largest city believes “it is a terrible, terrible moment for our country” and promises police “are not in the business of enforcing immigration law.”

Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand recently laid out his views on President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on criminal illegal migrants, making it clear he’s not a fan of the 47th POTUS.

“We have an obligation to speak out on this issue and speak out on it in moral terms, and to do everything in our power to respect, honor and support the members of our community who have built their lives here,” LaGrand said at Tuesday’s city commission meeting.

“But we also have to not give false hope,” he said. “So the danger of holding out some media term like sanctuary cities is people may think that somehow that gives them protection they don’t have.” Click here to read more.

 

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Ormond Beach has become the latest city in Central Florida to stop adding fluoride to its drinking water after a vote by the Ormond Beach City Commission Tuesday.

The move follows guidance from Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who advised that water fluoridation is no longer necessary and recommended against it, citing concerns over the potential neuropsychiatric risks linked to fluoride exposure.

With the vote, Ormond Beach joins a growing number of communities reconsidering water fluoridation, while still ensuring that residents receive clean, safe, and high-quality water.

The city’s decision also reflects a shift toward giving individuals more control over their personal choices regarding fluoride use.

City staff have already begun the process of discontinuing fluoridation, according to a Facebook post. Despite the change, officials emphasized that water quality standards will remain high, and the move is aimed at giving residents more options in their health decisions. Click here to read more.

 

NORWICH, Conn. (Gray News) – A man was arrested in Connecticut over the weekend on DUI charges and reckless driving after troopers said they caught him speeding at over 130 mph.

When asked why he was speeding so fast, troopers said the driver, identified as 28-year-old Logan Mirmozaffari, said he wanted to get home to see his cat.

A news release from Connecticut State Police said troopers clocked Mirmozaffari driving over 130 mph on Interstate 395 in Norwich around 12:45 a.m. Sunday.

A trooper caught up with the Kia sedan and pulled the vehicle over. Troopers said Mirmozaffari complied and pulled over on the right shoulder. Click here to read more.

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October 22, 2026
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Who Is Lady Budgetdown? The Mystery Account Raising Eyebrows and Uncovering School Finances
The anonymous figure behind a growing school transparency website says the project is run by one person, has faced threats of legal action and is expanding its reach across Michigan.

MICHIGAN — Who is Lady Budgetdown?

It’s a question that has circulated among Michigan educators, school administrators, taxpayers and social media users as a mysterious online watchdog continues digging into school district finances, superintendent salaries, bond proposals and public spending.

Now, the person behind the increasingly visible project is revealing new details about its origins, operations and future — while refusing to disclose their identity.

In an exclusive written interview, Lady Budgetdown confirmed the operation is run by a single individual, not a larger organization or political group.

 

“It started with just me, and it currently is only me,” Lady Budgetdown said.

The anonymous researcher said the project receives technical assistance with website development but independently oversees the research, reviews public records, creates content and determines what information gets published.

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October 22, 2026
News they don't want you to see
Thursday October 22, 2026

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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.

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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.

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October 20, 2026
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Michigan Audit Raises Questions About Medical Procedures Performed on Children in State Care
State auditors also identified problems with adoption approvals, oversight of children under state guardianship and security of confidential records.

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

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