TAYLOR, Mich. - Taylor School District’s superintendent Mike Wegher announced a ban on classroom displays considered politically controversial after a photo surfaced of a local classroom decorated with a Black Lives Matter flag, a “Science is Real” banner, and a Taylor Swift poster.
The image sparked backlash in the community, with some parents arguing the displays promoted political messages. Superintendent Mark Maloney said the new policy will prohibit all political symbols, including Black Lives Matter, “Blue Lives Matter,” and “Don’t Tread on Me” flags.
“This policy applies across the board,” Maloney said. “Whether it’s BLM, Blue Lives Matter, or Don’t Tread on Me, we’re not allowing any of it. Our classrooms should remain focused on education, not political debate.” He noted that items tied directly to classroom material would still be permitted but acknowledged it could take time for staff to adjust.
The move places Taylor among a growing number of school districts nationwide wrestling with how to handle politically charged classroom content. In recent years, schools in multiple states have faced disputes over Pride flags, racial justice posters, patriotic symbols, and books addressing race and gender. Some districts have voted to remove such items, while others have faced lawsuits over policies accused of silencing certain viewpoints.
Supporters of restrictions argue that publicly funded classrooms must remain politically neutral. Critics counter that blanket bans risk limiting students’ exposure to significant social and cultural issues. Legal experts say the crux often comes down to how schools define “political” — and whether those definitions are applied evenly.
As Taylor begins enforcing its new rules, the district has become the latest flashpoint in a broader national struggle over education, free expression, and the boundaries of politics in American classrooms.
Michigan House Bill 5711, which would roll back the state’s clean energy mandates for utilities, has cleared the House Energy Committee and is headed to the full House for a vote.
If approved there, it would move to the Senate for consideration.
🚨The Village of Birch Run, Michigan doesn’t record or live stream their public meetings. They’re not legally required to, but I think it would be something good to do for transparency. I talked to the village president who did not want to touch the issue.
The USGS says a magnitude 2.9 earthquake hit about 7 km south southeast of Amherstburg, Canada, just across from the Detroit area. It happened at a shallow depth of about 2 km.
Did you feel anything in Mid Michigan or Metro Detroit?
No livestream. No recording. No transparency. So I showed up. St. Charles, Michigan school board. Know a school board or local government keeping meetings off camera? Tell me where to go next.
Thank-you for being here. M to F I send out this morning email. The stories they don’t want you to see.
SOS Benson’s Past Ties to SPLC Draw Scrutiny Amid Federal Investigation Allegations
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat who is running for governor, isn’t shy about her longtime ties to the now federally-indicted Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
The left-leaning SPLC is under a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation, and faces 11 counts related to wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. It centers on the SPLC paying people to infiltrate groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazi organizations in order to incite racial unrest. These are the very groups the SPLC said they fought against.
The Michigan Fair Elections Institute (MFEI) stressed that Benson’s affiliation with the SPLC wasn’t “peripheral.” It said, “By her own account, [Benson] worked at the organization as an undercover operative in the late 1990s, going so far as to pose as a freelance journalist to gain access to neo-Nazi leaders and white supremacist groups.” Click here to read more.
Click here to order now and get an extra 10% off.
FBI looks into dead or missing nuclear and space defense scientists tied to NASA, Blue Origin, and SpaceX
Almost a dozen scientists related to nuclear and space defense programs tied to NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin are dead or missing in cases as far back as 2022, and they’ve gone largely unnoticed by authorities and the public—until now.
The House Oversight Committee formally demanded answers from four federal agencies Monday on the deaths and disappearances of at least 11 American scientists and researchers with ties to NASA, nuclear research, and classified defense programs—several of them directly connected to the space defense technologies now being commercialized by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), the chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, sent letters to FBI Director Kash Patel, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, requesting staff-level briefings no later than April 27. Click here to read more.
Alabama boy’s secret Facebook post asking for cancer drug grabs national attention
RALPH, Ala. - An Alabama teenager took a chance on Wednesday, filming a two-minute video on his mom’s Facebook page without his parents knowing.
He didn’t expect what happened next.
Will Roberts, 15, lives in Ralph, an unincorporated community in Tuscaloosa County. He’s fighting for his life against stage 4 bone cancer, called osteosarcoma, which has spread throughout his body.
“From a parent’s aspect, you’re just getting by day to day in hopes that this miraculous treatment is advanced in the time that you’re allowed to fight every day,” said Will’s mother, Brittney. Click here to read more.
Appeals court keeps Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ open
ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” can continue operating, overturning a lower court’s order that had required it to begin winding down.
In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the state-run center did not trigger requirements for a federal environmental review. The majority said Florida officials built and control the facility on state land, without sufficient federal involvement to invoke the National Environmental Policy Act.
“Florida, not the federal government, controls the site and bore the full cost of construction,” the opinion stated. At the time of the district court’s injunction last August, no federal reimbursement had been provided, the panel noted. Click here to read more.
Fairfax Schools’ ‘Equity’ Calendar and Its Classroom Consequences
In January 2022, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) adopted a calendar containing fewer five-day school weeks and more early release days with the explicitly stated goals of “equity and inclusion.”
At that time, the 12 Democratic-endorsed school board members also voted to decouple spring break from Easter—a terrible idea that lasted only a year—as part of broader efforts to create a more “equitable” school calendar.
FCPS’s updated calendar further recognizes several religious and cultural holidays, including Eid al-Adha, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Día de los Muertos, Diwali, Bodhi Day, Three Kings Day/Epiphany, Orthodox Christmas, Orthodox Epiphany, Lunar New Year, Ramadan, Good Friday, Theravada, Orthodox Good Friday/Last Night of Passover and Eid al-Fitr. Click here to read more.
