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State awards $6.3 million study on mileage tax

A company hired by the state of Michigan to study the feasibility of a mileage tax has come under fire for a conflict of interest from a legislator who says it could also benefit from the new tax.

The Michigan Department of Transportation awarded a $6.3 million contract to CDM Smith to conduct a feasibility study of a road usage charge, or RUC, to replace taxes at the pump with a per-mile tax. The company will also conduct a pilot version of the tax.

Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, is concerned that CDM Smith could later benefit from the report’s findings. He told Michigan Capitol Confidential that the state awarded the contract to a company that already sells the pay-per-mile tax systems.

“A $6.3 million ‘feasibility’ contract to a company that already sells these systems is not independent analysis,” Maddock said in an email to CapCon. Click here to read more.

 

Chicago Public Schools loses 11,500 students in largest decline since pandemic

Chicago Public Schools has lost more than 11,500 students since the start of last school year, marking the district’s largest enrollment decline since the COVID-19 pandemic.

CPS enrollment fell to 304,687 students for the 2026-27 school year, according to a preliminary 20^th-day enrollment report from the district.

The latest drop continues an enrollment decline that has left CPS with 76,000 fewer students than a decade ago.

This year’s enrollment decline also exacerbates Chicago’s empty-schools problem. More than half of CPS’ buildings were already underutilized in the 2025-2026 school year.

CPS lost more students this year than in any year since fall 2020, when enrollment dropped by nearly 14,500 students after pandemic-era school closures. Click here to read more.

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Detroit car crash sparks tensions between Black and Arab communities as Abdul El-Sayed straddles divide

Tensions between Detroit’s Black and Arab communities are on edge after a mob of Arab men harassed a Black woman following a car crash earlier this month.

The incident occurred near the intersection of Paul Street and the Southfield Freeway, where an Arab woman reportedly ran a red light and hit a vehicle driven by a Black woman on Sept. 15, WJBK reported.

Following the collision, a mob of Muslim men descended on the scene, where they pushed the Arab woman’s vehicle away and looted the Black woman’s totaled vehicle, allegedly stealing her purse and yelling racial slurs as a Black man attempted to intervene, according to video posted online. Click here to read more.

 

Wisconsin Dem Silent As High School Brawl Puts Transgender Issues Front And Center In Governor Race

MILWAUKEE — A violent altercation at a Wisconsin school could throw a last-minute wrench in the state’s gubernatorial race.

On September 17, a biological male student at Oregon High School, who identifies as a woman, clashed with female classmates after he was allowed into the girls’ locker room. Parents say the male student, about whom they and their daughters had previously raised concerns, instigated the incident. Police were dispatched to control the scene.

The Oregon High brawl has put parental rights and radical transgender policies front and center in the race for the Wisconsin governor’s mansion. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democrats’ gubernatorial nominee, has a long history of supporting policies protecting transgender individuals — something his Republican opponent is keen to highlight. Click here to read more.

 

Trump Announces Plans to Build America’s Largest-Ever Steel Plant in Iowa

President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to build the largest steel plant in U.S. history in Iowa.

Leadership from India-based Essar Group, which owns Mesabi Metallics, joined Trump in the Oval Office, along with a number of Iowa officials, for the announcement.

“Today we’re thrilled to announce that Mesabi Metallics will be building the largest steel plant in American history in the great state of Iowa. It’s the largest plant — one of the largest plants in the world — but it’s the largest plant in America by far,” Trump said.

Trump said that once operational, the plant will source iron ore from a Minnesota mine and produce a whopping 10 million tons of steel annually. Click here to read more.

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Michigan spends record amount on schools, gets worse reading scores

Michigan is spending more money than ever on public schools, but test scores haven’t improved, according to new standardized test scores released earlier this month.

About 61.8% of third graders weren’t proficient at reading, according to the 2025-26 M-STEP, the state’s set of standardized tests. That’s a slight increase from the previous school year, when 61.2% of third graders weren’t proficient.

When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took office in 2019, she vowed to fix the literacy crisis in Michigan.

As her second and final term comes to an end in four months, test scores are worse, despite increased state funding. Click here to read more.

 

GOP senators in tight races break with Trump, urge ICE to coordinate with local police

Republicans in some of the country’s most competitive midterm races are breaking with President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda, publicly raising concerns about how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is carrying out operations in their states and districts.

In Kansas, Sen. Roger Marshall called for ICE to coordinate with local law enforcement during operations in southwest Kansas, arguing that local agencies know their communities and can help keep people safe.

Local officials in Dodge City, Garden City, and Liberal said they were not notified beforehand about increased ICE activity. They said they learned of operations only after agents appeared in their communities. Click here to read more.

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Majority of Michigan House Democrats vote against resolution condemning socialism

The Michigan House passed a resolution Wednesday condemning socialism and socialist political organizations and policies, with Republicans arguing the measure serves as a warning about the historical consequences of socialist and communist governments.

House Resolution 373 passed 58-34, mostly along party lines with 18 Democrat members not voting and one Democrat voting in favor of the resolution. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Twp., Rep. Joseph Fox, R-Fremont, Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Twp., and Rep. Angela Rigas, R-Caledonia.

The resolution condemns socialism, the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America, and politicians who espouse socialist views. It also opposes the implementation of socialist policies in Michigan and the United States. Click here to read more.

 

MSU Police Investigate Three New Reports Against Former Physician Charged With Sexual Assault

Authorities are investigating three additional reports involving a former Michigan State University resident physician charged with criminal sexual conduct.

The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety said Friday that Arpit Saxena, 39, was arraigned in 54B District Court in East Lansing. He is being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $2 million bond, with a bond hearing scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28.

The court ordered Saxena to surrender his driver’s license and passport and barred him from contacting the victims. He faces three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Police said the three additional reports are being evaluated and investigated. The department has not said whether they involve additional alleged victims. Click here to read more.

 

Trans Nurse Accused of Abusing Premature Baby Is Out on Bond

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A premature baby girl who survived being born at just 23 weeks was nearly ready to go home. Instead, she suffered broken bones and bruises, and a transgender nurse is now facing four child abuse charges.

And despite the allegations involving one of the hospital’s most vulnerable patients, the accused nurse is out on bond, wearing an electronic tether while awaiting further court proceedings.

According to a report from WOOD-TV, Kieran Ansley, 43, a biological woman who identifies as a transgender man and formerly worked at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, faces two felony counts of second-degree child abuse and two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree child abuse. Click here to read more.

 

 

Federal court throws out Nessel antitrust suit against oil companies

A federal judge has dismissed a climate-related lawsuit Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed against oil and gas companies.

The lawsuit, initially announced in 2024, was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan and alleged that several oil and gas companies contributed to climate change. Nessel retained three out-of-state law firms to pursue major petroleum firms.

The lawsuit against BP PLC, Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell PLC, and the American Petroleum Institute alleged they violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Michigan Antitrust Reform Act. Click here to read more.

 

Egyptian sentenced to life for funding Muslim Brotherhood giving money to Abdul El-Sayed’s U.S. Senate campaign

An Egyptian American activist sentenced to life in prison in absentia by a Cairo court for his support of the Muslim Brotherhood is pumping cash into Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign for U.S. Senate.

Mohamed Soltan, the 38-year-old president of the American Committee for Middle East Rights, is funneling funds to El-Sayed’s Abdul for U.S. Senate candidate committee as ACMER contributes to Fighting for Michigan PAC, the super PAC backing the former Wayne County health official.

Soltan was sentenced by an Egyptian court to life in prison in 2015 after spending two years behind bars alongside his father, Salah Soltan, a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood who served as deputy minister of endowments for Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. Click here to read more.

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ICE Arrests Illegal Aliens Convicted of Murder, Sexual Abuse of Children

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more illegal aliens in sanctuary jurisdictions, including those convicted of murder, child rape, and possession of child sexual abuse material.

“Every day, the brave men and women of ICE are risking their lives to arrest and remove illegal aliens from our communities. Yesterday, ICE arrested murderers, pedophiles, rapists, and other dangerous criminals,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.

Among those illegal aliens arrested is Esteban Enriquez-Munoz of Mexico. Enriquez-Munoz was arrested in the sanctuary state of California after having been convicted of murder, robbery, and assault. Click here to read more.

 

Mom who says she mistakenly put newborn in oven instead of crib learns her fate

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman in Kansas City was sentenced after she placed her 1-month-old in an oven rather than a crib.

Mariah Thomas was sentenced to 13 years for the felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death.

Thomas pleaded guilty Tuesday and accepted her sentence, with a first-degree murder charge being dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Thomas’ child died in February 2024.

Officers responded to a home on a report that an infant wasn’t breathing on Feb. 10, 2024. The baby was found dead at the scene.

Detectives said the circumstances were suspicious enough to cause concern, leading to an investigation. Click here to read more.

 

Tucker Carlson Issues Shocking Call for Trump’s Cabinet to Remove Him from Office Via 25th Amendment: He Should Be ‘Bundled Up and Taken Out!’

Tucker Carlson called for President Donald Trump to be removed from office by his own administration officials under the 25th Amendment.

In an interview published Thursday with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, Carlson continued his criticism of Trump, someone he once vocally supported, and went from impeachment talk to the 25th Amendment while discussing the ongoing Iran war.

“He’s not going to be punished for it. They’ll get him on corruption or whatever,” Carlson said when asked if Trump should be impeached over the war.

The former Fox News host declared Trump “should have been removed from office immediately when he threatened nuclear war.” Click here to read more.