Plan to close J.H. Campbell power plant is misguided
With 15-years of life left, there is no urgency to close the J.H. Campbell, coal-fired power plant near Holland. It supplies 10% of Michigan’s electric demand. The plant’s owner, Consumers Energy, invested a billion of dollars in air pollution control equipment to dramatically reduce emissions at Campbell and other coal plants. The company also signed an agreement with Ashcor this year to recycle all the residual coal ash into concrete.
There is urgency to keep the plant open, however. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns of rising grid reliability risks as 122,000 megawatts of dispatchable generation retires over the next 10 years across the nation. This is amid surging electricity demand.
The plant has local support within Ottawa County. The county’s Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to keep the plant open as have seven townships. Click here to read more.
Illegal alien faces 15-year felony, deportation for crash that killed Fruitport 12-year-old
An illegal immigrant faces up to 15 years in prison after authorities allege she killed a 12-year-old on a scooter in August while driving in Kentwood, then lied about it.
Magdalena Vail Molina, 43, faces charges of driving on a suspended, revoked or denied license causing death, as well as lying to police, the former a 15-year felony, the latter a 2-year misdemeanor, WOOD reports.
Kent County Jail records show Molina was arrested on Nov. 26 and is currently in custody with a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is typically reserved for folks facing deportation. Click here to read more.
Los Angeles Times: LAFD ‘Watered Down’ Palisades Fire Report
The Los Angeles Fire Department watered-down its after-action report in the wake of the horrific Palisades fire, according to an explosive report from the Los Angeles Times.
An investigation by the LA Times revealed that the LAFD’s long awaited after-action report about the department’s handling of the disastrous fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures, had multiple deletions and redactions to provide a smoother picture than what happened in reality.
In one instance, LAFD officials removed language saying that the decision not to fully staff up and pre-deploy all available crews and engines ahead of the extreme wind forecast “did not align” with the department’s policy and procedures during red flag days. Click here to read more.
Ohio police capture 11-year-old driver, 8- and 12-year-old passengers after pursuit of stolen car
ANEWBURGH HEIGHTS, Ohio — An 11-year-old boy led Newburgh Heights Police on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle, with two other children, ages 8 and 12, riding along, WKYC reported.
After the car was reported stolen out of Parma, a license plate reader alerted officers as the vehicle traveled along Harvard Avenue, Police Chief John Majoy said. When police attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the young driver fled, leading officers on a pursuit.
That pursuit ended abruptly when the car made a sharp left turn, lost control and crashed into the side of a house, according to the report. No injuries were reported. Click here to read more.
MAHA Republicans Are Imposing New Food Labeling Mandates
Burdensome food labeling mandates were once the province of Democrats, who pushed for calorie count requirements on restaurant menus and insisted packaged food must feature warnings about genetically modified ingredients and trans fats. Now it’s Republicans leading the charge—with equally foolish results.
In Louisiana, restaurants will have to disclose when they feature products cooked with seed oils. The requirement—included in Senate Bill 14, authored by state Sen. Patrick McMath (R–Covington) and signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in June—is set to take effect in 2028.
Seed oils have become a major target of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, whose figurehead is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Seed oils are one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic,” according to Kennedy, who has accused fast-food restaurants that use seed oils of poisoning Americans. Click here to read more.
