Michigan’s minimum wage is going up on January 1, 2026, under the state’s Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act. The hourly minimum wage for most workers will increase from $12.48 to $13.73. That’s a $1.25 bump that affects tens of thousands of Michigan workers.
The increases are part of a schedule written into law that will take Michigan’s minimum wage to $15 per hour on January 1, 2027, and then tie it to inflation after that.
What Changes on January 1, 2026
Standard minimum wage: increases to $13.73 per hour from $12.48.
Tipped workers: will see the tipped minimum wage go up to $5.49 per hour (40 percent of the full minimum wage) as long as tips bring them up to at least the full rate.
Minors (ages 16 and 17): can be paid 85 percent of the minimum wage, rising to $11.67 per hour.
Training wage: for employees under age 20 in their first 90 calendar days of employment remains unchanged.
These changes come from Michigan’s labor department and the wage rules posted by the state. They reflect a planned schedule of increases that lawmakers set into motion after legal and legislative actions over the last few years.
Why It’s Happening
Under current Michigan law, set by the state legislature and state wage rules, annual increases are scheduled until the $15 minimum wage is reached in 2027. After that, annual adjustments are tied to inflation. This means the minimum wage won’t just sit still after 2027; it will move with changes in the cost of living.
For the official wage schedule and full details straight from the state, see the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s minimum wage page:
BREAKING: Charges Dropped Against Michigan Duck Rescue Founders After DNR Case Collapses
The legal battle between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary has come to an end. with all charges dismissed against the couple who run the operation.
Matthew and Teresa Lyson, founders of the Salem Township sanctuary, had faced six criminal charges each after state officials accused them of keeping and caring for waterfowl without proper permits. This week, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the cases in their entirety, following months of public scrutiny and growing political pressure.
“This is great news,” Lyson told Keeping It Real. “All charges against me and Teresa are 100 percent gone. It’s a done deal, and we get to start new.”
Background of the Case
The Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary has operated for nearly two decades, caring for injured or abandoned ducks, geese, and other waterfowl — many of which suffer from “angel wing,” a deformity often caused by people feeding them improper food. The Lysons say their work ...
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DOJ sues D.C., alleging Second Amendment rights violations
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is suing the local government of Washington, D.C., over its gun laws, alleging that restrictions on certain semiautomatic weapons run afoul of Second Amendment rights.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed its lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, naming Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and outgoing Chief of Police Pamela Smith as defendants.
“The United States of America brings this lawsuit to protect the rights that have been guaranteed for 234 years and which the Supreme Court has explicitly reaffirmed several times over the last two decades,” the Justice Department states. Click here to read more.
How Illegal Immigration and Government Failure Fuel Identity Theft
More than a million Americans may unwittingly hold second jobs – because that work is being performed by an illegal alien using their stolen social security number.
News of the identity theft can come as a rude shock to citizens like the Minnesota factory worker who had crushing tax bills because of a thrice-deported illegal immigrant in Missouri who was working under his name for years. Or Iowa taxpayers who learned that the superintendent of the Des Moines school system was an illegal immigrant facing a deportation order.
More likely, they may never know that their identity was pilfered, perhaps by one of the 70 illegal workers accused last summer of stealing more than 100 identities so they could work at a Nebraska meatpacking plant, or by one of the 18 individuals charged with “aggravated identity theft, misuse of Social Security numbers, and false statements” in March. Click here to read more.
Illegal alien arrested for alleged DUI manslaughter in Lee County following fatal crash that killed pedestrian and dog
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – A 25-year-old illegal alien was arrested in Lee County on Saturday after an alleged high-speed, alcohol-fueled crash killed a man and a dog walking on a sidewalk the previous night.
The suspect, Ever Alfredo Matias Burgos, is facing charges of DUI manslaughter and multiple counts of DUI following the incident on Pennsylvania Avenue near Rio Vista Circle, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol report that Burgos was driving an SUV when he lost control while approaching a curve, veered off the roadway, and struck a couple and their dog, according to FOX 4. Click here to read more.
Here Are Some of the Wackiest Things Featured In Rand Paul’s New Report Alleging $1,639,135,969,608 in Gov’t Waste
Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul released the latest edition of his annual “Festivus” report Tuesday detailing over $1 trillion in alleged wasteful spending in the U.S. government throughout 2025.
The newly released report found an estimated $1,639,135,969,608 total in government waste over the past year. Paul, a prominent fiscal hawk who serves as the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a statement that “no matter how much taxpayer money Washington burns through, politicians can’t help but demand more.”
“Fiscal responsibility may not be the most crowded road, but it’s one I’ve walked year after year — and this holiday season will be no different,” Paul continued. “So, before we get to the Feats of Strength, it’s time for my Airing of (Spending) Grievances.” Click here to read more.
Epstein, Israel, and the CIA: How The Iran–Contra Planes Landed at Les Wexner’s Base
When a Southern Air Transport plane was shot down over Nicaragua in October 1986, the world got a rare window into U.S. government covert activity. Southern Air Transport was founded as a small cargo airline in 1947, the same year the Office of Strategic Services evolved into the Central Intelligence Agency as the U.S. pivoted to its Cold War posture. The agency owned the airline outright from 1960 until 1973, at which point it was sold to the same man, Stanley Williams, who had run the company since the Kennedy administration.
The downing of the plane and the testimony of its lone survivor, Eugene Hasenfus, pulled a string that eventually unraveled the scandal known as Iran–Contra. Using Southern Air Transport planes, the CIA was shipping weapons to Iran, using Israel as a middleman, and deploying the profits to arm the Contras against the leftist Nicaraguan government. Click here to read more.
After Data Center Boom, Lawmakers Rethink Michigan’s Tax Breaks
LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — What started as an economic development gamble is quickly becoming a political rethink in Michigan.
After lawmakers approved tax exemptions last year to entice massive data centers, the results came quickly: at least 15 hyperscale proposals have emerged across Michigan, stretching from the Grand Rapids region to metro Detroit.
Now, two lawmakers from opposite parties—Reps. Jim DeSana (R-Carleton) and Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City)—are trying to undo those incentives, sponsoring a three-bill package that would repeal the data-center tax exemptions altogether.
Reps. Scholten, Stevens, McDonald Rivet vote against bill outlawing child sex changes
Michigan’s U.S. Congressional Democrats on Wednesday voted against outlawing sex changes for kids, including surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy.
The 216-211 vote on the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., included four Republicans opposed to and three Democrats in support of moving the measure to the Senate.
Those who crossed party lines include Reps. Gabe Evans, R-Colo.; Brian Fitzpatrick, Pa.; Mike Kennedy, R-Utah; Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.; Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Don Davis, D-N.C.; and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas.
“Protecting children is not optional, it’s our duty,” Greene posted on X. “Children are not old enough to vote, drive, or get a tattoo and they are certainly not old enough to be chemically castrated or permanently mutilated!!!” Click here to read more.
Record 2026 Refunds Projected Under Trump Tax Cuts
Americans overall can expect the largest tax refunds ever in 2026, thanks to President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
That’s the prediction being promoted by the Trump administration, congressional Republicans, and tax experts as the bill’s cuts begin showing up in household finances, first through refunds, then through bigger take-home pay once federal withholding is adjusted.
The Hill reported that administration officials are projecting “the largest tax refund ever” in 2026 because many workers kept having taxes withheld at higher levels even after the bill was signed into law.
House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., pointed to a December memo citing a Piper Sandler analysis suggesting 2026 is shaping up to be "the largest tax refund season," The Hill said. Click here to read more.
Turning Point USA honors Target employee confronted by customer for wearing Charlie Kirk shirt
Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, publicly recognized Jeannie Beeman at the AmericaFest 2025 conference on Saturday, praising her response to a widely shared confrontation at work earlier this month.
Beeman, 72, a Target employee from Chico, California, went viral after a video showed a customer challenging her for wearing a red “Freedom” T-shirt, a design associated with Charlie Kirk, who was wearing a similar one when he was assassinated.
The customer accosted Beeman and said she supports racism. During the encounter, Beeman chose not to engage in an argument and ended the exchange, drawing widespread attention online. Click here to read more.
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