Leftist throws Oakland County Republican Party ‘Nazi sign’ into traffic
Kendrew William Groff has been arrested for vandalizing a sign advertising gift shop merchandise outside of the Oakland County Republican Party headquarters.
Footage from the OCRP’s security cameras dated Feb. 2, obtained by The Midwesterner, shows a van pulling into the driveway and turning around, then parking before exiting the driveway. The driver is then shown exiting the vehicle, picking up the sign, and throwing it into the right lane on southbound Woodward Ave.
Law enforcement identified Groff as the person in the video after tracing the license plate to his mother, who identified him as the driver, according to the police report.
In his statements to the police admitting his actions, Groff referred to the sign as a “Nazi sign” and said that he threw the sign “because they’re Nazis,” referring to Republicans. Click here to read more.
MiLEAP’s child care program failed thousands of day care providers
Poor communication from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential to child care providers in the Child Development and Care Program could be opening the door to fraud, according to a recent joint legislative hearing on a September audit.
MiLEAP’s call center had only four employees to respond to 124,000 phone calls from child care providers who served low-income families, according to testimony from Leah Decker, auditor at the Michigan Office of the Auditor General, who spoke at the Feb. 3 hearing.
Roughly 60% of those calls went unanswered, Decker said in testimony to the Joint Oversight Committee on State and Local Public Assistance Programs and Child Welfare System.
Decker blamed limited staffing levels. The call center was open to the public for approximately five hours per day each weekday. It was staffed by just two employees at a time. Click here to read more.
Mortgage rates drop again to a new three-year low
The Federal Reserve announced last month that it would hold its benchmark interest rate steady, as expected by industry experts. “Until there is further economic data to support another rate cut, they will keep the fed funds rate as is,” says Melissa Cohn of William Raveis Mortgage. Meanwhile, stronger-than-expected labor numbers released Feb. 11 have led to predictions that the Fed might not cut rates any time soon.
“We could see at least one rate cut during the first half of 2026 — but if job growth rebounds, it is harder to see a path toward multiple rate cuts this year,” says Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS, a large listing service in the mid-Atlantic region.
The central bank doesn’t directly set mortgage rates, which are at levels not seen since 2022. “Even without a cut, mortgage rates are nearly a full percentage point lower than they were a year ago, when rates hovered around 6.9%,” says Bill Banfield of Rocket Mortgage. Click here to read more.
Largest ‘Precinct’: Why Some Mail Ballots Travel Across State Lines Before Counting Begins
The U.S. Postal Service system of handling and delivering mail ballots often leads to rejected or late ballots, election security advocates contend.
The Election Integrity Network issued two recent reports on the handling of mail ballots by postal employees and the use of regional mail processing centers across state lines. The reports claim that current practices could either result in delayed ballots or confusion over postmarks during an election.
In the 2022 election,. 549,000 mail ballots were rejected, about 1.5% of all absentee/mail-in ballots, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission found. Common reasons for rejected ballots include non-matching signatures and missed deadlines.
“From the outside, those are just ‘undeliverable’ or ‘missing’ ballots in a large system,” an Election Integrity Network report released Monday says. “For each voter, it is the loss of the one voice they have in their own government.” Click here to read more.
Florida House approves bill to phase out most local business taxes
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would eliminate the authority of most local governments to levy business taxes, a move supporters say will remove unnecessary regulatory hurdles for small business owners.
In an 82-26 vote, lawmakers approved HB 103, which targets the annual fees commonly known as local business tax receipts or occupational licenses. Under the proposal, cities and counties would be broadly prohibited from charging businesses for the “privilege” of operating within their boundaries.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Adam Botana, argued the repeal would provide approximately $200 million in cumulative relief to the state’s business community.
“Businesses should not have to pay local business tax just for the privilege of operating a business in a city or county,” Botana said on the House floor. “They are regulatory burdens on small businesses and hinder growth.” Click here to read more.
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