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Debate over Confederate Railroad performing in Bay City continues during commission meeting
BAY CITY, Mich. — A dispute over a scheduled performance by the country band Confederate Railroad is drawing sharp reactions in Bay City ahead of the community’s annual Fourth of July celebration.
4th Ward Commissioner Ben Tenney is urging sponsors to withdraw support from the Bay City Fireworks Festival after organizers announced the band as a headliner for the 2026 event. In a letter to festival president Earl Bovia, Tenney called for the group to be removed from the lineup, arguing that the band’s name and imagery — which have included Confederate symbols — are widely associated with racism, slavery and white supremacy.
Festival organizers have declined to make changes. Click here to read more.
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Michigan Ed Department wants to disregard parents’ rights, board member says
A member of the Michigan State Board of Education claims that the Michigan Department of Education wants to hide a plan for schools to teach students about gender identity and sexual orientation, contrary to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandates parental consent.
The nation’s high court issued an interim ruling that left in place a district court injunction of a California law that parents said required schoolteachers not to tell parents if their children pursued a different gender identity while at school.
The interim ruling in the lawsuit Mirabelli v. Bonta, issued March 2, said California’s ”policies likely violate parents’ rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children.” Click here to read more.
Media Is in a Tizzy Because We Give Troops Good Food Sometimes
In World War II, the U.S. Navy operated “ice cream barges" behind ships to make sure our sailors had a few comforts in the most terrible war in human history.
That we were able to operate such a fleet is a testament to American logistical magnificence, but if it were in operation today under President Donald Trump, the corporate media would have accused the War Department of engaging in “extravagant” spending.
There have been plenty of pernicious, media-concocted scandals associated with Trump’s presidential tenure in the last decade, but I contend that “lobstergate” may be the dumbest.
Several prominent publications ran with headlines in the last week about how War Secretary Pete Hegseth created an apparently lavish budget for steak and lobster. Click here to read more.
Waste of the Day: City Manager Caused “Severe Financial Distress”
Almost 80% of the City of Rocky Mount’s cash and investments are gone following the disastrous tenure of City Manager Keith Rogers, according to a North Carolina state audit released on March 9.
Rogers’ annual salary of $225,000 made him the highest-paid employee in Rocky Mount history at the time of his resignation, according to records obtained from the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer.
Key facts: Rogers took office in March 2023 and resigned in September 2024 with no official explanation.
His resignation settlement included a payment of $169,875, per the Rocky Mountain Telegram. That included six months of salary and money to remain on call as a consultant for three months. Click here to read more.
Judge blocks government from changing vaccine recommendations
WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Monday blocked health officials from changing the number of vaccines recommended for every child. The new vaccine policy slimmed down immunization requirements.
The judge said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely broke federal procedures when he reshuffled the panel that made the recommendations. The panel ended recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV.
On top of temporarily blocking the Kennedy-appointed board’s recommendations, the judge’s decision stopped a meeting of the advisory committee, which was set to convene this week in Atlanta. Click here to read more.
