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Michigan spent $1.8B on corporate welfare, got 3% of promised jobs
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer promised that $2.7 billion in corporate welfare would create 20,595 jobs. It has only created 602 jobs so far, according to a new report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
The report focuses on eight major projects that were offered $2.7 billion in exchange for the promise of 20,595 jobs. So far, $1.8 billion of the money offered has been spent, but only 602 jobs have been created, according to the report produced by James Hohman, fiscal policy director at the Mackinac Center. That’s 3% of total employment positions announced.
“The money delivered to select companies would have been better left in taxpayers’ pockets,” Hohman said. Click here to read more.
How a school district cut chronic absenteeism by 65%
Nearly 1-in-4 students were chronically absent in 2023 at New Trier High School. That dropped by 65% after reforms were implemented.
One of the wealthiest high school districts in Illinois fought a serious attendance problem with a plan that included explicit expectations, intervention procedures and consequences.
In the first 50 days of the 2022-23 school year, just over 24% of students at New Trier High School were chronically absent, defined by state law as missing 10% or more of the school year, including valid and invalid absences.
The school experienced heightened absenteesim after the COVID-19 pandemic and worked actively to keep students in class. After implementing reforms, absenteeism plummeted to about 8.5% in the first 50 days of the next school year, 2023-24. Click here to read more.
18-month-old boy chokes to death on popcorn kernel, with mother facing manslaughter charge
Documents filed in Nassau County Supreme Court show a grand jury indicted Olivia Bithorn, also known as Olivia Russell, on one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The indictment alleged that Bithorn “recklessly caused the death” of Luke Russell Jr. in April.
Prosecutors also alleged Bithorn knowingly acted “in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare” of the toddler, as well as another child, Ruby Russell.
The boy choked on an unpopped popcorn kernel after he and his 3-year-old sister were allegedly left unattended while Bithorn drank alcohol in another room, according to 12 News Long Island. Click here to read more.
DOJ Investigates Gallego For Alleged Campaign Finance Violations
The Justice Department (DOJ) launched an investigation into Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego on Monday for alleged campaign finance violations, reports show.
A source familiar said the federal probe originated from a “whistleblower complaint” out of Southern California, according to Axios. This comes after a Senate Ethics Committee misconduct complaint against Gallego was dismissed Monday.
Gallego used funds from a political action committee, or PAC, for personal leisure, including family trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland and Disney World, Politico previously reported, citing campaign finance documents and an individual familiar with the lawmaker’s spending.
Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna alleged Gallego was responsible for sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations in April, leading to months of investigation before the committee concluded there was no evidence to support Luna’s claims. Click here to read more.
Trump signs memorandum expanding ‘Freedom to Fix’ vehicles to lower repair costs
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum Monday directing the Environmental Protection Agency to expand Americans’ ability to repair their own vehicles, aiming to lower costs by reducing regulatory barriers on aftermarket parts and “tampering” enforcement.
The action targets what the administration calls lingering uncertainty under the Clean Air Act that has driven up repair expenses and limited consumer choices. It builds on Trump’s broader deregulatory efforts, including rescinding greenhouse gas emissions rules for vehicles and affirming rights to repair agricultural equipment.
“We are not going to be going after people who are fixing their own vehicle like past Administrations have,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in remarks accompanying the signing. Click here to read more.
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