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State awards $6.3 million study on mileage tax
A company hired by the state of Michigan to study the feasibility of a mileage tax has come under fire for a conflict of interest from a legislator who says it could also benefit from the new tax.
The Michigan Department of Transportation awarded a $6.3 million contract to CDM Smith to conduct a feasibility study of a road usage charge, or RUC, to replace taxes at the pump with a per-mile tax. The company will also conduct a pilot version of the tax.
Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, is concerned that CDM Smith could later benefit from the report’s findings. He told Michigan Capitol Confidential that the state awarded the contract to a company that already sells the pay-per-mile tax systems.
“A $6.3 million ‘feasibility’ contract to a company that already sells these systems is not independent analysis,” Maddock said in an email to CapCon. Click here to read more.
Chicago Public Schools loses 11,500 students in largest decline since pandemic
Chicago Public Schools has lost more than 11,500 students since the start of last school year, marking the district’s largest enrollment decline since the COVID-19 pandemic.
CPS enrollment fell to 304,687 students for the 2026-27 school year, according to a preliminary 20th-day enrollment report from the district.
The latest drop continues an enrollment decline that has left CPS with 76,000 fewer students than a decade ago.
This year’s enrollment decline also exacerbates Chicago’s empty-schools problem. More than half of CPS’ buildings were already underutilized in the 2025-2026 school year.
CPS lost more students this year than in any year since fall 2020, when enrollment dropped by nearly 14,500 students after pandemic-era school closures. Click here to read more.
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Detroit car crash sparks tensions between Black and Arab communities as Abdul El-Sayed straddles divide
Tensions between Detroit’s Black and Arab communities are on edge after a mob of Arab men harassed a Black woman following a car crash earlier this month.
The incident occurred near the intersection of Paul Street and the Southfield Freeway, where an Arab woman reportedly ran a red light and hit a vehicle driven by a Black woman on Sept. 15, WJBK reported.
Following the collision, a mob of Muslim men descended on the scene, where they pushed the Arab woman’s vehicle away and looted the Black woman’s totaled vehicle, allegedly stealing her purse and yelling racial slurs as a Black man attempted to intervene, according to video posted online. Click here to read more.
Wisconsin Dem Silent As High School Brawl Puts Transgender Issues Front And Center In Governor Race
MILWAUKEE — A violent altercation at a Wisconsin school could throw a last-minute wrench in the state’s gubernatorial race.
On September 17, a biological male student at Oregon High School, who identifies as a woman, clashed with female classmates after he was allowed into the girls’ locker room. Parents say the male student, about whom they and their daughters had previously raised concerns, instigated the incident. Police were dispatched to control the scene.
The Oregon High brawl has put parental rights and radical transgender policies front and center in the race for the Wisconsin governor’s mansion. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democrats’ gubernatorial nominee, has a long history of supporting policies protecting transgender individuals — something his Republican opponent is keen to highlight. Click here to read more.
Trump Announces Plans to Build America’s Largest-Ever Steel Plant in Iowa
President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to build the largest steel plant in U.S. history in Iowa.
Leadership from India-based Essar Group, which owns Mesabi Metallics, joined Trump in the Oval Office, along with a number of Iowa officials, for the announcement.
“Today we’re thrilled to announce that Mesabi Metallics will be building the largest steel plant in American history in the great state of Iowa. It’s the largest plant — one of the largest plants in the world — but it’s the largest plant in America by far,” Trump said.
Trump said that once operational, the plant will source iron ore from a Minnesota mine and produce a whopping 10 million tons of steel annually. Click here to read more.
