State wants to hear from people who lost power in storms

March 10, 2023

DEARBORN, Mich. — State regulators want to hear from frustrated Michigan residents who lost electricity during recent storms across the Lower Peninsula. The Michigan Public Service Commission, which sets rates and other policies affecting utilities, said it will hold two town hall-style meetings on March 20 in Jackson and Dearborn. Another meeting will be livestreamed at 6 p.m. on March 21 over Microsoft Teams. “We know how exasperating it is to lose power and for it to take days for service to be restored, and we share in the frustrations with the reliability of the state’s ...

Petroglyph park near Cass City to use Native language

March 10, 2023

By SOPHIA BRANDT Special to the Journal LANSING — Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park is looking to the future by adding new signs, kiosks and an updated pavilion to better reflect tribal voices. The Sanilac park is run through a partnership of the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division, the state History Center and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. The Sanilac petroglyphs — referred to as “ezhibiigaadek asin” by the tribe and meaning “knowledge written on stone” in the Anishinabemowin language — are teachings carved into ...

Bill would offer pension options for corrections

March 10, 2023

By Journal Staff LANSING — State Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, and state Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, on Thursday introduced legislation to give new retirement options for state corrections officers. “This reform would allow Michigan corrections officers to join a retirement plan similar to other statewide officers, like state police troopers,” McBroom said. “I have been contacted by several people in the Upper Peninsula about this issue. “At a time when our state is struggling to hire enough people to keep our prisons safe, this bipartisan legislation could ...

GM offers buyouts to most US salaried workers to trim costs

March 10, 2023

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT — General Motors is offering buyouts to most of its U.S. salaried workforce and some global executives in an effort to trim costs as it makes the transition to electric vehicles. The Detroit automaker wouldn’t say how many workers it is ...

Michigan Dems move to repeal right-to-work

March 9, 2023

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s Democratic-led Legislature moved Wednesday to repeal the state’s “right-to-work” law that was passed more than a decade ago when Republicans controlled the Statehouse. Repealing the law, which prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay union dues even if the union bargains on their behalf, has been a top priority for Democrats since they took full control of the state government this year. Party leaders announced Tuesday that they planned bring the repeal to a vote in the state House on Wednesday. The state ...

Michigan’s LGBTQ+ protections pass House

March 9, 2023

By Journal Staff LANSING — A state bill to provide legal protections for LGBTQ+ people in Michigan got one step closer to becoming law on Wednesday. State House lawmakers voted 64-45 in favor of SB 4, which extends the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Eight Republicans voted to approve the bill’s passage. The bill passed the Senate on March 1 in a 23-15 vote. Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement on Wednesday celebrating the bill’s passage. “This expansion of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act will ...