Affordable Care Act provisions codified under Michigan law by Whitmer as a hedge against repeal

October 21, 2023

LANSING — Federal law that prohibits insurers from denying healthcare based on preexisting conditions, or kicking dependents off their parent’s coverage until age 26, is now codified separately into Michigan law. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Thursday that attempts to duplicate the Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare,” into state law. The second-term governor said earlier this year that the proactive move was necessary to ensure Michigan residents “aren’t at risk of losing coverage,” due to future Supreme Court rulings. Under the package, ...

Great Lakes shipwrecks

October 21, 2023

Special to the Journal LANSING — Plummeting temperatures, blinding snow and ferocious winds ripped through the air as three freighters struggled on Lake Michigan’s frigid surface. Unsuspecting and dangerously underprepared passengers braced for the worst, baffled at the stark contrast ...

Manufacturers work to put career tech back in high schools

October 21, 2023

Special to the Journal LANSING – As high school shop and technical education classes fade from curriculums across the nation, manufacturers are looking to increase the number of their workforce with their own training programs. Michigan is known for its manufacturing industry, being a ...

Cutting a deal

October 20, 2023

By JOE CAPPILETTI Associated Press LANSING — A Michigan Republican accused of participating in a fake elector plot had all criminal charges dropped Thursday after he and the state Attorney General’s office reached a cooperation deal. James Renner was one of 16 Republicans who acted as false electors for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, according to charges announced in July by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. President Joe Biden won Michigan by nearly 155,000 votes, a result confirmed by a GOP-led state Senate investigation in 2021. All 16 defendants pleaded not ...

US announces $3.5B for projects to strengthen electric grid

October 20, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Wednesday announced $3.5 billion for 58 projects across the country to strengthen electric grid resilience as extreme weather events such as the deadly Maui and California wildfires continue to strain the nation’s aging transmission ...

‘Stop stalling:’ Senate Republicans seek faster Line 5 permitting process

October 19, 2023

By LISA BOWERS Journal City Editor LANSING — Republicans in the Michigan Senate want to speed up the construction of the Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac by appealing to federal and state permitting agencies and other officials. All 18 members of the Senate Republican ...