By now you have likely heard about the gathering of a couple hundred self-proclaimed “patriot” protesters who stormed the Capitol Building in Lansing, Michigan yesterday to demand that our Governor loosen restrictions further and earlier than she already has. The restrictions require non-essential workers to stay home and for those who must go out in public to wear masks to […]

To date, over 398,000 Americans have contracted COVID-19 and almost 56,000 have passed away. Trump has shown that he is incapable of protecting Americans during a crisis. He has continued to engage in racist rhetoric during his press briefings and makes claims that hydroxychloroquine will be a “game changer”, despite there being no medical evidence. He has even suggested that […]

Standing with nurses is nothing new for the current State Representative. But he’s pushing to do even more, now and in Congress. Jon Hoadley has always had deep respect and affection for nurses. He’s been recognized by the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) with their Legislative Champion Award, and has frequently spoken on legislator panels on behalf of nurses throughout his legislative […]

REMINDER: Nonprofit organizations need our help now more than ever Anti-poverty groups. Animal welfare organizations. Social justice warriors. Health and human services providers. Medical research causes. Environmental/conservation activists. These groups and others like them make up the miraculous quilt we call the nonprofit sector. Every day, while the rest of us go through our daily routines, the people who staff […]

May Special Election to be a mail election as a result of COVID-19. Yesterday morning, the Office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a news release that her office will mail an application for an absent voter ballot to all qualified registered voters who have a May Special Election.  Michigan Law requires that voters submit a written request […]

Watching today’s Corona Virus Task Force press briefing, I experienced flashbacks to so many faculty meetings I’ve attended during my career as a teacher… The meeting begins with opening remarks from the “big boss” (think: Trump), alternating between attempts at morale building (“We are doing so great! Better than ever before!”), paranoid defenses of the boss’ policies when challenged (“I’d […]

In a time when our national leadership is glaringly, terrifyingly absent–and in fact, has made a horrific situation even worse, if that’s possible–I’ve been most impressed with the abundance of natural leaders emerging all around us… Chefs like Cleveland’s Michael Symon, who is offering free cooking lessons on the Food Network’s Facebook feed every day at 5pm. He’s focusing on […]

Amid all the murky and dramatic national conversations about the disaster that is our current healthcare system, one sometimes stumbles upon a moment of potential clarity. This is one of those moments… At a social event the other night, I met a person who worked for a large regional health insurance company. The conversation, naturally, came around to the topic […]

I have a confession to make: I have had several cats “declawed” in my life. Of all the things I have done, this is something I am most regretful for. Why? Because, as Molly Tamulevich, the state director for the Michigan branch of the Humane Society of the United States, told me, “Declawing a cat is much more than a […]

According to a breaking story in USA Today, a Betsy DeVos-sanctioned accreditation agency gave approval to operate for Reagan National University in South Dakota, a “university” with no students, faculty, administration, or facilities–things which one might think an “accreditation agency” might notice. DeVos’ Department of Education saved this accreditor from being removed from the DoE’s list of approved accreditation agencies, […]

After the Iowa Caucus disaster last week, I received many calls inquiring how we (Michigan election officials) were going to make sure Michigan’s primary election does not turn into an Iowa-level debacle. While there are many things that set Michigan apart from Iowa, at its core, the main reason this will not happen in Michigan is simple: Michigan has professionals […]