Four years ago in 2011, the city of Flint commissioned a report to investigate the use of the Flint River to supply water to the city. The report, which was sent to state officials in 2013 detailed the risk of lead leaching by the more corrosive river water and emphasized the need for phosphate corrosion control to prevent lead from […]

This guest post comes from Sean McElwee — a research associate at Demos and an excellent follow on Twitter. Find out more about Sean, his work and what his research into voting uncovered about Michigan by checking out his Eclectablog posts on how to make America more progressive and Michigan’s somewhat impressive voter turnout. In my latest Salon piece, I […]

Tell the committee not to criminalize the safest method of abortion for women after 14 weeks of pregnancy. Some Michigan lawmakers think they know better than doctors what method of abortion is best for women. With two critical bills up for a committee vote on Tuesday, November 10th, the time to be heard is now. The House Criminal Justice Committee […]

As the Republican Party inches around Marco Rubio, he’s getting the vetting his success has awarded him. The press is looking into his personal finances, possible misuse of a Republican Party charge card, and his 80s-sitcom like dependence on a local billionaire. But none of this could reveal anything more damning than what Marco Rubio is basing his entire candidacy […]

As I reported earlier this week, a group headed up by civil rights attorney Dana Nessel has formed to put civil rights for the LGBT community on the ballot in 2016. Nessel’s group, Fair Michigan, will submit petition language and then collect signatures for a ballot proposal that will enshrine civil rights like employment and housing equality in the state […]

The road repair “plan” passed by the Michigan legislature this week has been touted as raising $452 million in the first year with the full $1.2 billion not kicking in until 2021. However, that “first year” is actually not until 2017. And, according to some great reporting by Chad Livengood at The Detroit News, we now know that, as soon […]

As we all know by now, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s crusade against marriage equality ran up a multimillion dollar bill for Michigan taxpayers. Schuette’s office was ordered to pay the court costs and attorney fees for the Michigan defendants in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges marriage equality U.S. Supreme Court case totalling $1.9 million. This is addition to the […]

If you can’t be in Lansing for Lobby Day, you can show your support virtually from wherever you are. Today, November 5th, Planned Parenthood supporters from across Michigan are gathering in Lansing to show the Legislature that they stand with the healthcare organization and the vitally important healthcare services they provide. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan (PPAM) is holding the […]

It is finished! “It is finished!” That was the title of a recent video posted to Facebook by Todd Courser. Michigan’s most notorious theocratic hypocrite used the final words of Jesus on the cross to make his final pitch to regain the House seat he fled just a couple of months ago. It’s a perfect encapsulation of a self-absorbed megalomaniac […]

House Speaker Kevin Cotter took to the House floor last night to tell us all that they have kicked the can down the road too far on road funding and, by golly, it’s time to get this done. Then he said something that is the most blatant exhibition Orwellian Newspeak that I’ve seen in some time: This is a plan […]

Wouldn’t it be nice if Michigan got mentioned on The Rachel Maddow Show just once for some cool thing that’s happening here? Sadly, once again it’s because of the complete Fail Whale that is the Michigan Republican Party and the clowns who inhabit it. Yup, Rachel Maddow finally picked up the Courser/Gamrate debacle. Ugh: