Tag: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Grand Rapids, Other Cities Granted $275 Million for Development Projects

The Center Square
Workers laying concrete

As part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Make it in Michigan” plan, a state board has approved millions in subsidies for development projects in Grand Rapids, Northville and Greenville. 

The Michigan Strategic Fund board authorized a $252.3 million Transformational Brownfield Plan incentive package for mixed-use development projects in Grand Rapids that include construction of the 12,000-seat Acrisure Amphitheater, an 8,500-seat soccer stadium, a riverwalk, and a 21-story mixed-use building with 475 rental apartments, 3,660 square feet of retail and 475 parking garage spaces. 

Read the full story

Michigan Teacher Shortages Alleviated but Student Performance Has Not Increased

The Center Square
Classroom

Michigan has made progress addressing teacher shortages in hard-to-fill subjects and specialties within the past five years, the State Board of Education announced.

Since the 2017-18 school year, the number of certified teachers teaching math jumped 60 percent, 31 percent for science, and 53 percent for English as a Second Language and bilingual education. The number of early childhood education teachers increased by 171 percent.

Read the full story

Michigan Republicans Sue Whitmer and Benson over Voter Registration Agencies

The Center Square
Jocelyn Benson and Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan’s governor, secretary of state and three other officials are facing a lawsuitfiled by the Trump campaign this week over granting some government offices the power to conduct voter registration. 

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order in December meant to designate certain state offices, including the Small Business Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to act as voter registration agencies.

Read the full story

Alternate Democratic Presidential Candidates Perform Better than Biden, New Polling Data Shows

Just the News
Mark Kelly, Wes Moore, Josh Shapiro, and Gretchen Whitmer in front of the White House (composite image)

The strongest potential Democratic presidential candidates in the poll were Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa. and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich.

Alternate Democratic presidential candidates perform better than President Biden against former President Trump, according to new polling from BlueLabs Analytics of 15,000 voters in seven swing states.

Read the full story

Democrats’ Plan B Whitmer Sued for Forcing Therapists to Help Kids Get Sterilizing Drugs Disavowed by UK

Just the News

The U.K.-based Economist speculates that Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could save her party from defeat in November if she replaces “doddering” President Biden on the ticket, by nationalizing her Great Lakes State strategy of “relentless targeting of suburban swing voters with simple messages: abortion rights, jobs and infrastructure.”

Voters might ask this scion of a political family, who acted out her motto “get sh*t done” by shutting down in-store gardening sections and in-state travel to second homes to defeat COVID-19, why she’s allegedly forcing counselors to help mentally fragile children “undergo permanent, life-altering medical procedures that many will come to regret.”

Read the full story

Democrats Say Whitmer Ready to Be Nominee and Win Presidency but State Energy Policy Will Be Tough Sell

Just the News
Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared, with good reason, on Democrats’ short-list of possible 2024 presidential nominees following President Biden’s halting June 27 debate performance.

Whitmer is the governor of a battleground state that is essentially a must-win for Biden and GOP challenger Donald Trump, an abortion-rights advocate in a race in which abortion is a key voter issue, and is known for having worked across the aisle during her roughly 14 years in the state legislature.

Read the full story

Michigan Budget Includes Tuition-Free Pre-K and Community College

The Center Square
Gretchen Whitmer

The recently passed Michigan budget would guarantee tuition-free community college for all residents, and expands access to tuition-free preschool.

The tuition-free community college program is paid for by $330 million in taxpayer dollars, an increase of $30 million from last year. The new program gets rid of income caps, so any student can receive free tuition at an in-district community college.

Read the full story

MSTAR Program Given Additional $10 Million for EV Semiconductor Research

The Center Square
EV Charging

by Carly Moran Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave another $10 million toward the Michigan Semiconductor Talent and Technology for Automotive Research, a private-public partnership that wants to make the Great Lakes State a leader in electric car innovation. The MSTAR initiative was launched a year ago and has developed a portfolio of projects. Partners include semiconductor company KLA, Belgium-based imec, the University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College and General Motors. “At imec, we bridge industry and academia to develop new technologies that improve people’s lives,” Luc Van den hove, president and CEO of imec, said. “We are thrilled to begin joint research with the University of Michigan, on their Ann Arbor campus, and grateful for the state’s support for the MSTAR initiative and Gov. Whitmer’s leadership. By combining the strengths of our research organizations, we can accelerate technological innovations for the automotive industry, making vehicles safer and more sustainable.” Through the $10 million initiative, MSTAR hopes to expand to train the current and future workforce in chip manufacturing, collaborate with K-12 schools and implement current innovations toward electric car technology. “Michigan put the world on wheels, and we need to do the work to ensure we stay at the forefront of innovation and…

Read the full story

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs Joined ‘Group Chat’ to Befriend Fellow Democratic, Female Governors

Tom Pappert
Katie Hobbs

A Wednesday report revealed the existence of a “group chat” that includes eight female Democratic governors, including Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who befriended other influential Democrats including Governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.

The gubernatorial group chat additionally includes Governors Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Tina Kotek of Oregon, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, and Janet Mills of Maine, according to the 19th News report.

Read the full story

Commentary: The Vast and Rapid Expansion of Mail-In Balloting Facilitates Election Skulduggery

Admin
US Postal Service in winter

In the absence of an extremely unlikely recovery of public confidence in the President and the Democrats, the voters will attempt to return the White House and the Senate to the Republicans in November. As to the presidency, Trump is the beneficiary of an accelerating collapse in the traditional Democratic coalition that rested on a foundation of white working class and minority voters.

Read the full story

Eligible Michigan Residents to Receive Additional Tax Credit

The Center Square
Paper Work

by Carly Moran   Michigan plans to send $219 million in tax credits back to taxpayers over the next few weeks, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced. Whitmer said a supplemental Working Families Tax Credit will be sent to Michigan families who already received a 2022 tax year Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit for Working Families. The checks should arrive over the next few weeks. Once sent, qualified Michigan households will have received an average of $550 each, totaling more than $219 million statewide. “With the Working Families Tax Credit check now making its way into the mailboxes of Michiganders, many families will feel a great sense of relief,” Whitmer said. The Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit is a tax benefit for those below a certain income level. Since 2022, it represents a 30% match of the federal income tax credit. “My team is working hard to ensure that 700,000 Michigan households receive their supplemental checks while simultaneously processing tax returns,” State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said. “These checks are being sent in batches due to seasonal mailing demands. We anticipate this mailing will be completed in the next few weeks and ask eligible taxpayers to be patient as we work as…

Read the full story

Michigan State Police Ticket, Warn 1,563 People over New Distracted Driving Law

The Center Square
Phone Driving

Michigan State Police have given 1,563 citations and written warnings for the new distracted driving law over about five months.

From July through late November 2023, MSP issued 720 citations and 843 verbal warnings for the law to keep drivers focused on the road to prevent distracted driving and road deaths, according to documents obtained through records requests.

Read the full story

Michigan Law to Register Prisoners So They Can Vote Upon Release

Admin
Inmate

A new law in Michigan means that inmates leaving prison will be registered automatically to vote, among other election-related measures signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.

Michigan is one of 23 states that already allow those with felony convictions to reclaim their voting rights, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. 

However, under the new law inmates will be preregistered while still incarcerated, so that they will be on the state’s voter registration rolls upon release. 

Read the full story

New Law Requires Filtered Water Filling Stations in Michigan Schools

The Center Square

Schools through Michigan must test for lead in water and install wall-mounted water filtration systems after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three bills into law.

House Bill 4341, HB 4342 and Senate Bill 88 establish the new mandates, and installation of new filter systems is covered by an $600 million state budget appropriation dedicated toward clean water access and rebuilding sewage lines.

Read the full story

Michigan to Begin Testing Children for Lead Poisoning

The Center Square

Starting January 1, Michigan minors will be screened for lead poisoning unless a parent or guardian objects.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 31, which requires children be tested for lead poisoning at certain ages, the testing be recorded on their certificate of immunization and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) develop rules to implement the bill’s requirements.

Read the full story

Last Three Men Acquitted in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Chock-Full Of FBI Meddling

Admin

The final three men on trial for a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were found not guilty Friday, according to ABC News.

Fourteen men were charged over the plot to kidnap the governor from her Antrim County vacation home in 2020. Eric Molitor, along with twin brothers William Null and Michael Null, were found not guilty on all charges by a jury Friday after a three-week trial, ABC News reported.

Read the full story

Chinese Parent Behind Company Building Michigan Battery Plants Employs 923 CCP Members

Admin

The Chinese parent company of Gotion Inc., which intends to build two electric battery plants in Michigan, employs 923 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members, including its CEO, according to its 2022 ESG report.

The Fremont, California-based Gotion Inc. — which is “wholly owned and controlled” by Gotion High-Tech Power Energy Co., according to a Foreign Agents Registration Act filing — seeks to “invest $2.4 billion to construct two 550,000-square-foot production plants” for electric vehicle (EV) batteries in Big Rapids, Michigan, Fox News reported.

Read the full story

Michigan Gov. Whitmer to Pursue Paid Family Leave, 100 Percent Clean Energy Standard

The Center Square

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed enacting a paid family leave program, a 100% clean energy standard and codifying the Affordable Care Act in her “What’s Next” speech that outlined the fall agenda Wednesday morning.

The second-term Democratic governor outlined her priorities as state Democrats control the governor’s office, House and Senate in Michigan for the first time in 40 years.

Read the full story

Legal Opinion on New Michigan Education Agency ‘Premature,’ AG Nessel Says

The Center Square

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has said it’s too early to determine whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new education agency is legal or not.

On August 8, the State Department of Education requested an attorney general legal opinion regarding the constitutionality of Whitmer’s executive order creating the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.

Read the full story

$13.5 Million in Grants Going to Train 8,500 Michigan Workers

The Center Square

About $13.5 million in taxpayer grants from the Going PRO Talent Fund will help train 8,500 workers across nearly 300 Michigan businesses to earn industry-recognized credentials and strong wages.

“The Going PRO Talent Fund is an investment in our state’s greatest asset – our people – helping them develop the skills they need to advance their careers and ‘make it’ in Michigan,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “These grants help us put thousands of Michiganders on paths to good-paying jobs and empower hundreds of Michigan businesses across the state develop the talent they need to compete in the global economy.”

Read the full story

Michigan Dems Have ‘Pleaded’ with Gretchen Whitmer to Run for President in 2024: Report

Admin

Democrats in Michigan have “pleaded” with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to run for president in 2024, citing concerns about President Joe Biden, according to Politico’s Jonathan Martin.

State lawmakers are encouraging Whitmer, Michigan’s two-term Democratic governor, to seek the party’s nomination in 2024 despite her previously ruling out a White House bid, sources familiar told Martin. Several Democratic colleagues from other states have pushed the Michigan lawmakers to plead with the governor to reconsider, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus, citing concerns over the president’s low approval ratings.

Read the full story

Michigan Governor Shifts Tone on Police Funding, School Resource Officers

The Center Square

There’s been a shift in tone from Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer on policing issues, most notably on the funding of the state’s police and adding school resource officers. 

After the George Floyd murder in May 2020, Whitmer said that she supported the “spirit” of efforts to defund the police as a way of reallocating resources, the Detroit Free Press reported. A few years later, the state is hiring more than 200 school resource officers with state police funding on the rise. 

Read the full story

After Wisconsin Line 5 Ruling, Michigan Business Leaders Say Build the Tunnel

The Center Square

A federal court on Friday ordered Canadian oil company Enbridge to cease the flow of oil and decommission within three years the segment of its Line 5 pipeline in Wisconsin trespassing on the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

Concurrently, Michigan’s business leaders urged the United States Army Corps of Engineers to give the approval needed for the construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel.

Read the full story

Michigan Gov. Whitmer Signs Executive Order Creating Statewide LGBTQ Commission to Address Policy ‘Inequality’

Admin

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order on Sunday creating a statewide LGBTQ commission to address inequality and discrimination.

The commission will advise Whitmer and the director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity on policy which directly impacts the state’s LGBTQ community, the executive order reads. The commission will also identify ways to attract members of the LGBTQ community to Michigan by assuring them that the state “is a safe place where its members and their families can thrive.”

Read the full story

Michigan Facing Nearly a Billion Dollar Revenue Drop from Tax Changes

The Center Square

Michigan faces a nearly $900 million revenue loss this year thanks to recent tax changes as lawmakers plan a record $81 billion budget for fiscal year 2024.

At Michigan’s Revenue Estimating Conference, state Treasurer Rachael Eubanks, Senate Fiscal Agency Director Kathryn Summers, and House Fiscal Agency Director Mary Ann Cleary reached a consensus on revised revenue figures for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Read the full story

Teacher Courses Promoting Critical Race Theory Were Funded by Michigan Pandemic Relief

The Center Square

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used federal pandemic relief funds to create virtual courses for teachers about anti-racism and social justice, which encouraged teachers to engage with sources espousing critical race theory.

The CARES Act in 2020 included funds for governors to award to education-related entities via the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund. Whitmer and state officials allotted $1.4 million to Michigan State University College of Education, the University of Michigan’s School of Education and Michigan Virtual to create professional learning modules for K-12 teachers.

Read the full story

Economists: Railroad Derailments Highlight Necessity of Line 5

Admin

As two train derailments – one in Ohio and one in Michigan – remain national news, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel continue their crusade to shut down the Line 5 pipeline.

If successful in their efforts, moving the petroleum products would transition from pipelines to tanker truck and rail transportation, according to experts interviewed by The Center Square. This transition would likely drive up prices for consumers, increase carbon emissions, and prove less safe, they say.

Read the full story

Michigan Gov. Whitmer 2024 Budget: $10 Million for State Fleet’s Electric Vehicle Transition

The Center Square

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed $79 billion budget aims to allocate $10 million to transition the state’s automotive fleet to electric vehicles.

The governor budgeted $318 million on EV incentives: $150 million to help school districts buy 500 electric school buses; $65 million for EV charging stations; $48 million over two years for an EV sales and use tax exemption; and $45 million for local governments and businesses to transition their fleets to EVs.

Read the full story

Whitmer Kidnapping Trial Advances in Michigan

Admin

More than two years after the alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was foiled, criminal cases against alleged perpetrators are still working their way through the court system.

The Antrim County County Circuit Court has approved two motions from the state in the trial of five alleged co-conspirators charged with providing material support in the plot to kidnap Whitmer. Judge Kevin A. Elsenheimer approved the motions on Wednesday, which asked that the cases be joined for trial and that the court allow the admission of co-conspirator statements.

Read the full story

Study Recommends Michigan Update Telehealth Laws

The Center Square

A new report from the Reason Foundation recommends Michigan update its telehealth laws from temporary pandemic policies to permanent status.

When COVID started, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-86, which expanded telehealth options for Michiganders by authorizing and encouraging health care providers to use these services when appropriate and after getting consent from patients. The order took effect immediately and continued through June 10, 2020.

Read the full story