Michigan News

Copycat threats close dozens of Michigan schools after Oxford High School shooting

At least 60 Michigan schools closed Thursday, and several arrests have been made over threats.

At least 60 schools in Michigan closed Thursday, and more than 20 will close Friday following a string of threats following a shooting Tuesday at Oxford High School, near Detroit, where four students were killed.

While authorities expected false threats following the initial incident, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the current number of threats are “completely off the charts,” the Detroit News reported.

The department had to call in assistance from the FBI and the Secret Service to assess the claims. “If you’re making threats, we’re going to find you,” Bouchard said.

Several arrests have already been made in relation to the threats. 

One 17-year-old high school student in Flint, Mich., was arrested Thursday after she allegedly posted a rap-style video on social media threatening to commit a mass shooting. She faces charges of 20-year felonies including a false threat of terrorism and committing a crime using a computer.

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Michigan News

Whitmer Seeks $300M For COVID-19 Testing At Michigan Schools

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration said it wants lawmakers to quickly allocate $300 million in federal pandemic rescue funding to support COVID-19 testing at schools amid a fourth surge of infections in Michigan.

The money was included in the relief law approved by Congress and President Joe Biden in March. It is set to expire next summer and is part of a $2.5 billion supplemental spending request that state budget director Christopher Harkins sent to the Republican chairmen of legislative appropriations committees on Nov. 19.

Continue reading over at -> CBSLocal.com

Michigan News

Whitmer’s Michigan paid $3.9B in pandemic unemployment relief to ineligible claimants: audit

Improper payments allegedly continued after abuses were flagged, state says it won’t claw back federal taxpayer dollars, and auditor general says “we don’t know” if governor knew of corner-cutting.

This week’s Golden Horseshoe is awarded to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Unemployment Insurance Agency, which disbursed an estimated $3.9 billion in improper pandemic unemployment benefits and continued to pay ineligible claimants after being alerted to the issue, a state audit found.

Continue reading over at -> Just The News.com

No Stranger To Flouting COVID Lockdown Rules, Michigan Gov. Whitmer Refuses To Let Business Owners Off The Hook

Apparently, Gov. Cruella DeVil has no sense of irony.

In Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature that would have forgiven business owners slapped with fines for first-time offenses in violating COVID-19 regulations.

Whitmer, in a letter explaining her decision, noted, “Every Michigander has the right to a safe workplace under both state and federal law. Among other requirements, federal law requires our state to maintain workplace standards at least as effective as requirements set forth in the federal Occupational Health and Safety Act.”

“By prohibiting the Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration (MIOSHA) from assessing a fine for an employer’s first violation of a COVID-19 emergency standard, HB 4501 would cause Michigan to fall below the minimum standard required by federal law,” she added. “That would have disastrous consequences for our state.”

Continue reading over at -> Tampa Free Press

Michigan News

Michigan GOP asks court to bar Whitmer from sending excess donations to Democrats

Michigan Republicans are asking a federal court to stop Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign from disbursing excess contributions collected while the governor was facing recall efforts to recipients other than the original donor.

In a federal court filing, Michigan Republican Party Chair Ron Weiser asked the court for a temporary restraining order barring the governor’s campaign from distributing those excess contributions to the Michigan Democratic Party or other groups. The party is not opposed to the campaign refunding the excess donations to the original donor, according to the filing.

Continue reading over at -> MLIVE.com

Michigan News

Michigan students rally against COVID-19 vaccine mandates at colleges

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Students from across Michigan are protesting against their schools’ COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Students from Michigan State, University of Michigan, Grand Valley State University, and other Michigan colleges took to the Capitol steps today saying they should not be forced into getting a vaccine to attend school.

MSU Student, PJ Serati, says today’s rally isn’t about getting the vaccine, it’s about forcing people into it.

“People should have the right to make that decision. A lot of our critics tell us hey you have the right to choose a different school, you have the right to quit your job, you have the right to go somewhere else, move to a different country. That is not the United States. The United States allows for the individual to benefit not the institution,” said Serati with Michigan Students Take Charge.

Continue reading over at -> WILX News 1o

Michigan News

Enbridge Defeats Michigan Governor’s Bid to Move Line 5 Pipeline Case

(Bloomberg) — Enbridge Inc. won the latest round in its long-running battle to stop Michigan’s governor from shutting an oil pipeline that crosses the Great Lakes after a judge ruled that the case should remain in Federal court.

Judge Janet Neff of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan Southern Division rejected Michigan’s effort to send the case over Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s order for Enbridge to shut its Line 5 pipeline to state court. The case “is properly in federal court,” according to the ruling.

Whitmer has ordered Enbridge to shut Line 5 arguing that its a threat to the Great Lakes because it presents an environmental threat where it crosses through Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron connect. Enbridge has refused to comply, arguing that the governor is exceeding her authority and federal jurisdiction applies.

Continue reading over at -> Yahoo.com

Michigan News

Michigan unemployment is revised higher, above US rate

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The federal government has corrected Michigan’s unemployment rate upward by 1.7 percentage points, above the U.S. average, citing an outlier in statistical modeling amid sharp job swings during the coronavirus pandemic.

The September jobless figure, now 6.3%, had been 4.6% — below the national rate. The October number, also released Wednesday, dipped to 6.1%.

The problem stems from inputs into the model for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metropolitan area for January, which produced “distortions” in benchmarking factors used for Michigan, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State officials said they notified the agency of the issue in May.

Continue reading over at -> WXYZ.com

Michigan News

How the $1.2-trillion Biden infrastructure bill will be spent in Michigan

More than $10 billion will soon be on the way to help Michigan fix bridges, repave roads, replace lead service lines, fortify against climate change and make other investments, after Congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.

The bill, which passed the U.S. House late Friday night 228-to-206, with support from 13 Republicans including Michigan’s Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and “no” votes from six Democrats, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, represents a huge surge of money dedicated to fixing the country’s decrepit infrastructure, including $550 billion in new investments.

Continue reading over at -> The Detroit News