News

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra is altering his ad strategy following a storm of criticism over a spot deemed by many as insulting to Asians.

EAST LANSING, MI (WKAR) - Members of the Better Living Book Club in East Lansing want to deal with their personal problems and live a happier life.

People join book clubs for all kinds of reasons: to socialize, to read books they wouldn't normally read or to hear opinions that are different from their own. In one book club in East Lansing, members are reading about how to deal with their personal problems and live a happier life.

WKAR's Scott Pohl has been periodically talking with Michigan State University historian Roger Rosentreter about the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, with an eye on Michigan's role in the war. Today, they discuss the Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War. Michigan Senator Zachariah Chandler was an outspoken member of the committee.

Democratic State Senator Gretchen Whitmer wants to make Michigan students the best educated in the world. WKAR’s Mark Bashore spoke with her to learn more about her “Michigan 2020” plan.

 ReWorking Michigan examines our evolving economy, as the people of the Great Lakes State explore new ways to make a living and build a future. 

 Today, our reWorking Michigan Monday report looks at the challenges facing immigrants with backgrounds in professional fields.  Thousands of health care providers, engineers and financial specialists who’ve earned their credentials in their home countries often start at or near the bottom as they work to become re-certified in the United States.  Experts say that can be an impediment for employers searching for prospective hires.

Watch it online now.

– DETROIT, MI (MPRN) - The Super Bowl this weekend in Indianapolis will attract thousands of revelers, football fans and people who just like a big party. It will also lure human traffickers who will set up in hotels to offer paying clients the chance to have sex -- sometimes with children.

– EAST LANSING, MI (WKAR) - WKAR's Melissa Benmark speaks with MSU professor emeritus Donald Holecek, about his thoughts on the plans for a new casino in Lansing. He began a study of the Detroit casinos when they opened, and the results were different than some might have predicted.

– DETROIT (AP) - A tentative cost-cutting deal has been reached between Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and a coalition of unions representing non-uniformed municipal workers as the city tries to convince the state that an emergency manager isn't necessary.

LANSING, MI – LANSING, MI (MPRN) - State House Democrats say it's time to beef up Michigan's campaign finance and political ethics laws.

EMPIRE, MI – EMPIRE, MI (AP) - A piece of a shipwreck that experts believe is from a schooner that sank 140 years ago has washed up along Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

DETROIT – DETROIT (AP) - Wayne State University's board has approved a tougher new admissions policy aimed at boosting the school's graduation rate.

BATTLE CREEK, MI – BATTLE CREEK, MI (AP) - Authorities say a suspected diesel fuel spill has been found in the Kalamazoo River at Battle Creek.

On Sunday, the Michigan State University Museum opens an exhibit inspired by women who work in construction and the skilled trades. "On Equal Terms" features mixed media pieces by Susan Eisenberg, a resident artist at Brandeis University.

WASHINGTON – WASHINGTON (AP) - Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is questioning the approach of his fellow Republican governors in the upper Midwest.

LANSING, MI – LANSING, MI (AP) - Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, whose job includes enforcing Michigan's campaign finance laws, paid $1,325 in fines last year for failing to file her campaign's own information in a timely manner.

WASHINGTON – WASHINGTON (MPRN) - A law signed Wednesday makes Indiana the first right-to-work state in the industrial Midwest. That has stirred discussions in Michigan on the topic.

DETROIT – DETROIT (AP) - Wayne State University officials are proposing a tougher new admissions policy that could reduce the student population by about 5 percent.

East Lansing, MI – EAST LANSING, MI (WKAR) - Civic leaders in East Lansing are appealing to residents to renovate a playground in a popular city park. They've set an ambitious fundraising goal.

LANSING, MI – LANSING, MI (MPRN) - Community college students may soon be able to get a bachelor's degree without transferring to a four-year college or university.