Warm weather has promoted fruit trees in Michigan to bloom four or five weeks ahead of schedule. That means that bees need to be here early, too, but most of the bees that pollinate orchards in Michigan are still wintering in Florida or are busy pollinating crops in California.
Lansing mayor Virg Bernero is presenting his proposed 2013 budget to the city council. Last November, voters approved a public safety millage that enabled the city to reduce its projected deficit to between $5 million and $7 million -- roughly half of what it was last year. But to close the remaining gap, the mayor’s plan asks many city employees to either take up to 26 days off without pay or pay more for their health insurance and pensions. Mayor Bernero tells WKAR’s Kevin Lavery that the furlough days are on a sliding scale.
The Michigan Supreme Court -- in a decision that breaks along party-lines -- has upheld a state law that will let Republicans on the Oakland County Commission redraw their district lines.
Michigan is one of 26 states challenging federal health care reforms in a case that is going before the U. S. Supreme Court. But there is also a stalemate in state government over moving ahead with an online healthcare exchange that is part of the law that would help consumers shop for coverage.
Book reviewer Lev Raphael has been reading about a radio journalist who was in the thick of covering World War Two from Berlin, and he talked about it with WKAR's Melissa Benmark.
With an 8-1 vote, the Lansing Board of Education has approved an ambitious re-organization plan that closes some schools and converts others to fulfill new missions.
Many of us are enjoying this unseasonably warm weather. But for some farmers, it’s nerve-racking, especially for fruit growers. Fruit trees are starting to sprout two or more weeks ahead of time. It’s only March, so cold weather is very likely to come back and kill off those early-blooming crops.
Governor Rick Snyder’s administration will appeal a judge’s ruling that would delay any deal between the state and Detroit on a plan to fix the city’s fiscal crisis.
The state Senate could vote this week on the first major amendment to Michigan's medical marijuana law since it was adopted by voters in 2008. The measure would strip the eye disease glaucoma from the list of conditions that would qualify a patient for a medical marijuana card.
A union-led effort to amend the Michigan Constitution to guarantee labor bargaining rights will go before a state elections panel. The Protect Our Jobs campaign will ask the Board of State Canvassers to pre-approve its petition to get on the November ballot.
