The Board of  Trustees of Muskegon Community College voted unanimously on Wednesday to continue its tradition of an invocation at graduation, but just to the extent permitted by the law governing church and state.

The vote was in response to a complaint sent to MCC by the Michigan Association of Civil Rights Activists (MACRA) about the 2018 graduation prayer led by MCC trustee Ann Oakes who is also a minister. Her invocation included a reference to Jesus, as well as multiple references to God and the Lord.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill that will maintain the way ballast water discharges are regulated under the Clean Water Act. Ballast water released by ocean-going ships is a major pathway for the spread of invasive species in the Great Lakes.

A new lawsuit is seeking to compel the federal government to come up with a national plan to protect the gray wolf, including those in the Upper Peninsula. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to try to remove endangered species protection from nearly all gray wolves in the lower 48 states next month.

Starting today, more than 600,000 Michigan hunters are expected to take to the woods for the state’s annual firearm deer season.

These are not the best of times for Michigan’s deer hunting industry. There’s been a sharp decline in the number of deer hunters. There’s also concern about problems with the herd, from Chronic Wasting Disease to PFAS contamination in some areas. 

Recreational marijuana will soon be legal in Michigan, but driving while on drugs is still illegal.

Current law allows for a driver who tests for any amount of THC – the mind-altering component in marijuana – to be penalized in the same way drunk drivers are. When drunk drivers get pulled over, there’s a legal blood alcohol limit on the books and an on-the-spot test.

The Nutcracker
Saturday, December 15 at 6:30 PM.
Michigan Theater
603 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Presented by the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet. A must-see holiday event for the entire family!  Join Clara on her magical journey through the enchanting Land of Snow to the Kingdom of the Sweets.  

Kalamazoo Public Schools wants every student to see someone who looks like them in a book. That's why it's adding books to school classrooms to reflect the diversity of its student body.

It launched the initiative Tuesday at Woodward School for Technology and Research, where school and district officials hope the effort will engage more students in reading.

KPS is starting with just second and third grade classes for now.