The Flint school board sent lay-off notices to almost all of their superintendents, principals, and other administrators, according to the Flint Journal. Linda Thompson, the paper said, was the only administrator who did not receive a notice.
The move comes as the district wrestles with projected revenues of $20 million to $25 million less than projected expenditures for the 2011-12 school year.
The measure is something of a technicality, a precaution that allows the district flexibility when the time comes to decide how many administrators will stay on board, said Thompson.
Thompson said its hard to predict when the district will know precisely what it's revenues for next year will be and how many administrators will be called back.
"When are they going to settle what's happening at the state level?" she asked.
School districts across the state are anxiously awaiting state budget decisions in Lansing.
In the past few years, the districts have had to make fiscal decisions with no firm guidance from legislators in Lansing while they haggled over the state's budget well past fiscal planning deadlines.
Governor Rick Snyder hopes to change that. He's set a deadline of May 31st for legislators to settle on the budget.
The Flint Journal reports on cuts expected, "Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed budget includes a $300 per-pupil cut to school aid that comes on top of an already-planned $170 cut. Factoring in an expected rise in rates schools pay to a state retirement pool and districts across Michigan are expecting $700 less per student next year."
U.S. has bleaker outlook on nuclear crisis in Japan
In another sign that U.S. officials differ from their Japanese counterparts on the nuclear crisis unfolding there, U.S. officials have authorized the evacuation of American citizens.
The United States has authorized the first evacuations of Americans out of Japan, taking a tougher stand on the deepening nuclear crisis and warning U.S. citizens to defer all non-essential travel to any part of the country as unpredictable weather and wind conditions risked spreading radioactive contamination.
The AP reports the "authorized departure offers voluntary evacuation to family members and dependents of U.S. personnel in Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya and affects some 600 people."
Protests in Lansing
In one of the larger protests at the Michigan Capitol this year, around 3,000 union supporters, school teachers, seniors, students, and others spoke out against bills in the Michigan legislature. The Lansing State Journal reports that 11 people were arrested after a 2 1/2 sit-in in the Capitol. MPRN's Laura Weber described some of the people she saw at the protest this way, "there were big, hulking men in hard hats, business people in suits, and young parents pushing strollers." One of the more controversial bills, one that gives power to Emergency Financial Managers to end void union contracts, was signed into law yesterday by Governor Snyder. Scott Davis of the Lansing State Journal reported:
In their biggest show of force yet this year, union members descended on the Capitol in a show of unity to protest several bills moving through the Legislature. It was the latest in a series of union-led protests in recent weeks - and a reflection of the ongoing battle by public worker unions in Wisconsin."It's beautiful," Joe Bowen, a retired automotive worker who traveled to the rally from Saginaw, said of the show of unity. "It sends a message that it's not fair. They are trying to pinch unions."
Michigan's Hoop Dreams
The NCAA men's basketball tournament begins today and three teams in Michigan are hoping to advance.
Michigan State University plays UCLA tonight at 9:15 (TBS); the University of Michigan plays Tennessee tomorrow at 12:30 (truTV); and Oakland University plays Texas tomorrow at noon (CBS).
All signs are pointing to spring as the area heads for a big warm up today.
The last piles of snow and ice on the ground could melt away as temperatures might go as high as 67 degrees today in southern Michigan, 63 in the Grand Rapids area.
"Today is going to be very spring-like," National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Considine said from the White Lake office today.
Highs will be in the mid- to upper-60s between 3 and 6 p.m., with cloudy skies and a southwest wind, he said. The average high for March 17 is 46, and the record high of 75 was set in 1945.
"We’re going to be 20 degrees above normal for today," Considine said, adding that temperatures won't get high enough to break today's record.
No snow is expected in the near term, but don't put away that shovel just yet, we are in Michigan after all.
Today is a big day for lovers of the planet Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.
NASA's MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging) vehicle will start to orbit Mercury today.
Of all the terrestrial planets, Mercury remains one of the most mysterious.
NASA's Mariner 10 took some photos during flybys back in 1974 and 1975. And more recently, MESSENGER took some photos and grabbed some samples on a flyby in 2008.
The New York Times had a piece on what scientists learned about Mercury from the 2008 flyby:
An instrument aboard Messenger sampled Mercury’s surface composition by catching some of the charged atoms that have been knocked into space. Silicon, sodium and sulfur were detected. So was water.
“Which is a real surprise,” said Thomas H. Zurbuchen, an associate professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences at the University of Michigan and lead author of another paper in Science. “The first time we took a whiff of the planet, it’s right there.”
One possibility is that the water exists as ice in the shaded parts of craters in the polar regions.
Today, MESSENGER will begin orbiting the planet every 12 hours. Engineers at the University of Michigan say "an onboard device dubbed FIPS (Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer), a soda-can sized sensor designed and built at the University of Michigan will take atmospheric measurements, studying the evolution of rocky planets as it orbits Mercury."
Here, Thomas Zurbuchen, the lead engineer from the University of Michigan, talks about FIPS:
Almost 1400 middle and high school students displayed their projects at Detroit’s Cobo Center. Students from Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb county schools showed off research projects in 13 categories, ranging from computer science to zoology.
Fair organizers say participation in the fair is trending upward, and participation from Detroit Public Schools students shot up dramatically this year.
Governor Snyder’s office has just announced he plans to sign the controversial Emergency Financial Manager bills this afternoon. Unions oppose the bills, because they will enable state appointed financial managers to void union contracts in cities and school districts with serious financial problems.
UPDATE: A growing number of angry labor-movement supporters are showing up at the state Capitol to protest Republican proposals to tax pensions and limit union control. A drum circle played on the Capitol lawn, surrounded by thousands of protesters with signs, a 15-foot inflated eagle, and flapping American and U-A-W flags.
There were big, hulking men in hardhats, businesspeople in suits, and young parents pushing strollers.
The Wall Street Journal reported recently that the U.S. Postal Service is hoping to close a series of post offices around the country to save money. From the article:
The NCAA Men’s basketball tournament begins in earnest tomorrow. But one very well-known basketball fan expects no team with ties to Michigan will reach the Sweet 16.
The National Wildlife Foundation has released a report on Michigan wildlife hurt by power plant emissions.
The report says nine species in the state are affected by power plant toxins. Mercury is the most dangerous toxin for some species, including the large-mouth bass and the common loon.
Lee Sprague is on the Tribal Council of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
"What we do know with mercury it really affects all life systems, from the very base of the food chain all the way up."
The governor’s made some decisions that are wildly unpopular. Unions are upset. Taxpayers are upset. His own party isn’t too sure he is right.
Behind closed doors, leaders of the opposition party are rubbing their hands in glee. They think they know a one-term governor when they see one.
That’s what’s going on right now in Wisconsin, to be sure, and also, to a lesser extent, in Lansing. Democrats are convinced that if Governor Snyder indeed manages to tax pensions, cut education, and end the Earned Income Tax Credit, he’ll be toast.
Governor Rick Snyder says he respects the views of people protesting against his budget proposals. Many people have crowded the Capitol lawn this week to stand against Snyder’s plan to tax pensions. The governor says he understands their frustration, but he says a tax on pensions – done the right way – is only fair.
Michigan State police officials have not provided details on why they searched buildings associated with the Romulus Police Department. State Police Inspector Garth Burnside told the Detroit News that the search warrants were part of an ongoing investigation with the Wayne County prosecutor and the FBI.
The Detroit News reports that the following locations were searched:
the Romulus police headquarters
the home of Romulus Police Chief Michael St. Andre
St. Andre's wife's tanning salon
a building housing Police Department records
and a residence Burnside declined to identify.
The Detroit News spoke with a lawyer who sued the Police Chief and the City of Romulus "over the disappearance of $300,000 worth of auto parts seized by Romulus police." The lawyer's client said the auto parts were in a trailer seized by police. According to the News, the Romulus police contended there were no auto parts in the trailer and the case was dismissed in January 2010.
March 15th, 11:36 a.m.
The Michigan State Police are saying little about a search warrant served today at the Romulus Police Department. State Police Inspector Garth Burnside would only confirm that state troopers, along with FBI agents and the Wayne County Prosecutors Office served the warrant at 7 a.m. this morning.
Credit (flickr U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew M. Bradley/Released)
OFUNATO, Japan (March 15, 2011) - A fishing boat is noticeably out of place after being swept ashore during a massive tsunami that impacted this Japanese fishing port. The town was devastated by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake that triggered the destructive t
Attorney General Bill Schuette says Michiganders wanting to help should beware of phony charities trying to take advantage of them.
"Even during tough times, the people of Michigan give generously to charities that assist disaster victims around the world….It's important to take steps to ensure your dollars are not lost to fraud and your financial information remains secure."
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