Tagged: roundup

Governor Snyder Gets to Work

Governor Rick Snyder met yesterday with his budget chief, John Nixon, and other members of his senior staff. Snyder is working on a six month plan for the state and wants to re-organize government, reform business taxes, and have a two-year budget completed by July 1st, Rick Pluta reports. Snyder is also expected to name more members of his cabinet this week, including state Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan as head of the state Department of Human Services.

Auto Sales Numbers Released Today

December auto sales numbers are due out later today and it’s expected to be another good month for Detroit’s automakers, Steve Carmody reports. It’s predicted that December will be the third straight month of strong domestic auto sales. Carmody spoke with one analyst who expects the new numbers will show vehicle sales topped 12 million last year and predicts an improving economy could push sales to 13 million vehicles this year.

Report: Homicides Dropped in Detroit in 2010

Detroit police are reporting that homicides and non-fatal shootings decreased in Detroit in 2010. Unofficial numbers show there were 308 homicides last year. That’s a 15.4 percent drop from 2009, the Associated Press reports. Non-fatal shootings dropped 10.5 percent. Reuters reports that Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee said:

…a focus on deploying officers to higher crime areas based on daily trends contributed to the murder decline. To build on those gains, Detroit must "continue to address systemic issues that contribute to violent criminal acts," Godbee said in a statement.

Snyder Begins New Job

Governor Rick Snyder begins his first full week on the job. Snyder became Michigan’s 48th Governor on Saturday after a swearing-in ceremony in Lansing. Snyder is expected to begin signing his first executive orders to reorganize state government as soon as this week, Laura Weber reports.

Changes to Food Stamp Distribution Begin Tomorrow

Beginning tomorrow, Michigan will spread its food stamp distributions throughout the month. Currently, the state’s 1.9 million food stamp recipients get their benefits in a lump sum at the beginning of the month. Most food stamp purchases are made at that time, which can lead to long lines at the checkout counter and a shortage of fresh produce at some stores, Jennifer Guerra reports. The hope is that those problems will decline with the new distribution system.

Powerful Republican Wants to Repeal Health Care Law

Republican Congressman Fred Upton, who represents Michigan's 6th District, says his fellow GOP lawmakers will go after President Obama’s health care law piece by piece. Upton made the comments yesterday on "Fox News Sunday." The Associated Press reports that such a vote could come early in the new year after Republicans take control of the House. Upton will be Chairman of the  powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee in the new legislative session.

Retailers Optimistic About Holiday Sales

New data show Michigan retailers are optimistic that they’ll see increased sales during the holiday season. The Michigan Retail Index showed November had the best monthly year-over-year sales increases since 1999.  The Index is put together by the Michigan Retailers Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The National Retail Federation predicts holiday sales will improve by 3.3% this year, Steve Carmody reports.

Snyder Announces Directors for State Police, Transportation

Governor-elect Rick Snyder announced yesterday that he’ll keep Kirk Steudle, current Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, on the job in his new administration. Steudle has been director of the department since 2006. Snyder also announced that he will appoint State Police Lt. Col. Kriste Etue to be the Director of the Michigan State Police. Etue is currently the department’s deputy director and, when she begins the new job in January, will be the first woman to hold the post.  As The Detroit Free Press reports, Snyder:

…still needs to make several key cabinet additions. Still unfilled are director positions for the departments of human services, corrections and labor and economic growth.

Snyder takes the oath of office on January 1st, 2011.

Number of Homeless Kids Rise

The state has released its latest count of homeless children (grades K-12) in Michigan.  The state counted 23,000 in 2009-2010, up from 7,500 kids two years ago, Kyle Norris reports. Shereen Tabrizi, with the Michigan Department of Education’s office of field services, says the state’s high unemployment rate and foreclosures are some of the reasons for the increase.

Census Numbers Released

The 2010 U.S. Census numbers were released yesterday and the news wasn’t great for the state. Michigan was the only state in the country that lost population in the past decade.  That means Michigan will lose a U.S. Representative in the House and lose some federal funding.  We can be sure that we’ll be hearing a lot about redistricting (that’s the re-drawing of legislative and Congressional districts that is done every 10 years after a census) in the coming years as Michigan will go from 15 U.S. House seats to 14. Michigan is one of 10 states that will lose at least one House seat.

Detroit Crime Drops

There are new FBI crime figures out and they show that violent crime in Detroit dropped by almost 8% in the first half of the year. The biggest reduction was in homicides (28%), which fell from 202 to 146. Robberies were also down by about 9%, Sarah Cwiek reports. However, the city did see a jump in the number of rapes and arsons.  Nationwide, violent crime was done about 6%.

Snyder Wants 2-Year Budget

Governor-elect Rick Snyder says he will propose a 2-year state budget once he becomes Governor.  Snyder also says he wants the legislature to pass the budget by July of next year.  The state is constitutionally mandated to pass a balanced state budget every year.  In past years, the legislature has gone down to the wire to pass a state budget on time. As The Associated Press reports:

Although Snyder has until March 14 to present a proposal for the budget year that starts Oct. 1, he plans to do it earlier. He also plans to deliver his first State of the State address in mid-January rather than at the more traditional end of the month. The Republican governor-elect already has told lawmakers and his staff that he wants to get a lot done in the 182 days between Jan. 1 and July 1, including passing a two-year budget, one year longer than normal for the state Michigan faces a shortfall of up to $1.7 billion in the next fiscal year, something Snyder will have to address in his budget proposal.

Michigan’s Congressional Delegation to Shrink?

The U.S. Census Bureau releases new population data from its 2010 census today. The numbers will determine how many U.S. House seats Michigan is apportioned in the next decade. Brookings Institution demographer William Frey told the Associated Press that Michigan will likely lose at least one seat, reducing its delegation from 15 Representatives to 14. As the Associated Press reports, “The 2000 census put Michigan's population at nearly 9.94 million. It was estimated last year at nearly 9.97 million, an increase of less than 1 percent. Frey says that if the trend holds up, Michigan would have the lowest growth rate of any state since the previous census.”

Report: Smoking Ban Has Little Financial Impact

A new report says Michigan’s workplace smoking ban that was enacted this year has had little financial impact on bars and restaurants. Laura Weber reports:

Bars that sell liquor do seem to have been more negatively affected by the smoking ban than taverns that sell only beer and wine. But, the report from the state Department of Treasury, says tax collections from bars were neither bleak nor significant since the ban took effect… and that any financial hardships on taverns or restaurants could be just as much a result of a down economy. 

Lansing's Budget Troubles

Lansing is facing a possible $15 million budget deficit. City Finance Director Jerry Ambrose says the city is expected to spend $118 million next year on city services but Lansing’s revenue is only expected to reach $103 million. The new fiscal year begins June 30th, 2011. The news comes as other cities across the state face budget deficits. The Huffington Post reports that Michigan currently has, “68 cities on its ‘fiscal watch’ or ‘fiscal stress’ lists, meaning these communities are at risk of running through their money.”

Did You See It?

While many of us were sound-asleep in bed, Michigan Radio’s Mark Brush was up… AND, outside.  He was awaiting last night’s (well, really, it was early this morning) lunar eclipse. He filed this report at 2 a.m.: "Well, I woke up... the Earth's shadow is passing over the moon right now. NASA says it'll be in full eclipse starting at 2:41 a.m. and then the shadow will start slipping off the moon at 3:53 a.m.” If you missed the eclipse, you can check out some pictures here.

U.S. House Passes Tax-Deal

Late last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Obama’s tax-deal that would extend Bush-era tax cuts and extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.  President Obama negotiated the deal with both Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate.  The Senate passed the bill earlier this week.  The measure now goes to the President for his signature.

More Charges for ‘Underwear Bomber’

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the young Nigerian man accused of trying to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner last Christmas, was arraigned on new charges yesterday in federal court.  The charges include conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism.  As Sarah Hulett reports, Abdulmutallab’s initial indictment, filed almost a year ago, did not contain the word “terrorism.”  It’s alleged that Abdulmutallab tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 by igniting explosives that were hidden in his underwear.

Electric Cars Getting Noticed

The North American International Auto Show doesn’t happen until next month in Detroit, but the semi-finalists in the North American Car of the Year competition are already being announced.  As Tracy Samilton reports, two of the three semi-finalists are electric cars:

The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric car and the Chevy Volt is a part-electric, part-hybrid car. Aaron Bragman is an analyst with IHS Automotive. He says, even though most people won't be buying electric cars for a long time, the selections make sense this year. It is a trend that is coming," says Bragman. "The technology is going to improve, the costs are going to come down. But it has to start somewhere and it's really starting here, and the reason these vehicles are being chosen is they are SO different."

The winner of the award will be announced during the North American International Auto Show in early January.

More Money to Fight Asian Carp

The Obama Administration announced that it will spend almost $50 million dollars more next year to try to keep the invasive Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. Yesterday, a group of state and federal agencies released the 2011 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework.  The money is expected to come from funds that were originally allocated from Great Lakes clean-up projects. If the Asian Carp make their way to the Great Lakes it could greatly hurt the Lakes’ ecosystems.

Kwame Kilpatrick in Trouble… Again

New corruption charges have been filed against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.  Federal prosecutors announced the indictments of Kilpatrick and others including Kilpatrick’s father, Bernard Kilpatrick, yesterday.  At the announcement, Barbara McQuade, the U.S. Attorney in Detroit said:

The indictment charges all of them with working together to abuse Kwame Kilpatrick’s public offices. Both his position as state representative, as well as his position of mayor of Detroit, to unjustly enrich themselves, through a pattern of extortion, bribery and fraud.

As the Detroit Free Press reports,

The charges -- racketeering, extortion, bribery, obstruction of justice, mail and wire fraud, signing false tax returns and income tax evasion -- carry penalties of three to 30 years in prison.

Lawmakers Finish Session

After previously announcing that their work for the year was done, state lawmakers ended their 2009-2010 legislative session yesterday in Lansing. Lawmakers completed a bill that would allow the sale of the Michigan School for the Deaf to a private developer and approved a measure that OKs a moose hunting season in the Upper Peninsula. Legislators did not, however, take up several controversial bills that would have dealt with teacher-tenure reform or insurance coverage for autism treatments.

State Unemployment Rate Dips Slightly

Michigan’s jobless rate dropped slightly to 12.4% in November.  That means the state has now gone 11 months without an uptick in the unemployment rate.  But, as Rick Pluta reports, it’s not all good news:

… most of the drop in the jobless number was because 19,000 unemployed people stopped looking for work. They are no longer counted as part of the state’s jobless rate. When people who stopped looking are counted, along with part-timers who would like to work full-time, Michigan’s rate of unemployment and under-employment is 21.2%.

The nation’s November jobless rate was 9.8%.

Granholm Signs ‘Pure Michigan’ Funding Bill

Governor Granholm signed a measure yesterday that allows $10 million to go to the ‘Pure Michigan’ advertising campaign.  The money will go toward winter and spring ads. The campaign would most likely have been canceled if the extra funds had not been approved. Granholm had previously wanted $25 million for the campaign.