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Former Senator John Francis Kelly, who served four consecutive terms in the Michigan State Senate and helped push Michigan to become the last state needed to ratify the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, has died of a heart attack. He was 69.

The board of the Native American Heritage Fund (NAHF) recently convened to approve its first ever grant recipients.

The grants will go towards defraying the costs of projects to remove imagery offensive to Native Americans in Battle Creek, Belding, and Kalamazoo.

There's a problem with a deal Michigan officials tentatively OK'd for a company to buy more than two dozen cemeteries in the state: None are for sale.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the owner of 28 cemeteries allegedly involved in the proposed sale says he's had no contact with the would-be buyer.

A development team has closed on the purchase of 128 parcels in northwest Detroit as part of a massive reinvestment in one of the city's neighborhoods.

Fitz Forward Development will develop the parcels in the Fitzgerald neighborhood as part of its plans to revitalize the area through reparations and remodels of existing historic homes, installation of a greenway, development of community gardens, and demolition of dilapidated homes.

An animal welfare group says it’s rescued more than 100 dogs, cats, and other animals from a home in Michigan where an unlicensed animal breeding operation was housed.

A planned ceremony to name part of a street in Detroit’s theater district after Michael Jackson has been cancelled, the Detroit Free Press reported yesterday.

Michigan would legalize online gambling under a bill passed by the state House.

Lawmakers voted 68-40 Tuesday night for two main bills to create a Lawful Internet Gaming Act that would regulate online versions of licensed casino games.

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers has unanimously upheld Shri Thanedar's nominating petition signatures in his bid to be the Democratic nominee for governor, The Associated Press has reported.

The board on Friday rejected a challenge from a primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed. The grievance claims most of Thanedar's petitions contain offenses ranging from voter information clashing with the qualified voter file to potentially falsified signatures of petition circulators.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says he and a key lawmaker have conceptually agreed on a plan to impose work or training requirements for Medicaid recipients, but some details are still being worked out.

The Republican governor told The Associated Press Thursday there's been a "meeting of the minds" and "we're in a pretty good place."

He confirms previous comments from Sen. Mike Shirkey - the bill sponsor - that a proposed 29-hour work requirement would instead be 20 hours.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget McCormack said Thursday that judges should drop rhetoric that "would validly call into question judicial impartiality," The Associated Press reported.

She says it's important these days, especially "when our norms of public discourse appear under stress.”

According to AP, McCormack was referring to a Jackson County case involving a man who broke into the home of a police officer and trashed it, even breaking a 100-gallon aquarium.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and First Lady Sue Snyder announced Friday plans for a new 24-hour statewide hotline for sexual assault survivors to call for help, counseling, and resources.

“It’s critically important that all survivors of sexual assault have somewhere safe to turn for help,” Sue Snyder said in a press release. “This hotline will connect survivors with a caring, trained professional who can help provide them with the immediate and long-term support they need to begin their journey toward healing.”

Due to a component shortage after a fire at one of its suppliers, Ford Motor Company announced Wednesday it is suspending all production of its best-selling F-150 trucks.

The fire at Meridian Magnesium Products of America in Eaton Rapids, Mich. occurred May 2, injuring two people, forcing nearly 150 people to evacuate the building, and destroying portions of the roof, according to The Lansing State Journal. In a news release yesterday, Meridian Magnesium General Manager George Asher said the company is “planning to recall some employees for critical operations as soon as possible.”