Democrat Paul Clements will not appear on the ballot for the Sixth Congressional District primary this August. The Berrien County Commission is unhappy about a proposed tax break for utility companies. The campaign manager for Democratic candidate for governor Shri Thanedar is arrested, and more headlines from WMUK News.
Democrat Paul Clements will not appear on the ballot for the Sixth Congressional District primary this August. On Friday a federal judge disagreed with Clements’ challenge of a State Board of Canvassers ruling. The Board found that Clements fell nine signatures short of the thousand needed to qualify. Clements says he’s leaving the race; in a statement, Democrat Matt Longjohn of Portage's campaign says Clements has endorsed him. Longjohn is one of four qualifying Democrats who hope to unseat Republican US Representative Fred Upton.
Berrien County commissioners say a proposed tax break for utilities would hurt local governments and their taxpayers. The Saint Joseph-Benton Harbor Herald-Palladium says State Senator John Proos is sponsoring the bill. An analysis by the Senate found that local Michigan governments would lose more than 650-million dollars over the next decade if the tax break becomes law. Proos says he doesn't want the cost of utility upgrades to fall on customers. The Berrien County Commission passed a resolution opposing the bill last week. The county is home to the D-C Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman, south of Benton Harbor.
The Kalamazoo Public Library doesn't have a branch in southern Africa. But it's helping get books into the hands of kids there. The library has partnered with the nonprofit African Library Project to collect books for a school in Swaziland. Kalamazoo branch librarian Amanda Lentz says they need new or "gently used" books for kids in preschool to fourth grade. Donated books can be dropped off at any Kalamazoo Public Library branch. You can also take them to two independent local bookstores - Kazoo Books and Bookbug. The book drive runs through September 1st.
Michigan won’t privatize prison nurses. Some state lawmakers wanted to outsource the service even though the Corrections Department opposed the idea. Its spokesman, Chris Gautz, says the state can’t pay nurses what they can make in the private sector. But he says it can offer them attractive state benefits - something that isn't possible if the jobs are taken over by private companies. Gautz also says the state has run into problems with privatization in the past. That included tainted food and sex between workers and inmates when prison food services were privatized.
Berrien County commissioners say a proposed tax break for utilities would hurt local governments and their taxpayers. The Saint Joseph-Benton Harbor Herald-Palladium says State Senator John Proos is sponsoring the bill. An analysis by the Senate found that local Michigan governments would lose more than $650 million dollars over the next decade if the tax break becomes law. Proos says he doesn't want the cost of utility upgrades to fall on customers. The Berrien County Commission passed a resolution opposing the bill last week. The county is home to the D.C. Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman, south of Benton Harbor.
The City of Battle Creek is going to court hoping to get a $3 million refund. The Battle Creek Enquirer says the city is suing a company called PulverDryer. The city contracted with the firm for a system to turn sewage into fuel in 2013. But it canceled the pilot project three years later, saying that the firm failed to deliver the equipment as promised. The city is also suing First Farmers Bank and Trust. It was also involved in the deal with the company, which went out of business after Battle Creek canceled the contract. The suit was filed in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court earlier this year.
A Detroit pastor who’s also a campaign manager for Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Shri Thanedar was arrested outside his church on Sunday. The Detroit News reports that police accuse David Bullock of interfering with an investigation. Bullock says a member of his church called about a disturbance. He says an officer who came to investigate told Bullock to leave and then arrested him for staying on his property. Thanedar released a statement of support for Bullock, suggesting that his campaign manager was treated unfairly because he is African-American.
The Kellogg Company faces legal action over problems with its Honey Smacks breakfast cereal. The Battle Creek Enquirer says a national law firm specializing in food safety cases filed the lawsuit. It says a woman came down with salmonella poisoning after eating some of the cereal. The lawsuit was filed in Oklahoma City where the woman lives. Kellogg recalled boxes of Honey Smacks earlier this month because of concerns about possible salmonella contamination. Kellogg says it can't comment on the lawsuit but says it takes the safety of its products seriously. More than 70 people around the country have gotten sick after eating the cereal.
Farmers would have an easier time getting permits for irrigation wells under a bill signed by Governor Rick Snyder. The measure affects requests for large withdrawals of ground water. The Gongwer News Service says the bill sponsored by Republican State Representative Aaron Miller of Sturgis would reduce the time state officials have to act on permit applications. But the Department of Environmental Quality can still step in if it thinks a new well would hurt groundwater or neighboring wells. Earlier this month, Kalamazoo County approved a plan to require local permits for wells that aren't used for drinking water.
Democrats in Lansing are at odds with Republican Governor Rick Snyder over the state's responsibility for migrant children separated from their parents by federal authorities. The Detroit News says five Democratic state lawmakers have asked Snyder to help reunite the children with their parents. But the governor's office says that's the responsibility of the Trump administration. Most of the 58 kids taken to Michigan were placed in foster care by Bethany Christian Services in Grand Rapids. Democrats say that means the state is responsible because it oversees the faith-based agency.
You can stay in touch with WMUK news on Facebook, Twitter,and by signing up for our eNewsletter.
