SW Michigan

PORTAGE, MI -- Joanne Willson, a trustee on the Portage Public Schools Board of Education, says she is concerned that the public interviews for Greg Gray, the sole finalist for Portage superintendent, have limited opportunity for public input. Gray is scheduled for a public interview at 6:30 p.m.

Michigan's unemployment rate took a healthy drop in March to 8.5%, down three-tenths of a percentage point as the state's labor force expanded slightly. More new workers were recorded than unemployed people, meaning the drop was due to actual gains in employment, not simply discouraged workers leaving the workforce, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

Steve Skalka, assistant superintendent for human resources in Lakeview School District and a former Lakeview High School principal, is one of two finalists for the top job in East China

Two MMR paramedics and an office staff member were transported to a Saginaw hospital after a suspicious letter was reported at U.S. Senator Carl Levin's Saginaw office.

The residents of Saugatuck and Douglas will vote on whether the two cities should consolidate. The State Boundary Commission today approved the referendum request, according to a Consolidated Government Committee press release. The group supports merging the two cities. The petitions now go to the head of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for final OK.