Gretchen Whitmer

The State Transportation Commission has given the go-ahead to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to sell bonds to finance Michigan’s most urgently needed road repairs.  But, as we hear from Rick Pluta, she says bonding does not solve the entire problem.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’s ready to go-it-alone to come up with money to pay for road repairs.  That’s if Republicans won’t support her proposal for a fuel tax increase.  That was the message Whitmer delivered in her second State of the State speech last night.  We have more from Rick Pluta.

Republican leaders in the Legislature say they are ready to adopt a petition-initiated bill to place new restrictions on abortion.  Rick Pluta tells us Republicans are looking to press the limits of the Roe versus Wade decision.

Trust – or the lack of it – is holding up a deal to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts to rural hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and not-for-profit organizations.  A deal seemed close Thursday, but the state Senate Republican leader says he’s lost faith that Governor Gretchen Whitmer would hold up her end of any bargain.  And so, he wants a new state law to seal the deal.  We have more from Rick Pluta.

Some Republicans in the state House want to limit the governor’s ability to move money around within state budgets.  They passed a bill out of a state House committee Wednesday.  Cheyna Roth has more.

A state lawmaker says Michigan’s hate crime law is overdue for an update.  State Senator Adam Hollier says it’s time to add violence or threats based on sexual orientation or gender identification as a deterrent to hate crimes.  Rick Pluta reports.

Through the contentious and controversial process of passing a new state budget, there was a point when the Republican-led Legislature removed much of the money earmarked to address water issues in Michigan.  Most of the money made its way back in by the time Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the spending bills and rearranged departmental spending.  In this month’s "1st Friday Focus on the Environment," you’ll get reaction to the spending plans and a look at increasing bi-partisanship when it comes to protecting our waters.  89.1 WEMU’s David Fair talks it through with Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak and Tony Spaniola from the organization Need Our Water, Oscoda. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed 375 million dollars in one-time road funding.  As Cheyna Roth reports, the governor finished signing all 16 state budgets hours before the October 1st deadline.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign budget bills today and avert a partial shutdown of state government at midnight.  But, as we hear Rick Pluta, it’s not “game over” for the governor’s request for more money to fix roads. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has again called on Republican leaders to reconvene the Legislature to wrap up work on a new state budget and a plan to fix the roads.

The state Department of Transportation has just released a new five-year plan to maintain and fix Michigan’s roads.  We have more from Rick Pluta.

A state lawmaker says people with misdemeanor marijuana convictions should have their records cleared automatically now that Michigan has legalized it.  Rick Pluta reports.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer says Michigan has encouraged students to seek four-year college degrees at the expense of encouraging careers in skilled trades.  As Rick Pluta reports. the Whitmer administration says that’s cost the state’s economy, employers, and workers.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is urging the Legislature to return to Lansing to vote on the state budget and revenue to fix the roads.  GOP leaders say they won’t be pushed.  Rick Pluta was with the governor during a stop at a community college in Detroit.

Michigan schools will finalize their budgets today but without knowing how much money they’ll have to work with.  Cheyna Roth reports.

Anti-abortion groups will soon be on sidewalks and at events around the state, asking voters to support measures that would restrict abortion in Michigan.  There are two groups trying to get enough signatures for their ballot initiatives.

Cheyna Roth breaks down the measures and how Michigan could effectively outlaw abortion in the near future.

The National Transportation Safety Board blames human error and equipment failures for an anchor strike that dented the Line Five pipelines.  Attorney General Dana Nessel says the report is evidence the twin pipelines needs to be removed from the Great Lakes. 

New measures would ban abortions after a doctor detects a fetus’s heartbeat.  Michigan Public Radio’s Cheyna Roth reports bills were introduced Wednesday in the state Senate.

The annual Detroit Regional Chamber Policy Conference is underway on Mackinac Island.  It attracts the state’s political and business leaders.  This year is the first time Democrat Gretchen Whitmer has attended the event as Governor.  On the Grand Hotel porch, Whitmer signed bipartisan legislation to roll back auto insurance rates in exchange for capping medical coverage.  Michigan Public Radio Network’s Rick Pluta sat down with the Governor.

The state House Transportation Committee meets today to continue hearings on fixing roads. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to fix the state’s roads in a single budget is getting pushback.  The head of the Republicans in the Senate has his own ideas for how to handle a new roads policy.

In her first few months in office, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has made infrastructure and clean water among her top priorities.  Whitmer outlines her environmental strategy and budget with 89.1 WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak. 

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has released a new report regarding how climate change may affect the health of Michiganders.  Juanita Constible, Senior Advocate for the NRDC's Climate and Health, Climate & Clean Energy Program, presents details on this report with WEMU's David Fair in this week's "Issues of the Environment."

Michigan will move on its own to establish state drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals.  That order came yesterday from Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

A federal judge says a computer program that’s supposed to help ensure Michigan kids in foster care are safe is a failure.  Governor Whitmer says it will be fixed or replaced.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to stop using school aid fund dollars for higher education could hit a roadblock.

Gretchen Whitmer is only the second female governor in Michigan history, and, as the mother of two daughters, knows the importance of strong female leaders.

She spoke to 89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry about improving history for women during this month dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women in history and contemporary society.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is set to release her first budget proposal next week.  Through her campaign and into the first months of her administration, improving the environment has been at the fore.  In this month’s edition of "1st Friday," State Senator Jeff Irwin joins WEMU’s David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director Lisa Wozniak to see what has been done, what is being proposed, and where we can go from here.

Michigan could become a completely hands-free driving state.  A new bill in the state House comes after Governor Gretchen Whitmer made distracted driving a priority during her State of the State address.

During her State of the State address, Governor Gretchen Whitmer presented proposals regarding better education, infrastructure, clean water, and equal rights for the LGBTQ community. 52nd District State Representative Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Township)  shared her impressions today with WEMU's David Fair.