Michigan lawmakers will try again to reform the state’s auto insurance system. A new president is named for Kalamazoo’s Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. WMU men’s basketball comes up short against nationally ranked Buffalo.
(MPRN) Republican lawmakers in the state House and Senate say lowering the cost of auto insurance across the state is a top priority for the 100th Legislature. How to change Michigan’s auto no fault insurance law is an issue lawmakers have been trying to crack for years. In the House, Republican Representative Jason Wentworth will chair a special committee devoted to the issue. The Senate’s first bill introduction on Tuesday was an intent bill aimed at lowering car insurance rates. Details will be filled in while it’s considered in a Senate committee. Michigan requires unlimited lifetime benefits. Some say the way to lower costs is to get rid of that mandate. Others say keep those benefits but stop insurance companies from considering things like gender and zip code when deciding a person’s rate.
(MPRN) Leaders from both sides of the aisle in the state Legislature are scheduled to meet with Governor Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday. This will be the first of so-called “Quadrant Meetings” where the Speaker of the House, House Democratic Leader, Senate Majority Leader and Senate Democratic Leader get together with the governor. Whitmer says she wants to hold these meetings regularly to work with the Legislature in a bipartisan way to get things done.
(MPRN) There’s a new attorney in charge of the criminal cases surrounding the Flint water crisis. Fadwa Hammoud was appointed Tuesday as Michigan’s new Solicitor General. Within hours of that announcement, the Attorney General’s office said Hammoud would also be taking on the role of lead attorney in the Flint water crisis criminal cases. The investigation into the administration of former Governor Rick Snyder was started by former Attorney General Bill Schuette. He had appointed Todd Flood as a “special prosecutor” – he’ll stay on and report to Hammoud. Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement that these cases have gone on for too long and it’s time for a resolution and justice for Flint residents.
As associate commissioner with the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be the next president of the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo. The economic research organization announced Tuesday that Michael Horrigan will succeed Randall Eberts, who has been Upjohn Institute President for the last 25 years. Eberts will remain as a senior researcher with the think tank. Horrigan begins his duties as president of the institute on March 4th.
(Michigan Radio) Dozens of closed medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan may reopen soon. More than half of the state’s dispensaries closed January 1st over licensing issues. That’s created a medical marijuana shortage in Michigan. State regulators plan to ask the state Medical Marihuana Licensing Board Wednesday to adopt a resolution to allow dozens of dispensaries to reopen while their licenses are processed.
(WDET) A group of protesters rallied in Detroit Tuesday to oppose the partial federal government shutdown and draw attention to programs that could be affected. Nicole Breadon, an organizer with the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network, says she wants the government to reopen so it can secure long-term funding for domestic abuse victims under the “Violence Against Women Act.” Breadon says survivors of domestic abuse in Michigan received about 12 million dollars last year. She says Violence Against Women Act funding will run out by the end of February if the government shutdown continues.
(WKAR) The nation's first elected African American governor will speak in Lansing next week. Former Virginia governor Douglas Wilder will be the keynote speaker at a Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day event. Wilder says movements like Black Lives Matter wouldn’t be necessary if advocacy groups and elected officials were doing their jobs. Wilder will speak at the Lansing Center on Monday.
In men’s basketball, Western Michigan lost to 16th ranked Buffalo Tuesday night 88-79. Josh Davis scored 24 points to lead the Broncos. The Bulls have only lost once all season and have won all four of their Mid-American Conference games. Western will play at Bowling Green on Saturday.