Polls are open until 8:00 Tuesday night for elections in Southwest Michigan. Parchment begins process to become a long-term city of Kalamazoo water customer. Another monthly report shows growth, but also warning signs for west Michigan’s economy.
The Midterm election is Tuesday. Voters in Michigan are electing a new Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State. There is also a race for U.S. Senate. The entire U.S. House, state House and state Senate are up for election. Polls are open until 8:00. WMUK will bring you Election Night coverage from NPR beginning at 8:00 Tuesday night. You can also find continuing coverage on our webpage.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) The city of Parchment will begin negotiations to become a regular customer of the city of Kalamazoo’s water system. Kalamazoo started providing drinking water to Parchment this summer after high levels of PFASes were found in Parchment’s water system. The two cities are operating under a one year agreement. The Kalamazoo Gazette says the Parchment City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to begin negotiations with the city of Kalamazoo to become a retail water customer.
A new report says the economy in west Michigan was strong last month. But Grand Valley State University economist Brian Long says there are some warning signs on the horizon. Long surveys area business managers for the Institute of Supply Management. He says production by area companies continued to rise last month. And Long says tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on China and other countries haven't had much effect - so far. But Long says uncertainty over trade talks, a tight labor supply, and a slowing global economy will limit future growth.
(WCMU) Michigan is launching a new program aimed at increasing the number of parents who receive child support. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday that it has received a $170,000 federal grant for a digital marketing campaign aimed at reaching out to custodial parents who don’t receive child support. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Bob Wheaton says the program is also intended to monitor the effectiveness of a digital campaign on increasing child support payments across the state.
(WDET) The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has partnered with Lincoln Motor Company to provide sounds for a new vehicle. The 2019 Lincoln Aviator will come equipped with sounds recorded by DSO musicians. Orchestra Vice President and General Manager Erik Rönmark says the two-year collaborative process was recorded on Orchestra Hall’s stage. The 2019 Lincoln Aviator will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month.
(WKAR) With so much at stake when we go to the polls Tuesday, many of us may not have thought twice about why we vote on the month and day we do. Bob Myers is with the Historical Society of Michigan. He says in the 1800’s most people were farmers. They rested on Sunday, and sold their goods on Wednesday. So, to allot allotted for horse and buggy travel time, voting on Tuesday made the most sense. Myers adds that November was chosen because it was after harvest season and before winter kicked in. In 1845, Congress mandated all states hold their elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.