Governor Gretchen Whitmer issues her first directive requiring state employees to report threats to public health and safety. The new governor also seeks a legal opinion on legislation related to Enbridge’s Line 5. Jury selection begins in the trial of accused Kalamazoo shooter Jason Dalton.
(MPRN) Governor Whitmer has issued her first executive directive as Michigan’s governor. It requires state department employees to report threats to public health, safety or welfare up the chain of command. And it requires those threats to be investigated. Whitmer signed the directive while flanked by employees of the Department of Environmental Quality. That’s a department that has faced reports of low morale and that came under the microscope in the wake of the Flint water crisis. But Whitmer says her directive is not about just one department. The governor says requiring people to report potential threats up the chain of command will encourage and empower state employees to speak up.
(MPRN) Attorney General Dana Nessel has accepted her first request for a legal opinion. Governor Whitmer asked Nessel to explore the constitutionality of a law passed during the last lame duck session. The law would allow for the construction of a tunnel that would house a new section of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. That pipeline carries crude oil and natural gas liquids under the Straits of Mackinac. Incoming Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield helped craft the final version of the law. He says the legislation is constitutional.
(Michigan Radio) Michigan’s new Attorney General could be making changes to the Flint water crisis criminal investigation. A spokeswoman for Dana Nessel says the new Attorney General expects to make an announcement in the “next several days.” During last year’s political campaign Nessel was critical of the way the investigation has been handled.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) Jury selection has begun in the trial of Jason Dalton. He's the former Uber driver accused of shooting six people to death in Kalamazoo County in 2016 and severely injuring two others. Kalamazoo County Circuit Court officials say they've set aside three days for the jury selection process. The trial is scheduled to begin on Monday. Reporters won't be allowed to cover the jury selection process until Friday because of limited space. On that day, potential jurors will face questions by the prosecution and the defense.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) The only medical marijuana dispensary in Portage has closed. The Kalamazoo Gazette says Lake Effect had to shutdown Tuesday because it still doesn't have a state license. December 31st was the deadline for medical marijuana businesses to either get a license or close after a judge rejected a lawsuit over the issue. Lake Effect's owner says he hopes to re-open as soon as he can get a license. There is also a medical marijuana dispensary in Kalamazoo.
(WDET) The new top Democrat in the state House says she wants to re-think the way Michigan funds public schools. New state House Minority Leader Christine Greig says the state has repeatedly undercut public education by raiding Michigan’s School Aid Fund to pay for other budget items. She wants to end that practice. Democrats gained seats in the state House and Senate in the midterm elections. But Republicans still hold majorities in both chambers.
(Interlochen Public Radio) In the midst of the government shutdown communities are coming together to support federal employees. People in Northern Michigan are donating goods to U.S. Coast Guard workers. Coast Guard workers got paid on Monday, but they’re not sure when they’ll get their next paycheck. Daniel Summers, who works for Bayside Market in Traverse City, says people have given thousands of dollars and donated deli meats and produce for the Coast Guard families. The U.S. Coast Guard says it is investigating whether employees can receive the donations without violating federal ethics laws.