Michigan

When the city of East Lansing excluded someone from a farmer’s market because of his religious beliefs, they violated his right to free speech and freedom of religion. The exclusion of Country Mill Farms owner Stephen Tennes from the farmers market because he refused to play host to same-sex wedding ceremonies at his farm, detailed in a 2017 lawsuit, will cost East Lansing $825,000 in damages and attorney fees.

Authorities have charged a man with the murder of Detroit synagogue President Samantha Woll, who was found stabbed to death on Oct. 21 outside of her home. Detroit man Michael Jackson-Bolanos was charged with Woll's murder, along with counts of lying to the police and home invasion, the Associated Press reported. Detroit police announced they had arrested a person of interest in the case earlier this week, though it remains unclear whether Brown was that individual.

A Michigan-based energy group says recent layoffs and leadership changes don’t change plans to build a $1.6B battery factory in Van Buren Township called ONE Circle. Michigan taxpayers bet $200 million on Our Next Energy Inc., a technology company that laid off 25% of its staff amid leadership changes.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order to transition the state's fleet to zero-emission vehicles by 2040. Whitmer says the move will reduce air pollution, help boost demand for Michigan-made electric vehicles and lower fuel and maintenance costs.

Ford Pro, the commercial division within Ford Motor Co., and Xcel Energy, a clean energy company, will deploy 30,000 electric vehicle charging ports in Xcel Energy service territories nationwide by 2030. Ford Pro and Xcel Energy are launching the 30x30 initiative within Xcel Energy’s broader Electric Vehicle Supply Infrastructure program to scale EV adoption and increase access to charging infrastructure.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a commitment that the state will have 100% of electricity generation coming from carbon dioxide-free sources by 2040. The Clean Energy and Jobs Act, according to NBC News, contains bills to increase energy efficiency and expedite the permitting process for wind and solar projects, in addition to mandating 100% greenhouse gas-free electricity generation by 2040.

Nine Michiganders face chargers of unemployment insurance fraud and operating as unlicensed builders in a sweep that involved the attorney general’s office, along with several local agencies. The Michigan Department of the Attorney General, alongside the Detroit Police Department and other law enforcement agencies arrested nine on charges of operating as unlicensed builders and unemployment insurance fraud.

Is the Line 5 pipeline an essential source of energy or is it an environmental hazard? Since 2019, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel have sought to shut down Line 5, which has been pumping about 540,000 gallons of hydrocarbons daily across the lakebed of Lake Michigan since 1953. Whitmer and Nessel say they fear a spill similar to the 2010 oil spill near the Kalamazoo River – the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Reproductive Health Act into law. The bills include Senate Bills 474, 476, and 477, and House Bills 4951, 4953, 4954, 4955, and 4956.

After 34 days, strikes have ended at two of three Detroit casinos after union members at Hollywood Casino and Motor City voted to ratify five-year contracts. The strike continues at MGM Grand Casino where members rejected a tentative agreement.

University of Michigan police arrested 40 people on campus Friday after breaking up a pro-Palestinian protest of hundreds, some of whom had forced their way into an administrative building. “At least 200 people gathered Friday, calling for the university to divest from Israel,” Michigan Live reported Saturday. “Around 4 p.m., the demonstrators moved from the central campus Diag area to the Ruthven Administration Building.”

United Auto Workers members have voted to ratify a tentative agreement with Ford Motor Company, marking the possible end of the first simultaneous UAW strike against the Big Three.

The Detroit Casino Council has reached a tentative agreement for a new five-year contract with MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown after a 32-day strike. The unions will continue to strike until the members ratify the proposed settlement.

Michigan has reimbursed $119,000 worth of food stamps reported stolen from March through August 2023. The food stamp program is a federal program operated by state health departments serving as a social safety net. Criminals steal food stamps via credit card skimmers, compromised logins and stolen identities sold on the dark web.

Former President Donald Trump's campaign is celebrating the dismissal of a litany of cases in Michigan challenging his eligibility to run for president again. Trump has struggled to fend off challenges to his appearing on the ballot in multiple states. The litany of challenges have largely asserted that he was ineligible to hold public office under the 14th Amendment for having led an "insurrection" against the nation in the form of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Riot. He recently notched a win at the Minnesota Supreme Court allowing him to appear on the GOP primary ballot.