Morning Briefing

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023

In today's newsletter, conservatives are placing the blame for the MSU shooting on a former prosecutor, there could be negative impacts of Michigan's earlier presidential primary date and Michigan counties are on the hook to up their recycling game.

February is my major month for dreaming of adventures.

Who am I kidding, I'm always envisioning my next exciting escapade. But, even though we have had a mild February, this is the month that really sparks a need for vacation planning. Words like "ice storm" and "dangerous driving conditions" make me escape into my fantasies of beaches and sunshine.

Not every adventure needs summer weather, though. I've had fun in the U.P. during February. Heck, I've never not had fun when in the U.P. And if you are looking for that kind of fun, perhaps you should head to the Porcupine Mountains Winter Festival. It takes place this Saturday and includes cardboard sled races, ski lessons, fireworks and more.

Or if you are still thinking about those summer months, snag a spot on the S.S. Badger, which is now booking for 2023 trips across Lake Michigan. It certainly sounds like a great way to take a weekend trip to Wisconsin.

Curated by Jessica Shepherd

Post-it notes with positive messages are stuck to a wall at Michigan State University

Have you seen the view of the Mighty Mac from Straits State Park? (Photo by Joel Bissell | MLive.com)

At 6 cents per mile, could toll roads be Michigan's road-fixing solution?

Are toll roads a possibility? The MI Statewide Tolling Study, a statewide analysis looked at the potential creation of a new, electronic tolling system that would encompass about 1,156 miles of Michigan roads. The plan is to use the generated revenue as a way to fund state road repairs in the future.

Where would these toll roads be?The tolling system stretches along 14 roadways and would cost drivers 6-6.5 cents per mile. Examples of the roadways include I-96 from Muskegon County into Lansing, up 1-75 near Flint going towards Saginaw and I-94 near the Michigan/Indiana border by New Buffalo all the way to metro-Detroit. Read more here.

Speaking of infrastructure: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is pushing utility companies to be more transparent with their lobbying efforts.

Read more

In the wake of the MSU shooting, conservatives place blame with a liberal prosecutor.

An editorial last week in the New York Post: The headline read, "MSU shooter Anthony McRae was armed thanks to Soros-aligned, far left prosecutor." While getting some of the factual details wrong, it claimed Ingham County's former prosecutor, in a push to reduce racial inequities, allowed McRae to plead guilty to a misdemeanor rather than a felony after an officer found him carrying a concealed handgun in 2019.

Now it's become a conservative talking point: But other prosecutors and legal experts say plea deals like the one offered to McRae are not at all unusual, particularly for someone who’d had no prior run-ins with the law apart from traffic tickets.

Update on student shot twice at MSU: Family of a student seriously injured in the Michigan State University shooting says she is slowly improving and now able to move with a walker.

Read more

College students and Republicans could see negative impacts of Michigan's new primary date.

Change isn't good for everyone: Michigan will have an earlier presidential primary next year. But while Democrats will gain more influence by voting Feb. 27, the move has side effects for two major groups: Students and Republicans.

What is the problem for those groups? Many Michigan college students are scheduled to be on spring break for the presidential primary voting date. And for Republicans, the party has said they will penalize states that go against the pre-approved primary lineup. That means Michigan faces having fewer delegates at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

While we are talking about college students: University of Michigan students living off campus and employees working outside of clinical settings no longer have to report COVID-19 vaccination status.

Read more

Michigan suspends a marijuana processor, warning products were made with illicit THC oil.

The CRA plans to revoke the company’s licenses: The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency on Tuesday suspended TAS Asset Holdings, a marijuana processing business in Lansing that’s accused of using illicit marijuana in products it manufactured.

What consumers should know: The CRA also issued a bulletin warning consumers that TAS Asset Holdings’ manufactured Fwaygo Extracts brand Space Rocks, which is marijuana flower coated with THC isolate to increase potency, were made using illicit isolate, meaning it wasn’t licensed, tested product and may be harmful.

ICYMI: Earlier this month, Michigan regulators indefinitely shut down a Shiawassee County marijuana processing business accused of possessing untagged cannabis products.

Read more

Michigan counties are on the hook for boosting recycling rates by 50% by 2029.

The ramp-up is about to start: Every county in Michigan must develop a plan to ramp up recycling rates, and the process begins next month. Michigan’s new materials management laws take effect March 29 and regulators were meant to call for county plans 180 days later. Officials now say that’s not expected to happen until early next year.

Changes approved last year: State lawmakers last year approved an 8-bill package to overhaul Michigan’s solid waste law to bolster recycling rates and better support companies that depend on recyclable materials. The changes are intended to divert more recyclable material from landfills.

Speaking of the legislature: State lawmakers are making another push to to ban natural hair discrimination in the workplace, school, businesses and beyond in Michigan.

Read more

That's all for now.

But as we all know, the news never stops.

You can always get the latest updates at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming an MLive subscriber.

Be careful out there with the inclement weather today!

— Jessica Shepherd

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