| March 8, 2022 
 Michigan drivers were taxed 64.1 cents per gallon of gasoline in January 2022, the sixth-highest gas tax in the nation. That includes a roughly 1-cent automatic increase to the state gas tax on Jan. 1, from 26.3 cents per gallon to 27.2 cents per gallon. The tax hadn’t changed since 2017, when it increased from 19 cents to 26.3 cents. The 64.1-cent gas tax in Michigan comes from a combination of the state’s gas tax, other Michigan taxes and fees and the federal gas tax. Michiganders can expect to see its gas tax go up every year because of the way the law is written. Starting in 2022, the law mandates the state gas tax to increase every Jan. 1 by either 5% or by the state’s inflation metric – the lesser of the two. SEE MORE ►First U.S. mile of wireless EV charging road coming to Motor City  Even if you haven’t studied political polarization, you’ve probably experienced it. You may feel it in the way every conversation with a certain family member turns to politics, or the evaluation of who is wearing a mask in the grocery store. And it’s not just you -- polarization is becoming a defining feature of the American political system. It’s become concerning even to politicians. Ahead of an already-amped election, MLive political reporters Malachi Barrett and Emily Lawler asked longtime observers and political academics and experts about why we’re ticking in such opposite directions. LISTEN HERE ►Americans don't trust each other. Democracy hangs in the balance.  Chris Welch cooked up his business, Aviator Cookie Co., as COVID-19 struck Michigan. While the past two years have been rocky for business owners adapting to restrictions, supply chain constraints and labor shortages, the pandemic also led to a boom in new businesses. Welch, who now splits his time between flying aircrafts and running the busy Midland cookie shop, is one of nearly 280,000 Michigan businesses that formed since March 2020. “I didn’t want to just sit around and wait to be laid off. I wanted to make something productive out of this pandemic,” Welch said. READ MORE ►51% of Michiganders struggling with bills as inflation swells, survey finds  The Michigan wrestling program’s Big Ten title drought is over. Graduate students Nick Suriano and Myles Amine each captured individual titles at 125 and 184 pounds, respectively, at the Big Ten Conference championship on Sunday to help the third-ranked Wolverines win their first conference title since 1973. Michigan edged top-ranked Penn State 143-141.5 to claim the crown. No. 2 Iowa placed third with 129.5 points. Congrats, Wolverines! READ MORE ►Reviewing the Godfather: Phil Martelli keeps hopes alive for Michigan men's basketball  Former Gov. Rick Snyder, the best-known potential witness in a civil case brought by four Flint children against two engineering companies that advised the city on its water system, doesn’t want to testify in the case. Attorneys for Snyder are asking a federal judge to quash a subpoena for him to testify during the bellwether trial and say he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if he is forced to appear in court. READ MORE ►Flint plant couldn't complete planned test run with river water, engineer tells jury MLive All Digital Access
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