mikebrennan

About Mike Brennan

Founder of Michigan News Network, and serves as CEO, as well as Editor & Publisher of MITECHNEWS.COM. Brennan has worked since 1980 as a technology writer at newspapers in New York, NY, San Jose, CA., Seattle, WA., Memphis, TN., Detroit, MI., and London, England. He co-founded and served as managing editor of Pacific Rim News Service (SEATTLE), which developed a network of more than 100 freelance journalists in 17 Asia-Pacific countries.

Michigan Economy Shows Signs of Stabilizing, but Iran War and Oil Prices Could Test Recovery Slug

New Grand Valley State University survey shows improving manufacturing activity in West Michigan as economists warn global tensions could quickly reshape the outlook. GRAND RAPIDS — Michigan’s manufacturing economy may be showing early signs of stabilization after several months of uncertainty, according to new data from Grand Valley State University, but economists say global risks

By |2026-03-10T18:04:41-04:00March 10th, 2026|Featured, News|

Dodge Charger Review, Gas Price Impact On Auto Industry

ANN ARBOR - Long-time auto reporter Paul Eisenstein discusses his recent trip to the east coast where he tests drove several versions of the Dodge Charger - a muscle car - in the snow. He also talks about recent Ford Motor Company recalls that primarily involve technology glitches. Plus he discussed with host Mike Brennan

By |2026-03-10T10:45:03-04:00March 10th, 2026|Auto Tech, mitechtv|

Michigan Cannabis Sales Sink Toward Two-Year Low as 24% Tax Rocks $3B Industry

LANSING - Michigan’s legal cannabis market may have just posted its worst monthly sales performance in more than two years — a decline many industry operators say is tied to the state’s controversial new 24 percent wholesale marijuana tax. Preliminary industry data from cannabis analytics firm Headset.io projects Michigan cannabis sales dropped to about $206.18

By |2026-03-09T19:29:48-04:00March 9th, 2026|Featured, Marijuana Business, News|

AI Data Centers Could Drive Up Michigan Electricity Bills as Power Demand Surges

ANN ARBOR - Michigan is emerging as a potential hub for the next wave of artificial intelligence data centers, but the rapid growth of these massive computing facilities is raising a new question for policymakers and utilities: Who will pay for the electricity? Large cloud and AI data centers require enormous amounts of power —

By |2026-03-09T10:00:35-04:00March 9th, 2026|Featured, News|

Scientists Warn Carbon Emissions Now Double Earth’s Safe Limit — What It Means for Michigan Industry

DETROIT - A new scientific analysis warns that humanity’s carbon emissions have already pushed far beyond what researchers consider a safe operating limit for the planet—raising new questions about the economic and industrial transition now underway in Michigan and across the Midwest. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change and highlighted by Phys.org,

By |2026-03-07T10:56:00-05:00March 7th, 2026|Clean Update, Life Sciences, Life Sciences/Biotech|

Gas Could Surge to $5 a Gallon if Iran War Expands, Threatening Global Oil Supply

DETROIT - Oil prices are climbing and analysts warn a wider Iran war could trigger another global energy shock similar to the 2022 crisis. Michigan gasoline prices are already rising as global oil markets react to the expanding conflict involving Iran and growing fears that fighting in the Middle East could disrupt one of the

By |2026-03-07T09:26:50-05:00March 7th, 2026|Featured, News|

Ohio AG Accuses Cannabis Giants of Cartel Behavior — Could It Impact Michigan’s $3B Market?

COLUMBUS - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit accusing nine of the nation’s largest cannabis companies of operating a coordinated “cartel” designed to control market access and suppress competition. The lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, alleges the companies violated Ohio’s Valentine Act — the state’s primary antitrust

By |2026-03-06T09:35:15-05:00March 6th, 2026|Marijuana Business, News|

The Sales Tax Rate on Your Invoice Isn’t Always the One You Think It Is

Most business owners know their state's sales tax rate. Fewer know the combined rate that actually applies at the point of sale once county and municipal taxes are factored in. That gap — between the state rate a seller has memorised and the total rate a transaction legally requires — is where local option sales

By |2026-03-05T16:05:30-05:00March 5th, 2026|Guest Columns|

Michigan’s 24% Cannabis Tax Faces Repeal Push and Industry Lawsuit

LANSING - Michigan’s controversial 24 percent wholesale cannabis tax is facing challenges on two fronts — in the Legislature and in the courts — as lawmakers move to repeal the levy just months after it took effect. A bipartisan group of Michigan legislators has introduced bills that would eliminate the wholesale tax, arguing the measure

By |2026-03-05T13:31:41-05:00March 5th, 2026|Marijuana Business, News|

Michigan Job Cuts Surge to Nearly 20,000 — Auto Transition, Tariffs and AI Reshaping Workforce

LANSING — Michigan recorded nearly 20,000 job cuts in January, one of the highest totals in the United States, raising new questions about how economic shifts in the automotive and manufacturing sectors could reshape the state’s workforce. According to a new national layoffs report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Michigan employers announced 19,714

By |2026-03-04T17:10:59-05:00March 4th, 2026|Auto Tech, Featured, News|