KALAMAZOO - Exploring the feasibility of establishing a higher education center as part of the Arcadia Commons West initiative is under way, according to a statement of intent issued Friday by the presidents of Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. President Marilyn Schlack of KVCC, President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran of Kalamazoo College,
LANSING - Majority Senate Republicans are offering a proposed compromise that would resolve the current year 2009-10 budget deficit as well as the budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year that begins October 1 using a variety of measures to lessen cuts that previously passed the Senate for 2010-11. The proposal, provided to Gongwer News Service,
LANSING - A House Democratic proposal to sell part of the state's future tobacco settlement revenues to reap immediate funds that could close the current year budget deficit of about $300 million in the general fund was rejected Thursday by Senate Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) said the concept is fiscally irresponsible. "Probably
LANSING - There were again fewer telephone lines in Michigan and competitors to the incumbent phone companies controlled a larger percentage of those lines, according to the annual competition report from the Public Service Commission. The 10th annual report showed there were 3.9 million telephone lines in the state in 2009, down from 4.19 million
LANSING - Rep. Robert Dean's chief of staff has resigned after a newspaper exposed Noah Seifullah gloating about making a profit off the state through a film credit deal for a studio near Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids Press reported on Seifullah's comments, which were made at a conference in Chicago, in which he said
LANSING - Securitizing the state's tobacco settlement money for a third time was an option proposed during a Wednesday legislative Quadrant meeting on how to solve the current year deficit in the general fund, Gongwer News Service learned. A House source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed securitization of the state's remaining tobacco settlement money
LANSING - A third consecutive poll shows Republican business executive Rick Snyder running the best among potential GOP gubernatorial candidates against either of the possible Democratic nominees. The survey from Rasmussen Reports had Snyder leading House Speaker Andy Dillon, 41 percent to 33 percent and beating Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, 42 percent to 30 percent.
SAN FRANCICSCO - Mozilla released a new Firefox 4 prototype late Monday that builds in support for Google's WebM video technology and several other changes planned for the open-source Web browser's next major version. With WebM, Google hopes to liberate Web video from patent-related royalty constraints of today's prevailing video compression technology, H.264. Mozilla and
LANSING - Five members of the Michigan Education Association have filed a lawsuit against the state that accuses the Legislature and Gov. Jennifer Granholm of violating several laws when they enacted the public school employee retirement legislation. The lawsuit challenges the legality of the law's requirement that public school employees who do not take advantage
LANSING - It is turning into an "upward climb" to get the Legislature to move on a proposal to encourage state workers to retire, Gov. Jennifer Granholm told reporters Tuesday, but winning approval of that proposal is preferable to cutting funding to schools. Granholm rejected allegations from some Democratic House members that the proposal, which