Politics

After months of waiting, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is setting a timeline to fill Michigan’s vacant 35th state Senate District seat.

Grocery stores accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in 12 states will soon have to accommodate new exclusions to the program. Industry advocates say the changes will be expensive, especially for smaller retailers.

Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet is pushing for federal funding to upgrade Buena Vista Township’s aging wastewater treatment plant, which still runs on a floppy disk system. Local officials said the outdated facility poses growing risks to public health and the environment.

Michigan’s 35th state Senate seat has been vacant since January. Candidates from both parties have entered the race, though a special election date has not yet been set.

The money was slotted for stream restoration and farmland preservation across the region.

Democrat Brandell Adams joins the race for Michigan’s vacant 35th state Senate district seat, which represents Bay City, Midland and Saginaw. Pressure has been mounting on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to call a special election. The seat, unfilled since January, could shift the balance of power in the state Senate.

New research identified rural hospitals across the United States that are at risk of closing due to the Medicaid cuts, and McLaren Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant is one of them.

U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) spoke out against a proposed $900 billion cut to Medicaid, warning it could displace seniors, close rural hospitals and burdened local governments.

Around 2,000 protesters marched from Grove Park to the Central Park Bandshell in Midland Saturday as part of the national “No Kings” movement, a coordinated, peaceful protest day calling for the rejection of authoritarianism and political corruption.

Mid-Michigan cities are joining a nationwide protest movement on June 14 known as “No Kings.” Organizers say the demonstrations, planned in more than 1,500 locations, are a response to authoritarianism. The events coincide with Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s birthday.