BY ANNA LIZ NICHOLS, MICHIGAN ADVANCE MICHIGAN—When Debbie Stabenow was serving in the Michigan House in 1980, she did something that had never been done by another legislator in the state: She gave birth during her term. “I wasn’t trying to be the first person to do that. I just wanted to live my life as well as be in public service, and so yeah, that’s what happened,” Stabenow told the Advance in an interview this week. The Lansing Democrat went on to become the state’s first—and only—female US senator, having first won the seat in 2000. At least 27 men currently serving in the Michigan Legi ..read more

BY JON KING, MICHIGAN ADVANCE MICHIGAN—Voters in an Upper Peninsula community have successfully recalled three county commissioners, setting the stage for a change in direction. While most of the media attention has been focused on Tuesday’s recall of Ottawa County Commissioner Lucy Ebel, a member of the right-wing Ottawa Impact organization, that same night voters in Delta County also went to the polls and recalled three of five county commissioners for their votes in February 2023 to fire County Administrator Emily DeSalvo. DeSalvo, who had served as the county’s administrator since 2019, wa ..read more

LANSING—Michigan’s attorney general announced charges Wednesday against a former township clerk and a lawyer who had supported attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, alleging they accessed voting systems without authorization in a search of fraud. Former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott, a Republican, and her attorney, Stefanie Lambert, were charged with multiple felonies, including unauthorized access to a computer and using a computer to commit a crime. “When elected officials and their proxies use their positions to promote baseless conspiracies, show blatan ..read more

BY JON KING, MICHIGAN ADVANCE MICHIGAN—A crack in the Ottawa Impact facade became a hole in the dike Tuesday, as a prominent member of the right-wing evangelical coalition was defeated at the polls. Incumbent Ottawa County Commissioner Lucy Ebel, a Republican, was defeated on Tuesday by Democrat Chris Kleinjans in a recall election in the West Michigan county. Unofficial results show Kleinjans winning by a 20-point margin, 2,502 to 1,665. Voter turnout was 20%, according to the website of the Elections Division of the Ottawa County Clerk. “I am grateful and humbled that the hardworking people ..read more

A package of more than 100 bipartisan bills announced by US Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) is designed to help boost federal support for farmers and rural communities.  MICHIGAN—A massive package of federal legislation making its way through Congress aims to put the US Farm Bill on the fast track to being signed before the end of the year—and keep farmers farming, families fed, and rural communities strong, lawmakers announced this month.  US Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, last week unveiled the “Rural Pr ..read more

As she runs to become Michigan’s next Senator, Elissa Slotkin wants voters to know that Republicans are still very much targeting the programs they rely on for healthcare and retirement security. The Affordable Care Act is personal to Elissa Slotkin. Slotkin, a three-term congresswoman and native of Holly, Michigan, whose family created the iconic Ball Park Franks, said that the Republican Party’s years-long crusade against the law is what inspired her own decision to run for the House of Representatives in 2018. “It was personal to me,” she said of Trump’s efforts to kill the Affordable Care ..read more

People buying new or used electric vehicles are saving thousands of dollars through President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act this year—and helping Michigan retain its throne as the automotive manufacturing capital of the world. MICHIGAN—A new US Treasury report shows drivers who switch from gas to electric vehicles are scoring millions of dollars in instant savings at the dealership this year through federal tax incentives that were made available through President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. And as the state of Michigan lures in dozens of big-name manufacturing projects tied to ..read more

Michiganders may think their reproductive rights are safe, but Trump and Republicans are already plotting their next steps to take away access in every state, Slotkin warns. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has a warning for Michiganders. The guarantee for abortion and other reproductive freedom that they enshrined in the state constitution won’t protect them from a Trump presidency that aims to end access to abortion, IVF, and even birth control nationally. “What people don’t understand is that overturning Roe v. Wade was the 50-year goal of the Republican side, but that’s what they were doing through the ..read more

Michiganders will soon decide who serves on the highest court in the state—and those two justices will have a hand in making some important decisions for the people of Michigan.  MICHIGAN—Two seats on the state Supreme Court are up for grabs in this year’s elections, providing Michiganders a chance to decide the makeup of the most powerful court in the state—as well as who has the final say on some of the most important legal issues in Michigan. Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, who was appointed to the bench in 2022 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is running to finish the remainder of former Chief J ..read more

BY KEN COLEMAN, MICHIGAN ADVANCE MICHIGAN—Chanting “Clean water is what we demand,” “Water is a right” and “No justice, no peace,” dozens of people marched to Flint City Hall on Thursday to demand “justice and accountability” as the Flint water crisis turns 10 years old. “This march is not just about remembering the past; it’s about shaping our future,” said Claire McClinton of Flint. “We must stand together to ensure that no community ever suffers the same fate as Flint.” Residents, activists and researchers have described the Flint water crisis as one of the most egregious cases of environme ..read more