Free Republic

Right-to-work legislation has been introduced in Indiana and may actually win Gov. Mitch Daniels’ signature by the time Super Bowl Sunday arrives on Feb. 5. The Great Lake State may need to follow suit to compete economically. Before it does, however, the people of Michigan should note that one city — Bay City —leapt headlong into the labor fray Monday night. Its city commission voted to amend the city’s prevailing wage ordinance to exempt contracts under $100,000 in value. The previous threshold was only $10,000. It also — quite significantly — eliminates the prevailing wage mandate when Bay City shares...

State regulators on Wednesday proposed emergency rules to keep more people from losing electricity or heat in the winter and to ban the use of power-limiting devices, weeks after a 93-year-old man froze to death in a home with a similar gadget.

Democrats sue to allow provisional ballots cast in wrong precinct 9/28/2004, 5:20 p.m. ET By AMY F. BAILEY The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democrats in Michigan sued the state's highest-ranking election official on Tuesday, arguing that voters who show up at the wrong polling place on Nov. 2 but are in the right city, village or township can cast a provisional ballot. The state party and the Bay City Democratic Party filed a federal lawsuit in Bay City against Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, a Republican. They say she is refusing to count provisional ballots of voters...

Bush, Kerry focus on values in scramble for voters By RON FOURNIER The Associated Press 7/13/2004, 5:42 p.m. ET SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — President Bush and John Kerry are trying to define and dominate the debate on gay marriage, abortion, gun rights and other values in a more virtuous-than-thou scramble for voters like blue-collar Democrat Carolyn Brooks. The 61-year-old clerk opposes abortion, even to save a woman's life, and gay marriage, even if it requires amending the Constitution. But there's a value she places above all others: Honesty. "And Bush, with his war on Iraq, has failed on that note,"...

Marlinga Indicted Macomb prosecutor accused of trading favors for donations; feds charge state Sen. Barcia with campaign violations By Tony Manolatos and David Shepardson / The Detroit News Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga was indicted Thursday on charges that he traded legal favors for campaign contributions. State Sen. James Barcia, D-Bay City, and Warren Realtor Ralph Roberts also were named in the federal indictment that rattles the Democratic Party and suggests justice was for sale in Michigan’s third-largest county. “This case represents part of our efforts to uphold the public’s trust in their elected officials,” said U.S Attorney Jeffrey G....

Editor moves political signFriday, July 26, 2002THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BAY CITY -- An editor at The Bay City Times returned to work Thursday after her husband agreed to remove a banner from their yard advertising his candidacy for county commissioner. Jalene Jameson, assistant metro editor for features at The Times, went on unpaid leave July 18 after the paper's editor told her she could not work there while a campaign sign was posted in her yard. The Times prohibits its journalists from political activity, including running for office, working on campaigns, making political donations or displaying campaign bumper stickers or...