April 28, 2017

By LAINA STEBBINS

Capital News Service

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LANSING — For the 18 criminal justice revamp bills signed by Gov. Rick Snyder last month, the next step is making the changes necessary throughout Michigan’s criminal justice system to spur them into action.

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The updates to the state’s criminal justice system as a whole are meant to signal an emphasis on prisoner rehabilitation, as well as reducing recidivism and streamlining the system. This mostly involves incorporating more evidence-driven programs, or initiatives that have proved successful elsewhere.

Most of the bills will take effect on June 28.  Several of the bills will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2018. Read More

April 28, 2017

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced that the Snowmobile Advisory Workgroup and the Off-Road Vehicle Advisory Workgroup will hold a joint meeting Wednesday, May 3, at the Quality Inn and Conference Center, 561 Boulevard Drive in St. Ignace. The public meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Read More

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April 27, 2017

LANSING – The next meeting of the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board (PSAB) has been scheduled for June in Petoskey.

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The meeting will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 12, in the auditorium of the Petoskey Middle School, 801 Northmen Drive, Petoskey, MI.

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There will be a public comment period from 9 a.m. to noon, the meeting will then break for lunch, and continue from 1 to 3 p.m. with the remainder of the agenda.

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The board, created by Executive Order 2015-12, is charged with ensuring the safety upkeep of the state’s network of pipelines. Co-chaired by Valerie Brader, executive director of the Michigan Agency for Energy, and Heidi Grether, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, it is also charged with advising state agencies on matters related to pipeline routing, construction, operation, and maintenance, as well as ensuring public transparency.

Keep up on PSAB activities by signing up for its listserv.

April 26, 2017

The polls will be open on Election Day, May 2,  from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sixty-three counties will hold elections.
To find out if there is an election in your community and to view your sample ballot, visit the Michigan Voter Information Center at www.michigan.gov/vote. At the site you can find your polling location or track absentee ballots to confirm their absentee ballot it has been received by the local clerk.

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There is still time for voters to obtain an absentee ballot. As a registered voter, you may obtain an absentee ballot if you are:

• age 60 or older.

• physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another.

• expecting to be out of town for the entire time the polls are open on Election Day.

• in jail awaiting arraignment or trial.

• unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons.

• appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence.

Read More

April 25, 2017

In honor of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Mackinac Bridge linking Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, the Mackinac Bridge Authority is offering four new commemorative posters:
• 60th Anniversary Tower” is an artistic rendition of one of the bridge’s tower structures, from the perspective of the bridge deck.
• “60th Anniversary Swans” features a landscape view of the bridge from the shore, with two swans swimming in the foreground.
• “60th Anniversary Construction Photos” is a collage of 15 black and white and one sepia-tone photographs of the bridge during construction.
• 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee” is a portrait photo of the bridge from beneath, and a quote from art and architecture critic John Ruskin.

“These posters show the bridge from several perspectives people have come to know and love over its 60-year history,” said Executive Secretary Bob Sweeney. “Any one of them makes a great keepsake for this milestone anniversary.”
The four new designs, as well as copies of four posters from the 50th anniversary, are available for purchase for $10 each or $30 for any four. An order form is available on the Mackinac Bridge website: http://www.mackinacbridge.org/shopping/mackinac-bridge-posters/.

April 24, 2017

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anyone who fishes to dust off their gear and get ready for the opening of two fishing seasons Saturday, April 29. The statewide trout season and the Lower Peninsula inland walleye, northern pike and muskellunge seasons all open that day.

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Anglers are reminded that in Upper Peninsula waters the walleye, northern pike and muskellunge seasons open Monday, May 15. Read More

April 23, 2017

SAULT STE. MARIE —  Soo Co-op Credit Union has announced they will be breaking ground on a new main office, to be located on the I-75 Business Spur directly behind the current I-75 branch, this week.  The current branch will maintain normal lobby and drive-thru business hours during this period of construction, and the construction will take place with very little member impact. There will be some interruptions in service from time to time. Updates on  construction progress are available through their website (soocoop.com)  and Facebook page. At this time both drive-thru lanes are open for business.