Melissa Nann Burke, Max Reinhart, Anne Snabes and Ben Warren, MediaNews Group

About 1.4 million Michigan residents eligible to receive federal assistance to pay for food should get 65% of their monthly benefits for November, federal officials clarified Thursday morning.

But hours later, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled late Thursday that the Trump administration must fully cover November benefits, reportedly saying the government had acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” when it moved earlier this week to only partially fund the program.

The competing orders added another day of confusion for Michigan residents who receive government assistance to pay for groceries through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as the ongoing federal government shutdown passed its record-setting 37th day.

“These benefits are a vital lifeline for many Michigan families, especially with the rising cost of food.”

Hertel’s agency said Michigan recipients who normally get their benefits on the third, fifth, or seventh day of the month will receive their partial SNAP allotment on Saturday. All other SNAP recipients would get their partial benefits on their normally scheduled date.

“I would say that that’s wonderful that they will be getting something,” said Christopher Ivey, a spokesperson for Metro Detroit food rescue organization Forgotten Harvest, of the SNAP news. “It’s unfortunate that that won’t be the full amount.”

The update came as local food pantries are tracking a 30% to 50% increase in the number of individuals seeking aid, according to the Food Bank Council of Michigan. Hertel noted that families can find local food pantries as needed by calling 2-1-1.

The USDA had planned to suspend payments starting Nov. 1 amid the federal government shutdown, but federal officials said Monday the program would be partially funded after two judges required the government to keep SNAP benefits flowing.

The reduction in food aid, while a partial restoration, is “diabolical,” said Natasha Bell, a downtown Detroit resident.

“What they give us is not enough already, and then for them to give us partial … it’s just not right, you know,” Bell said Thursday. “It’s just not right.”

Bell said she has cancer, so she can’t work. Amid the delay in SNAP benefits, she said she has been making more side items to accompany the meat in a meal, which allows her to stretch the meat out over more days.

Bell is also relying on food pantries and preparing meals that last more than one day, such as spaghetti or soup, she said.

“Something is better than nothing,” said Bell of the partial November SNAP benefits.

Brother Gary Wegner, executive director of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, said he thinks the USDA announcement is “good news.” Sixty-five percent is “certainly better” than 0%, he said.

“One hundred percent would be even better, but for now, at least, it’s going to give the people we serve who depend upon the SNAP benefits a better chance to fulfill what they need,” Wegner said.

Who is affected?

SNAP serves about 1 in 8 Americans, including about 1.4 million Michiganians. In the state, the average household assisted by the program receives about $335 in benefits a month, or about $5.68 per person a day. SNAP benefits support more than 492,000 Michigan children.

In Wayne County, 22.3% of households received food stamps last year, a figure amplified by the nearly 100,000 households in Detroit that benefit from the SNAP program.

A smaller share of the households in Macomb (11.9%) and Oakland (7.6%) received SNAP benefits, according to the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, which is the most recent year when full county-level data is available.

Outside of Metro Detroit, Genesee and Saginaw counties outstripped the state average for SNAP participation, with just under 20% of households. On the other end of the spectrum were Leelanau and Livingston counties, which each had 5% or fewer of their households enrolled in the program.

Across nearly every part of Michigan, households with children were far more likely to receive SNAP benefits than households overall. In almost every county, at least a quarter of households with children participated in SNAP, including more than half of those households in counties like Ottawa, Clinton and Gratiot.

About 78% of SNAP households in Michigan are working households, half of households have someone with a disability and 36% of households have seniors, according to state data.

Kate Bauer, a University of Michigan public health professor, said partial funding is better than nothing when it comes to SNAP benefits. It would “ward off, hopefully, the physical experience of hunger,” but leave families already stretched thin to fill the gap, she said.

“Under the current circumstances, what we need to know is that SNAP is critical to our families having enough food, and even the full benefit amounts are not enough,” Bauer said.

“I’m super glad our families are going to get something, but that is not the end of the story,” she added.

SNAP benefits are crucial for families with children, according to Bauer, “because they have more mouths to feed, and mouths that don’t earn an income.” With less money to buy food this month, she said, parents will likely make additional sacrifices, foregoing meals so their kids can eat.

One saving grace for families with children, she said, was free school meals.

“Many families are breathing a sigh of relief that their kid is getting, potentially, up to 10 meals a week.”

Joyce Bowens, a Detroit resident who uses SNAP, said Thursday that she’s “not too happy” with the government’s decision because 65% of benefits is “not enough.” She said some women have seven to 10 children.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” she said. “I don’t think it’s right.”

Bowens, who went grocery shopping at the Capuchin Services Center in Detroit on Thursday, said the past week has been “stressful.” The pause in benefits has affected how she plans meals. She said, “Everything changed just that fast.”

“OK, you would normally cook a meal, don’t worry about making it stretch,” she said. “Now, we have to think about making it stretch to the T.”

Eartha Harris, 45, who is friends with Bowens, said she thinks the government needs to give people their “full amounts when it comes to food.”

“But at least you could give somebody food, so no one go hungry, regardless of what’s going on,” said Harris, a Detroit resident.

The state Department of Health and Human Services said new applications for SNAP benefits filed in October and November still will be processed, but it is unclear whether those applicants will receive any benefits for November.

State aid to last 2 weeks

To help feed families amid the government shutdown, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last week said the state would provide $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan.

Phil Knight, executive director for the Food Bank Council, said Thursday he expects that $4.5 million released by the state to last about two weeks. The $4.5 million allotment represents roughly 6 million meals, Knight said.

Local pantries have seen between a 30% and 50% jump in individuals seeking aid, he said.

“One of the things I think we kind of miss about this population that’s struggling … is that they’re very resilient,” Knight said. “They’re trying to resolve the problem on their own first. They’re turning inward to themselves, their family, whatever, and then they turn out to find resources.”

Gleaners Community Food Bank reported Thursday that its drive-up mobiles and partner network of 350 local pantries in five counties are seeing an increase of up to 50% in requests for help.

A partial restoration of SNAP support is a “positive development,” Gleaners spokeswoman Kristin Sokul said, “but we expect to continue seeing heightened community need while partial benefits catch up and full benefits remain unavailable, as well as while workers’ incomes are impacted by the prolonged government shutdown.”

Ivey, the Forgotten Harvey spokesman, said the last week has been “very difficult” for his organization. He said Detroit alone gets $58 million a month in SNAP benefits.

“Forgotten Harvest is doing everything they can do to fill that gigantic void that’s out there,” he said. “I mean, we’re never going to be able to be the complete supplement for all of that. It’s just too large for any organization to take on.”

He said Forgotten Harvest is receiving around 600 to 1,000 phone calls a day. Some are from people asking where they can find food. Others are from organizations that partner with Forgotten Harvest or are interested in partnering with it.

Knight of the Food Bank Council said he intends to submit a report next week to the governor and House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, on how the money was used and what might still be needed.

Hall said Thursday he and Whitmer will review that report and the federal situation to determine whether to release additional funding to the Food Bank Council for distribution to local pantries.

“We’re going to take this from week to week, working with the governor to assess the need,” Hall said.

The Democratic-controlled Senate last week approved a stopgap proposal that would target $50 million to aid low-income individuals and households in buying food and $21 million to food banks and other assistance programs that are expecting an onslaught of food requests.

The Republican-controlled House has not acted on the legislation.

Hall told reporters last week that the Senate bill was “political” since there was no way to act on the legislation before the Nov. 1 cutoff because of a rule requiring a five-day waiting period between chambers. There is not enough state funding to patch every hole that will develop as the federal shutdown continues, the speaker said.

“There’s a time for disagreements in politics,” Hall said then. “It’s not right now when literally people are about to lose their ability to feed their families.”

Beth LeBlanc contributed to this report.

By COREY WILLIAMS The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — City Council President Mary Sheffield will be Detroit’s newest mayor and the first woman to lead the city.

Sheffield defeated popular megachurch pastor the Rev. Solomon Kinloch in Tuesday’s general election.

She will take office in January and succeed three-term Mayor Mike Duggan who announced last year that he would not seek reelection. Duggan is running for Michigan governor as an independent to replace term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

Sheffield thanked voters in her victory speech Tuesday night, addressing those who voted for her and those who didn’t.

“I am here to listen to you, to fight for you and to serve you,” she said. “Because, at the end of the day, we all want the same thing, a Detroit that works for everyone.”

Sheffield will inherit a city that continues to improve following Detroit’s 2014 exit from the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Duggan was elected in 2013 and took office in January 2014. Under his watch, Detroit has dramatically improved city services, including shorter police response times, public lighting and blight elimination.

Detroit has had 12 consecutive years of balanced budgets and the city has been showing historically low violent crime numbers.

Its population also has grown following decades of losses. Earlier this year, the U.S. Census estimated Detroit’s population at 645,705 — a gain of 12,487 residents since a May 2024 estimate, according to the city.

Detroit’s population reached 1.8 million people in the 1950s.

Sheffield and Kinloch, both Democrats, advanced to Tuesday’s election after finishing with the most votes in the city’s nonpartisan August primary.

Sheffield, 38, first was elected to the City Council in 2013 at age 26 and has been council president since 2022.

Sheffieldhas said that focusing on educating Detroit’s children, and continuing to improve public safety and life in the neighborhoods will be among her priorities if elected mayor.

“My commitment, Detroit, is to build on the foundation that has been laid working with Mayor Duggan and our council … by expanding opportunities, strengthening our neighborhoods and making sure that Detroit’s progress reaches every block and every family of this city,” Sheffield said alongside Duggan at a September campaign event.

Duggan endorsed Sheffield.

“Our city’s progress is in very good hands and I know she and her team will make sure it not only continues, but expands,” he said in a statement following her victory.

Kinloch conceded the election in a short speech to his supporters Tuesday night. He reiterated what he said throughout the campaign that all of Detroit has to share in the city’s revival.

“You can’t make all of the investments downtown,” Kinloch said. “It has to reach the whole town.”

Kinloch also said he hopes the campaign shows people they need to stay involved in their city government and repeated his campaign themes of pushing for more action on affordable housing, crime and support for neighborhoods across Detroit.

“This city’s in trouble and we need you to stand up and step up more now than ever before,” he urged supporters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Multiple people who had been allegedly plotting a violent attack over the Halloween weekend were arrested Friday morning in Michigan, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post.

Patel didn’t release further information about the arrests, but said more information would be coming.

Dearborn Police said in a social media post that the department was made aware that the FBI conducted operations in the city on Friday and assured residents that there is no threat to the community.

 

By Breana Noble

MediaNews Group

Ford Motor Co. is opening the doors of its new world headquarters to the public on Nov. 16.

Attendees must register online for free to enjoy the festivities that include self-guided tours, a car show, live entertainment, food trucks and other activities for families from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

The Dearborn automaker last month announced it was moving its headquarters across town to the new, enormous, glassy product development center known as “The Hub” off Oakwood Boulevard across from the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. It’ll serve as the home for the company that first made vehicles accessible to the masses as it pursues a future toward greater electrification, autonomous driving and other advanced technologies.

The new headquarters will get the 1 American Road address that has marked the location of the Glass House at Michigan Avenue and Southfield Road that has served as Ford’s headquarters since 1956. That building will be demolished and is expected to be turned into a park-like community space in partnership with the city.

On Nov. 16, a grand opening ceremony will occur at noon and a closing ceremony at 4 p.m. Guests can make reservations to see the inside of the building, including workspaces and employee wellness areas. The walking, self-guided look likely will take 15 to 30 minutes, according to Ford.

Guests still can register to attend, even if tour reservations become fully booked. The Ford Community Car Show will show privately owned Ford classics from custom designs and sports models to heavy-duty trucks.

For now, The Hub is listed at 2100 Carroll Shelby Way on Google Maps. Ford’s invitation encourages guests to enter at Village Road and South Pond. Parking is at Deck 300 at 21324 S. Military St. and the PDC lot at 21000 S. Military.

By Beth LeBlanc, Chad Livengood, Melissa Nann Burke, Grant Schwab, MediaNews Group

After vowing to bring state employees back to Lansing, the Legislature’s actual written instructions included in this year’s spending plan leaves much of the decision-making on remote work up to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer‘s administration, as it has been for the past several years.

The so-called boilerplate language in the state budget bill requires state departments to “optimize” in-person work, to monitor remote workers and ensure all state employees comply with Office of State Employer standards.

But it leaves those standards up to Whitmer’s administration, which has allowed state workers to operate under a patchwork of remote work policies that differ by agency since the governor sent them home in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, the provisions in the budget require state buildings to have about 80% occupancy, without defining how that occupancy would be measured. Currently, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget measures building occupancy by available square footage versus the amount of square footage allocated to an agency or tenant.

In other words, an increased occupancy rate, under the current definition, does not necessarily mean more individuals in a building.

More: Amid remote work scrutiny, Michigan refuses to release state office building occupancy data

House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, had been an outspoken critic of the Whitmer administration’s post-pandemic in-person work requirements, vowing in April to “bring the state workers back to work” through a state budget mandate. One Republican-controlled House committee held a blistering hearing about the issue in May.

When asked about the budget’s work requirements last week, Hall said through a spokesman that the language included in the budget stems from “productive conversations” between Hall and Whitmer about how to get employees back from the office.

While the speaker believes the language represents progress, “the House will be monitoring that progress over the next few weeks to see how it plays out,” said Gideon D’Assandro, a spokesman for Hall.

D’Assandro referred questions on specifics to the governor’s team.

The Department of Technology Management and Budget said it is “constantly evaluating our state-owned buildings and leased footprint.”

“That work will continue as we implement the new boilerplate,” spokeswoman Laura Wotruba said.

The Office of State Employer, when asked about the possibility of new work requirements, did not answer directly.

“The Office of the State Employer is currently reviewing the budget recently signed into law by Gov. Whitmer and will provide information and appropriate guidance to our department and agency partners in the near future,” the office’s spokeswoman, Lauren Leeds, said.

The vagueness of the budget language prompted the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce to formally ask for clarification last week on when workers might return to the capital city. The letter from the chamber’s president and CEO, Tim Daman, seeks a clear timeline for the implementation of return-to-work policies and a clear indication of how occupancy will be measured.

“As the chamber continues to collaborate with state agencies and business partners to strengthen Michigan’s capital region economy, clear communication about the policy’s timing and application will help ensure businesses are prepared to support increased workforce activity downtown,” Daman wrote.

Will autism funding be restored?

The Autism Alliance of Michigan laid off 18 employees last week who worked in their autism navigator program, helping thousands of families find services for their children on the spectrum, said Colleen Allen, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization.

The Autism Alliance’s $2 million appropriation in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services was swept up in targeted spending cuts as lawmakers sought to find funds for a roughly $1.8 billion annual road repair increase.

Allen said the layoffs amounted to half of the organization’s staff and will result in the remaining autism navigator staff being able to serve 1,000 families annually instead of 4,000.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signaled her support for restoring the $2 million in a year-end spending bill.

“The governor included funding for the Autism Alliance in her executive recommendation and would support restoring the funding,” Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy said.

But Allen said she couldn’t take a chance of not being able to make payroll in the coming monts if lawmakers don’t come through with promises to restore the funding.

In an Oct. 8 interview, House Speaker Matt Hall said he’s unsure if lawmakers will be able to restore the $2 million program.

“I don’t see a vehicle to do that,” Hall said of restoring the funding. “I don’t think that we wanted it out. I think that essentially there wasn’t enough money left to pay for it.”

The Kalamazoo County Republican characterized the decision to cut the autism navigator program as “an oversight.”

“I think it was also an oversight because I don’t know that anyone intended for it to happen,” Hall told The News.

Hall also labeled the $2 million line-item as “pork,” a description Allen took exception with.

“We’re not an earmark,” Allen said. “We’re embedded in the MDHHS budget.”

Clerks oppose ranked choice voting

County clerks across the state voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a ballot initiative that would allow for ranked choice voting in Michigan.

The Michigan Association of County Clerks’ rare public rebuke of a ballot initiative was based on concerns over the effect RankMiVote’s voting initiative would have on ballot length, voter confusion, audits and recounts and delayed results.

“We support the rights of voters to amend the state constitution through the initiative process. And as county clerks, it is our duty to implement all election requirements, including this one, if enacted,” Washtenaw County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum said in a statement. “But we feel that this proposal, as written, will have unintended consequences for Michigan elections.”

More: Backers of ranked choice voting want proposal on Michigan ballot despite Trump opposition

Ghalib to get ambassadorship hearing

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday morning, about seven months after President Donald Trump nominated him to be ambassador to Kuwait.

The hearing comes after New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last month said the panel’s chairman, Republican Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, had agreed to postpone consideration of Ghalib’s nomination as senators await more details about Ghalib’s background.

Ghalib’s nomination has prompted criticism from groups accusing him of antisemitism and of being anti-Israel. But Ghalib earlier this month said he had received a call from Trump, who “renewed” his support for Ghalib, despite the pushback to his nomination.

Last year, the mayor endorsed Trump for president and campaigned with him in Hamtramck in October at a critical juncture in the 2024 election when the Republican nominee was trying to win over Arab American voters in battleground Michigan.

Groups devoted to fighting antisemitism have come out strongly against Trump’s pick of Ghalib.

They have highlighted Ghalib’s support for the movement to boycott, divest and impose sanctions on Israel and called him a “denier” of sexual violence by the militant group Hamas in its 2023 attack on Israel ― an apparent reference to Ghalib’s remarks at a protest following the Oct. 7 attack.

Both the Anti-Defamation League and the grassroots group StopAntisemitism called on Trump to withdraw the nomination months ago, with the ADL saying it “strongly” opposes the pick. The American Jewish Committee expressed similar concerns.

McClain, Slotkin on No Kings rallies

Republicans in Congress spent the last week deriding the No Kings protests against the Trump administration as the “I Hate America” rallies, and suggesting that Democratic lawmakers were only trying to keep the government shutdown until after the protests.

“I hope after they have the ‘I hate America’ rally on Saturday that some reasonable Democrats will stop being ruled by their Marxist left-wing arm of their party and come to their senses and open up the government for the American people,” said U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Bruce Township, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Holly led a group of Democratic members of Congress last week, pushing back against the narrative. The group, which served in the military or, like Slotkin, in national security roles, called on veterans and others to show up “patriotically” and protest peacefully at their local No Kings rally on Saturday.

“We are all watching what President Trump is doing with the uniform military, using it to police American streets. … We’ve seen this authoritarian playbook before in too many other countries,” Slotkin and the others said in a montage video.

“As people who have served, we think it’s important that we say something. … Let’s exercise our freedoms and make clear that this is out of a deep sense of patriotism, love of country and collective desire to make our country better. … Because this is our country, and we need to fight for it, because America … has no king.”

Appearing in the video with Slotkin were Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Pat Ryan of New York, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire.

Reps: Pay federal law enforcement

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, led a group of lawmakers in writing to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget to encourage efforts to pay federal law enforcement during the government shutdown after the administration previously reprogrammed funds to ensure troops wouldn’t miss a paycheck last week.

The shutdown is in its third week, with most civilian federal employees scheduled to miss their first paycheck Oct. 24.

“Federal law enforcement are currently performing dangerous, mission-critical work without pay—including Border Patrol, ICE agents, CBP officers, DEA, Secret Service, Federal Air Marshals, and Transportation Security Officers,” Huizenga wrote.

“This is especially true in this climate of increasingly hateful rhetoric and violence directed at these officers — from the recent sniper assault on an ICE facility in Dallas to the nationwide harassment, endangerment, and doxxing of federal agents by extremist groups like Antifa, and by cartels placing assassination bounties on law enforcement officials.”

The letter was also signed by Reps. Tom Barrett of Charlotte and John James of Shelby Township, among others.

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, last week introduced legislation in Congress to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees during government shutdowns.

Former candidate endorses in 10th District Dem primary

Days after posting the top quarterly fundraising haul in a suburban Detroit Democratic congressional primary, attorney Eric Chung won the endorsement of a one-time opponent.

Chung, of Sterling Heights, is one of three Democratic hopefuls looking to replace James after the twice-elected GOP lawmaker’s term expires at the end of 2026. James is running for governor of Michigan instead of seeking reelection to Congress.

Alex Hawkins of Rochester, an Army veteran and former congressional fellow for then-Rep. Slotkin, recently dropped out of the race. He will instead challenge GOP state Rep. Mark Tisdel of Rochester Hills for a seat in the state Legislature.

“I’ve gotten to know Eric Chung over the course of this campaign, and I’m proud to endorse him for Congress in Michigan’s 10th District. Eric’s the real deal,” Hawkins said in a statement.

He continued: “(Chung) shows up, listens, and fights for people instead of playing politics. At a time when so many are tired of career politicians and empty promises, Eric brings honesty, integrity, and a deep commitment to serving our communities. I’m proud to stand with him in this race and look forward to working alongside him to deliver real results for Michigan.”

Hawkins chose Chung over former special victims prosecutor Christina Hines of Warren and Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel.

“I am honored to have Alex’s endorsement,” said Chung, a former U.S. Commerce Department attorney during the Biden administration. “A veteran and a community leader, Alex understands what it means to lead with integrity and purpose. I am looking forward to working with him to build a brighter future for workers and families in Macomb and Oakland County and across Michigan.”

Tweet of the Week

The Insider report’s “Tweet of the Week,” recognizing a social media post that was worthy of attention or, possibly, just a laugh, from the previous week, goes to Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox.

The former attorney general had a bone to pick with the way the recent state budget was portrayed when the actual numbers told a different story.

eleblanc@detroitnews.com

mburke@detroitnews.com

gschwab@detroitnews.com

 

By Max Bryan and Craig Mauger, MediaNews Group

Nearly 100 “No Kings” rallies throughout Michigan on Saturday brought thousands of demonstrators to the streets and spurred a war of words between local officials in the country’s two major political parties.

The cross-country rally initially organized in opposition to President Donald Trump’s birthday parade in June returned Saturday to Metro Detroit, Lansing and the Upper Peninsula in response to moves including sending immigration agents into cities, pushing for the redrawing of congressional maps to favor Republicans and “gutting health care,” according to the rally website.

The rallies were held as the federal government is shut down amidst a fight between Republicans and Democrats over Medicaid policy, and after Trump’s attempts to send National Guard troops into Chicago and Portland, Ore. to reduce crime. Trump has also sent an influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into Chicago to arrest undocumented immigrants.

In Oakland County’s Ferndale, the No Kings rally was on Woodward Avenue between Cambourne and Albany streets, where hundreds of demonstrators lined each side of the thoroughfare and the median and waved signs at traffic. Motorists honked their horns as they passed by, prompting cheers from the crowd.

Beth McGraw held a sign with her father’s picture from his service in the Navy with the words “My dad fought for freedom, not fascism.” McGraw said her father served on one of the ships that bombarded the Germans in the allied invasion of Normandy.

McGraw said today’s political landscape is “a slap in the face” to her father.

“We’re barreling into fascism if we’re not already there yet, the way that there’s no checks and balances anymore,” she said. “It’s almost like everybody forgot their civics classes.”

Demonstrator Michael Bachman had a sign with playing cards showing four poker hands, none of which had kings.

Bachman said the protesters were exercising their constitutional right to peacefully assemble, noting that tea party members publicly demonstrated against the Affordable Care Act in the early 2010s.

“The shoe’s on the other foot now,” he said. “We have the right to protest.”

Ahead of the rallies Saturday, the Oakland County Republican Party claimed that “affiliates” of the No Kings rallies “have a well-documented history of fueling division and unrest in our communities.” The party’s news release listed the Communist Party USA, the Freedom Socialist Party and the Democratic Socialists of America as affiliates, though none of these groups are listed as partners on the No Kings website.

“The Oakland County Republican Party stands for law and order, and we reject the radical and violent tactics that have become the hallmark of the No Kings movement and its extremist sponsors,” Chairman Vance Patrick said in the release.

The release also asked anyone with “intelligence or information regarding Antifa domestic terrorism activity” to report it to the FBI, referencing the leftist group recently designated by the Trump administration as “a militarist, anarchist enterprise.”

In June, confrontations at the No Kings rallies were isolated and the protests were largely peaceful.

Police in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration enforcement raids erupted the week prior and sparked demonstrations across the country, used tear gas and crowd-control munitions to clear out protesters after the formal event ended. Officers in Portland also fired tear gas and projectiles to disperse a crowd that protested in front of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building well into the evening.

In a prepared statement, members of the Oakland County Democratic Party said they were “deeply disturbed” by the local Republican Party’s statement.

“Their statement, cloaked in the language of safety, instead fans the flames of division and fear by mischaracterizing peaceful civic mobilizations as threats and by implying that those who exercise their constitutional rights should be treated as suspects,” the statement reads. “At a moment when our democracy demands leadership rooted in truth and responsibility, this kind of rhetoric is not only reckless, it is dangerous.”

State leaders had opinions of Saturday’s demonstrations as well. Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel praised them and said demonstrators are making clear that “the power belongs to the people.”

“Today’s marches are a peaceful demonstration of patriotism in the face of a Republican Party that is more interested in Trump’s power grabs and passing tax cuts for billionaires than serving the American people,” Hertel said in a prepared statement.

State Republican Party Chairman Jim Runestad had an unfavorable view of the demonstrations, calling them “a canard” that gives credence to the idea that Trump will take citizens’ rights away. Runestad said presidents have the right to federalize law enforcement when they see fit, and used Dwight Eisenhower sending troops into Little Rock, Ark., during school integration as an example.

Runestad said accusations of Trump acting in a “totalitarian” manner are a deflection on the part of the Democrats in the wake of the federal government shutdown. Republican leaders are refusing to negotiate on an end to the shutdown until a short-term funding bill to reopen the government is passed, while Democrats say they won’t agree without guarantees on extending health insurance subsidies.

“They’re frustrated with the shutdown, and they want to cast all the blame on the Republicans, and this thing is just a big canard pretending that President Trump is the dictator-in-chief when Biden went after conservative groups in every way he possibly could, and there never was a peep out of them on any of that,” Runestad said.

In Lansing, demonstrators crowded outside of the Michigan Capitol for the event, marking one of largest rallies on the Capitol lawn this year.

Among them was 78-year-old Bob McVeigh of Dimondale. He carried multiple signs, including one that said, “Nobody paid me to be here. I just hate Trump.”

The crowd chanted things like, “Lock him up,” referring to the Republican president.

“We’ve got to do what we can to save the country,” McVeigh said, as he stood on the Capitol lawn.

Speakers at the Lansing event frequently focused on immigration and criticized the deportation efforts of the Trump administration.

Rick Martinez, 66, of Potterville, who described himself as a lifelong Democrat, contended Republicans had been “stagnant” in the face of Trump’s actions and said Trump had been “jailing his enemies.”

“We just need to make sure that we have a good democracy here,” Martinez said.

In Detroit, demonstrators brought their signs to Roosevelt Park, where they heard speakers give calls to action.

Sharon Jeter, who stood in the crowd with an American flag, said she marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited Detroit in the 1960s. She said she came to the rally “to save America.”

“I’ve seen so much happen, and so many things that were really bad, improve. And now we’re supposed to go back? We’re supposed to go in our corners and be quiet? I don’t think so,” said Jeter.

Michigan’s dime deposit program is almost 50 years old and is always in the news because of efforts to expand or repeal it. But, do you know what happens to that plastic and aluminum when you take it back to a retailer?

Frederick Lawrence is a logistics faculty in CMU’s College of Business Administration and is the director of internships for the logistics management program. He answers questions about what happens behind the scenes.

Q. What do retailers do with bottles and cans after people return them?

Retailers take action based on their size, resources and capabilities. Generally, retailers collect cans, separate them by brand and store them in anticipation of pickup by distributors or third-party recyclers.

Larger retailers, like supercenters, commonly have reverse vending machines (RVMs) which allow customers to manually return their own cans. These machines are equipped with conveyors and scanners which detect what cans or bottles are being fed into the machine, if they are accepted by the retailer, and which brand the item is. Once this information is processed, the bottle or can is crushed by a compactor and sorted automatically.

Smaller retailers commonly store cans and bottles in bins or bags in a storage area and the retailer manually separates the containers according to the respective brand.

Q. How does storing those bottles and cans affect the layout of a store?

The storage of cans and bottles can impact store layout, but more accurately, how space is utilized. These effects vary based on store size, resources and typical volume of returns.

Large-scale retailers typically have a dedicated return area, often near an entrance or side of the store, with multiple RVMs to accept consumer returns. Stores design return areas with proper drainage, ventilation and easy-to-clean surfaces to manage spills and odors as manual can-return can be quite messy.

Large-scale retailers also coordinate frequent pickups with distributors or third-party recyclers to avoid recycling overflow and must allocate loading dock space for bottle and can removal. Smaller retailers, because of a lack of automation, face more spatial constraints and often adjust their layout, either by reducing product stock space or by limiting return volumes per customer (retailers in Michigan may limit refunds to $25 per person per day).

Returns can be stored in a variety of locations, including backrooms, basements, behind the checkout counter or even outdoor sheds. This is largely due to the space constraint of being smaller and not having an abundance of extra space available in the layout.

Since small stores typically lack automated compactors, they must store full-size bottles and cans, which take up more space than crushed cans and bottles. This may result in smaller retailers making tradeoffs in how they utilize space; as an extreme example, space that could be used to sell merchandise may have to be retrofitted to store returnable items.

Q. What kind of infrastructure is necessary to transport those bottles and cans?

Transporting returned bottles and cans in Michigan requires a specialized infrastructure that includes collection systems, storage facilities, transportation vehicles and processing centers.

Retailers play an integral role in the collection and storage of claimed returnables (cans and bottles that consumers return themselves). Following this, cans and bottles are picked up by distributors (like Pepsi or Coca-Cola) and third-party recyclers.

The transportation equipment varies, but can generally involve the use of box trucks, semi-trucks using specialized trailers with compartments for specific recycled materials or compactor trucks (which can be used to crush aluminum in plastic if the retailer has not already done this).

As cost control and value reclamation in this process are critical, haulers generally work to optimize their networks by developing designated collection routes based on retailer locations and return volume. This is called “network optimization” and is one of the many Logistics Management and Supply Chain skills/strategies that Logistics Management majors at CMU learn!

Cans/bottles are crushed and sorted, if they have not been already, and are transported to various processing facilities that can repurpose or reuse the materials.

Q. How much does transporting bottles and cans cost annually?

Exact cost figures are difficult to accurately calculate due to the number of stakeholders and partners involved in recycling bottles and cans and the various methods and resources used (including collection, sorting and transportation expenses). Additionally, not all cost figures associated with these processes are publicly disclosed.

According to Michigan.gov (2025), Michigan’s refund rate was approximately 73% in 2023 with total Michigan deposits of $389.5 million and total refunds of $284.6 million. This means that 27%, or approximately $105.3 million of deposits went unclaimed. An unclaimed can or bottle refers to a beverage container for which a deposit was paid at the time of purchase (by the consumer) but was never returned for a refund.

In Michigan, consumers pay a $0.10 deposit per container when purchasing certain beverages. To get this deposit back, individuals must return the empty container to a participating retailer or redemption center. The unclaimed deposit amount is simply the difference between the deposits collected and the deposits refunded statewide.

Of the statewide revenue generated by unclaimed deposits, the funds are divided so that 75% of the revenue goes to the state (used for environmental cleanup and pollution prevention) and 25% goes to retailers (to help cover the general costs of managing returns). Based on 2023 data on unclaimed deposits, the state received about $79 million, and retailers got around $26 million to help offset handling costs associated with returns.

At the statewide level, this process relies on financial tracking rather than container counting, so the state doesn’t need to locate unclaimed containers. In fact, many unclaimed cans and bottles may end up in landfills, as roadside litter, curbside recycling or even hoarded in garages.

Q. What ultimately happens to bottles and cans that are returned to stores?

Ultimately, once bottles and cans are returned to Michigan retailers and are picked up and transported by various distributors and recyclers, the material will be processed.

Aluminum cans are crushed, shredded, and melted down and the molten aluminum is rolled into sheets and used to manufacture new beverage cans. Interestingly, aluminum cans can be recycled and reused relatively quickly, with some recycled aluminum being returned to shelves as new products in as little as 60 days.

Plastic bottles may be washed for reuse, shredded into small flakes or melted. The recycled plastic can be used to create new beverage bottles or even repurposed in clothing (e.g., fleece jackets), carpeting, auto parts and many other plastic goods.

Overall, the goal is to reclaim value in the recycled goods and to reduce the creation and use of new “virgin” plastics. Michigan’s bottle return system works to ensure that a significant percentage of beverage containers are recycled and repurposed rather than ending up in landfills.

By Craig Mauger, MediaNews Group

Michigan’s new budget will channel $203 million toward increasing the compensation of public school employees, a move supporters are hailing as a win for the state’s teachers.

The Republican-led House and Democratic-controlled Senate approved the new annual funding proposal for state operations early Friday morning. It is expected to be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the coming days.

Embedded within one of the bills was a provision to repurpose $203 million that had been previously allocated to provide financial assistance to educators who were repaying student loans, but which had gone unused.

Now, the dollars will be given to schools “to increase compensation” for employees and the pay bumps must be on top of “any existing compensation negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement” between a school district and union representing educators or support staff, according to the budget blueprint.

 

Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, said the $225 million student loan forgiveness program, authorized in 2023, didn’t work as he intended and he wanted the dollars to now be used for financial relief for school employees who are facing rising health care costs.

“It was important to put more money back in the pockets of our educators,” Camilleri said.

In addition to teachers, the new initiative will benefit a wide array of school employees covered by union contracts, including librarians, counselors, social workers, custodians, bus drivers and literacy coaches, according to the bill.

Camilleri, a former teacher and the top Senate Democrat on the K-12 budget, said it will be up to districts and local unions to negotiate how the money will be handed out.

There will likely be one-time payments to staff at some point this school year, Camilleri said.

Somewhere around 381,000 people work for K-12 schools in Michigan, according to state data. It’s not clear how many of them would qualify for the new compensation. If they all did, which is not likely, and everyone got the same amount, an individual would receive $532.

“It should be a good one-time bonus,” Camilleri said.

The Michigan Education Association, which represents school staff in many districts across the state, touted the $203 million allocation in a statement on the budget Friday.

“Most critically, it provides $200 million in funding to directly put money in the paychecks of public school employees — whose pay increases are being consumed by skyrocketing out-of-pocket health insurance costs,” said Chandra Madafferi, president and CEO of the state’s largest teacher union.

By Craig Mauger

MediaNews Group

Lansing — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on the leaders of a fiercely divided Michigan Legislature to “work together” to approve a new budget Tuesday, 14 days before a deadline that could trigger a shutdown of state government.

During a 20-minute speech inside the Michigan Capitol’s Heritage Hall, Whitmer, a second-term Democrat who returned from a trade mission to Asia and Germany in recent days, made her most direct plea to lawmakers yet, amid a months-long budget battle.

She also appeared to pull closer than before to Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, who’s been in a political standoff with House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township.

“While we stand on different sides of the aisle, we all basically want the same things: Happy, healthy children, good-paying jobs, food on the table, safe communities and a strong future,” Whitmer said at one point. “That is our task at hand. Let’s get it done. Let’s get to work.”

The governor’s speech focused on economic turmoil facing the country and Michigan, contending that tariffs imposed by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration and the lack of a budget were both sources of uncertainty that were bad for residents, businesses and job creation.

“We must work together to get certainty here in Michigan,” Whitmer said.

Whitmer has previously touted her ability to work across the aisle, but there’s been little bipartisan cooperation in Lansing since Republicans won control of the state House last November.

Hall, who has prioritized trimming spending, and Brinks have struggled to agree on budget priorities and missed the Legislature’s self-imposed deadline of July 1 to approve a new financial plan for state agencies, K-12 schools and universities. The House didn’t pass its own budget proposal until Aug. 26, months later than the chamber normally would.

Now, Whitmer and lawmakers face a constitutional deadline of Oct. 1, when the state’s next fiscal year begins. Without a budget in place by then, thousands of state workers would likely be laid off, state parks would close, some daycare programs might shutter and liquor purchases could be limited.

Hall has frequently promoted his relationship with Whitmer, but he wasn’t present for her speech Tuesday. Instead, Brinks and House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton Township, were in the front row.

“I know that Leader Brinks is available and ready,” Whitmer said during her remarks. “My team and I are ready to go. We can still do this on time.”

The governor didn’t harshly criticize Hall by name but said she wouldn’t sign the $79 billion budget plan that House Republicans put forward that would bring large cuts to an array of state programs, including the Michigan State Police, the Department of Natural Resources, the attorney general’s office, civil rights operations and hospitals.

After the speech, Brinks said the Senate stood with Whitmer “committed to getting a budget done” but, she added, there were “delays and obstruction” coming from the House.

“The reality is Democrats … control of the Senate,” Brinks said. “Democrats control the governor’s office.

Of Hall, she said, “And he needs to work with us to come up with a compromise. If he is unwilling to do that, he is not doing his job for the people of Michigan.”

In February, Whitmer put forth an $83.5 billion budget for next year.

Both Hall and Whitmer have said they want to find $3 billion in additional funding for roads in next year’s plan. Hall would achieve it through redirecting money from other state spending, while Whitmer and Brinks prefer a mixture of cuts and new revenue, likely from some form of tax increases.

Also, Whitmer called on Tuesday for additional “job creation tools” to make it easier to build factories in the state, to retain jobs and to incentivize innovation.

Whitmer has previously championed a program she launched during her first term called the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) Fund to provide dollars to pay for cash incentives for businesses bringing jobs to Michigan and to prepare large sites for development.

A wide-ranging tax law Whitmer signed in 2023 provided $500 million in annual funding for SOAR over three years. This current year is the final one in which the funding is reserved.

“We have to do something to deliver more wins for Michigan because competition is fierce,” Whitmer said.

Brinks referenced SOAR’s expiration after the speech.

“It doesn’t mean that we should be without any tools,” Brinks said. “So that is the subject of some conversation.”

Brinks told reporters there is still a path to get the budget done on time. But, she said, she wants to see a “change in approach” from the House.

“Should that not happen, we will get our leadership team together and make some decisions about what the best course forward is,” Brinks said.

In a statement Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, who’s campaigning to be Michigan’s next governor, said he was glad Whitmer is “finally back from another taxpayer-funded trip overseas because the clock is ticking.”

“It’s time to lead Democrats to the bargaining table to pass a balanced budget that fixes Michigan’s crumbling roads and bridges, puts kids first by focusing on reading and math and respects taxpayers enough to not reach deeper into their pockets,” Nesbitt said. “Republicans have put forward real plans to do this.”

By Max Reinhart, MediaNews Group

In the wake of a shooting that killed right-wing firebrand Charlie Kirk on Wednesday at a Utah college campus, political figures in Michigan offered condolences while reflecting on the dangers associated with life in the public eye.

Robert Lulgjuraj, a Republican candidate seeking Michigan’s 10th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House, said he looked at Kirk as an “inspiration,” given that the two were less than a year apart in age (Lulgjuraj is 32 years old; Kirk was 31) and both are outspoken in their Christian beliefs and willingness to engage in discourse with individuals with opposing political views.

He called Wednesday “an evil day in American history” but said the killing wouldn’t affect his approach on the campaign trail.

“I assure you it’s not going to silence this movement or my campaign,” Lulgjuraj said.

The killing also won’t deter state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, in her campaign for a U.S. Senate seat. She called his death “chilling.”

“But we decided on our team that it’s all the more important we bring people together publicly — It’s the only way we get out of this as a country,” she told The Detroit News via text.

The shooting, which happened around noon on the campus of Utah Valley University, brought to mind the February 2023 shooting on the campus of Michigan State University that killed three students, said Josh Cowen, an MSU professor who is running as a Democrat to represent the state’s 7th District in the U.S. House.

“My first thought was, ‘Man, this happened at another campus, another place of learning and debate,” Cowen said. “(Kirk) was famous for going into places and having debates, and he was killed for that. With political violence on the rise in this country, we all need to take a step back and look at what’s going on.”

The deans of Michigan’s congressional delegation, U.S. Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, issued a rare joint statement Thursday to say they were horrified by Kirk’s shooting and “deeply disturbed” by the rise in political violence taking place across the U.S.

“Silencing voices through violence erodes our foundational principles. Instead, we must do more to protect every American’s freedom to have passionate disagreement, rigorous debate, free expression, and an open exchange of ideas without the threat of harm,” the lawmakers said. “All Americans must do their part to stop the escalation of violence.”

News of the shooting broke while the Michigan House was still in session on Wednesday in Lansing. Voting stopped on the House floor for a time of prayer as House sergeants began closing shutters over the chamber windows as an additional security measure.

State Rep. Bradley Slagh, R-Zeeland, led a prayer from the House floor for Kirk and his family.

House Majority Leader Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, said the decision was made to end the daily session after the prayer out of respect for Kirk as well as safety concerns. He noted it was the first political assassination to occur while lawmakers were in session.

“We decided that’s what would make sense to do in this scenario,” Posthumus said.

State Sen. Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, said he was “devastated” to learn of the fatal shooting.

“For over a decade, Charlie energized the youth of America at college campuses across the country, challenging students to dream big about their future, and inspiring generations of future leaders, legislators, and constitutional conservatives. His wisdom and dedication to upholding our constitutional rights will be dearly missed,” Runestad said in a statement.

Kirk’s killing unfolded less than a half-hour before a separate incident in which a student at Evergreen High School in Colorado opened fire at the school, injuring at least three other students.

End Gun Violence Michigan, a nonprofit that backs gun law reform, said the incidents share a commonality: easy access to firearms.

Progress for People town hall in Warren cancelled

“It is simply far too easy for those who wish to commit heinous violence to access powerful weapons,” Ryan Bates, executive director of the gun control group, said in a statement. “Our leaders need to take action now to address the national crisis of gun violence before another tragedy strikes.”

The shooting comes amid a spike in political violence across the U.S. In June, a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were shot and killed in what authorities have described as a politically motivated attack. Also that month, a man shouting pro-Palestinian slogans firebombed a Colorado gathering held in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Those incidents followed the July 2024 assassination attempt of President Donald Trump at an outdoor campaign rally in rural Pennsylvania. There was also an arsonist’s attack on the residence of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish and had defended Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas but who had criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza.

“The wave of political violence gripping our nation is un-American, and unpatriotic,” Runestad said. “No American should fear for their life because of their faith or their political views.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, herself the target of an alleged 2020 kidnapping plot by political extremists, ordered U.S. and state flags lowered to half-staff in accordance with a Trump order.

“I am thinking of Charlie Kirk, his family, and the community at UVU after the horrific shooting that took place earlier today,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Political violence of any form is unacceptable and must be condemned.”

Other Michigan officials remembered Kirk for his unapologetic brand of activism.

On social media Wednesday, Walberg said, “No one has fought for free speech and challenged ideas on campuses like Charlie.” U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, posted “Rest in peace, conservative warrior.”

Senate GOP Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, called the killing “an act of terrorism, plain and simple.”

“People tried to shame Charlie,” Nesbitt said in a statement. “They tried to kick him off campuses so he couldn’t speak. And, finally, they tried to silence him permanently. Unfortunately, they did.”

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

@max_detroitnews

Staff Writers Melissa Nann Burke and Beth LeBlanc contributed.