‘Votercade’ advocates for voting rights in Ann Arbor
Updated May 08, 2021;
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ANN ARBOR, MI Bicycles could be seen and “protect our vote!” could be heard walking through Kerrytown on Saturday afternoon.
A group of about 20 people and 15 cyclists traveled in a motorcade of voters, or “votercade,” to bring awareness about voting rights. Other cities across the country also participated on May 8 for John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Action Day.
“I strongly believe in the For the People Act, and I felt this event should happen,” said Cat Hadley, one of the organizers of the event. “In Michigan, we’re facing these voter suppression bills that may inhibit progress that the country recently made.”
Budget talks advance, GOP election bills tweaked: The week in Michigan politics
Today 7:00 AM
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LANSING, MI - This week in Lansing was more about molding legislation than passing bills, at least on major topics.
Both chambers made moves to further clarify key initiatives, with budget talks picking up in the House and Senate and amendments made to Senate Republican election bills.
The House continued to tackle ethics reform, while Republicans in both chambers moved to allow high schools to hold in-person commencements. Here’s what happened this week at the Michigan Capitol:
Budget talks evolve
Quarterly budgets for many state agencies, staffing cuts and additional limits on how state agencies can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic all remain on the table as Michigan lawmakers move forward with setting the state’s annual budget.
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Lansing Former President Donald Trump targeted the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate on Friday as he continued his efforts to challenge the state s 2020 election results with misleading claims.
Democrat Joe Biden beat Trump, the GOP incumbent, by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points in November, and six months later, there is no evidence of wrongdoing that would have changed the outcome. Still, Trump and his backers have waged a months-long campaign, which began before Election Day, to discredit the results with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. Has the Michigan State Senate started their review of the Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 yet, or are they about to start? Trump questioned in a statement issued at about 10 a.m. Friday. If not, they should be run out of office.
Outdoor graduations on tap at Ann Arbor’s 3 largest high schools
Updated May 06, 2021;
Posted May 06, 2021
This file photo shows Skyline High School students celebrating commencement at Eastern Michigan University. Jack Zellweger, MLive.com Jack ZellwegerJack Zellweger | MLive
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ANN ARBOR, MI - Seniors at Ann Arbor’s three largest high schools will have in-person, outdoor graduation ceremonies.
State restrictions on public gatherings prevent Ann Arbor Public Schools from having traditional, large indoor ceremonies, Superintendent Jeanice Swift said. But Pioneer, Huron and Skyline high schools will host two ceremonies with half the class in each outside so family members can attend and the district can remain in state compliance.
In-person high school commencements couldn’t be banned under approved Michigan Senate bill
Updated 4:01 PM;
Today 11:53 AM
Yasmeen Franks, left, and Tesneem Tuleimat, both 17 and graduating seniors, watch a 90-minute graduation film as about 650 Grand Blanc High School graduates attend a commencement ceremony on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at US-23 Drive-In in Mundy Township. The school district switched to the location for the commencement ceremony to provide a safe space for social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Jake May | MLive.com)
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, sponsored by Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton. It would also ban emergency orders to limit or shutdown high school commencement ceremonies. It passed 60-48.