Free Republic

LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) - A house cat from Ingham County is the first pet in Michigan with a confirmed case of COVID-19. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says numerous pets have tested positive for the illness around the country, but the domestic shorthair cat is the first confirmed in the state. The cat’s owners tested positive for COVID-19 a week before the cat got ill. The cat developed sneezing, but animal officials say it since has recovered. “Given the other reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 being found in pets throughout the world, this detection is not unexpected,” said...

DETROIT (AP) — A Catholic school in Lansing has lost an appeal over a Michigan policy that required masks on young kids earlier in the pandemic. Although the statewide mandate ended, some counties are stepping in and requiring masks in schools when the 2021-22 year starts. Resurrection School and some parents sued in 2020, saying a state mask order violated the free exercise of religion, among other objections. A judge, however, refused to intervene and issue an injunction. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision Monday.

A pizza business owner was released from jail after paying a $15,000 fine and closing her restaurant. What happened to the freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? The Mlive website reported Tuesday: A judge has released Marlena Pavlos-Hackney from jail after she paid a $15,000 fine and closed her restaurant, Marlena’s Bistro & Pizzeria. Pavlos-Hackey, 55, left the Ingham County Jail around 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, her attorney, Robert Baker, confirmed. He said she had complied with a judge’s order and deserved to be released. She has been jailed since Friday, March 19. She was arrested...

The mid-Michigan man who led American gymnasts to gold in 2012 will soon face criminal charges. 6 News Capitol Correspondent Tim Skubick reports that the Michigan Attorney General will announce charges against John Geddert on Thursday. It’s not yet clear what the charge will be. An attorney for Geddert says he’s heard about the possibility of being charged, but says “no one has reached out to us” about any imminent charges. Geddert ran Twistars gymnastics club for many years and coached the USA Gymnastics team to a gold medal in 2012. The “Fierce Five” – which included DeWitt native Jordyn...

A Michigan prosecutor will not pursue felony charges over a homeowner who displayed a toilet with a sign reading “Place mail in ballots here.” Ingham County election clerk Barb Byrum (D) reported the Lansing-area display to police, saying taking illegal possession of absentee ballots is a felony, according to The Associated Press. However, county prosecutor Carol Siemon (D) said the display appeared to be “an effort to make a humorous political statement” rather than any intention to violate the law.

A Michigan resident’s apparent joke showing disdain for voting by mail is no laughing matter for one election official. The resident put a toilet on their lawn with a sign that says, “Place Mail In Ballots Here.” Barb Byrum, the Democratic clerk of Ingham County, filed a complaint with police over the display, saying it could mislead people who aren’t familiar with the voting system. “It is a felony to take illegal possession of an absentee ballot,” Byrum said Friday.

A Michigan judge ruled today that Detroit filing for chapter 9 bankruptcy on Thursday was unconstitutional. Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said the filing must be withdrawn and that, according to the Detroit Free Press, the governor and city emergency manager “must take no further actions that threaten to diminish the pension benefits of City of Detroit retirees.”The reduction in those particular benefits is at issue here, due to a portion of the Michigan Constitution that reads [PDF]: “The accrued financial benefits of each pension plan and retirement system of the state and its political subdivisions shall be a...

What are you going to say? Nothin', that's what. What is there to say? This is just the socialists attempting to avoid the natural consequences of the monstrosity they have birthed and called "the New America."

Republicans say Democratic contractor outsourced work on Nader petitions By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN The Associated Press 7/20/2004, 7:24 p.m. ET LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state Republican Party on Tuesday said a contractor working for the Michigan Democratic Party is outsourcing work to India as he checks the validity of signatures putting presidential candidate Ralph Nader on the ballot. The accusation came on the same day that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry released new ads pledging his economic plan would begin by "putting an end to tax incentives that are encouraging American companies to ship jobs overseas." In Tuesday's salvo,...

7 Ingham board seats unopposed Democrats likely to retain control of commission By Hugh Leach Lansing State Journal Republicans, who haven't controlled the Ingham County Board of Commissioners since 1972, aren't contesting seven seats in the Nov. 5 election. That gives Democrats a better chance of retaining control of the board, which will expand from 13 to 16 seats because of redistricting. The Democrats hope to push through pet issues such as a living wage requirement for companies working for the county. Historically, Republicans have fielded candidates in most, if not all, districts. "It took me by surprise," said County...