Dian Slavens, House Dems Bring Listening Tour to Canton

Dian Slavens, Robert Kosowski and Andrew Kandrevas will hear concerns of constituents.

State Reps. Dian Slavens (D-Canton), Robert Kosowski (D-Westland) and Andrew Kandrevas (D-Southgate) will be at the Canton Public Library on Feb. 11 to hear the concerns of local citizens, according to a news release from Slavens' office. The House Democrats are taking a Listening Tour, going into their districts to hear how recent policies have affected Michigan residents. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at Canton Public Library, 1200 S. Canton Center Road in Canton Township.

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Presidential Inauguration 2013: Where, What and Who to Watch

Here's your guide to the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

The Presidential Inauguration takes place Monday, Jan. 21, in Washington, D.C. The week of festivities will include the Presidential Swearing-in Ceremony, Inaugural Address, Inaugural Parade and numerous inaugural balls and galas honoring President Barack Obama as he assumes his second term. The official theme for the 2013 inauguration is “Faith in America’s Future." Some Dearborn residents—along with the Henry Ford Community College Big Band and Midnight Blue jazz groups—will be heading to the capitol for the big day. But for those of us who will just be watching from home, here's a look at what to expect. Saturday, Jan. 19 – National Day of Service. Americans across the country participated in service projects in their communities to …

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Voting Records Indicate Local Legislators Had Productive 2012

Plymouth and Canton legislators introduced many bills, missed few votes in 2012.

Local representatives for Plymouth and Canton had a productive year in Lansing, according to MichiganVotes.org, a voting records database published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Dian Slavens, a Canton Democrat representing Michigan's 21st House District, introduced 27 bills or resolutions, including 14 that were passed by the House. Among the proposed bills introduced by Slavens were House Bill 2907, which establishes procedures for replacing a county executive removed by the governor for misconduct and House Bill 5846, which would require officeholders who switch parties to refund campaign contributions made during the preceding year, with interest.  Slavens missed just one of the Michigan House's 914 votes in 2012, Senate …

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How Much of a Bite Could the 'Fiscal Cliff' Take Out of Your Paycheck?

President, Congress have just a few days to avert automatic tax increases and spending cuts.

On Thursday, Starbucks baristas from stores across the Washington, D.C. area wrote "come together" on all cups to encourage Congress and the President to come together to fix the fiscal cliff issue. For more information about this initiative and other ways to urge a fix, go to www.patch.com/fixthedebt. Congress and President Obama are racing against the clock this week as they make one last attempt to hammer out a deal to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff” the U.S. government is set to go over on New Year’s Day. Without a compromise deal to lower the deficit, the government will face a self-imposed deadline that triggers both spending cuts and higher taxes. Congress itself set the Jan. 1 deadline after failing to come to a budget …

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Snyder Vetoes Bill That Would Have Allowed Guns in Schools

The bill would have allowed concealed weapons in gun-free zones such as schools and sports arenas.

Gov. Rick Snyder has vetoed a bill that would have allowed concealed weapons into public schools and sports arena, according to a report on Michigan Public Radio. The Michigan Legislature passed Senate Bill 59 late last week that would have allowed concealed weapons in gun-free zones, but in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, CT, many had called for Snyder to veto the legislation. David Hecker, Michigan President of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) said in a Friday statement, "We’re aghast that this lame duck legislature thinks it’s a good idea to put MORE guns in our schools, let alone places of worship or sports arenas...The House passed SB 59 on Thursday. How dare these lame duck legislators put the safety of students, …

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10,000 Protesters Descend on Capitol Tuesday to Fight Michigan Right-to-Work Legislation

The bills were signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday.

LANSING - People came from as close as down the street and as far as Chicago and Wisconsin, joining thousands of union members in a protest against right-to-work legislation Tuesday in Lansing. Despite the roar of the crowds lining the lawn of the Capitol building and surrounding streets, two pieces of legislation passed by the Senate last week made their way through the state House of Representatives and were signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday afternoon. Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Plymouth) said Tuesday on his Facebook page he supported the bills. "Workplace Fairness and Equality Act passes the House of Representatives, 58-51 I voted in the affirmative," Heise wrote. A short time later, he indicated he voted for the second of the two …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Mayor Says Education Legislation Bad for Plymouth

Plymouth Mayor Dan Dwyer opposes expanding Education Achievement Authority.

I write today to express my concerns over pending legislation pertaining to the EAA (Education Achievement Authority). As I understand it, the legislation now in Lansing would expand the EAA's authority and allow it to take over any school in the state that is in the bottom 5 percent, in essence, creating a statewide school district. I actually have no objection to that part of the legislation as I do not see how or why it would matter if a bottom 5 percent school were located in the City of Detroit or not. My serious concerns relate to the following components of the legislation: Dan Dwyer Mayor City of Plymouth

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Candidate Kerry Bentivolio Won't Seek Action Against Plymouth Township

Bentivolio, a candidate for Michigan's 11th Congressional District, had urged township to extend deadline for overseas absentee ballots.

Kerry Bentivolio no longer will seek action against Plymouth Township to extend its deadline for accepting absentee ballots from overseas military personnel, his campaign said today. Bentivolio issued an email Monday urging Plymouth Township and Clawson to extend their deadlines after reportedly missing the 45-day deadline ahead of the Aug. 7 primary for mailing absentee ballots to overseas members of the military. Under state election law, all absentee ballots must be received by the Aug. 7 election date. Plymouth Township Clerk Joe Bridgman said the missed June 22 deadline affected one voter, whose ballot was held over a weekend for verification. He said the rest of the ballots were mailed in time. "I spoke with the one voter that is in …

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