Lansing -- Finding money to soften school aid cuts, enacting education reforms to lure federal dollars and finally passing a workplace smoking ban are the top items on House Speaker Andy Dillon's to-do list before the end of the year. Full Story »
A tentative agreement between the state and a key employees' union averts layoffs for now, but calls for workers to take banked leave time and increases health care premiums and co-pays for new hires Full Story »
Detroit -- An official in the administration of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick who sent a memo to the City Council recommending the sale of a city-owned camp received a $20,000 kickback from the sale, according to records filed in U.S. District Court today. Full Story »
The Wayne County Commission gathered Thursday for the last time in the grand ballroom at 600 Randolph. By Christmas, the Beaux-Arts landmark will become virtually empty. Full Story »
The city's finances are so shaky that officials repeatedly borrow money to cover day-to-day bills, rarely go after deadbeats and have sat on millions of dollars in property tax overpayments for years, according to two recent audits. Full Story »
Detroit -- City water officials are investigating why a city-owned Ford Focus assigned to an upper-level security officer was briefly seized by police last month outside a known crack house on the city's west side. Full Story »
Washington -- Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said at a White House Jobs Summit on Thursday that the Obama administration needs to do more to help struggling cities. Full Story »
Detroit -- A former Detroit Public Schools executive defended real estate deals for a new headquarters and high schools, and accused the district's emergency financial manager of a "premature rush to judgment" in investigating the transactions. Full Story »
Macomb Township -- Two years ago, sisters Catherine and Mary Jo Imbronone announced the upcoming opening of Tavern at Tina's, a bar to complement their 28-year-old banquet facility next door, Tina's Country House, on North Avenue. Full Story »
After introducing thousands of gallons of toxin into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and monitoring results for a day, biologists recovered one Asian carp Thursday in a canal leading to Lake Michigan, the nearest the destructive species has come to the Great Lakes, Illinois environmental officials said. Full Story »
Benton Harbor charter boat captain Russ Clark has taken clients on the St. Joseph River to chase steelhead and salmon for roughly a quarter century. Business has been good. He'd like it to continue. Full Story »
On the Illinois River near Peoria, the battle over the Asian carp has been decided. The fish are there, in large numbers, the kind that produce memorable YouTube videos of the carp leaping from the water in the wake of cruising boats. Full Story »
The Secretary of State Office will merge offices throughout the state after more people have turned to the Internet for the department's services. Full Story »
Detroit -- Muslims in America continue to face persecution and profiling, according to a Council on American-Islamic Relations' annual report on the status of Muslim civil rights in the United States. Full Story »
Detroit -- Detroit Public Schools and its teachers' union announced they've reached a deal that will boost teacher accountability and avoid bankruptcy. Full Story »
Washington -- Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said today he wanted to see the Obama administration boost aid to help the city tackle its 70,000 abandoned properties. Full Story »
Detroit --The city may still be battling a monster $300 million deficit, but Detroit has landed a national award for the way it dealt with another financial crisis. Full Story »
Pontiac -- A verdict has yet to be reached in the Rib Rack murder trial against Jerome Hamilton, 16, of Southfield. A jury remained out today reviewing witness testimony and deliberations are expected to resume Friday morning, for the seventh day. Full Story »
The Michigan State Police and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children are asking for the public's help in locating an endangered runaway. Full Story »
A 26-year-old Shelby Township man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase through Shelby Township, Sterling Heights and Troy on Monday called the 911 emergency number in an attempt to throw authorities off of his trail, officials said Thursday. Full Story »
Romulus --Authorities were releasing little information today regarding a search for two men they believe are responsible for the rape of a woman whose car broke down along I-94 in suburban Detroit early Wednesday morning. Full Story »
Dearborn -- Two of about 100 Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes taken in by a Detroit-area animal shelter this summer following a hoarding case are getting some big exposure this holiday season. Full Story »
Detroit -- A former Detroit Public Schools executive today turned over to the school district a CD with more than 400 documents related to moving the schools' headquarters to the Fisher Building and other past real estate transactions that have since come under scrutiny. Full Story »
Detroit -- Detroit police say two east-side clothing stores were caught selling items bearing labels such as Gucci, Coach, Polo and other designers at prices too good to be true. Full Story »
It's too soon to declare victory in the latest battle to stop the invasive Asian carp. But Illinois environmental officials conducting a massive fish kill along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal say they haven't yet spotted any Asian carp among tens of thousands of poisoned fish. Full Story »
Holiday lights illuminate the Denver City/County Building in downtown Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
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