skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

New MI Coalition: Put the Pedal to the Metal for Transportation

play audio
Play

Monday, April 11, 2011   

LANSING, Mich. - A new statewide coalition of organizations that don't always see eye to eye has agreed nonetheless to try to find common ground, in order to increase the state's funding and focus on 21st century transportation. Theirs is not just another special interest group hoping to improve mass transit, according to members of the newly-formed coalition, Transportation4Michigan. They say that, despite some political differences, the group has a shared purpose: to reform transportation policy and create a system of reliable passenger rail and public transit.

In addition to supporting Governor Rick Snyder's proposed transportation budget, coalition spokesman Tim Fischer says, an immediate priority is finding the state funds that would enable Michigan to capture $161 million in federal matching money.

"This money would go to our high-speed-rail corridor between Chicago and Detroit, and then there would be money also to help build out some of our commuter rail projects, that have been in development for so long and need capital in order to be realized."

The coalition includes the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Detroit branch of the NAACP, and the Michigan Municipal League, as well as conservation and economic development groups. Spokesman Hugh McDairmid says there are differing viewpoints from each group about topics like the DRIC - the proposed bridge to Canada - but the goal is to focus on common and practical approaches.

"There's as much that we disagree on as we agree on. So, when you talk about DRIC or new revenue, we'll address those issues as they arise. You know, I imagine we'll take a pass on a fair number of them, and the ones that we agree to push on, we will."

Tim Fischer says they also want to look at creating Regional Transportation Authorities, and infrastructure that helps mass transit move people more efficiently while reducing fossil fuel dependence. The coalition plans to analyze how that infrastructure is funded and look for new ways to create revenue.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021