Sarah Cwiek

2 weeks ago | michiganpublic.org | Sarah Cwiek

Last month, the city manager of Hamtramck found himself suspended after he suspended the city’s police chief following multiple allegations of criminal wrongdoing. City manager Max Garbarino said that was a retaliatory move by Hamtramck’s mayor and City Council. And he said it’s just the latest example of government corruption in the tiny enclave within Detroit’s borders—allegations since laid out in an explosive whistleblower lawsuit.

4 weeks ago | michiganpublic.org | Sarah Cwiek

The suspended city manager of Hamtramck plans to file a lawsuit next week that his attorney claims will detail “mind-blowing” allegations of corruption and malfeasance against the city’s mayor, council members, police chief — and possibly “high-ranking officials in the U.S. government.”The Hamtramck City Council suspended Max Garbarino with pay at a meeting this week that featured a contentious back-and-forth between Garbarino and the city’s mayor, Amer Ghalib.

1 month ago | michiganpublic.org | Sarah Cwiek

Michigan will not reach its goal of reducing phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie by 40%, according to an annual state report on the state of cyanobacterial blooms in the Western Lake Erie basin. Phosphorus inputs are the driving factor behind that problem, also called harmful algal blooms, that frequently plague the lake in the summertime. The nutrients feed the blooms, which deplete oxygen levels in the water, harming fish and the larger ecosystem.

1 month ago | michiganpublic.org | Sarah Cwiek

A coalition of environmental groups says it plans to sue the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) if it doesn’t move to set stricter ozone regulations in southeast Michigan. That region is currently under an ozone maintenance plan because for many years, its ozone levels exceeded standards set by the federal Clean Air Act. Ground-level ozone—also known as smog—is known to worsen or even cause many breathing conditions, such as asthma and bronchitis.

1 month ago | michiganpublic.org | Sarah Cwiek

Starting next year, people studying to become teachers in Michigan will be able to get a standalone endorsement in special education, thanks to new standards the state board of education approved this week. Currently, Michigan special education teachers must have an endorsement in a specific content area. Many school administrators and educators say that’s too restrictive, especially given the ongoing shortage of special ed teachers.