Michigan Public

1 day ago | michiganpublic.org | Colin Jackson

Police in Michigan could begin using roadside spit tests for drug usage under a bill that received a state House committee hearing Thursday. Supporters of the legislation say treating saliva tests like breathalyzers would make roadways safer. State Representative Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) sponsors the bill. She said that tool would give officers the first sign that their suspicions may be correct. Meanwhile, a blood test could later confirm them.

2 days ago | michiganpublic.org | Colin Jackson

So-called “ghost guns” could become illegal in Michigan under new bills in the state House. Those are firearms often 3D printed or assembled in kits that don’t have serial numbers, making them very hard for law enforcement to track. One bill in the package would require owners of existing ghost guns to get them serialized within 18 months. Anyone who builds a firearm, unfinished frame, or receiver at home would have 10 days after finishing their project to get it serialized. Bill sponsor state Rep.

2 days ago | michiganpublic.org | Christopher Johnson

A pair of bills in the Michigan House of Representatives would allow roadside saliva tests to screen drivers for controlled substances and indications of impairment. Minority Floor Leader John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) said the bills would build on a pilot program that showed the tests make the roads safer.

3 days ago | michiganpublic.org | Colin Jackson

A Republican lawmaker in the Michigan House is introducing articles of impeachment against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The articles accuse Benson, a Democrat, of exceeding her authority, failing to secure elections, and not being transparent. State Representative Jim DeSana (R-Carleton) said the effort is about holding Benson accountable. “Her job is to run the Secretary of State's office and to run elections. We make the law that determine[s] what is the authority over the election.

3 days ago | michiganpublic.org | Tamar Charney

Can beauty hide in the ugliness of rust, rot, or even in an old outhouse? An urban sketching class has made writer Tamar Charney notice something most of us probably try to overlook. I’ve been paying attention to outhouses. Yup! Porta potties. Unless nature was calling when I was out and about, they weren’t at all on my radar. But once I started noticing them, they seemed to be everywhere. In the school parking lot. In front of every construction project in my neighborhood.