Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

More partisan fighting over Michigan's new redistricting commission

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requested $4.6 million for Michigian's redistricting commission, but Republicans in the Legislature are only providing $3.4 million.

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Michigan's Republican-led Legislature is moving to give the state's new independent redistricting commission only three-quarters of the budget proposed by the Democratic governor.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had asked for $4.6 million to cover the start-up costs of the commission. But the legislators writing the state's spending plan for next year decided Thursday to allocate only $3.4 million and to put the panel's budget under control of the Legislature instead of the secretary of state, currently Democrat Jocelyn Benson.

It's the latest partisan battle over the new commission. It was created through a 2018 ballot initiative orchestrated by the grassroots group Voters Not Politicians in the hope of bleeding partisanship out of political mapmaking in Michigan — a presidential battleground and home to some of the most successful efforts at GOP partisan gerrymanderingfor this decade.


"These types of political games are exactly what voters stood firmly against in the last election," said the executive director of Voters Not Politicians, Nancy Wang.

Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on what questions should be included in the application to become a member of the commission, Benson announced Thursday. The panel will draw the congressional and legislative district lines after the next census — unless it's thwarted by litigation filed by Republicans, who are challenging the constitutionality of the limits on partisan operatives as members.

Read More

The cast of "English," showcasing at TheaterWorks Hartford.

TheaterWorks Hartford marks its 40th season with English, Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about language, identity, and belonging.

Photo by Julian Barlow

TheaterWorks Hartford Presents “English”: A Deep Dive Into Language, Culture, and Identity

This autumn, class is in session. TheaterWorks Hartford celebrates its 40th season with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “English” by Sanaz Toossi.

This heartfelt, timely piece is a co-production between TWH and Long Wharf Theater. “English” premieres in Hartford on Oct. 2 and runs through Nov. 2, 2025—before showcasing on Southern Connecticut State University’s campus in January 2026.

Keep ReadingShow less
Why free speech rights got left out of the Constitution – and added in later via the First Amendment

Supporters of free speech gather in September 2025 to protest the suspension of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', across the street from the theater where the show is produced in Hollywood.

Why free speech rights got left out of the Constitution – and added in later via the First Amendment

Bipartisan agreement is rare in these politically polarized days.

But that’s just what happened in response to ABC’s suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The suspension followed the Federal Communications Commission chairman’s threat to punish the network for Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer.

Keep ReadingShow less