Powerful Wind Storm Leaves Parts of Michigan in the Dark
A map of Consumers Energy power outages in south central Michigan on Thursday afternoon. Consumers Energy
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Trump budget may cut billions for HUD state and local grants; best and worst states for gender equality; will Minnesota embrace local government preemption?
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT | Utility providers in Michigan continue to respond to widespread power outages that came from high winds that swept through the Great Lakes region on Wednesday. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 800,000 customers were without power across Michigan. DTE Energy, the main utility in the Detroit area, called the storm the worst weather event in its history. Consumers Energy, which provides power in other parts of Michigan, is dealing with around 7,900 downed wires and 1,000 broken poles. The high winds also made fighting fires challenging. In Detroit, five died in an apartment fire that was difficult to fight in the windy conditions. Power in many parts of Michigan may not return until Sunday. [The Detroit News; MLive.com; Detroit Free Press]
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT | The Trump administration is considering more than $6 billion in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development cuts to public housing and most community development grants for meal assistance and blight. The 14 percent decrease in HUD’s budget would allow the president to pursue his goal of boosting defense spending by $54 billion. Major quality-of-life effects on low-income families are expected when President Trump’s budget drops sometime next week. [The Washington Post]
STATE LEGISLATURES | Democrats in the Maryland General Assembly have sponsored a bill that would increase spending given to the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics if Congress cuts funding for the reproductive services provided by the organization. “This is about protecting the citizens of Maryland, keeping them in good health,” lead sponsor Del. Shane Pendergrass said on Wednesday. Similar bills have also been proposed in Connecticut and Massachusetts. [The Washington Post]
The next state legislature looking at instituting preemption bills to prevent local governments from passing their own wage and benefit ordinances? Minnesota. [MinnPost]
A controversial bill introduced in the Maine House of Representatives that would require pet owners to restrain their animals while in a moving vehicle has been withdrawn after criticism that it was an overreach of the “nanny state.” [Portland Press Herald]
GENDER EQUALITY | A significant decline among women in poverty led Bloomberg News to rank Vermont the No. 1 state for gender equality. Similarly, Maryland was first for gender equality in leadership of corporate boards, the state legislature, advanced degrees, six-figure salaries, and business ownership. Mississippi and Louisiana, which had the worst female poverty scores, ranked lowest for gender equality. And Mississippi and North Dakota ranked last for gender equality in leadership. [Bloomberg News]
ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATION | New Hampshire voters that register within 30 days of an election would be warned of possible police visits to verify their eligibility, should a new Republican bill pass. Secretary of State Bill Gardner has backed the legislation, which opponents are calling a blatant attempt to intimidate potential voters. “Isn’t that so intimidating that some people will walk away and lose their right to vote or feel that their right is being threatened because of some other action in their life, because of some personal circumstances?” asked state Sen. Donna Soucy, a Democrat. Also at issue is the revised voter registration form, which opponents argue amounts to a literacy test. [New Hampshire Public Radio]
CORRECTIONS | In an unanimous decision, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted on Wednesday to approve a review of its bail system. The mean amount of bail for an inmate in Los Angeles County jails is $500,000. “Some of the people most disadvantaged are the homeless, pregnant women, mentally ill,” the county’s chief probation officer told the county supervisors. [Southern California Public Radio / KPCC-FM]
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