Lucy Valeski

Michigan Advance


Michigan Advance •

Palisades nuclear plant along Lake Michigan plans for a 2025 comeback, a 1st in the U.S.  • Michigan Advance

On the shores of Lake Michigan at the Palisades nuclear plant, Paul Schultz pushes a button to artificially trip the reactor in a training version of an operation room. 
The simulation triggers lights blinking on the walls and machinery, and Schultz works to shut down the reactor with Paul Rhodes, an assistant operations manager of training. 
Schultz is in training and hopes to become a licensed operator by the time the Palisades nuclear reactor in Southwest Michigan reopens, which is expected t...
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In Detroit, Biden vows to stay in the race and lays out plans for his 1st days of a 2nd term • Michigan Advance

President Joe Biden rallied a lively crowd waving “Motown is Joetown” and “We Heart Joe” signs in Detroit Friday evening, emphasizing that he will not leave the presidential race.
“You made me the nominee,” Biden said at Renaissance High School. “No one else. Not the press; not the pundits; not the insiders; not the donors. You the voters, you decided. No one else, and I’m not going anywhere.”
During the event, Biden outlined his plan for his first 100 days if he’s reelected, disparaging his opp...
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Michigan lawmakers look to quash non-consensual ‘deepfake’ pornography • Michigan Advance

As Michigan lawmakers attempt to tackle “deepfake” pornography, an emerging form of sexual violence typically aimed at women, academics examine long-term policy solutions that could place more legal responsibility on technology companies, rather than those impacted by fake AI images. 
The Michigan House cleared two bills last month banning non-consensual explicit images generated by AI systems. HB 5569, sponsored by state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing), and HB 5570, sponsored by Rep....
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‘It feels very personal’: Michigan’s Divine Nine chapters plan to turn out the vote this election • Michigan Advance

While a newfound excitement about U.S. politics has arrived for many in recent weeks, the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC), sometimes referred to as the Divine Nine, is gearing up for an “unprecedented” voter turnout effort this election cycle. 
The NPHC is made up of nine historically Black sororities and fraternities. Divine Nine organizations engage in “social action” movements, which includes voter mobilization efforts. But a statement from the organization described their intended plans...
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Vance makes Macomb Co. police station campaign stop to slam Harris’ immigration record • Michigan Advance

Flanked by local police and a prosecutor, former President Donald Trump running mate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) knocked Vice President Kamala Harris’s record on immigration and law enforcement at a small event in Macomb County Wednesday morning.
His appearance before a small crowd in a key county that Trump has won twice came ahead of a scheduled Harris rally in Detroit, where the Democratic presidential nominee will be joined by her newly minted vice president pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz....
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Grand Rapids residents call for greater transparency in police brutality cases • Michigan Advance

Chants for justice for individuals who had been killed by law enforcement in Grand Rapids were both shouted and sung Friday afternoon by local advocates and families impacted by police brutality on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol. 
Robert Womack, a former Kent County commissioner, organized the rally. He was accompanied by attorney Ben Crump, an attorney who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in police brutality cases; Ven Johnson, a civil rights lawyer from...
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Slotkin says US Senate Democratic primary is a battle between ‘rhetoric and substance’ • Michigan Advance

In a final campaign push before Tuesday’s primary election, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) on Saturday addressed a couple dozen volunteers at a small bar patio in Grand Rapids. 
She spoke with the West Michigan volunteers individually before explaining her platform and answering questions. Strengthening the middle class, keeping manufacturing and farming in the U.S. and fighting the “real” dangers to children, like gun violence, topped her list of priorities. 
Slotkin also emphasized the imp...
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Michigan awarded $129M in federal funding to push forward renewable energy goals  • Michigan Advance

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) received over $129 million in federal funding to bolster local and tribal governments’ renewable energy projects. 
The funding comes from the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Tasked with awarding the grants, the Environmental Protection Agency gave 25 projects $4.3 billion in the funding announced Monday.
“Federal funding has really changed the game in Michigan...
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Education budget makes strides on Whitmer’s free pre-K and community college plans • Michigan Advance

Michigan lawmakers expanded access for free pre-K and community college in the Fiscal Year 2025 education budget, which were centerpiece plans for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who’s planning to sign the bill Tuesday afternoon in Flint. 
Education advocates said Whitmer’s plan would normalize additional free schooling on both ends of the traditional K-12 track, which could help improve Michigan’s workforce. 
“No one questions that kindergarten is available to their child,” said Michelle Richard, the de...
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Stabenow says GOP farm bill is ‘not balanced’ and won’t pass through the US Senate • Michigan Advance

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s version of the farm bill will not get support from U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), who chairs the Senate committee responsible for handling the appropriations bill.
Stabenow told the Advance after an event in Lansing Wednesday morning that this farm bill process has been the “most frustrating” of her career. 
“I’ve actually been involved in six farm bills and led on three of them, and this has been the most frustrating time,” said Stabenow, who chair...
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Michigan’s abortion protections aren’t safe under a 2nd Trump presidency, Emhoff says • Michigan Advance

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign held a rally Monday in Southeast Michigan, attempting to draw a sharp contrast between abortion policy under Democrats vs. former President Donald Trump. 
Michiganders may face federal abortion bans with Trump in the White House, even with statewide protections, according to abortion rights advocates and Democratic leaders.
Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed Monday’s Biden campaign rally in Clawson in Oakland County.
“We’...
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Slotkin flexes support from national reproductive rights organizations in US Senate bid • Michigan Advance

Cheers, woos, boos and hisses erupted Thursday from a crowd of U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) supporters as she joined three leaders from national organizations in Grand Rapids to talk about an issue prominently on the minds of Democratic leaders in the 2024 election: reproductive rights. 
“We were not used to talking about it, but they came for us,” Slotkin said. “They came for our rights. They came for our daughters and our granddaughters.” 
Slotkin is running for a U.S. Senate seat left w...
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50K Michigan immigrants will receive deportation protections under Biden's order, coalition says  • Michigan Advance

Cindy Garcia made national headlines in 2018 when her husband, Jorge, was deported to Mexico. Garcia is an American citizen, but her husband was not. He stayed in Mexico for two years, waiting for a waiver allowing his return to Michigan and reunion with his wife and children. 
“The trauma we experienced then and now will never change,” Garcia said. “The PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], the depression, all of it, the anxiety. It will never leave, because we know that every time we see the...
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Car wreck survivors and loved ones demand House lawmakers take up no-fault auto insurance reform • Michigan Advance

Updated on Thursday, June 13 at 12:30 p.m.
 
Auto crash survivors were joined by their friends, families and auto insurance reform advocates on Wednesday on the Michigan State Capitol lawn. They laid in the grass with lilies, sang “Yesterday” by The Beatles, chanted, raised signs and ate lunch together. 
“Tate, Tate, we can’t wait,” protestors chanted in unison, referring to Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit).
The protesters want Michigan House lawmakers to vote on a bill that would ma...