Rick Pluta | MPRN
Reporter / Producer - Michigan Public Radio NetworkRick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.
Rick was one of the first Michigan political reporters to write about “pay-to-play” fundraising, and the controversies surrounding recognition of same-sex relationships. He broke the news that Gov. John Engler was planning a huge juvenile justice overhaul that included adult-time-for-adult-crime sentencing, and has continued to report since then on the effects of that policy decision.
He co-hosted the weekly segment “It’s Just Politics” on Michigan Radio with Zoe Clark.
Rick is fascinated by the game of politics, and the grand plans and human foibles that go into policy-making. You will never find him ice-fishing.
Follow him on Twitter at @rickpluta
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A rule issued Thursday by the White House expands required background checks for many gun purchases. It largely mirrors a Michigan law already in place.
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The first step is to get an attorney who specializes in appeals. If a defendant cannot afford an appellate attorney, the state will provide one.
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The Michigan Legislature will return to Lansing this week following its spring recess. Much of the focus over the next few months will be on the state budget.
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The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that lengthy delays due to COVID-19 restrictions did not violate a defendant’s right to a speedy trial.
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The Michigan Attorney General’s office has launched a website to help people track power outages and whether they are due a credit or a refund for lost service.
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The Michigan Attorney General’s office has launched a website to help people track power outages and whether they are due a credit or a refund for lost service.
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The Michigan Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of a leader of a white supremacist group who challenged his prison sentence.
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Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed bills Monday to lift Michigan’s 35-year-old ban on the use of paid pregnancy surrogates.Michigan was one of the first states to outlaw paid surrogacy contracts in 1988. Now, Whitmer said, Michigan will be the final state in the nation to allow families to use in vitro fertilization with compensated surrogates without fear of criminal prosecution.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is traveling the state Friday and Saturday to stump for President Joe Biden’s reelection.
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Governor Gretchen Whitmer says the results in national elections this year could be pivotal in whether reproductive rights in Michigan will remain standing.