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In this morning's Michigan news headlines

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Morning News Roundup, Monday, July 16th, 2012

Muskegon Heights Budget

The school board for the new charter school system in Muskegon Heights will adopt a preliminary budget later this afternoon. Lindsey Smith reports:

Muskegon Heights schools’ emergency manager hired a for-profit charter school company to run the public school system for the next five years. Mosaica Education Incorporated drafted the budget the school board will consider approving Monday. The budget includes a couple of optimistic assumptions. Budget documents show Mosaica expects student enrollment to increase – from 1,300 students last year to more than 1,400 hundred this year. It also expects per pupil funding from the state to increase each of the next five years despite an overall decline during the last decade.The emergency manager has so far declined to say how much money the district is paying Mosaica.

Untaxed Online Sales

The state will lose about $242 million in tax revenue from Amazon and other online retailers, according to the Michigan Treasury Department. The Associated Press reports:

States have trouble collecting sales taxes from sellers that don't have a physical presence within their borders. Amazon owns Grand-Haven-based audio book publisher Brilliance Audio, but Treasury spokesman Terry Stanton says Michigan considers it a separate entity. The Detroit Free Press reports that job listings suggest Amazon is planning a software development center in Detroit. That physical presence would give Michigan greater ability to collect sales taxes on Amazon sales to Michigan residents. Laws requiring the collection of online sales taxes will take effect in California, Indiana, Nevada and New Jersey.

Juvenile Justice

Two hearings this week at the state Capitol will address problems in Michigan’s criminal justice system. “The U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down juvenile sentencing laws in Michigan and 28 other states. The laws automatically send juveniles convicted of serious crimes to prison for life with no chance of parole. A state House panel begins hearings tomorrow on what changes need to be made to the state’s sentencing law in light of the ruling. Also this week, the House Judiciary Committee opens hearings on legal representation for low-income criminal defendants,” Rick Pluta reports.

Zoe Clark is Michigan Public's Political Director. In this role, Clark guides coverage of the state Capitol, elections, and policy debates.