Politics & Government

A national nonprofit group for atheists and agnostics wants to display a sandwich board with an anti-religion message inside Warren City Hall.  A nativity scene erected by the Warren Rotary Club is on display in Warren City Hall, something the "Freedom From Religion Coalition" takes issue with.

On one side, the group's sign reads:

• "At this season of the Winter Solstice, let reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

On the other, it reads:

• "Keep State & Church Separate."

The Macomb Daily News reports the group has tried to put the sign up in past years:

From the Macomb Daily:

For the second consecutive year, the Freedom From Religion Coalition has taken exception to the crèche located in the atrium of the municipal building, saying other viewpoints on religion should be permitted. According to a Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK-TV) report, the group has threatened legal action against the city...

According to the Freedom From Religion Coalition's website, their "demand letter to Mayor James R. Fouts, of Warren, Michigan, gave him until 10 a.m. today to agree to place their “equal time Winter Solstice sign" in the atrium of Warren City Hall.

Mayor James Fouts sent a letter to the group saying he would not allow their sign to be displayed because the sign is "antagonistic toward all religions and would serve no purpose during this holiday season except to provoke controversy and hostility among visitors and employees at city hall."

Fouts says he's allowed displays in city hall celebrating Ramadan, a month-long Muslim holiday, but could not support the Coalition's sign because "your non-religion is not a recognized religion."

From Fouts' letter:

If you requested permission to put up a sandwich board saying that there is no Santa Claus, you would be met with the same response. Santa Claus lives in the minds and hearts of many millions of children. The belief of God and religion lives in the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of people and is as much a part of the fabric of America, as the belief in democracy and freedom.

Attorney Danielle Hessell of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan is representing the Freedom From Religion Coalition in the dispute. Hessell says the group is planning to sue.

From a FFRC press release:

“To date, the mayor has engaged in flagrant viewpoint censorship. As the city’s top government official, he has created a public forum for religion and only for religion. We hope reason will prevail, but if he does not permit our member to place the Winter Solstice display in the atrium tomorrow, we are planning to sue Mr. Fouts in federal court.”

Hartland Township in Livingston County has voted to immediately stop adding fluoride to its water system.  The decision came after a long debate over rumored health risks and government control of water additives.

Trustee Glenn Harper brought the issue to the board. He called it a health hazard and says people should decide individually whether to use it.

Trustee Joe Colaianne voted against stopping fluoridation. The final vote was 5-2.

Hartland Township’s water system serves fewer than 400 private customers. But one of those customers is the school system, which has more than 3,100 students.

"They'll be in a situation where their dentist will prescribe fluoride supplements, which of course is additional costs to the patients," says Tom Kochheiser of the Michigan Dental Association.

Kochheiser says studies show communities without fluoridated water show a 20 to 40 percent increase in tooth decay.

He also says rumors about health problems caused by fluoride -- such as kidney problems -- are based on what he calls “junk science” and have been refuted by the Centers for Disease Control.

The federal government says fluoridation is one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. But earlier this year, the government said a new review shows some Americans may be getting too much fluoride.

Kochheiser says most communities are limiting fluoride at .7 parts per million, down from a previous recommendation of 1.2 parts per million.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Supreme Court plans to hear a case over whether the state-appointed emergency manager for the Detroit Public Schools should be removed from office.

The court announced in an order Wednesday it would hear the case brought by Robert Davis, which was rejected by the state Court of Appeals. It says oral arguments are planned and briefs from those
involved are due within 42 days.

Davis argues that the office of emergency manager should be declared vacant because Roy Roberts didn't immediately take the oath of office earlier this year.

Roberts later took the oath.

The district said in a statement that Roberts "continues to work on the hard daily tasks of strengthening educational opportunities for Detroit students and righting Detroit Public Schools finances."

We’re going to see a lot of stories about homeless people in Michigan this winter. Unemployment has come down a little, but is still high, and assistance for the poor is way down.

Shelter and rescue mission managers are bracing for the flood they feel is coming, after the state began cutting tens of thousands of people off cash assistance forever, most of them children.

In this week's edition of The Week in State Politics we speak with Michigan Radio's Political Analyst Jack Lessenberry about the cap that's been lifted on the amount of charter schools that are allowed in the state, what it means for workers now that a new workers' compensation bill has been signed into law, and we'll take a look at what we should expect from the state legislature in 2012.

Cap on Charters Lifted

Governor Snyder has signed a bill that lifts the restriction on the number of university-sponsored charter schools that are allowed in the state. Laura Weber reports:

Snyder said he hopes allowing more charter schools to open their doors in Michigan will encourage all schools to improve their performance. Critics of the measure say the law does not include enough assurances that charter schools meet high standards. And they say charter schools leave out special-needs students through selective enrollment and interviewing. The law will allow an unlimited number of university-sponsored charter schools to operate in Michigan by 2015.

Financial Review

The state begins a preliminary review of the Muskegon Heights School District’s finances today. It’s the first step in a process that could lead to an emergency manager being appointed for the district. “Many school districts and municipalities make an effort to avoid state takeovers. But in Muskegon Heights, the school board is asking for one. Earlier this month the Muskegon Heights’ school board decided it didn’t have enough money to employ a superintendent… And, in a letter to the district, State Superintendent Mike Flanagan outlined six concerns he has about the financial viability of the district,” Lindsey Smith reports. The state expects to finish the preliminary review by January 10th.

Detroit Library Closures

Despite a last minute push to keep them open, four branches of the Detroit Public Library system will close this week. “Supporters of the four branches packed the Detroit Library Commission meeting yesterday. The Commission actually voted to close the libraries last month. But library advocates were hoping Commissioners would issue them a temporary reprieve, so they could try and raise money to keep the branches open. But Commissioners refused to move the issue, meaning the branches will close as scheduled on December 22,” Sarah Cwiek reports.