If the State House decides to side with the State Senate and votes to repeal the personal property tax in Michigan, local governments and schools could potentially lose $470 Million the tax generates annually. State House Rep. Potvin says he supports the measure, only if the money is replaced. Potvin says, "Both the communities of Cadillac and Big Rapids have some big industrial dollars that come back to them because of the personal property tax. Until we can replace those dollars, we can't expect these cities to carry that burden alone.

Legislation will be introduced in Lansing today to phase out the state's personal property tax. The PPT is an industrial tax, based on property held by, for example, a local plant. Revenue goes to that local government for things like police and fire departments. Business groups say phasing out the tax will be a boon for job growth.

There are indications an effort will be made this week to resume action on a proposal in Lansing to allow motorcyclists over the age of 21 to ride without a helmet in Michigan. The Lansing-based "Mirs" News Service reports that the bill is set for action in the state senate this week. The proposal would allow motorcyclists to ride without a helmet if they meet certain conditions, such as a requirement that extra insurance be carried by the rider. (MRN)

Another strike is being threatened at the American Red Cross Great Lakes Blood Services Region in Lansing. Teamsters Local 580 and Professional Employees International Union Local 459 have both issued a 10-day notice of intent to strike. The unions represent some 200 staff members. It's the fourth time the great lakes region has received the notifications in the past two years, and would be the third time worker have gone on strike. According to the latest notice, members of these unions will begin a work stoppage at 8 a.m.

Morley Stanwood Lady Mohawks win over St. Ignace today with a final score of 60-50. They will advance to state finals.

The heads of four Michigan universities are not pleased with portions of Governor Rick Snyder's proposed higher education budget. Gongwer News Service reports presidents from Michigan Technological University, The University of Michigan, Grand Valley State University and Saginaw Valley State University told the House Appropriations Higher Education Subcommittee yesterday they are opposed to the Governor's proposal of one-time performance funding.

Governor Rick Snyder says more has to be done to convince parents that their children should be in school. So he's proposing that if your kids habitually don't show up for school, you'll lose welfare eligibility. It's part of the Governor's new focus on fighting crime, unveiled last week in Flint. The Governor says a root cause of crime in Michigan includes problems with truancy, because kids who don't go to school tend to more likely to be involved in crime. During the past school year, there were 83,000 reported cases of truancy in Michigan schools. (MRN)

State lawmakers are considering legislation that targets toy guns. Specifically, a proposal now before the senate would make it a crime to possess a toy gun that has required toy markings removed, or to possess a real firearm that's made up to look like a toy. The measure is sponsored by State Senate republican Rick Jones of Grand Ledge, who cites a recent case where a police officer recently took a shot at a gang member who was aiming a toy gun that had toy markings removed. Under the legislation a person who possessed an altered toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm and used it to commit a m

Michigan State University Wednesday defended it's decision to require new students to either have their own health insurance coverage, or buy MSU's, at $1,5000 per year. Republican lawmakers in Lansing have been criticizing the school, saying the policy wrongly adds to the cost of going to college. More than 700 students have enrolled in the insurance plan so far, according to MSU Provost Kim Wilcox.(MRN)