Michigan

Since 2019, the Traverse City Police Department has spent $28,000 to purchase tech tools to help officers identify unknown substances and intoxication levels, including one TruNarc device.

A service provider is seeking to expand high-speed Internet to underserved areas in at least a half-dozen counties. If its applications are approved, the expansion would focus on rural areas.

A plan to expand high-speed fiber-optic Internet service to rural portions of six nearby counties was unanimously endorsed by the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners Wednesday.

In part due to concerns about cheating, Michigan teachers have been slow to implement AI, according to the June 2024 survey by Michigan Virtual that found less than 30 percent of 1,000 teachers use AI in the classroom.

This comes at a time when getting a vet appointment can be a lengthy process due to a shortage of veterinary services nationwide, the retirement of older veterinarians, high turnover and increased demand.

The Michigan Department of Education this week will host the first of two virtual job fairs to combat widespread teacher shortages, where districts statewide can list openings and interact online with candidates.

For years, residents of remote Beaver Island more than 30 miles offshore from the mainland in northern Lake Michigan have said they want better Internet access.

In her State of the State address this week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to call for state legislation to address smartphone distractions in schools, but local control remains important to many superintendents.

A nearly 25,000-square-foot addition to the university's Transportation Research Institute will include three battery laboratories, auxiliary support areas, a substation and a facility for battery cell abuse testing.

The new bill introduced to Michigan's House of Representatives will require Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers to wear body cameras.

A new crime victim rights web page launched by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel aims to educate crime victims of their rights and guide them through the legal process after a crime is reported.

The city that has played a key role in the production of gasoline-powered vehicles is making plans to add the first electric vehicles to its municipal fleet and new charging stations for residents.

Through a contribution from AT&T, a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Mich., has received $50,000 to supply laptops to students who are facing financial barriers to higher education.

According to city officials, the Chevy Blazer PPV is one of the first electric police pursuit vehicles to be placed in service in a local department in the state of Michigan.

Tens of millions of dollars promised to Michigan for electric vehicle charging programs are among the federal grants in peril after President Trump ordered agencies to "immediately pause" payments.

The city police department will install the automatic readers starting this summer. They will be active when patrol vehicles are in use and plate numbers will be stored in a system that aggregates registered driver names.

The U.S. Department of Commerce will provide the funding via the CHIPS Incentives Program, to Hemlock Semiconductor. It will enable construction of a new manufacturing plant and create nearly 200 manufacturing jobs.

The Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority is now using an artificial intelligence system to respond to some calls that come in through a non-emergency line.