Recapping Whitmer's State of the State, a profane racial rant in Grosse Pointe, Nessel eyes high insulin cost

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - In her first term's final State of the State address, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pitched solutions to "kitchen-table issues" aimed at tax cuts for individual households while highlighting the need for bolstering mental health care in schools. 

From education funding to electric vehicle investment, the governor struck a positive tone heading into another election year.

"I know how anxious and tired parents are feeling right now. As a mom, I get it. That's why I'm making investments where they matter most - in classrooms. To help our kids get caught up," said Whitmer.

Among the specific policies the governor eyed was a plan to repeal the retirement tax by rolling back a levy on pensions, retirement income, and IRAs. The move would save an average of a $1,000 for 500,000 residents. 

She also called for tripling a tax credit for low and moderate-income workers. It would lead to an extra $350 a year for those people. She also pitched a $2,500 state credit for buying an electric vehicle - one of the auto industry's most dynamic sectors and one that's generated a lot of buzz this week.

General Motors' $7 billion investment in Michigan was a highlight of the night. 

Whitmer gave her address from a remote location for the second time. While the pandemic served as a backdrop for the address, it's also the underlying theme behind many of the pitches that the governor outlined. A huge surplus in government funding has eased the pressure on the state's budget.

But it remains one of the largest issues in some fields like education, where debates over testing, vaccines, and quarantine protocols have turned school districts into one of the most volatile battlegrounds between parents and faculty. 

In his response to the address, Sen. Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) magnified that theme. 

"We will stand up for the future of MIchigan's children and continue to resist school closures while continuing to provide record-level funding to keep kids in school safely," he said. "We will renew out effort to give parents the tools and resources they need to make the best individual education decisions for their children."

Profane racial rant sparks controversy in Grosse Pointe

A woman who used the n-word while criticizing the Grosse Pointe School Board during a meeting this week has stirred controversy among the community and school board members for the profane racial rant. The woman was upset her son was disciplined for using the n-word in a social media post and video.

"My address was put out there, we were threatened and why because he said n*****," she said at the meeting. She laid the blame for her son's use of the word on hip-hop music and his son's aunt, who she called his "dark chocolate auntie."

"Being introduced by his 'chocolate brown' auntie doesn’t make it right," said Shantrell Griffin-McMillan, who spoke with FOX 2. "And for her to do it at a board meeting, to be so offensive, to disregard any of the 'brown aunties' out here in the district, and parents, and students, who hear this and exposed to the meetings, how do you think that made us feel?"

School board members also said they were shocked by the language. The school's superintendent called it "racist, inappropriate language." Trustee Margaret Weertz condemned the language as well.

Roseville apartment without heat for 3 weeks

A woman living in a Macomb County apartment complex says she's been without heat for three weeks amid frigid temperatures that have frozen Michigan recently. It's forced her to use a stove and space heaters to keep warm.

The corporate office told FOX 2 that it had secured a vendor to install new boilers, which should go in on Thursday. A spokesperson also said it planned to keep residents in the loop and apologized for the inconvenience.

"My mother stays in this apartment, she’s been without heat for three and a half weeks," said Latunya Franklin, speaking of her mom who stays at the Macomb Manor apartments. 

In the meantime - it’s cold, and Franklin thinks her mom and the other people who are using space heaters, shouldn’t have to. "It’s cold out here and the temperatures goes down at night," Franklin said. "They passed out little heaters, but the heaters are burned out."

AG Nessel targets high insulin prices

Michigan’s attorney general said Wednesday she sought court approval to investigate Eli Lilly and Co., accusing the drugmaker of charging excessive prices for insulin medications used to treat diabetes.

Dana Nessel’s filings, submitted Tuesday, asked an Ingham County judge to authorize a probe under the state consumer protection law, including the use of subpoenas to get records and to interview company officials. "The average out-of-pocket cost of a single vial of insulin is nearly $100," Nessel, a Democrat, said in a statement. "No Michigander should have to face that kind of cost for life-saving medicine."

She said the department will appeal if the investigation is not allowed. The filings said the 1999 and 2007 high court decisions were wrongly decided and "have served to end many consumer cases, and have prevented countless others from ever beginning."

Prices range from $75 to $2,000 monthly depending on individual requirements and insurance coverage. U.S. prices are more than eight times higher than in 32 high-income comparison nations combined, according to researchers at the think tank Rand Corp.

MSP investigation leads to arrest of English man

An investigation by Michigan State Police in the southwest region of the state has led to the arrest of a foreign man after he allegedly tried blackmailing a girl into send inappropriate photos to him. The arrest followed a multi-agency investigation that spanned both state police and federal law enforcement.

State troopers were initially dispatched to a location in Sherwood Township, which is south of Battle Creek and near Michigan's southern border. A report came in that an 11-year-old had accidentally sent an inappropriate photo to an unknown person through Snapchat. According to police, the suspect described themselves as a 15-year-old female.

After making threats of blackmail for the victim to send more photos, the 11-year-old alerted their parents, who then told police. Troopers obtained a search warrant for the suspect's Snapchat account. Inside the account were "hundreds of photos and videos," of which some depicted sexually abusive material involving underage children.

The investigation also revealed the suspect may live in England. The Department of Homeland Security was contacted and worked with MSP to pass evidence to authorities in England. The suspect, later identified as a 17-year-old male, was arrested in England. 

What else we're watching

1. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg is vowing to implement new rule changes to cut down on rising traffic fatalities. He plans to release a broad-based strategy around speed limits, road redesign, and boosting car safety features.
2. Twenty-four pallettes of food arriving from Salt Lake City will aid Lighthouse in its emergency relief efforts to secure more food as food banks continue to struggle amid a shortage in supplies. The massive donation comes from the Mormon Church.
3. Central Michigan University is awarding dozens of students full-ride scholarships after it mistakenly informed them that they would be getting a full-ride. A statement to media said the university was offering aid to 58 students.
4. The Ferris State professor who went on a bizarre rant ahead of the semester before the university suspended him has asked a judge he be immediately reinstated. His lawyers say his First Amendment rights had been violated.
5. Another water main break on Wednesday led to I-94 being flooded at Rose Parks Boulevard. Arctic temperatures have wreaked havoc on the city's water infrastructure.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Michigan's cold spell won't lift any time soon, and in fact conditions Thursday are starting off with a wind chill below zero in some parts of the area. Snow could fall tonight and will likely be the most precipitation before a chance for rain next week when temperatures warm up.

Neil Young requests Spotify remove his music after artist’s ultimatum over Joe Rogan podcast

Spotify is currently in the process of removing all of Neil Young’s music from its platform after the rock singer gave the company an ultimatum to "deal with the vaccine misinformation coming from Joe Rogan’s podcast," or lose his music.

Rolling Stone Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter reported on Wednesday that Spotify was working to remove Young’s entire catalog of music from its platform following a letter published and then taken down by the Canadian folk and rock legend.

Rolling Stone, which first reported on Young’s letter Monday, reported that the post has since been deleted. Young reportedly wrote in the letter that he wants Spotify to "know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform."

"They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young," he reportedly posted. "Not both."