Tuesday September 9

LANSING, Mich.  – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed August 26, 2025, as Women’s Equality Day commemorating the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote. 

“On the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day and honor the generations of brave women who fought for our fundamental rights and freedoms,” said Governor Whitmer. “As governor, I am proud to continue that fight to ensure every woman has the opportunity she deserves. Together, we will deliver on the issues that make a real difference in people's lives and build a Michigan where anyone can thrive.” 

“Women’s Equality Day is an opportunity to not only reflect on the accomplishments of trailblazing women leaders in our state history—like my predecessor, Eva McCall Hamilton, the first woman to ever serve in the Michigan Legislature—but it also serves as a call-to-action for women leaders today to continue laying the groundwork for a future where even more women can follow in our footsteps,” said Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids). “As the first woman Senate Majority Leader in Michigan history, I’m confident that one day, my portrait in the Capitol will be surrounded by portraits of other women who were inspired to chase their aspirations of leadership, shatter glass ceilings, and proudly take up space in the world.”   

Governor Whitmer has worked to ensure appointees reflect Michigan’s diverse population. Governor Whitmer has appointed more than 1,200 women to boards, commissions, and full-time positions, and has appointed 62 women to judicial positions - representing over half of all judicial appointments made during her term.  

Michigan was one of the first three states to pass the 19th Amendment, paving the way for other states to ratify the amendment. Michigan was once home to notable suffragettes including Sojourner Truth, Anna Howard Shaw, Clara Arthur, and Lucia Voorhees Grimes. Women's Equality Day celebrates the monumental efforts of those who have fought and continue to fight to protect women's constitutional right to vote. 

Governor Whitmer’s Historic Wins for Women Across Michigan: 

• Spearheaded the Michigan Women’s Commission and the Women’s Economic Recovery Tour to empower women and provide them with opportunities for achieving economic mobility.  
• Provided grants to community organizations advocating for women’s rights and benefits in the workplace.    
• Lowered costs for Michigan families, by providing an average tax refund of $3,500 to more than 650,000 households through the Michigan Working Families Tax Credit.  
• Expanded free pre-k to all four-year-olds regardless of household income, ensuring all Michigan children are set up for long-term success early on, saving families $10,000 per year.  
• Established the Michigan Guarantee, making community college free saving people up to $27,500.  
• Signed a package of bills formally legalizing IVF and surrogacy, allowing families to make decisions best for them.  
• Partnered with MDDHS to launch the Take Control of Your Birth Control Program, expanding access to free contraceptives via 300 facilities across Michigan.  
• Expanded Medicaid coverage for family planning services up to 195% of the federal poverty level.  
• Allowed free-standing birth centers to gain licensure, expanding birthing options that reduce the risk of maternal and infant mortality, especially in Black mothers and children.
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View the full proclamation here. 

-courtesy story

EAST LANSING Mich. - Michigan State University has a new way for students, faculty, staff and visitors to get around campus for free while also contributing to the future of mobility research. The SpartanXpress, MSU’s new autonomous and electric bus on campus is ready for passengers with a fresh look, new route and exciting research opportunities to explore.

Thanks to the university’s latest three-year partnership with ADASTEC, a leading software company that specializes in automated driving solutions, the full-size, 21-seat bus travels a 5.12-mile loop around campus with stops at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts and Anthony Hall.

Judd Herzer is the director of MSU Mobility and Innovation. Credit: Derrick L. Turner

“With our real-life, four-season testing and validation environment here at MSU, these are exactly the types of valuable collaborations that bring a taste of the future to campus and give everyone access to the extensive mobility opportunities in our great state,” said Judd Herzer, director of MSU Mobility and Innovation. “Having this bus on campus will have a strong impact on our mobility research as we gain access to loads of real-life testing data and give our students a unique opportunity they may not get elsewhere.”

As the SpartanXpress cruises around campus, it is equipped with the latest in light detection and ranging, or LiDAR, technology to monitor anything in the bus’s path, a global navigation satellite system, or GNSS, and cellular vehicle-to-everything, or C-V2X, technology that can alert the bus and it’s safety driver of dynamic road conditions during changing weather conditions.

“Every great transformation begins with a bold step,” said Ali Peker, CEO of ADASTEC. “What we are doing with Michigan State University is more than deploying an automated bus, this bus is a living laboratory that proves advanced technology can safely operate on open public roads, through every season, while delivering real value to students, researchers and the wider community. From this campus, we are not only carrying passengers, but we are also carrying the vision of a world where technology and society move forward together toward cleaner, smarter and more connected cities.”

The SpartanXpress autonomous bus. Credit: Derrick L. Turner

Peker explained how the research done on MSU’s campus in adverse weather conditions translates to better technologies used around the world in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

“The SpartanXpress is a great example of real-world deployment of autonomous vehicles,” said Matt Klawon of AECOM, an engineering company that formed the Automated Bus Consortium to support the development of automated bus projects across the U.S. “This is exactly what the Automated Bus Consortium is helping our partner transit agencies achieve.”

Satellite image of the SpartanXpress bus route.

MSU's SpartanXpress route on campus

The bus will run Monday through Friday between 10:05 a.m. and 3:25 p.m. No pass is required for the SpartanXpress. Ridership is free and open to students, faculty, staff, campus visitors and community members.

For the complete schedule and to learn more about MSU’s live, connected mobility ecosystem, visit the MSU Mobility website.

-courtesy story 

Soccer

Charlotte 8 Potterville 0

Fowlerville 4 Portland 1

Haslett 2 St. Johns 0

Lansing Catholic 2 Holt 0

Ionia 2 Hastings 1

Eastern 1 Mason 1

Okemos 2 Everett 0 

Eaton Rapids 1 Waverly 0

Volleyball

BC Pennfield 3 Olivet 1

Laingsburg 2 Fulton 0 

Laingbsurg 3 Corunna 0

OB 2 Laingsburg 1

Byron 3 Potterville 0