Nicole Walton

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI--   Four Upper Peninsula nonprofit groups have received grants from the Michigan Humanities Council.  

Money is awarded annually to organizations that support cultural, educational and community-based public humanities programs. 

$15,000 was approved for the Calumet Theatre Company in Houghton County. 

In Chippewa County another $15,000 is slated for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society; $2,930 is going to Lake Superior State University; and $5,674 is going to the Bayliss Public Library in the Soo.

LANSING, MI (AP)--   Michigan could take in $542 million more in revenue than projected 4 months ago.

That's according to a report Monday from the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency. 

It's good news for lawmakers and Governor Rick Snyder as they work to finalize a state budget for the fiscal year starting in October.

Senate experts say Michigan could have a $739 million surplus in the current budget year. The extra money could be used to boost spending, lower taxes or be socked away in savings.

LANSING, MI (AP)--   Michigan Democrats are introducing legislation they say will improve women's access to health care. 

Minority Democrats in the state House and Senate on Monday announced legislation they plan to introduce this week.

One bill would mandate that health facilities provide emergency contraception to rape victims.

MADISON, WI (AP)--   Unemployed people in Wisconsin would have to double their searches for work from two to four a week or lose their benefits under a proposal approved by the Legislature's budget committee. 

The measure approved Monday by the Joint Finance Committee is one of the toughest job search requirements in the country. The full Legislature would have to agree for the change to take effect.

While four searches would be the minimum, the Department of Workforce Development is given the power to require even more searches in the future.

LANSING, MI (AP)--   Democrat Mark Schauer isn't officially a candidate for Michigan governor yet, but he sure sounds like one. 

The former congressman from Battle Creek told The Associated Press on Monday that his frustration with Republican Governor Rick Snyder and a "groundswell" of support for a Schauer candidacy have caused him to take a hard look at running in 2014. He's expected to make a decision soon.

DETROIT, MI (AP)--   The first report by Detroit's emergency manager declares that the city is broke and at risk of running completely out of money a financial meltdown that could mean no paychecks for workers, no pension benefits and even deeper cuts in services. 

If the city cannot avert disaster, the only remaining option appears to be bankruptcy, a threat that looms large over Kevyn Orr's urgent efforts to make deals with creditors and debt holders.

ISHPEMING, MI--   Cliffs Natural Resources says trespassing on its railroad tracks between the Empire and Tilden mines and the LS&I ore dock is dangerous.  

Officials say they’ve seen an increase in the number of people on the tracks, which concerns them. 

Cliffs says a loaded train with 120 cars takes about a half-mile to come to a complete stop.  Weather conditions and downhill grades make it longer. 

Officials note the trains carrying ore pellets don’t operate on a specific schedule, so no one knows when a train may come down the tracks. 

ST. IGNACE, MI--   One person has died in a two-vehicle accident in Mackinac County. 

The Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened Sunday around 9:30 a.m. on US-2 near St. Ignace.  A westbound vehicle had pulled onto the eastbound shoulder to turn into a scenic overlook when it struck a truck towing a camper and boat.  The truck swerved across the eastbound lanes and hit a tree. 

The four occupants of the car were taken to Mackinac Straits Hospital with minor injuries.  A passenger in the truck was killed in the impact. 

IRON MOUNTAIN, MI--   Law enforcement is cautioning people to be extremely careful if they see common household items dumped in public areas and trash cans.  

Michigan State Police and UPSET say the components used to make methamphetamine look normal but may be dangerous.  Under certain circumstances chemicals can ignite when they come into contact with oxygen. 

LANSING, MI (AP)--   High-level talks over fixing Michigan's deteriorating roads are at a standstill.

Republican and Democratic leaders can't agree much on how to even proceed. 

Feeling burned by passage of a right-to-work law, Democrats won't consider tax increases without public assurances that Governor Rick Snyder will veto other legislation.

Democrats want a repeal of a law guaranteeing better wages on government construction projects taken off the table, along with talk of dividing the state's electoral votes proportionally.