Brian Allnutt

Michigan budget bills dial back GOP environmental cuts as shutdown deadline approaches Proposed Michigan budget avoids major job cuts at EGLE and restores funding for public transit, hospitals, and natural resources.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to decide on budget legislation that would cut funding for Michigan’s environmental regulator by 7%, down from a proposed 19% cut, and protects health care and transit funding. planetdetroit.org/2025/10/mich...

From the New York Times: Breaking news: U.S. attacks Venezuelan boat for fourth time, challenging legal bounds

Zodiac killer murders again, challenging legal bounds

Opponents of this private equity takeover include consumer advocates like the Attorney General, state lawmakers, utility customers, environmental groups, large power users, and a judge who reviewed the terms of the transaction. And yet!

I'll be repping @planetdetroit.org and talking about data centers with Stateside on @michiganpublic.bsky.social today at 3 pm and 8 pm.

"Trump Tells Unprecedented Meeting of US Military Leadership Democrats Are 'Enemies Within'" is today's headline.

We are thrilled to announce that @aadl.org plans to acquire the Ann Arbor Observer!

Public ownership of local news media is more important than ever, and this acquisition builds on years of partnership and archival work to ensure the future of this priceless community asset.

aadl.org/node/647334

Got a sustainable gift idea for 2025? Planet Detroit is listening

Planet Detroit is supporting local makers and small businesses by curating a sustainable holiday gift guide, spotlighting eco-friendly and socially responsible products and services.

buff.ly/o5jVeMZ

I also have advice. Everybody loves reading advice on the computer, so I'll share it: the best thing you can do right now is log off as hard as you can. Go outside, talk to people in real life where it's actually kind of rude to talk about the news, try to actually see the friends you usually just text message. Go for a long drive and turn the phone off while you do it. Get back into your hobbies or pick one and learn it for a while. Watch one of those studio movies that reviews called "wildly miscalculated" and you haven't seen since high school. Play an album you like but find embarrassing. Go to free community events even if they sound stupid. If you take the freeway, try the surface streets. Go to a bad diner and just order some bad coffee because even bad coffee is good coffee. You can't help anybody when you're exhausted and keep posting one million college-educated rewordings of "I would love to be dead right now" on the computer. Walk away from the thing and try out some of those normal things you hear about and if you get bored that's wonderful because we're not supposed to get bored anymore. It turns out boredom is the Cadillac of feelings.

RIP Kaleb Horton
kalebhorton.ghost.io/2025-so-far/

$1 billion data center plan hits roadblock in Howell Township The Howell Township Planning Commission votes against rezoning land for a data center.

Political participation at local public meetings matters! @planetdetroit.org @brianallnutt.bsky.social
planetdetroit.org/2025/09/data...

YouTube video by heavenlyblueorange Love - 7 And 7 Is

youtu.be/MtFM-a5Xf1M

Attorneys sketch out Saline Township's options in data center fight A developer sued Saline Township after its board denied a rezoning request for a data center, and the township discussed its options at a special meeting.

Saline Township faces threat of monetary damages in data center lawsuit, municipal attorney says: planetdetroit.org/2025/09/sali...

Washtenaw communities fight data center developments: 'Not soft touches' Concerns over water, air quality, and climate goals arise in Washtenaw County as residents and officials confront data center proposals.

Data center proposals in Washtenaw County force local officials to weigh in on massive developments that could bring significant local tax revenue — and transform rural landscapes. planetdetroit.org/2025/09/wash...

I joked the other day that all the Post's editorials are just "what if this bad thing were actually good," and will you look at that

I just saw a bald eagle at the Ford Rouge plant.

'Mind-boggling' Wayne County landfill expansion draws heat from residents Protesters raise concerns over radioactive waste and environmental impact as they rally against Wayne Disposal's landfill expansion in Van Buren Township.

Community members tell regulators Wayne Disposal’s expansion would add pollution and truck traffic, and endanger the Huron River and Great Lakes. planetdetroit.org/2025/09/wayn...

Data center developer takes Saline Township to court over rezoning decision Saline Township faces a lawsuit from a data center developer after denying rezoning of 575 acres of land for the project.

Update: Data center developer pushes back on township‘s zoning decision, files lawsuit. @brianallnutt.bsky.social reports for @planetdetroit.org.
planetdetroit.org/2025/09/sali...

Data center developer takes Saline Township to court over rezoning decision Saline Township faces a lawsuit from a data center developer after denying rezoning of 575 acres of land for the project.

The Saline Township board denied the rezoning of farmland for a data center project after an outpouring of resident concerns over noise, traffic, and environmental impact. planetdetroit.org/2025/09/sali...

Saline Township denies data center rezoning request: 'Self-imposed environmental catastrophe' Saline Township board votes against rezoning for data center, highlighting concerns about water, energy, and farmland impact.

Worth noting: Rural Michigan township nixes data center development. A "self-imposed environmental catastrophe." @brianallnutt.bsky.social reports.
planetdetroit.org/2025/09/sali...

Got my updated Covid booster (and flu shot). No problems at CVS in Ann Arbor—didn’t ask for a prescription and didn’t bug me about qualifying conditions

New Bill Would Give Marco Rubio “Thought Police” Power to Revoke U.S. Passports Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already sought to punish immigrants for speech. New legislation might let him revoke passports from U.S. citizens.

Rubio has already sought to punish immigrants for speech. New legislation might let him do it for U.S. citizens.

Inbox: “Due to an abundance of caution for the community’s safety” a progressive coalition’s town hall event is being postponed.

Their announcement last night came not long after Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist disclosed he had received a bomb threat at his home yesterday.

“I’m Gonna Punch You”: Two Top Trump Officials Erupt in Public Fight Things are going great on Team Trump apparently.

Trump's brain trust is hanging out at a very cool-sounding club called the "Executive Branch."

And suburbs in general

Why we do not use generative AI in STPP

STPP asks our research assistants & experiential learning students not to use generative AI in their work with us. We created a one-pager explaining why the pitfalls of GenAI tools make them ill-suited for the partnerships and policy analysis that we do. stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/research/com...

More Pritzker, Less Newsom - Truthdig The country needs righteous anger and sharp, rousing defenses of progressive values, not California centrism served with a side of meme.

Some thoughts about the Great Khan heading into Chicagoland's big Reverse Fort Sumter weekend.

Pentagon Official: Trump Boat Strike Was a Criminal Attack on Civilians A current DoD official and many military legal experts say the U.S. attack on a boat in the Caribbean near Venezuela broke international law.

“The U.S. is now directly targeting civilians. Drug traffickers may be criminals but they aren’t combatants,” the Department of Defense official said.

theintercept.com/2025/09/05/p...

How Are You Supposed To Get The COVID Vaccine Now? An Explainer | Defector As the muggy malaise of summer winds down, you might find yourself interested in taking advantage of one of several safe and proven vaccines to help protect you from the inevitable brumal surge of res...

We took the paywall down on this one. defector.com/how-the-fuck...

Can 957 signatures halt a $1 billion data center in Augusta Township? Residents in Augusta Township file 957 petition signatures to place zoning decision for data center site on ballot.

Residents of Augusta Township rally to submit 957 signatures, aim to let voters decide on the rezoning of land for a data center:

Michigan Medicine intends to solicit assistance from the Department of Defense's Innovative Readiness Training Program (IRT). The assistance will include partnership with the Air National Guard to perform cybersecurity missions; providing real-world training for its personnel while simultaneously enhancing the cybersecurity posture of communities. The proposed assistance will take place in Ann Arbor in 2026. Contractors, labor unions, or private individuals who have questions or who wish to voice opposition to military assistance for this project may contact Greg Sieg from Michigan Medicine Information Assurance at 734-936-4900 or Ask-Cybersecurity@med.umich.edu no later than thirty (30) days after the first publication of this notice. Persons not filing comments within the time frame noted will be considered to have waived their objections to military assistance for this project.

This was in the @annarborobserver.bsky.social Personally, I find that last sentence both ridiculous and chilling. Let @umich.edu #MichiganMedicine know your thoughts on their proposed partnership with the military. @aflcio.org @leounionumich.bsky.social @usu-umich.bsky.social

The deadly toll on journalists in the Gaza war With foreign media barred, Palestinians have reported alone, facing the ‘most deliberate effort to kill and silence’ them ever

The Guardian has today printed the names, and where possible, images, of all the media workers killed in Gaza, as part of an international day of action involving more than 150 media organisations.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...