Republican Carolyn Cater spent a dozen years working on ships in the Great Lakes. Cater was once a coal-passer on the S.S. Badger, spending her time shoveling coal into the ship’s boilers. Cater is now running for Michigan’s 101st state House District seat, which runs from Ludington to Northport.

We've Got Issues

We've Got Issues: High taxes are holding Michigan back, says 101st candidate

Jack O’Malley spent decades as a morning radio host in northern Michigan. He signed off at WTCM-FM for the final time in April. Now he wants a new job in the state House of Representatives.

We’ve Got Issues: Jack O’Malley brings familiar voice to state House race

Michigan Democrats hope to win back seats in the state House of Representatives this election. To do that, they’ll need to win districts like northern Michigan’s 101st, which was last won by a Democrat a decade ago.

We’ve Got Issues: Benzie Dem wants to keep young families in 101st District

Michigan State University has reached a half-billion dollar settlement with victims of Larry Nassar. Nassar is the former MSU sports medicine doctor who sexually assaulted hundreds of women over decades – and called it treatment.

We’ve Got Issues: $500 million Nassar settlement could impact legislation

Thousands of households in Michigan generate their own electricity with solar panels. They’re reimbursed by utility companies for any extra power they put into the grid under a program called net metering. But under new rules, those customers are going to get less in return.

We’ve Got Issues: New bills would change solar panel rules again

Democrats have struggled to find candidates to run for office in Grand Traverse County. In recent elections, Democrats let most seats on the county Board of Commissioners go unchallenged.

With slate of candidates, Grand Traverse Dems challenge GOP dominance

Michigan’s attorney general is suing an Escanaba-based shipping company that he claims is responsible for a mineral oil leak in the Straits of Mackinac earlier this month.

We’ve Got Issues: Schuette sues U.P. company over Straits leak

President Donald Trump’s plan to fix the nation’s crumbling infrastructure hasn’t gone anywhere yet. Earlier this year, Trump proposed investing $1.5 trillion in the nation’s roads, bridges and other systems. However, only a fraction of the money would come from the federal government in the plan. Instead, most would come from state and local governments.

We’ve Got Issues: White House infrastructure plan relies on state and local gov'ts

Michigan’s roads are falling apart. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state a D- letter grade for the condition of its roads in a report released last month .

We’ve Got Issues: One-third of northern Michigan roads are in 'poor' condition

Michigan State University’s interim President John Engler criticized state lawmakers last week for a package of bills that would give sexual assault victims more time to file lawsuits, among other changes.

We’ve Got Issues: Former Gov. Engler scolds lawmakers about sexual assault bills

A new education report says third-graders are getting worse at reading in Michigan, even though the state has spent tens of millions trying to reverse the trend in the last few years.

We’ve Got Issues: Report says third-graders getting worse at reading – but some question data

State Rep. Curt VanderWall (R-Ludington) made a tough choice last month. He decided not to run for re-election in the Michigan House of Representatives. Instead, he’s running for the state Senate. It’s a decision that has disrupted two competitive political races in northern Michigan.

We’ve Got Issues: VanderWall shakes up two political races

State Rep. Curt VanderWall has announced he won’t run for re-election and will instead run for the state Senate. That means the race for the 101st District seat is wide open.

We’ve Got Issues: Leelanau County nurse running for open seat in MI House

A group of state lawmakers is proposing to end public elections for university boards in Michigan and to give that power entirely to the governor. The people who govern Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University are elected by the public. The state’s 12 other public universities have board members that are appointed by the governor.

We’ve Got Issues: Governor would pick MSU, UM boards under new proposal

It’s becoming easier and easier to rent out your home through websites like Airbnb and VRBO. But short-term vacation rentals are illegal in many areas Up North, including in much of Traverse City.

We’ve Got Issues: TC group wants to legalize Airbnb, short term rentals

We've Got Issues follows the critical issues facing northern Michigan by tracking how policy and politics affect people.

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