Rick Snyder

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Department of Community Health plans to lay out a new educational campaign to combat obesity in the nation's fifth heaviest state. Officials including health department Director James Haverman will unveil the campaign Wednesday at the Capitol. Gov. Rick Snyder asked the department to examine the problem of obesity and in June it released the Michigan Health and Wellness 4 x 4 Plan. The campaign is the result of that plan. Last year, the department reported more than 30 percent of children from 10 to 17 were overweight or obese.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A bill awaiting Gov. Rick Snyder's signature would require voters to declare their citizenship before getting a ballot. The measure was passed by the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature during its final session that spanned two days and ended early Friday morning. Snyder, a Republican, vetoed similar legislation this summer. The new bill would require voters to sign a statement affirming their citizenship, address and birth date. Absentee ballot applications would include a warning that voters must be a U.S. citizen.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Critics of Gov. Rick Snyder's call for more money to fix Michigan's ailing roads and bridges are pointing to the state's highway weight limit as the problem. The Detroit Free Press reports ( http://on.freep.com/140jruA ) Tuesday that Michigan has the highest maximum truck weight in the nation at 164,000 pounds. In his third State of the State address last week, Gov. Snyder asked lawmakers for an additional $1.2 billion a year to fund Michigan's transportation system.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to speak at Saturday’s memorial service for Navy Corpsman Benjamin Rast, 23, of Niles. Rast, a Brandywine High School graduate, was killed April 6 in Afghanistan. His death is being investigated  by the military as a friendly fire incident. Visitation and Rast’s memorial service are open to the public, according to a statement from the Rast family. Visitation is 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and the memorial service is 11 a.m. Saturday, both at Brandywine High School gymnasium, 1700 Bell Road, Niles.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan is halting the use of the "Pure Michigan" logo in ads touting the state's new right-to-work law. A Michigan Economic Development Corp. official told lawmakers Thursday that the agency is re-evaluating the use of the award-winning tourism logo in economic development ads. The state has been using the brand to market economic development for more than a year. But the decision to refer to the right-to-work law and Pure Michigan in a January ad in the Wall Street Journal struck a nerve with Democrats and others.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The debate about how much money to put into Michigan's tax credit program for films and movies is escalating. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder wants to end many tax exemptions and would cap Michigan's film incentive program at $25 million. There currently is no cap on the film credit program. Republicans on a House subcommittee approved a bill Wednesday that would eliminate the $25 million that Snyder proposed setting aside for the film credits.

NILES, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder has ordered U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff on Friday in honor of a 23-year-old Navy medic from Niles who was killed while on patrol in Afghanistan's Helmand province. The military says 23-year-old Benjamin D. Rast of Niles died April 6. He was assigned as a hospitalman to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. Visitation for Rast has been scheduled for 4-8 p.m. Friday in Niles at the Brandywine High School gym in Niles.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Democratic lawmakers have introduced more legislation to raise Michigan's minimum wage to $10 an hour over three years. The current state minimum wage is $7.40 per hour. The main sponsors of the legislation announced Thursday are Democratic Reps. John Switalksi of Warren and Rashida Tlaib of Detroit. They say raising the minimum wage would narrow income inequality and give residents "a chance at a better life. " A similar bill was introduced by Senate Democrats in February.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - After seeing lawmakers cut their funding and give financial managers sweeping new powers, half of local government leaders say they think Michigan is on the wrong track. A third said it's headed in the right direction and the rest said they don't know. The survey released Thursday by The Center for Local, State and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan also shows 37 percent give Gov. Rick Snyder a positive job rating while just 21 percent give that rating to the Legislature.

A request for federal disaster help has been made for farmers in Michigan counties who face substantial crop losses from extreme weather conditions. Gov. Rick Snyder made the request to USDA secretary Tom Vilsack on behalf of farmers in 72 counties in Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas. In southwest lower Michgian, fruit farmers were especially hard hit by an extremely warm spring, followed by freezing temperatures. Local counties included in Snyder's help request are Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Van Buren.