Michigan

Longtime former Michigan U.S. Sen. Donald Riegle dies at age 88

Published

3 months ago

April 27, 2026

Longtime former Michigan U.S. Sen. Donald Riegle dies at age 88

Former Michigan U.S. Sen. Donald Riegle, who served in office under seven U.S. presidents as a Republican and later a Democrat, has died, his family said in a statement Sunday.

He died at home on Friday, April 24, 2026, of cardiac arrest in San Diego, California, with his wife of 48 years, Lori Hansen Riegle, by his side, the statement said. He was 88.

Riegle served nearly three decades representing the Flint area and Michigan.

“The cornerstone of our family, Don was a kind, loving, courageous leader who taught us to stand up for justice, economic opportunity, and fairness for everyone,” the family said. “He tirelessly fought for the rights of the working men and women of Michigan and led the Senate opposition to NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the trade agreement that resulted in the loss of many jobs in Michigan.

“We miss him profoundly and are forever grateful for his decency and commitment to seeing the good in others. He dedicated much of his life to public service, always seeking to make life better for those in need. Don was not inclined to dwell on his achievements during the 28 years he served the people of Michigan, instead preferring to work to accomplish more for those he represented.”

Riegle was elected to the U.S. House in 1966 as a Republican at age 28, making waves by challenging President Richard Nixon’s policies on the Vietnam War and changing parties in 1973.

He was first elected a U.S. senator in 1976, was reelected twice and served 18 years, including six years as the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, before the reverberations of a savings and loan controversy prompted his departure in 1994.

He was embroiled in controversy when he and four other senators, called the Keating Five, faced allegations that they pressured federal officials to back off savings and loan executive Charles Keating after getting campaign donations. He faced Ethics Committee hearings in 1990, with the panel finding he didn’t break any laws or chamber rules. But the committee decided his actions gave the appearance of being improper.

Riegle was noted for his support of equal rights for women and helped secure the 1973 Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which prevented discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status in credit applications.

In the Senate, he led sponsorship of the Chrysler Corp. loan guarantees in the late 1970s and was successful in averting a filibuster on the Senate floor to win passage of the bill, according to his family’s statement.

Riegle was born in Flint on Feb. 4, 1938. He attended Flint Junior College and Western University; he graduated from the University of Michigan in 1960, received a degree from Michigan State University in 1961 and pursued graduate studies at Harvard Business School.

Riegle remained active in presidential politics after he retired, supporting Barack Obama in the 2008 primary and subsequent elections. In 2016, Riegle endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who went on to defeat Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York in the Democratic presidential primary.

After he left Congress, Riegle became a lobbyist and joined Weber Shandwick Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., to boost its government affairs practice before going to APCO Worldwide in 2001 to help clients from government to businesses to nonprofits.

“He loved his hometown of Flint,” said former U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, who said he has known Riegle since he was a kid. “He was very helpful to me throughout my career, but especially in my time in Congress. When I was in Congress would talk regularly, and his advice was very thoughtful and always helpful to me.

After Kildee said he decided not to seek reelection, Riegle called him to say he understood why Kildee made the decision to come home.

“On that day, I realized he’d become more than a mentor. He was my friend. He was a courageous leader and was willing to do the hard things real leaders do. The lessons of his service are more relevant now than ever,” Kildee said in a statement.

“He was committed to the state, to the nation and all people,” said Inez Brown, a former Riegle staffer from 1972-93 who later became the Flint city clerk.

Memorial arrangements are expected to be announced later, the family said.

Source link

Click to comment

Michigan

Huntington Bank to close 13 Michigan branches by the end of August — see full list here

Published

3 hours ago

July 18, 2026

Press Room

Huntington Bank to close 13 Michigan branches by the end of August — see full list here

Huntington Bank announced this week that it will be closing 13 branches across Michigan by the end of next month.

The closures span multiple counties in Michigan, including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Kent, Grand Traverse and Saginaw counties.

A spokesperson for the bank confirmed with Local 4 that the closures are a result of the company’s latest review of its distribution network, noting that the review also includes renovations at existing branches and new branch openings in addition to consolidations and closures.

“Customers from consolidating locations will continue to have convenient access to Huntington, including a nearby branch, as well as ATMs, digital banking and phone-based support,” the spokesperson said. “Every Michigan branch being consolidated has another Huntington branch within approximately 10 minutes.”

Huntington Bank — which operates more than 280 branches across the state — has not specified whether there will be layoffs as a result of the closures, however the spokesperson says they intend to “make efforts to place impacted colleagues in other roles.”

The majority of the branches slated to close will shutter by the end of August, while the Troy and Traverse City branches will close in early to mid-November.

The Michigan branches closing include:

Lake Orion – 4983 S Baldwin Rd.
Clinton Township – 19100 Hall Rd.
Mount Clemens – 1310 South Gratiot Ave.
Royal Oak – 1811 Crooks Rd.
Royal Oak – 30955 Woodward Ave, Woodward Corners
Temperance – 7405 Lewis Ave, Temperance Sterns
Freeland – 230 N Main St.
Eastpointe – 17011 E Nine Mile Rd.
Dearborn Heights – 25488 Michigan Ave.
Troy – 2301 W Big Beaver Rd, Troy West
Grand Rapids – 6455 Division Ave S, Cutlerville
Grand Rapids – 2185 3 Mile Rd NW, Walker Main
Traverse City – 14 St: 613 W Fourteenth St.

Source link

Michigan

Two from Colombia extradited, face federal drug trafficking charges in West Michigan

Published

15 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Two from Colombia extradited, face federal drug trafficking charges in West Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two Colombian nationals are facing charges after being accused of conspiring to move large amounts of cocaine into the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey.

According to an indictment, from November 2024 through June 24, 2025, Carlos Andres Rueda Ipia, or “Indio,” and Manuel Augusto Munoz Orozco, or “Gordo,” conspired with each other and others to distribute and import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States from Colombia.

The pair are also accused of distributing five kilograms or more of cocaine in Colombia on March 13, 2025, “having reasonable cause to believe the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States.”

“We worked with our international law enforcement partners to extradite these two men to face justice here because we want to send this message: if you send drugs into our community, we will come for you no matter where you are,” VerHey said. “I look forward to proving the guilt of these two defendants before a West Michigan jury.”

Rueda Ipia and Munoz Orozco were extradited to the United States on Thursday, and made their first appearance in court in Grand Rapids on Friday.

If convicted, the pair face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, according to VerHey.

“Let this be a warning, if you choose to traffic cocaine into the United States, you should expect to be hunted down, arrested, and brought into an American courtroom—no matter where you try to hide,” DEA Detroit Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon added. “The DEA will relentlessly pursue transnational drug traffickers, dismantle their criminal enterprises, and ensure they face the full weight of the American justice system.”

For Kent County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Bryan Muir, working with federal and international partners is necessary to keep people accountable.

“Drug trafficking on this scale crosses jurisdictions and international borders, and working with our federal and international partners is necessary to hold those responsible accountable,” he said. “Having a KCSO detective assigned to the DEA Task Force gives us a direct role in these investigations, improves information sharing, and helps keep dangerous drugs out of West Michigan.”

The DEA is investigating this case with help from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Grand Rapids Police Department and Michigan State Police.

International assistance includes DEA offices in Bogota, Colombia, and Vienna, Austria, as well as the Colombian National Police, the Austrian Bundeskriminalamt and the Austrian Landeskriminalamt, according to the attorney’s office.

Source link

Michigan

Michigan’s upcoming Aug. 4 primary: What’s on my ballot?

Published

1 day ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Michigan’s upcoming Aug. 4 primary: What’s on my ballot?

In Michigan’s Tuesday, Aug. 4 primary, voters will set the stage for the November general election, picking the Democratic and Republican nominees who will face off in the fall in major races, including nationally watched U.S. Senate and governor’s races.

Here’s a look at what’s on the ballot:

Key races on Michigan’s primary ballot

Governor: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cannot run again due to term limits. The Democratic primary includes Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. The Republican primary includes former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, U.S. Rep. John James, of Shelby Township and businessman Perry Johnson. (Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, is on the ballot, but he has dropped out of the race and endorsed James.)
U.S. Senate: The Democratic primary to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate includes former Wayne County and Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, of Birmingham. (State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, dropped out of the race but still appears on the ballot.) The GOP primary is uncontested, with only former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, of White Lake, on the ballot. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, decided not to seek reelection, creating an open race to fill his seat.
U.S. House of Representatives: Michigan has 13 congressional districts. Incumbents are seeking reelection in all but two of them. With James running for governor, there is an open race to fill his seat for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District. (Republican Robert Lulgjuraj – a Macomb County prosecutor – has ended his campaign in the 10th District, but his name still appears on the ballot.) There is also an open seat for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, with Stevens running for U.S. Senate.
Michigan Senate: All 38 seats in the Michigan Senate are up for election this year. Some metro Detroit voters will vote for the first time in newly drawn districts following court-ordered changes.
Michigan House of Representatives: All 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives are also up for election this year.
Local races and proposals: Voters across the state will also weigh in on races for local offices and proposals.

You can’t vote in both primaries

Unlike presidential primaries in Michigan, voters in the state do not need to request a specific party’s ballot to vote in the upcoming primary. The partisan section of the August primary ballot features Democratic and Republican sections. Voters must pick one party’s primary. For instance, a voter cannot vote for a Democrat in the U.S. Senate primary and a Republican in the gubernatorial primary.

Where can I find a sample ballot?

Michigan voters can go to michigan.gov/vote and click on “What’s on the ballot?” where they will be directed to a page to enter details about their voting jurisdiction to view a sample ballot. Alternatively, they can enter their voter information on the “Am I registered page?” to view a “Ballot preview.”

When can I vote in Michigan’s election?

Michigan voters can request an absentee ballot now. Early voting will run statewide Saturday, July 25 through Sunday, Aug. 2, but communities may offer longer early voting periods. Check out the “Where do I go to Early Vote?” page on michigan.gov/vote to find early voting locations.

Voters can also vote in person on Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters in line to vote by 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. Voters voting absentee must return their ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Military and overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day will still count.