Running scared: House OMA changes would thwart openness
Based on the desires of many state university leaders, the Michigan House Higher Education Committee approved two bills last week to exempt university presidential searches from the Open Meetings Act. The committee also is sponsoring an initiative to deny the public access to documents that search committees gather. The Freedom of Information Act currently allows public access to such documents, but opponents of OMA may gain this foothold by deeming search committees nonpublic whereas governing boards are public. Final approval of any of these three bills would be disastrous, especially for the University. Searches would become less productive - the majority of this community would not have the opportunity to voice its opinion on the final selection, as if they weren't isolated enough from the decision.
The right to safety: Court must keep gun background checks
When the Brady Bill passed in 1994, it was hailed as a step toward making the country a safer place. By mandating background checks on prospective firearm purchasers, the bill aims to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons. Now, background checks - the key to the law's effectiveness - are under fire in the U.S. Supreme Court. Some state police are targeting the checks as an unconstitutional infringement upon the rights of local law enforcement officials. The Court must uphold the act.
A2, a bastion of normality?
I noticed something the last time I was home.
They're normal, the people there.
Letters to the Editor
12-09-96