Updates About People

Korson’s Tree Farms in Montcalm County has been selected to provide an 18-foot blue spruce tree for the White House Blue Room this holiday season. This tree was chosen in part for its sturdy branches that will support the many heavy ornaments typically used in the White House Christmas display. The family-owned farm earned the honor after winning the National Christmas Tree Association contest, a competition they know well. Korson’s Tree Farms has competed several times before and was even selected in 2015 to supply the tree for then-Vice President Joe Biden.

This marks the first time since 1985 that a Michigan tree farm has supplied the official Blue Room Christmas tree.

Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined 21 other states in a legal challenge against the Trump Administration over its abrupt freeze of $6.8 billion in federal education funds. The lawsuit argues the freeze violates federal laws and constitutional provisions by halting already-approved funding for six key programs that support students with the greatest needs—such as English learners, migratory children, and adult learners. In Michigan alone, approximately $171 million is at stake, funding programs overseen by the Departments of Education (MDE), Lifelong Education (MiLEAP), and Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). These programs help support summer learning, teacher training, community enrichment, and adult education—many of which are already being disrupted.

Nessel and state education leaders are calling the move both illegal and harmful. Local schools had already made hiring decisions, signed contracts, and planned programming based on funds Congress appropriated and the Department of Education previously approved. Without intervention, school districts and adult education providers will be forced to scale back or cancel vital services just weeks before the school year begins. The lawsuit seeks immediate court action to restore the funding and prevent further disruption to educational programs that serve vulnerable student populations.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has launched the first round of Michigan’s medical debt relief program, wiping out more than $144 million in medical debt for nearly 210,000 residents. The effort, in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, is partially funded by a $4.5 million allocation in the state’s 2024 budget. It targets individuals with incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level or whose medical debt exceeds 5% of their annual income. No application is required and eligible recipients will be notified by mail.

This statewide initiative builds on earlier localized efforts in Wayne, Oakland, and Kalamazoo counties and reflects the Whitmer-Gilchrist administration’s broader commitment to reducing the financial strain of healthcare. State officials cited rising medical costs and recent cuts to Medicaid as key motivators behind the program. The first round of relief prioritized some of the hardest-hit counties, including Macomb, Kent, Genesee, and Ingham. The debt forgiveness program complements the administration’s broader strategy to lower costs for Michigan families, alongside initiatives such as tax relief, expanded early childhood education, and improved access to affordable insurance. Additional rounds of debt forgiveness are expected in the months ahead.