Flint Investigation Lays Blame For Water Crisis Squarely On The State

An investigatory panel tasked by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) laid the blame for the contamination of Flint’s drinking water with lead and other toxins on the state in a final report released Wednesday. “[T]he state is fundamentally accountable for what happened in Flint,” it states. “The Flint water crisis is a story of government failure, intransigence, unpreparedness, delay, inaction, and environmental injustice.”

Rick Snyder Says A Water Crisis Like Flint’s Could Happen Anywhere

WASHINGTON — Though Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) admits that his government caused the Flint water crisis, he told Congress on Thursday morning it’s something that could happen anywhere that has lead pipes.

“The truth is, there are many communities with potentially dangerous lead problems,” Snyder said in his testimony before the House Oversight Committee.

Michigan Taxpayers Face Paying Millions In Legal Fees Over Flint Crisis

Michigan taxpayers may face at least $2.7 million in legal fees under new requests from the state's governor and attorney general over the Flint water crisis.

Gov. Rick Snyder (R) requested on Tuesday $1.2 million for legal services, more than double the $500,000 already earmarked. Attorney General Bill Schuette asked for a separate increase in funds to $1.5 million to pay a firm investigating the government's involvement in the crisis.

Rick Snyder Aides Urged Moving Flint Back To Detroit Water System: Report

DETROIT, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Quality problems prompted two of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's top lawyers to urge that the city of Flint be moved back to the Detroit water system just months after a decision to draw water supply from the Flint River, Detroit newspapers reported Friday.

Flint switched its water supply from Detroit to the Flint River in April 2014 in a bid to cut costs when the city was under a state-appointed emergency manager.

Snyder Aide Says Governor Knew About Flint Water Issues A Year Before Action Was Taken

Aides close to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and his top lawyers discussed concerns about water quality in Flint and its impact on health as early as October 2014, a full year before the water source was switched back to Detroit and away from the Flint River, according to a review of 550 newly released emails by the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. At least one aide says the concerns were brought directly to the governor himself.

Rick Snyder's Office Was Warned Of Deadly Legionnaires Outbreak, Did Nothing

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has said he didn't know about an uptick in deadly Legionnaires' disease around Flint until this year, but newly released emails show a Snyder aide had been warned last March.

Snyder's office said the agency that has already accepted blame for much of the Flint water crisis dropped the ball on the Legionnaires' disease issue and nobody told the governor about it. The Michigan Democratic Party has now called on Snyder to resign.

Rick Snyder Front, Center In Detroit Bankruptcy Drama

DETROIT -- Seven governors came and went during the decades-long decay of Michigan's largest city that culminated with a humiliating collapse into financial ruin.

It's the eighth, former business executive and relative political novice Rick Snyder, who is aggressively tying his legacy to the prospects of a Detroit turnaround.

When he took office, Snyder pushed for more powers for the state to intervene in distressed cities and schools. After voters repealed the law last November, he ignored critics and signed another one. He also hired the city's turnaround specialist and, nearly four months later, blessed the request to file for bankruptcy.

Austerity's Cruelest Cut: Democracy Denied in Detroit

When the voters of Detroit were given the opportunity to decide whether they wanted Rick Snyder to have a role in running their city, it did not go well.

Snyder, as the Republican nominee for governor in 2010, finished with just 5 percent of the vote.

As in: He lost the city by a 20-1 margin.

Detroit Emergency Manager: Gov. Rick Snyder Announces State Financial Takeover

Gov. Rick Snyder will appoint an emergency financial manager to take over control of Michigan’s largest city, he said Thursday in Detroit. The announcement follows his declaration of a fiscal emergency in the city.

"I'm confirming my determination of a financial emergency," Snyder said. "I'm going to ask the Emergency Loan Board to move forward with the plan of appointing an emergency manager for the city of Detroit."

Rick Snyder: Right To Work Bills Signed Into Law In Michigan

WASHINGTON -- Gov. Rick Snyder (R) officially made Michigan a "right-to-work" state on Tuesday, signing into law two bills that significantly diminish the power of unions.

"I have signed these bills into law. ... We are moving forward on the topic of workplace fairness and equality," he said at a press conference on Tuesday evening, just hours after the state House passed the bills.