Dec. 11--LANSING -- The Legislature on Tuesday sent Gov. Rick Snyder a bill to allow construction of a $350-million tunnel across the Straits of Mackinac, despite concerns the plan leaves the Great Lakes at risk for a catastrophic spill. Snyder, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill as he continues to negotiate tunnel details with Canadian energy giant Enbridge, the owner of the ... Read More

Dec. 10--A measure aimed at tightening the rules for awarding public tax dollars to private developments, which could imperil more than $1 billion in subsidies Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants for high-profile projects near downtown, got derailed in a City Council committee Monday. Supporters of the "TIF Back to Basics Ordinance" said they were confident they had the votes to get the long-stalled ... Read More

Dec. 10--Construction cranes filled the skyline, but much of the best work in Chicago and the Midwest in 2018 was tucked away in settings far from the high-rise commercial maelstrom. Here are some of the year's finest projects: The 'People's House,' a mess no more: Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner lost his bid for re-election to Democrat J.B. Pritzker, but Rauner and his wife Diana still leave an ... Read More

Dec. 06--Chicago architects have long been viewed as more high-minded than developers, who are seen as plying the city's aldermen with campaign cash to get their projects off the ground. But that image of political purity bears little relation to reality. A virtual who's who of Chicago architects has given tens of thousands of dollars to City Council members who hold near-total power to ... Read More

Dec. 05--LANSING -- Michigan senators on Wednesday approved revised legislation to create a new three-member authority to oversee a proposed Enbridge Line 5 tunnel. The proposed creation of a Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority came after Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, faced with strong opposition, abandoned a plan to put the controversial tunnel under the control of the Mackinac Bridge ... Read More

DETROIT (AP) — Flint officials said Tuesday they are a year ahead of schedule in tackling a court-mandated order to deal with lead service lines as the Michigan city recovers from its contaminated water crisis, but an environmental group that sued to make changes disputes the accomplishment. The city said it's checked more than 18,000 service lines, and replaced 7,700. Mayor Karen Weaver said ... Read More

Dec. 03--LANSING -- The Snyder administration has scrapped plans to put a proposed Line 5 tunnel under the control of the Mackinac Bridge Authority and is scrambling to draft legislation to create a new entity for that job, a key senator confirmed Monday. The move comes after the Republican-controlled Senate heard strong opposition to putting the controversial tunnel under control of the ... Read More

CANTON, Ill. (AP) — Drilling to install a fiber optic conduit likely caused a gas explosion that killed one person and injuring 11 more in a central Illinois community, federal investigators said Monday. The National Transportation Safety Board issued a draft report saying the drilling by Sure Shot Communications LLC pierced a 1-inch natural gas line, causing the Nov. 16, 2016, explosion in ... Read More

Rising interest rates and design changes made to meet Minnesota permit requirements have jacked up the estimated costs of the massive Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project by 25 percent - nearly $600 million, officials said Monday. Minnesota denied a permit for the project in 2016, saying it shifted flooding from North Dakota to Minnesota and did not meet requirements in state law for a ... Read More