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The Eastern Echo

Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects rights of business owners

By Thomas Bieszk · Monday, April 6, 2015

By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the happenings in the state of Indiana. But in case you haven’t heard yet, the state legislature of Indiana passed a bill stating business owners have the right to refuse service to individuals based on religious beliefs, or more specifically, refuse service to homosexual consumers. The aftermath has created outrage and has spawned campaigns to “Boycott Indiana.” The campaign has been spreading like wildfire over social media. I support the state of Indiana on this legislation. At around the same time Indiana created the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a florist in the state of Washington faced a lawsuit after she refused to provide flower arrangements for a gay wedding. According to ABC News, Barronelle Stutzman was fined by the state of Washington for $1,001 after a judge ruled she violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act, which protects the consumer against acts of discrimination by businesses, after declining to provide flowers for a gay wedding.

The Eastern Echo

Are we getting all the Timely Warnings we should?

By Hannah Saul · Sunday, March 29, 2015

Monday, March 23there was a disturbance near the Tower dorms here at Eastern Michigan. Lauren Stewart, a junior apparel and textile merchandising major and resident of Hill Hall, was woken up early Monday morning. “I woke up around 2 a.m.

The Eastern Echo

Michigan should legalize marijuana

By Alison Basley · Sunday, March 29, 2015

As support for recreational marijuana legalization in Michigan increases, the likelihood of a ballot proposal to enact the necessary legislation is becoming a reality. According to MLive, a new poll conducted by EPIC-MRA of Lansing reports that 50 percent of Michigan voters would be likely to support a future ballot proposal to legalize the possession or cultivation of marijuana by adults 21 years of age or older and allow taxable sales at state-licensed stores. The Michigan Comprehensive Cannabis Law Reform Initiative Committee plans to start its fundraising drive by May using both paid and volunteer workers to collect the needed 250,000 petition signatures. I believe that ending marijuana prohibition in Michigan would reduce violent crime and drug-related crime, while keeping the millions currently spent on incarceration and enforcement in the pockets of taxpayers. According to the Marijuana Policy Project, since Colorado stores started selling recreational pot in January of 2014 after voters chose to legalize it, drug-related crimes remained steady or dropped statewide. In addition, there has been no spike in traffic fatalities from drugged driving, according to the Washington Post. And the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting data shows that violent crime is down 5.2 percent statewide.

The Eastern Echo

Action needs to be taken to improve voter turnout

By Andrew Kocis · Sunday, March 22, 2015

Voter turnout in the 2014 election was historically low. According to data collected by the Institute for Democracy Electoral Assistance only 33.4 percent of the voting age population voted in the midterm elections of 2014, which is the lowest turnout since 1942.

Latest Podcast

Journalist Lenora Chu talks with Eastern Michigan University associate professor of Journalism Dr. You Li on this weeks episode of Women Journalists COVID Experiences. If you are interested in hearing the full unedited conversation check out the Eastern Michigan University archive website. Otherwise tune in for this weeks exceptional episode of WJCE on Spotify!

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