Every week, my office hears from families in Allegan, Berrien and Van Buren counties who have been targeted by scammers. Sometimes it's a phone call claiming a grandchild is in jail and needs bail money wired immediately. Sometimes it's a text about a package that never existed, or a caller posing as the IRS, Medicare, or a utility company threatening to shut off the power within the hour. These criminals are getting more sophisticated, and they deliberately prey on seniors who were raised to...

I grew up on my family's sixth-generation farm in Porter Township, milking cows and working the grape vineyards. Farming here is not just an industry. It is a way of life passed down through generations. Southwest Michigan grows an incredible variety, from blueberries and apples to grapes, corn, and dairy. Few places in America can match what our farmers produce.

Every family in Michigan can feel it. Groceries cost more. Housing costs more. Paychecks don’t stretch like they used to. And too many of our young people are packing up and building their lives in other states because the opportunity they want isn’t here.