A state’s voters are free to outlaw the use of race as a factor in college admissions, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a blow to affirmative action that also laid bare tensions among the justices about a continuing need for programs that address racial inequality in America.

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LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Senate voted unanimously Thursday to create new sentencing rules for young killers, 16 months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles. The legislation sent to the House on 36-0 votes ...

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DETROIT — Moody’s Investors Service says Detroit’s road through bankruptcy could set the tone or precedent for other financially distressed communities. The report released Friday says it doesn’t anticipate numerous defaults and bankruptcies, but more could come if Detroit successfully ...

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DETROIT — A federal judge on Wednesday swept aside lawsuits challenging Detroit’s bankruptcy, settling the first major dispute in the scramble to get a leg up just days after the largest filing by a local government in U.S. history. After ...

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WASHINGTON — A record number of U.S. counties — more than 1 in 3 — are now dying off, hit by an aging population and weakened local economies that are spurring young adults to seek jobs and build families elsewhere. ...

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WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states last month, the latest evidence that hiring remains tepid across the country. The Labor Department said Friday that rates increased in 26 states. They fell in 12 states ...

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In a few weeks, about 2,800 cars, trucks and buses will start talking to each other on the streets of Ann Arbor, Mich., in a giant experiment that government officials are hoping will lead to safer ...

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A judge says Michigan liquor commissioners are immune to a lawsuit over a beer with a name that’s offensive to some people. The state’s Liquor Control Commission reversed course in 2011 and let Flying Dog Brewery ...

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LANSING, Mich. — Drug developer Emergent BioSolutions Inc. says it wants to spend $108 million to upgrade operations in Michigan by 2016. The Lansing State Journal reports the Rockville-based company wants to build a $9.6 million administration building and spend ...

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WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates fell in 43 states in November, the most number of states to report such declines in eight years. The falling state rates reflect the brightening jobs picture nationally. The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in November ...

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