Rick Pluta
Reporter / Producer - Michigan Public Radio NetworkRick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.
Rick was one of the first Michigan political reporters to write about “pay-to-play” fundraising, and the controversies surrounding recognition of same-sex relationships. He broke the news that Gov. John Engler was planning a huge juvenile justice overhaul that included adult-time-for-adult-crime sentencing, and has continued to report since then on the effects of that policy decision.
He co-hosted the weekly segment “It’s Just Politics” on Michigan Radio with Zoe Clark.
Rick is fascinated by the game of politics, and the grand plans and human foibles that go into policy-making. You will never find him ice-fishing.
Follow him on Twitter at @rickpluta
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Curtis Hertel, Jr. replaces Lavora Barnes, who led the party since 2019 and chose not to seek another term. Hertel is a former county official, state senator and advisor to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. -
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed bills that change minimum wage and requires most employers institute paid sick days. -
Republicans and Democrats come to an agreement on new minimum and tipped wages for some Michigan workers, plus changes to the state’s paid sick leave law. And, Michigan Republicans and Democrats meet separately this weekend in Detroit to choose new state party chairs. -
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to reverse a ruling that struck down the state’s terroristic threats law. -
The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a permit for Enbridge Energy’s plan to bury an oil pipeline beneath the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac. -
The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a permit for Enbridge Energy’s plan to bury an oil pipeline beneath the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac.
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Michigan Republicans and Democrats gather this weekend to choose their new state party chairs. Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta explore the role of the state party chairs and why they matter heading into 2026. -
The Legislature faces a Friday deadline to make alterations to Michigan’s earned sick leave and minimum wage laws before a state Supreme Court order takes effect. Business groups and some tipped workers are pressing the Legislature for changes to the court-ordered resolution. They say the scheduled hikes in the minimum wage and a lot of the rules surrounding the earned leave policies would pose a hardship for small businesses, public safety agencies and employees who earn tips. -
The Michigan Court of Appeals has struck down the state’s terroristic threats law. A unanimous three-judge panel agreed the law violates the First Amendment.The decision says the law violates the First Amendment because it focuses on how a communication might be perceived by the target of an alleged threat, instead of whether a perpetrator acted with intent or recklessness. -
The final legal briefs were filed this week in a lawsuit that pits state Senate Democrats against House Republicans for failing to send bills adopted by both chambers to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Is this leading the state Capitol toward its own constitutional crisis?