Rick Pluta
Senior Capitol Correspondent - 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 reports appear regularly from the Capitol on public radio stations across the state and NPR.
He also hosts the weekly political program It’s Just Politics with Michigan Public's Political Director Zoe Clark.
Pluta's journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR.
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.
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.
He is a lifelong public radio listener.
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A one-tenth of a percentage point decrease in Michigan's unemployment rate over two months might seem like good news, but experts say Michigan's economy is growing slowly. -
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in February on a key question that could decide whether state or federal courts will determine the fate of Enbridge Energy’s controversial Line 5. -
Dive into Michigan's 2026 political landscape with top stories to watch in the new year: gubernatorial and Senate elections, a constitutional convention ballot question, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s legacy. -
Benefits for unemployed workers in Michigan will increase again to as much as $530 a week as part of step-wise increases in jobless benefits under a law signed last year. -
Michigan's new 24% tax on marijuana is set to take effect January 1. A marijuana industry group says the tax is unconstitutional because it illegally modified a voter-approved initiative. -
The Michigan Legislature adjourned Thursday for the year, ending a 2025 session where a politically divided House and Senate often struggled to reach deals.The marathon final day saw roughly two dozen mostly mundane bills clear both chambers, capping a session on track to enact the fewest number of new laws in any year since Michigan became a state. -
A list of the top ten political stories in Michigan in 2025: Whitmer and Trump 2.0, a controversial tax on marijuana, and growing fights over data centers across the state. -
Michigan's red flag law allows authorities to seize firearms under a court order if a judge finds the owner is a threat to themselves or others. -
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Speaker of the House Matt Hall, and Attorney General Dana Nessel all made news in 2025. A look back at the year in Michigan politics… and what’s in store in the new year. -
The ACLU of Michigan wants records related to allegations of racial profiling, racial discrimination, harassment, or excessive force in the city of Taylor.
