BAY CITY, MI — A Bay City firefighters union leader says officials are misguided when placing blame on his group for a missed $456,248 state grant. Read more:

The Ypsilanti City Council has declined to hear a presentation from local and statewide fire officials arguing against the creation of a hybrid public safety model and one council member said she believes the decision is a form of censorship. Read more:

CINCINNATI - Just hours before Thursday night’s public hearing on Cincinnati’s proposed budget, two City Council members introduced a plan to reduce planned police and fire layoffs even further. Read more:

Six firefighters in Southwest Ohio’s second-largest city will get the ax on June 5 to help shore up a $5.5 million deficit in Hamilton’s 2013 budget, officials said. A consultant hired last year had said the Hamilton Fire Department had too many firefighters and suggested cutting back to 87 firefighters. Read more:

Chicago will phase out its 55 percent subsidy for retiree health care by January 2017 but continue that coverage for the oldest retirees, under a mayoral plan that will free taxpayers from a $108.7 million a year burden. Thirty thousand retired city employees will be forced to switch to Obamacare. Read more:

Saginaw will eliminate nearly one-tenth of its total city staff if Saginaw City Council approves the 2013-2014 fiscal year budget being proposed by City Manager Darnell Earley. Read more:

Plan would add furlough days for city supervisors, reduce police layoffs to 25. Read more:

A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted 13 Cleveland firefighters Wednesday, accusing them of illegally paying co-workers to cover most of their shifts -- freeing them to work other full-time jobs or run their own companies while continuing to collect salaries and benefits from the city. Read more:

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory submitted his changes to the 2014-15 budget on Wednesday, and it includes fewer layoffs. Read more:

Several MLive commenters strongly disagreed with the opinion of MLive/The Saginaw News and MLive/The Bay City Times editorial boards about the future of public safety in both cities. Read more: