Abigail Censky

Politics/Government Reporter
  • portrait: Abigail Censky
    Abigail Censky
    Lindsay Wilkinson Photography

Abigail Censky is the Politics & Government reporter at WKAR.

Abigail joined WKAR in December 2018.

Prior to joining WKAR, Abigail served as news intern at St. Louis Public Radio, covering the Missouri 2018 midterm elections; and covered Colorado politics as a reporter with the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Abigail Censky has a bachelor's degree from Colorado College.

Ways to Connect

Ingham County Health Officer Urges: "We've Got A Choice Here" After East Lansing Bar Outbreak

By • Jun 26, 2020
A graph show's roughly 24 percent of COVID cases in Ingham County are in people ages 20-29 after an outbreak at a popular college bar in East Lansing.
Ingham County Health Department

Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub had been open for just two weeks after a month’s long closure before closing their doors again last Sunday. Now they’re the origin of a coronavirus outbreak. More than 60 people have tested positive for COVID-19 after going to Harper’s, and people who went between June 12-20th are being asked by the Ingham County Health Department to self-quarantine.


Michigan Lawmakers Want More Guidance, More Money From Feds To Heal Budget Shortfalls

By • Jun 23, 2020
Income and sales tax revenues plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the state faces a two-fold problem—how to avoid cuts before this fiscal year ends, and what to do about the projected shortfalls next year.
Reginald Hardwick / WKAR-MSU

The state of Michigan, like many states across the country, is facing a projected revenue shortfall of billions of dollars—upwards of $6 billion according to the state’s most recent revenue estimating conference. Now, the state faces a two-fold problem—how to avoid cuts before this fiscal year ends, and what to do about the projected shortfalls next year.  

The Pandemic Leaves Many States In Big Budget Trouble

By & • Jun 23, 2020

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

Protesters Want Big Police Reforms. Michigan Lawmakers Offer Small Changes.

By & Riley Beggin & Bridge Magazine • Jun 22, 2020
Beverly Boatley (far right, standing) attended an NAACP Peace March in Lansing in June to protest police brutality and promote ending qualified immunity. Her grandson was killed by police in Arizona.
Abigail Censky, WKAR

Legislators in Lansing are offering incremental reforms that experts and even police themselves say won’t make much difference in reducing police violence and holding rogue officers accountable.


Rep. Slotkin Against Protester Calls To Defund Police, Supports Congressional Reform

By • Jun 16, 2020
Representative Elissa Slotkin at a town hall in 2019. Slotkin, who's co-sponsoring the Justice in Policing Act is against broader protest calls to defund police.
Alec Gerstenberger for WKAR

Lawmakers around the country are grappling with how to reform the police following weeks of mass protests against police brutality set off by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Congressional Democrats have introduced a bill with a number of police reforms from banning chokeholds to weakening qualified immunity for police, but the Democrats have largely resisted protester demands to defund the police.

In Photos: Portraits of Protest

By • Jun 12, 2020
Signs hang on a wrought iron fence outside of the state capitol. Wednesday’s march was the latest in Lansing as part of a nationwide swell of protests for Black lives and against police brutality in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.
Abigail Censky, WKAR

“Black Lives Matter” boomed from loudspeakers, echoing across the lawn of the Michigan State Capitol at the NAACP’s “We Are Done Dying March.”

Wednesday’s march was the latest in Lansing as part of a nationwide swell of protests for Black lives and against police brutality in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.

"We Ain't Asking," Protesters Continue Call For Lansing Mayor's Resignation

By • Jun 9, 2020
Protesters have staged nightly protests in Lansing against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. Now, those protests have turned into calls to defund the Lansing Police and for Mayor Andy Schor to resign.
Abigail Censky, WKAR

More than one hundred protesters gathered on the state capitol steps Sunday marking a week of protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man, by a white police officer.

Lansing Business Owners React To George Floyd Protests

By • Jun 1, 2020
Early Monday morning, crews of volunteers and small business owners worked to board up broken windows, sweep shattered glass, and scrub spray paint off of buildings that protesters damaged in the Sunday protest.
Abigail Censky, WKAR

Hundreds gathered at the Michigan State Capitol Sunday to protest the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who was killed after White police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for minutes.

Protesters marched around the Capitol, down Michigan Avenue, and to East Lansing and back throughout the day—remaining largely non-violent. However, as daylight began to fade, a switch flipped and the protest turned violent leaving broken windows, a burnt carcass of a car, and damage to downtown businesses.

Hundreds Protest Police Brutality At Capitol After Police Killing Of George Floyd

By & • May 31, 2020
Hundreds of protesters marched at the capitol and around Lansing throughout the day Sunday protesting the police killing of George Floyd and police brutality.
Abigail Censky, WKAR

 This post was last updated Sunday, May 31st at 11:30 p.m.

Hundreds gathered at the Michigan State Capitol Sunday to protest the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who was killed after White Police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for  minutes.

Fair And Equal Michigan Sues State To Change Signature Requirements During Pandemic

By • May 29, 2020
Fair & Equal MI along with two Democrat state lawmakers, the campaign is suing the Michigan Secretary of State, Board of Canvassers, and Director of Elections to forestall the end of their campaign after falling more than 162,000 signatures short.
James Durkee / flickr creative commons

As ballot measure initiatives across the country fizzled out during the coronavirus pandemic Fair and Equal Michigan pivoted to gathering electronic signatures.

But, when Wednesday’s deadline came to turn in signatures to be vetted for a place on Novembers’ ballot, the gay-rights campaign fighting for non-discrimination protections fell more than 162,000 signatures short.

Now, along with two Democrat state lawmakers, the campaign is suing the Michigan Secretary of State, Board of Canvassers, and Director of Elections to forestall the end of their campaign.

Pages