Casperson, 'titan' of the Upper Peninsula, dies at age 61

Tom Casperson has died. Casperson was a former state lawmaker from the Upper Peninsula who cast a key vote to expand Medicaid and built alliances with labor unions. The 61-year-old Republican from Escanaba had been stricken with cancer. Casperson was a conservative voice on taxes and regulation who frequently criticized state agencies for how they regulated wetlands and forests. He cast a key vote to expand Medicaid during Gov. Rick Snyder's administration. Casperson was praised by unions for voting against right-to-work legislation, which made union membership voluntary. The bill, however, was signed into law.