Wednesday News Summary 09-14-22Wed, 14 Sep 2022 12:21:44 EDT
(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)
ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE
Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Director Anita Fox announced a $4 million federal grant that will expand access to qualified health insurance Navigators and help more people find health insurance. These grants, along with extended tax subsidies called for by Governor Whitmer and other actions taken by state and federal partners, will help further reduce the national uninsured rate which hit an all-time record low of just 8% in 2022. In Michigan, Health Insurance Navigators offer free local help to families and individuals so that they can access health coverage options through the Marketplace or through government assistance programs, such as Medicaid or the MIChild program.
DIRECT CARE WORKERS
Its Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week in Michigan and behavioral health leaders have an important message for state lawmakers: honor these essential workers by providing emergency funding to keep them on the job. Direct Support Professionals, often known as Direct Care Workers, provide a broad range of support to individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses including assistance with personal care, appointments, medication administration, preparation of meals, and other general matters, as well as transportation to work, school and additional activities. Their claim is all across the state, salaries are going up for everyone except Direct Care Workers. Recent survey findings show that workers earn a starting wage of $14.35 an hour, that includes the $2.35 per hour premium pay increase the state provided.
ATTORNEYS GENERAL LETTER
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in a comment letter in support of the federal governments proposed rule aimed at strengthening protections against sex discrimination including sexual violence and harassment under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 . Title IX requires schools to provide educational programs and activities free from sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. In the comment letter, the coalition applauds the federal governments efforts to reverse many of what it calls the critical missteps of the Trump-era rulemaking and highlights additional areas for regulatory action under Title IX to help combat sex discrimination in all its forms.
OTTAWA COUNTY COMPOSTING
Ottawa County has a new food composting program. Composting is the process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps. This mixture of organic matter will break down to create a naturally fertile soil when given the right combination of time, moisture and air. The Ottawa County composting program gives residents and small businesses the opportunity to turn their food waste into soil for local farms.
HUNTING APP
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has launched a new app in time for hunting season. The app allows fishermen and hunters to buy their licenses and trail permits and enables them to report deer and fish harvests, look up regulations and view hunting area maps. The DNR says the app will also make it easier for the agency to track population data and diseases. So far about 42,-thousand people have downloaded the app and almost 17-thousand licenses have been sold through it.
NATIONAL GUARD FACILITY UPGRADES
Army National Guard camps and facilities across Michigan are being modernized with Governor Whitmer authorizing $1 million from the 2023 budget to pay for the work. The funds will transform 33 facilities, including at Camp Grayling in Crawford County. Some of the changes include lactation rooms for new moms as well as new showers and updated bathrooms. Construction is currently underway at the Michigan Army National Guard Grand Ledge Armory and the Grayling Army Airfield Armory. About 15-hundred women serve in the Michigan Army National Guard.
WASHTENAW COUNTY OVERDOSES
The number of people dying from overdoses in Washtenaw County is increasing. Statistics released by the Health Department show 78 people died last year as a result of opioid overdoses, an increase of 28-percent from 2020 to 2021. A wide majority of deaths involved fentanyl. Most local opioid-related deaths involved other substances as well including cocaine or methamphetamine. The Health Department also says most residents who died of an opioid overdose were white men between 25 and 44 years old. However there was a disproportionate number of Black/residents who died from an opioid overdose- 19-percent- compared to the county population of Black residents which is 12-percent.
CANADIAN HOLIDAY
Over the border... Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says September 19th will be a holiday so that federal employees can mourn Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral. Trudeau says he's working with the provinces on a possible public holiday for other workers. The late queen visited the country 22 times as monarch.
AUTO SHOW VISITS
President Joe Biden will make an appearance at the North American International Auto Show today. His goal is to highlight American progress on EV manufacturing and EV charging.
U-S Transportation Secretary Buttigieg will join Governor Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan at the Auto Show to announce a major project funding from the President's Infrastructure Law.
OUR STRONG START
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the new Our Strong Start program to make it easier for entrepreneurs to open new child care programs, get licensed faster, and expand access to affordable child care for working families. The Our Strong Start, the latest step in the governor's Caring for MI Future strategy, will be run by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Child Care Licensing Bureau and help entrepreneurs get licensed and secure grant funding to launch their business. Child care entrepreneurs can contact Our Strong Start for assistance at any stage in the business development process including before they've secured a facility or applied for a child care license.
TRI-COLORED BATS
U.S. officials are proposing to list the tricolored bat as endangered. It's among a dozen bat species across the nation suffering sharp declines because of white-nose syndrome. The fungal disease disrupts their winter hibernation and leads to dehydration and starvation. Bats give an important boost to the farm economy by eating insects and pollinating crops.\
OTTAWA COUNTY BOOSTER VACCINES
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health will be hosting vaccine clinics, offering both the Moderna and Pfizer bivalent booster vaccines, on Thursdays throughout the month of September at the Holland clinic in Holland. If you plan to attend a vaccine clinic, please be aware that masks are still required in Ottawa County healthcare facilities, in accordance with the CDCs infection control guidance for healthcare facilities.
MICHIGAN STATE PRESIDENT
Michigan State University's president defended his actions involving reporting of Title 9 investigations. President Samuel Stanley Jr. made his first public comments since recent reports that the university's Board of Trustees had given him until Tuesday to step down.
Stanley spoke, last night, during a special meeting of the M-S-U Faculty Senate:
According to the Detroit Free Press, the Board of Trustees forced Stanley to resign for his handling of the Title 9-related pushing out of business school dean Sanjay Gupta, and other issues. However, a university spokesman says that talks with Stanley are underway, and reports of any deadline are "factually inaccurate."
COVID-MICHIGAN
Michigan's COVID-19 numbers are continuing to remain steady . Last week the state reported over 8,000 new COVID-19 cases and virus-related 196 deaths.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the state's positive test rate was around 20 percent last week -- the same as the week before.
TEEN SHOT -KENTWOOD
A 17-year-old has been shot in Kentwood, near Grand Rapids. Police say the teen was shot in the lower chest and abdomen Tuesday afternoon and is hospitalized with non- life threatening injuries. Police say multiple vehicles and buildings were hit during the shooting. They ask anyone with information to call the police or Silent Observer.
NORTON SHORES ASSAULT
Several people were injured during an assault in Norton Shores in west Michigan. WOOD TV reports it happened at a home and three people were taken to the hospital....one with life threatening injuries. Police say one person has been detained.
TUDOR DIXON LAW PLAN
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon hitting the campaign trail to tout a new billion-dollar proposal. The four-year 'Building a Safer State' proposal focuses on public safety and with an emphasis on hiring and retaining law enforcement officers in Michigan.
Dixon says money will be spent in areas where she asserts law enforcement has been neglected by what her campaign deems Whitmers Violent Crime Wave. Dixons chief strategist says the campaign intends to unveil five plans in the coming weeks focusing on each of the major areas of government, the pillars of her campaign platform.
WARREN SCHOOL THREATS
Three buildings in Warren Consolidated Schools are closed this morning due to a school shooting threat -- Cousino (cousin-oh) High School, Carter Middle School, and Community High School. Around 12:25 this morning, Warren Police became aware of the threats -- which were made on Twitter -- and quickly worked with the district to close the buildings and launch an investigation. The person who made the threats is unknown at this time.
MAN FOUND CHEBOYGAN COUNTY
In southern Cheboygan County, a 77-year-old man reported missing in the Pigeon River State Forest on Monday was found Tuesday by the Cheboygan County Search and Rescue Team. Deputies responded to reports of an elderly man from Gaylord missing in a wooded area of Nunda and Forest Townships. The family said their father, Robert Ricksgers, was heading to Elk Hill Campground , but hadn't returned. His car got stuck in the mud and he was going to try to walk out of the woods. The family also says he was diabetic and has dementia. He was found Tuesday morning, about a thousand feet from his vehicle and taken to a hospital in Gaylord for observation.
LANSING MURDER
A 22-year-old man was gunned down in the street in Lansing last night. Police say the man was pronounced dead on the scene . Police say witnesses were located on the scene and police are investigating what led up to the shooting. Anyone with information should call Lansing Police or Crime Stoppers.
FRASER STABBING
In Fraser - classes will resume today after an apparent stabbing.
All evening activities at Fraser High School were postponed while police investigated. While Fraser Public Schools did not release any details about the incident in a statement last night, they said the incident occurred off-campus and after school. However, the school was placed on lockdown just before 5pm as a precaution. Unconfirmed social media posts suggest at least 2 teens were involved in a fight after school, which apparently led to a stabbing. Police have not released many details -- only saying it occurred in the area of Garfield Road and Klein, and that all responsible parties involved are accounted for and there is no danger to the general public.
3 KILLED IN CRASH
Three people have now died from a crash near Alto in Bowne Township on Monday. Michigan State Police say a southbound vehicle drove into the path of an eastbound vehicle. A 55-year-old woman was killed at the scene and two others were airlifted to a hospital. State Police say a 79-year-old woman from Waldron and an 82-year-old man from Waldron have now died.
FATAL CRASH
A 71-year-old woman injured in a two vehicle accident on US-131 in Mecosta County on Tuesday has now died. She's identified as Sherry Lee Middleton, of Newaygo. The County Sheriff's Office says her vehicle was rear ended by a 43-year-old woman driver from Illinois, who was not hurt. The accident is still under investigation.
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