Thursday News Summary 09-22-22
Thu, 22 Sep 2022 12:19:19 EDT


(Stories Courtesy of Michigan News Radio)


SUICIDE PREVENTION
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced a $1.2 million investment in veteran suicide prevention programs, improving the health and well-being of Michigans more than 550,000 military veterans and their families. This represents the largest investment in veteran suicide prevention outreach since at least the year 2000 and likely the largest in Michigan history according to available data. According to the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 704 Michigan veterans died by suicide from 2016-19, an average of 176 suicides annually over four years.

PFAS SETTLEMENT
A judge has given tentative approval to a $54 MILLION dollar settlement involving 3M -- a shoe manufacturer and property owners in western Michigan. They say their land and wells were contaminated by toxic "forever chemicals." The deal involves approximately 17-HUNDRED properties north of Grand Rapids. The compounds are in a category known as PFAS. They were long used in scores of industrial applications, didn't break down easily and can migrate from soil to groundwater. The class-action lawsuit was filed against 3M and Wolverine Worldwide, a footwear company based in Rockford. PFAS were used to make Scotchgard, a 3M waterproofing product used by Wolverine. There is no dispute that decades ago Wolverine regularly dumped chemical-laced sludge in northern Kent County.

DOG SAVED
The Clare County Animal Shelter says its crew has safely captured Zaria, the great dane thats been trapped on an island for about a month. Back in August, the Clare County Animal Control said they believed the dog slipped its collar, ran away from its owners, and swam across a canal to a marshy area on the north end of Cranberry Lake in Hayes Township. Since then, crews have been trying to condition the dog to get into a trap using food to safely remove her from the island.

HUNTER COMPLIANCE
Michigan hunters will need to report a successful hunt within 72 hours of harvesting a deer. The proposal hasn't even gone through its first season, and already, hunters, lawmakers, and now the DNR are saying something needs to change. Under current Michigan law, a hunter would become a criminal, guilty of a misdemeanor if they fail to report a deer harvest in a timely manner. This mandatory reporting is new this year. The Natural Resource Commission put the rule in place this summer and hunters are expected to follow it this fall.

SEXUALLY ABUSIVE MATERIAL
A Cadillac man has been arrested for possession of child sexually abusive material following an investigation by Michigan State Police. Troopers said the investigation into 38-year-old Brandon Perales started after MSP received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A search of his home secured evidence including multiple internet capable devices. Perales was charged with one count of possession of child sexually abusive material and one count of using a computer to commit a crime.

FLINT WATER LAWSUIT
A jury has awarded a woman $100-thousand dollars after she lost her job for refusing to falsify results of blood tests for children who were exposed to lead-contaminated water in Flint. April Cook-Hawkins worked for four to five months at the Genesee County health department before being forced to quit in 2016. The department said Cook-Hawkins was let go over her performance, but the jury did not accept that reason and awarded $100-thousand dollars for emotional distress. Cook-Hawkins told jurors that she was directed to record lead-level results that she knew were inaccurate.

BUY NEARBY WEEKEND
The Buy Nearby campaign promotes Michigan retail businesses and educates consumers on why its so vital to keep our shopping dollars in Michigan. It's going on October 7-9 at businesses all across the state of Michigan. The Buy Nearby Weekend is important because if Michiganders redirected 10% of their estimated $30.3 billion in out-of-state e-commerce, Michigan would gain $2.2 billion in gross economic output.

FARMS ARE THE TAPAS
Farms are the Tapas, Ottawa County's annual fundraising dinner and silent auction, will help fund the County's Farmland Preservation Program. This year's event, set for 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, September 29, is at a new location: an actual Centennial farm: The Red Shed, near Hudsonville. Farms are the Tapas features a cooking competition with five area restaurants serving up locally-sourced small-plate creations for the Harvest Knife award. It also offers a virtual silent auction, which opens September 26, a full three days ahead of the event.Tickets are $50 - and all proceeds go toward farmland preservation efforts in Ottawa County.

FEATURED ART PRIZE ARTIST
City of Farmington Hills employee Karla Aren is one of the featured artists at ArtPrize, the international art competition taking place in Grand Rapids through October 2. ArtPrize, which happens every fall, is the most highly attended public art event in the world. Karla Arens Pandemic Trout Series features 100 different fish drawings each shown on a 17-inch by 11-inch template. The fish are drawn with oil pastel, pen, colored pencil, Sharpie marker, and watercolor paint on paper. Some are modeled after actual trout seen in local waters and others are whimsically fictional. Since its inception in 2009, millions of people have visited ArtPrize to see thousands of artworks displayed throughout a three-square mile area of downtown.

INDUSTRY 4.0 TECHNOLOGY GRANTS
Forty-nine small manufacturers around Michigan have been awarded a total of $1.15 million to help them adopt Industry 4.0 technologies. The funds are from the second and third rounds of awards as part of the $3 million Industry 4.0 Technology Implementation Grant program. Grants will be reimbursement-based and will cover up to 50 percent of eligible technologies, including additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and automation, and more. Some of the companies include Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear, a Hancock-based manufacturer of rugged backpacks, phone cases, camera bags and other gear designed for the outdoor enthusiast. Betz Machine, a Climax based supplier of automated assembly machines, quality inspection machines, and other diverse machining services. And LTW Inc., a Lawrence, based global provider of ergonomic workspaces and operator platforms.

KATHY KLAGES
The Michigan Supreme Court won't reinstate the conviction of a former Michigan State University gymnastics coach who was accused of lying to investigators about Larry Nassar. Kathie Klages was sentenced to 90 days in jail for lying to police about what she knew about Nassar back in 1997. But the Michigan Court of Appeals in December threw out her conviction and said her statements in a 2018 interview were not crucial. Now the state's highest court declined to take an appeal from the attorney general's office. Prosecutors had widened their investigation beyond Nassar, who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing athletes -- mostly female gymnasts. But prosecutors now have lost two high-profile cases.

FLINT FOOTBALL TROUBLE
Following some violent incidents in the stands at a recent game -- Flint Community Schools is restricting who can attend high school football games. In a letter sent home to parents, Superintendent Kevelin Jones says The Flint Jaguars home games on September 23rd and September 30th will be by invitation only. Each scholar-athlete will be able to invite five people -- including family members -- who will be allowed to enter the game. Names must be submitted by 5 o'clock on the day BEFORE each game. This comes after the September 16th game against Northwestern High School had to be canceled in the middle of the game due to multiple fights in the stands.

U-M NURSES HAVE TENTATIVE CONTRACT
The nurses union at the University of Michigan has announced that it's struck a tentative agreement with the school on a new contract. If the new contract is ratified, it will mark the end of a nearly three month period when the nurses were working without a contract. The Michigan Nurses Association says highlights of the tentative agreement include an end to mandatory overtime, an improved process for handling nurse workloads, and competitive wages to recruit new nurses. The previous contract -- covering over six thousand nurses -- expired on June 30th.

ETHAN CRUMBLEY IN COURT
Accused Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley is due in court today in Oakland County. Crumbley is charged with murder, attempted murder, and terrorism in connection with the shooting that killed four of his classmates last November. The case will go to trial in the new year. This morning's court appearance -- set for 9 a.m. -- is a monthly hearing required by Michigan law. Crumbley, prosecutors, and defense attorneys will appear virtually this morning. Crumbley's last hearing was August 25th.

GRAND RAPIDS TEEN SHOT
Grand Rapids Police are investigating after a teenage girl was shot and seriously injured yesterday afternoon on the city's south side. No one has been arrested in the shooting so far. Police ask anyone with information to contact them or silent observer.

REDFORD SCHOOLS REOPEN-METRO DETROIT
Classes will resume today in the South Redford School District after the district was forced to close for two straight days due to a cyber attack. The district -- which has over 3,000 students -- says the personal information of all students and families in the district may have been leaked during the attack. According to the district, a cyber forensics team was able to isolate the attack before the threat spread deeper into the district.

GR TECH WEEK
Tech Week GR, a four-day event running through Saturday, is a collaboration among tech companies in Grand Rapids, designed to showcase the regions tech community. Andrea Romkema , of the Right Place they're also hoping to attract entrepreneurs - anyone who is interested in starting a tech company or growing their existing company in west Michigan. Grand Rapids hopes to be a tech hub in the midwest within ten years.

BEACH HAZARDS ADVISORY
There are hazardous swimming conditions along Lake Michigan today. The National Weather Service has issued a beach hazards statement and small craft advisory for Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan and Van Buren counties through this evening. Waves could reach four to eight feet.

EPIC-MRA POLL
A new poll shows Governor Gretchen Whitmer expanding her lead over republican challenger Tudor Dixon by a margin of 55-percent to 39-percent. The Epic-MRA poll shows incumbent Dana Nessel with 48-percent support while republican Matt DePerno has 39 percent. 13 percent are undecided. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a democrat, leads her republican challenger Kristina Karamo by 14 points in the poll.

FATAL CRASH-GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY
In Grand Traverse County , one person is dead after a three car accident Wednesday morning in Williamsburg. Deputies say it hapened on M-72 at Cook Road. Westbound lanes on M-72 were shut down for more than four hours as crews cleared the scene.

NEW VETERAN SERVICES
Michigan has agreed to a new federal partnership... making it easier for veterans to register to vote ahead of the November election. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has announced that the state is partnering with the U-S Department of Veterans Affairs to provide voter registration information and assistance to veterans at VA facilities across Michigan. Benson says that through this partnership, the state aims to make it easier for Michigan veterans to exercise the rights and freedoms they fought to protect.

ADOPT A HIGHWAY
One of the state's most popular volunteer opportunities is entering its final week. MDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program is holding its final litter pickup of the season from this Saturday to next Sunday -- October 2nd. Every year, volunteers in Michigan collect more than 60,000 bags of trash along highways in the state. To get involved with Adopt-A-Highway -- you must be at least 12 years old in a group of three people or more, and you have to adopt a section of a highway for at least two years.


   

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