Environment

Lansing Human Relations Department promotes National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week with Community Connect event

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Lansing’s Human Relations and Community Service Department (HRCSD) hosted its Community Connect event at the Capital Area Transit Authority (CATA) downtown transportation center as a part of National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week. HRCSD has been doing this outreach event for the homeless for some years now but this is their second year holding the event at the CATA center to accommodate the increase in attendees. 

Agriculture
Health officials recommend owners check with a veterinarian if their dogs show symptoms of the “mystery” respiratory illness.

Caution urged for holiday travel with dogs due to virus

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DOGS: Officials and veterinarians are worried about a “mystery” respiratory illness confirmed in more than a dozen states, including neighboring Indiana. They urge extra caution in the runup to heavy holiday travel. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the American Veterinary Medical Association offer advice. By Kelsey Lester. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Environment
Michigan communities with the highest rates ofpPrimary and secondary syphilis

Health experts worry about rising syphilis rates

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SYPHILIS: Syphilis rates are on the rise in Michigan, especially among women, and that worries state health officials. Detroit has the highest rate, followed by Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Washtenaw and Genesee counties. There is a significant difference in rates between Black and white men. A new CDC study traces five cases of Southwest Michigan women infected after having sex with the same man. We talk to the state medical executive and a Kalamazoo County health official. By Kenzie Terpstra. FOR DETROIT, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Campus News
The entrance to Thrive Dining Hall

Students wish MSU’s allergen free dining hall could be open for longer hours

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Living With Food Allergies

Living away from home and learning time management skills are only some of the many challenges incoming college students face. But for some, figuring out how to navigate the dining halls brings even more anxiety. 

“I think for anyone with food allergies, coming into a college setting can be really stressful,” MSU freshman Alina Morse said. 

Morse manages her allergies to wheat and tree nuts daily. This was part of her decision to come to MSU. “If the school is accommodating I think that brings some peace of mind so I definitely had some peace of mind coming into MSU,” she said. 

The main accommodation MSU offers is the Thrive Dining Hall located in Owen Hall. Thrive is a certified allergen free dining hall, and is completely free of the top nine major allergens in the U.S., including; peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, wheat and gluten. 

Although Thrive chefs have to avoid so many common ingredients, they still figure out ways to make their menus exciting. 

“It really is kind of a trial and error when we have so many different restrictions,” said Ross Grimmett, the Dining Service Manager for Thrive.

Education

Pop Up Pantries bring food stability to Lansing Community College students

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his year, administrators of Lansing Community College aimed to do something about that need for its students. LCC realized that some of its students were experiencing food insecurity, so it created “pop-up pantries” for its students. According to studies from 2022 from the Greater Lansing Food Bank, more than one in six people in mid-Michigan face food insecurity, and about 92,000 residents lack consistent access to food.

Health
Schools with lowest vaccination rates among kindergarteners in 2022.

Preschool immunization lags US average

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VACCINATION RATES: The state’s child vaccination rates are the lowest since 2011, and reasons include misinformation and inadequate resources for local public health agencies. Counties with the lowest rates for children 19 to 36 months are Oscoda, Keweenaw, Clare, Houghton and Lake. Detroit also ranks among the lowest. Highest rates are in Ontonagon, Midland, Kent, Bay and Leelanau counties. Among the schools with 100% rates are ones in Ingham, Alcona, Saginaw and Oakland counties. The state’s chief medical executive and the vice president of the Michigan chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who is also a Western Michigan University faculty member, explain. By Kenzie Terpstra. FOR CLARE, ALCONA, IRON MOUNTAIN, MIDLAND, MARQUETTE, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, LAKE COUNTY, DETROIT, WKTV, LUDINGTON AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture

Thumb counties hit by high colorectal cancer rates

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CANCER: Residents of Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties in the Thumb have a disproportionately high rate of colorectal cancer, including a higher death rate, a new study finds. Risk factors include obesity, smoking, age and an “unhealthy food environment.” Elsewhere, the lowest rate was in Houghton County, followed by Emmet, Mason, Ottawa and Ontonagon counties, Wexford and Mecosta counties were among those with the lowest rates. The highest rate was in Montmorency County, followed by Clare, Gratiot, Oscoda and Osceola counties. Gogebic, Alger and Baraga counties were among those with the highest rates. Study done by MSU faculty and a Grand Rapids physician. By Eric Freedman. FOR CLARE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, WKTV, MONTMORENCY, MARQUETTE, CADILLAC, BIG RAPIDS, IRON MOUNTAIN, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.

Health
The Michigan Doula Advisory Council meets.

State promotes doulas to assist pregnant women and their families

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DOULAS: The Department of Health and Human Services is pushing to increase the number of doulas who provide pregnant women and their families with physical, psychological and emotional support. The initiative includes covering services for Medicaid recipients and paying for doula training. We talk to doulas from Grand Rapids and Detroit. Includes references to doulas in Marquette and Benton Harbor. We talk to the department’s Division of Maternal and Infant Health and doulas in Grand Rapids and Detroit. By Stephanie Rauhe. FOR WKTV, DETROIT, MARQUETTE AND ALL POINTS.

Health
A carbon monoxide poisoning detector.

State urges residents to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning

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Wayne State University/Michigan Poison & Drug Information CenterA carbon monoxide poisoning detector. By KAYTE MARSHALLCapital News Service 

LANSING – The Department of Health and Human Services is pushing Michigan residents to install carbon monoxide detectors in their homes to prevent deaths. Carbon monoxide, otherwise known by its chemical formula CO, is a gas that forms when fuel burns. Its presence can’t be identified by taste, sight or smell, giving it its nickname of “the silent killer.”

According to the department, 452 people were hospitalized for CO poisoning in Michigan from 2016 to 2019. Annually, roughly 100,000 people nationwide seek emergency department care due to accidental CO poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The department reported 672 emergency department visits for CO poisoning in Michigan in 2020, the latest figures available.

Health
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Law enforcement agencies watching new fentanyl overdose treatment 

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ANTI-OVERDOSE DRUG: The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department is the country’s first to stock a new anti-overdose drug called Opvee as an alternative to the most commonly used Narcan. Other agencies, including the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, are taking a-wait-and-see approach, in part because of costs. Amid an opioid crisis, we hear from the state’s chief medical executive, Michigan Sheriffs’ Association and the Detroit chapter of Families Against Narcotics. By Liz Nass. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.