Education
Crosswalk outside of Chippewa Middle School.

Residents concerned after multiple car accidents outside Okemos Schools

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After two car accidents involving children occurred outside of Okemos schools at the start of the school year, parents reached out to the school board to voice their concerns. 

The first accident on Sept. 15, outside of Chippewa Middle School on Kinewa Drive, left one student in a wheelchair with a broken ankle and concussion. The second accident on Oct. 4 involved a child walking at the intersection of Kinawa Drive and Okemos Road. This prompted Superintendent John Hood to send out an email to parents reminding them about street safety. 

“It’s really disappointing because myself and some others in the room have spent a lot of hours and effort into putting together recommendations that would make it safer for our students to walk and bike to school, and it’s just going nowhere,” said Tim Potter while addressing the school board during its Oct.

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.

Autos & Manufacturing
Michigan participates in the national Click It or Ticket campaign

Pandemic bad habits mean fewer are buckling up

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SEAT BELT USE: Seat belt use in the state is unfortunately on the decline, and one factor may be the pandemic, a period when police made fewer traffic stops and when more people drove solo rather than carpooling or sharing rides. Gladwin County had the lowest compliance rate in the Lower Peninsula. The other lowest compliance rates were in Gogebic, Ontonagon, Keweenaw, Baraga, Iron, Schoolcraft and Wayne counties. Even so, Michigan drivers and passengers are more likely to buckle up than their counterparts nationally. We hear from MDOT, AAA Michigan and the Office of Highway Safety Planning. By Liz Nass. FOR GLADWIN COUNTY, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN AND ALL POINTS.

Environment
Snow plow at work clearing a highway.

Reducing salt use on snowy roads proves challenging

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WINTER DRIVING: The Department of Transportation and country road agencies are using new technology and trying different products to make winter roads safer and to minimize environmental damage from road salt. We hear from the MDOT director and road commissions in Oakland, Marquette and Kent counties. By Kenzie Terpstra. FOR DETROIT, MARQUETTE, PLANET DETROIT, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.