Business & Economy

Water consumption drops in Great Lake cities, study finds

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LESS WATER USE: A new study finds that residents of major Great Lakes cities, including Lansing, are using less water, a trend with economic, social and environmental implications. The relationship between per capita water use and socioeconomic factors such as income and race may prove significant as policy makers decide how to deal with inequities in distribution and affordability of water. Researchers are from the Great Lakes Commission, based in Ann Arbor, U-M and Wisconsin Sea Grant. While water use is dropping, rates and fees are rising at almost twice the rate of median household income, and water shut-offs are increasingly common. By Eric Freedman. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, PLANET DETROIT, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

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.

Agriculture
Intense rains from climate change are leading to more flooded farm fields.

Changes in rain patterns create water challenges for farmers

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CLIMATE & FARMERS: Climate change means Michigan farmers not only face more intense rain at times but also drier conditions in the summer. That creates challenges in water management and irrigation practices. We talk to an Ithaca farmer dealing with the challenges,and a Michigan Farm Bureau expert. By Stephanie Rauhe. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! PLANET DETROIT, MIDLAND, LANSING 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.

Environment
Deer with chronic wasting disease

Chronic wasting disease found in new county

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CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE: The discovery of CWD in Ogemaw County for the first time is worrisome amid DNR’s concerns that the disease is spreading. Midland County had its first reported case earlier this year. DNR’s rotating test sites this season are in Northwest Michigan in Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Isabella, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Osceola and Wexford counties. For news and outdoors sections. By Kelsey Lester. FOR MIDLAND, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, CADILLAC, BIG RAPIDS, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, LAKE COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.

CNS Budget

Grant aimed at improving health care for LGBTQ+ patients

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LGBTQ+ HEALTH: $10 million in new state aid will help local organizations improve health services for LGBTQ+ residents of Michigan. We learn more from a Benton Harbor advocacy group and Transgender Michigan. Lawmakers from Livonia and Southfield championed the grant program. By Brandy Muz. FOR DETROIT, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, STURGIS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Diversity Issues

Programs ramp up to combat loneliness

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LONELINESS: A recent U.S. surgeon general’s advisory and a U-M study found that loneliness is a major public health problem for adults and children, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those most adversely affected are older and LGBTQ+ Michigan residents. We hear from the state’s chief medical executive and other experts about programs and groups based in West Michigan and Metro Detroit that are addressing the problem. By Kenzie Terpstra. FOR DETROIT, GREENVILLE, IONIA, WKTV, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.