I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
FREELAND — As Walleye Fest began today in Saginaw County, the U.S. Environmental Agency issued a note to reporters on the need for people to have current and accurate information when making decisions about eating local fish. The agency also announced that the Saginaw County Health Department would attend this weekend’s festival and distribute flyers with information about the state’s updated fish consumption advisory.
The Michigan Department of Community Health has recommended strict limits on eating fish from the Tittabawasee and Saginaw rivers which are heavily contaminated with toxic chemicals.
Midland-based Dow Chemical company, a main sponsor of Freeland’s Walleye Fest, is negotiating with the state and federal government over how it will clean up dioxin that has contaminated 50 miles of the Saginaw River watershed.
State officials told Michigan Messenger this week that they have no funds to issue fish advisories to anglers. They also said that they have been unable to compel Dow to fulfill a promise to fund the posting of fish consumption warning signs along the banks of the Tittabawasee and Saginaw rivers. Some local officials have also resisted warning the public about dioxin contamination.
Local media coverage of the walleye festival did not mention official warnings about eating river fish.
EPA spokeswoman Anne Rowan said that her agency is a aware of the need for greater communication about the risks of eating fish from the Saginaw River watershed.
Rowan said that last month, EPA awarded a $75,000 grant to the Michigan Department of Community Health to make sure that vulnerable populations such as women of childbearing age, children and people who fish because they need food are better informed about the potential risks of eating fish.
Concerns that the walleye festival could pose a public health threat prompted the agency to publicize its recent grant, which will fund work beginning next month.
In the meantime, Rowan said, staff from the Saginaw County Health Department will attend Walleye Fest and distribute the state’s updated fish advisory.
The advisory urges those considering eating fish from the Saginaw and Tittabawasee rivers to “Protect your family’s health — Before you cook, take a second look!”
It states that no one should eat catfish, carp, or white bass from the rivers.
Women of childbearing age and children under 15 should also avoid small mouthed bass or walleye larger than 18 inches. According to the advisory, this population can safely eat one meal per month of walleye smaller than 18 inches.
The complete current fish advisory is available on the website of the MDCH.
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