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.
A court battle between Waterloo Township in Jackson County and a mining company has resulted in a circuit court ruling paving the way for the mine to expand.
The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports that Aggregate Industries of the United Kingdom sought permission to expand its mining operation to an additional 19 acres of land, arguing their current site has been depleted of gravel and sand. But Waterloo Township officials denied the special use permit necessary.
The company sued, and Wednesday a circuit court in Jackson sided with the company.
Nearby residents are worried the mining will impact their health.
“They’ve assured us there will not be noise or vibration issues, when we already have those issues when they’re a half-mile away,” [Larry] Woodward said.
Dust drifting from the site also has been a concern, and Woodward worried it may aggravate his wife’s asthma.
“That’s a major health concern,” he said. “I guarantee if they start mining there and we have health issues, they’re not going to stop.”
Woodward also expressed concern the mining operation, which is expected to remove between 500,000 and 1.3 million tons of material from the area, would release radon. Radon is a radioactive gas connected with lung cancer. Woodward said local residents are already battling higher levels of radon.
Circuit Judge Chad Schmucker ruled there were no substantial risks connected with the expanded mining, and as a result of his order, Waterloo has issued the special use permit it had originally denied.
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