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.
Despite health department warnings that many Michigan fish are contaminated with mercury, PCBs, dioxin and other chemicals, more people are fishing in order to put food on their tables, according to this Detroit Free Press story, which quotes a Dept. of Natural Resources spokeswoman as saying, “It’s a great way to feed a family.”
Reporter L.L. Brasier interviews out-of-work electrician, Kirk Miller, who is relying on fish from Lake St. Clair for protein and finds that he is part of a growing trend.
Miller is among a growing number of anglers in Michigan. Although the number of boat registrations has dropped, likely because of the cost of hauling, gasoline and boat slips, more people are throwing a line in the water than ever before. The state sold 703,695 fishing licenses in 2007 — around the time the state began to slip into a deep recession. That number has jumped by 54,234 this year to 757,929, the highest in the state’s history.
State officials say many people may be like Miller: loading up the tackle box and heading for the lake or river as a way to cut grocery costs and have cheap fun as well.
Unfortunately, this story does not mention the Department of Community Health fish consumption advisory which urges people to learn about contaminants in fish before eating them, and warns that children and pre-menopausal women be especially careful about eating fish.
The health department warns:
Many chemicals end up in lakes, rivers, oceans and in some of the fish we eat. Eating polluted fish won’t make you sick right away. But the chemicals found in fish can build up in your body and make you very sick later on. Some of these chemicals can harm your immune system, reproductive system, brain functions, or increase your risk of cancer. Children and babies that get too much of these chemicals may develop physical, mental or behavioral problems that they would not have had otherwise.
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter