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.
The Michigan Departments of Environmental Quality and Agriculture announced the preliminary results of an investigation into alleged illegal contamination by Gallagher Farm Services in Ionia County. The 4,500 acre Gallagher farm was raided in July after environmental officials got a tip that harmful chemicals were buried on the property. Initial DEQ testing seems to confirm those allegations:
A large number of barrels and other containers were discovered buried on the property during the search, and staff took container, soil, and groundwater samples which were analyzed at state laboratories. Preliminary findings from those samples show levels of compounds above safe drinking water standards such as arsenic, lead, nitrates, and lindane in the groundwater, as well as benzene, 3 & 4 methylphenol, and other materials found in the soils on the property.
Samples analyzed by MDA also confirmed the presence of a number of pesticides found in the soils, as well as in an irrigation pond located on site, including chlorothalonil, alachlor, and acetochlor, all of which are recognized cancer causing agents, as well as bromoxynil, which has been associated with other health impacts. MDA Director Don Koivisto added that while these are commonly used agricultural pesticides, proper handling and disposal is critical to their safe use.
The DEQ said that testing continues to determine how far the contamination has spread in the surrounding area. The DEQ, Department of Agriculture and the federal EPA are all involved in an ongoing joint investigation to determine legal culpability.
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