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 Wall Street Journal this week ran a story on how Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development, a dairy farming company that brings Dutch dairy farmers to the U.S. with promises of larger herds and lighter regulation, is facing millions in debt and lawsuits from angry farmers.
One of Vreba-Hoff’s operations in Hudson, Michigan is being sued by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for repeated mishandling of animal waste and contamination of the local watershed. WSJ reports:
[Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development owner] Mr. van Bakel faces lawsuits from farmers, lenders and suppliers alleging, variously, that he owes them money and that he misused their funds. Some farmers accuse Mr. van Bakel of overcharging them for the dairies and cutting corners on construction.
“He brings people over here for only one reason and that is to strip them as quickly as he can from all the money they have,” farmer Bert de Bruyn wrote in a letter seeking help from the Dutch consulate last year. The Dutch consulate declined to get involved. Mr. de Bruyn until recently leased a dairy from Vreba-Hoff and says he lost money on the arrangement.
In December the DNRE announced its fourth lawsuit against Vreba-Hoff’s 5,000 cow operation in Hudson.
“It is unfortunate that Vreba-Hoff refuses to adhere to the most fundamental laws that we have in Michigan to keep our precious water resources safe,” former DEQ director Steven Chester said as the lawsuit was announced.
According to the DNRE Vreba-Hoff sprayed untreated waste at multiple locations over 128 days during the summer and fall of both 2008 and 2009 in violation of their permit.
Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan have documented improper manure disposal by the large dairy farms in the area.
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