Municipal water from Saginaw Bay slated for dioxin testing

The municipal water systems for Bay City, Saginaw and Midland are slated to be screened for dioxin next week as part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency effort to address citizen concerns that ongoing navigational dredging in the Saginaw River threatens the region’s water supplies.

Bay City mayor says he wants to go to Lansing as a representative

Bay City Mayor Charles Brunner announced Friday he will seek to replace Rep. Jeff Mayes, D-Bay City. Mayes is term limited out. A story in the Friday Bay City Times online reports the first term mayor made the announcement at the American Legion Post. The 96th District covers the lower half of Bay County.

Saginaw River E.coli levels prompt health advisory

Saginaw County health officials are warning against recreational use of the Saginaw River after massive rain induced sewage overflows brought E.coli levels to more than three times the level considered safe. Any recreational use of the river may result in health hazards, including gastrointestinal or dermatological illnesses, the Saginaw County Health Department warned Friday.

EPA downplays dredging risk to Bay City water supply

Nearly a month after the onset of a navigational dredging project in the Saginaw River that some worry will send dioxin-contaminated sediments downstream toward the intakes for Bay City’s water supply, EPA officials responded to citizen concerns by announcing it would not test the water for the toxin.

“I can understand why people would be concerned,“ EPA Superfund manager Wendy Carney, said in a phone interview. “But there are a lot of issues out there.”

As it sponsors Bay City fish fest, Dow claims ignorance on toxic walleye advisories

Dow Chemical Co. — which is sponsoring a walleye tournament, a “Celebrity Chowder Challenge” and fresh fish market at Bay City’s BayFest this weekend — claims that it learned about the state’s walleye consumption advisory just last week when it was brought to its attention by Michigan Messenger.

Saginaw River dredging project begins without safety measures sought by the state

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started a project to remove contaminated sediments from the Saginaw River without safety measures requested by the state, a move that sparked worry because toxins such as dioxin could make their way into the water supplies for Saginaw and Bay City, which don’t test for the toxins.

EPA names recipients of brownfield money

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that Michigan will receive $10.3 million for the revitalization of contaminated industrial and commercial facilities. In a statement released as President Obama’s Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, Dr. Ed Montgomery, toured the state, EPA said that Michigan will receive the most brownfield money and [...]

Michigan’s HIV disclosure law: Overly broad and open to abuse

BAY CITY — The case of Michael S. Holder, complete with a cast that includes an admittedly racially-biased jury, a scorned lover and a life-threatening virus surrounded more by fear than fact is only one example of several prosecutions brought under a 1988 law that experts warn is vague and can lead to vindictive prosecutions.

Bay City taser death sparks call for reform

Fifteen year-old Brett Elder of Bay City died last month after being shocked by taser wielding police. Now the Bay City Times is calling for a review on the local police department’s taser policy which it says “appears overly vague”. “Just when should police use Tasers to electrically shock a suspect into submission?” the editorial [...]

Another frozen body shows holes in the saftey net

When Detroit News reporter Charlie LeDuff checked out a tip about a frozen body in an abandoned warehouse he discovered an encampment of desperate homeless people struggling to stay warm and ignoring the corpse. It took multiple calls to 911 and more than 24 hours for city police to respond. LeDuff’s story is second this [...]