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Suit alleges ‘deliberate indifference’ from govt. leaders over Benton Harbor water crisis
Updated 11/18/21, 12:21 p.m. A group of Benton Harbor residents filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad, and other state and city officials last week, accusing the government leaders of “deliberate indifference” and alleging they failed to adequately warn residents of elevated lead levels in the city’s water for […]
Meet the volunteers who have been passing out bottled water in Benton Harbor since 2018
By the time Carolina Gray began directing traffic at the bottled water distribution in Benton Harbor earlier this month, the line of cars stretched before her was long. Wearing a blue shirt emblazoned with the words “Clean water is a human right,” Gray ushered those waiting into the parking lot outside God’s Household of Faith […]
In Benton Harbor’s water crisis, a long history of systemic racism — and a chance for justice
Every day, Elnora Gavin wakes up terrified that her young son will use the tap water in their Benton Harbor home to brush his teeth when she’s not looking. She thinks of the horror stories emanating from children drinking lead infused water in Flint — which, like Benton Harbor, is a predominantly Black city that […]
About 500K kids in Michigan are now eligible to get the COVID vaccine
Doctors and state and national public health leaders on Thursday morning urged Michigan parents to get their 12- to 15-year-old children vaccinated with Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized it for emergency use in this age group and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory […]
While COVID cases, deaths, hospitalizations rise, state sticks with vaccination strategy, not new restrictions
Despite Michigan’s COVID case rate, mortality rate and hospitalizations increasing in every region of the state, state health officials remain hesitant to say whether business closures or stricter restrictions are on the horizon. Why? As vaccines become more accessible and are now available to every Michigander over the age 16, Department of Health and Human […]
9 officials charged for Flint water crisis, Snyder pleads not guilty
Updated, 3:27 p.m., 1/14/21 Former Gov. Rick Snyder and eight other high-level officials have been charged in connection with the water crisis that devastated the city of Flint. The scandal left at least 12 people dead and thousands of people, including children, with lead-contaminated drinking water in what residents, activists and researchers have described as […]
Michigan’s first vaccine shipment could arrive as early as next week
In the wake of the GOP-led state Legislature losing valuable days from its dwindling Lame Duck session to a COVID-19 outbreak in the state House, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday encouraged lawmakers to stay safe while keeping a COVID-19 relief bill as their top priority. Whitmer has asked for $400 million for vaccine distribution and […]
Whitmer’s $500M water infrastructure plan funds PFAS cleanup, sewer upgrades
Updated with comment from Whitmer’s office, 3:41 p.m., 10/1/20 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday a landmark investment in Michigan’s notoriously underfunded water infrastructure, prompting praise from environmental groups who say the action is a much-needed step in the right direction. The $500 million investment, dubbed “MI Clean Water,” aims to improve Michigan’s water systems in […]
Michigan says $600M will be used to settle some Flint water crisis lawsuits
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on Thursday that the state is making a preliminary $600 million settlement with Flint residents who were adversely affected when the city’s water source was switched in 2014. Six years ago, while under state emergency management during the former Gov. Rick Snyder administration, the city […]
Hanna-Attisha: Any lead testing results in Flint kids underestimate exposure
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the Flint pediatrician, professor and advocate who was instrumental in exposing the severity of the city’s water crisis in 2015, appeared on “60 Minutes” with CBS Sunday to speak about her program for Flint children and what early lead testing results in her comprehensive study have looked like so far. “There is […]