Orion Chamber Food Truck Festival on June 4

by | Jun 1, 2021 | Lake Orion Review

By  on 

The Orion Area Chamber of Commerce is holding their very first Food Truck Festival on June 4 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Orion Center.

There will be ten food trucks, a beer garden, live music, kids activities and (limited) Chamber member vendor/exhibiter spots. The event will be free and open to the public.

Participating food trucks include:

The Grilled Wrap

Hole Latte Dough

Motor City Street Treats

Motor City Sweet Treats

Mr. Pit Master BBQ

PizzaPazza

Sabor Latino

Sonny’s Hamburgers

Tacos Te Amo

Treat Dreams

For more information visit www.orionareachamber.com/food-truck-festival. — M.K.

AG Commends Whitmer’s Elder Abuse Awareness Proclamation

AG Commends Whitmer’s Elder Abuse Awareness Proclamation

by | Jun 1, 2021 | Regional News

Attorney General Dana Nessel

Media Contact:

Lynsey Mukomel 
517-599-2746

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, June 1, 2021

AG Nessel Commends Gov. Whitmer’s Elder Abuse Awareness Proclamation

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General commended Governor Gretchen Whitmer for proclaiming June 2021 as Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Awareness Month.

One in ten older adults in the United States experiences abuse, neglect and exploitation. Elder and vulnerable adult abuse often goes unnoticed and unreported. Attorney General Nessel brought together the Elder Abuse Task Force to combat this complex issue.

“Older adults are a particularly vulnerable group, making them susceptible to physical abuse, financial exploitation, emotional abuse and/or neglect. In order to properly protect our senior and vulnerable adult population, we must be able to recognize the signs of abuse,” Nessel said. “Our Elder Abuse Task Force has a number of resources available online to help identify mistreatment. During this month –  and beyond – I encourage everyone to learn more about how to protect those in need.”

“This month, I am proud to partner with the Attorney General and the Department of Health and Human Services to raise awareness of the abuse of older and vulnerable adults here in Michigan,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “The Elder Abuse Task Force has done terrific work, gathering resources that help identify physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older residents. I encourage all Michiganders, regardless of their age, to educate themselves this month on the often ignored or underreported issue of elder abuse.”

“MDHHS is pleased that our Adult Protective Services is able to work hand-in-hand with Attorney General Nessel and Gov. Whitmer to address a serious problem that affects Michigan’s aging population and other vulnerable adults,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “In June and every month, MDHHS is dedicated to protecting vulnerable adults by investigating complaints of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation and taking action.”

The Task Force launched in 2019 and consists of more than 55 different organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sections – all working together to combat elder abuse.

Most recently, Nessel launched The Sentinel Project – an initiative that focuses on protecting vulnerable adults residing in nursing facilities. This initiative uses specially trained staff to examine long-term care facilities for evidence of abuse or neglect through unannounced visits, which are determined by performance metrics, complaints and other data.

If you or someone you know is being abused or neglected in a nursing facility, contact the Michigan Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Hotline at (800) 24-ABUSE (2-2873) or file a complaint online through the Michigan Attorney General Patient Abuse Complaint Form.

For more information on the Elder Abuse Task Force, visit the Task Force’s webpage. To report elder abuse, call 855-444-3911.

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General commended Governor Gretchen Whitmer for proclaiming June 2021 as Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Awareness Month.

One in ten older adults in the United States experiences abuse, neglect and exploitation. Elder and vulnerable adult abuse often goes unnoticed and unreported. Attorney General Nessel brought together the Elder Abuse Task Force to combat this complex issue.

“Older adults are a particularly vulnerable group, making them susceptible to physical abuse, financial exploitation, emotional abuse and/or neglect. In order to properly protect our senior and vulnerable adult population, we must be able to recognize the signs of abuse,” Nessel said. “Our Elder Abuse Task Force has a number of resources available online to help identify mistreatment. During this month –  and beyond – I encourage everyone to learn more about how to protect those in need.”

“This month, I am proud to partner with the Attorney General and the Department of Health and Human Services to raise awareness of the abuse of older and vulnerable adults here in Michigan,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “The Elder Abuse Task Force has done terrific work, gathering resources that help identify physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older residents. I encourage all Michiganders, regardless of their age, to educate themselves this month on the often ignored or underreported issue of elder abuse.”

“MDHHS is pleased that our Adult Protective Services is able to work hand-in-hand with Attorney General Nessel and Gov. Whitmer to address a serious problem that affects Michigan’s aging population and other vulnerable adults,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “In June and every month, MDHHS is dedicated to protecting vulnerable adults by investigating complaints of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation and taking action.”

The Task Force launched in 2019 and consists of more than 55 different organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sections – all working together to combat elder abuse.

Most recently, Nessel launched The Sentinel Project – an initiative that focuses on protecting vulnerable adults residing in nursing facilities. This initiative uses specially trained staff to examine long-term care facilities for evidence of abuse or neglect through unannounced visits, which are determined by performance metrics, complaints and other data.

If you or someone you know is being abused or neglected in a nursing facility, contact the Michigan Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Hotline at (800) 24-ABUSE (2-2873) or file a complaint online through the Michigan Attorney General Patient Abuse Complaint Form.

For more information on the Elder Abuse Task Force, visit the Task Force’s webpage. To report elder abuse, call 855-444-3911.

Whitmer Signs  Proclamation Marking  June Pride Month

by | Jun 1, 2021 | Regional News

Header 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 1, 2021

Contact: [email protected]

       

Gov. Whitmer and Lt. Governor Gilchrist Sign Proclamation Marking June as Pride Month

LANSING, Mich. — Today Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist issued a proclamation marking June as Pride Month to recognize the accomplishments of LGBTQ+ Michiganders.  

 

“LGBTQ+ Michiganders are an essential part of who we are, and they make our state a better place to live and work,” said Governor Whitmer. “Members of our LGBTQ+ community deserve full protection under the law so they can live their authentic lives. We still have work to do to make Michigan a truly inclusive state and we must expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act because the vaccine for discrimination is legislation. I encourage all Michiganders to recognize and celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community this Pride Month.”

 

“With more than 370,000 members of the LGBTQ+ community calling Michigan home, LGBTQ+ individuals are our neighbors, relatives, and friends,” Lt. Governor Gilchrist said. “We must continue to fight to make sure LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe, valued, and know that their state will invest in their health and potential. Making connections, listening, and understanding the personal stories of LGBTQ+ individuals around you is something every Michigander can do to honor Pride Month. I will continue striving for future generations to see Michigan as a place to be whom they wish, love whom they want, and be proud.”

 

“I’m proud to be the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to statewide office in Michigan and look forward to celebrating Pride Month,” Nessel said. “I also hope this proclamation serves as a call to action: We must work year-round to fight for equal protection under the law. I have dedicated myself to supporting the LGBTQ+ community and ask the people of this great state to step up as allies well beyond the month of June. A more inclusive future is dependent upon our collective efforts.”

 

“We have a lot to celebrate as a community, especially a year after the historic Supreme Court ruling last June that upheld federal employment protections for the LGBTQ+ Americans,” said Sen. Jeremy Moss. “We must also remember that Pride Month began not as a celebration but as a liberation against decades of harassment, embarrassment and discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community faced. There is work yet to be done and we must amend Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights act to include sexual orientation and gender identity among the existing protected classes.”

 

“Pride Month is a time of celebration and reflection. I’m grateful for all that our community has to celebrate, but also acutely aware of the work left to do,” said Rep. Laurie Pohutsky. “I’m proud to be fighting to expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act alongside Senator Moss in Michigan’s legislature and hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle finally recognize that this change is long past due.”

 

“Since day one, Governor Whitmer has been a staunch champion for equality. Her words have been met with real action, including executive action that has protected and improved the lives of LGBTQ+ Michiganders,” said Erin Knott, Equality Michigan Executive Director. “Unfortunately, the Michigan legislature is the last place where bias is accepted. For 38 years, the legislature has refused to prohibit discrimination of LGBTQ+ people. Fighting back against discrimination takes tenacity, and strength. I am honored to stand with strong leaders like Governor Whitmer who will hold the line with me, and who will not support a license to discriminate, as all Michiganders deserve to be treated fairly and equally.”

 

June 2021 celebrates Pride Month to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, an event recognized as a catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Movement. Michigan is home to an estimated 373,000 residents who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.

 

Governor Whitmer called on the Legislature in her first State of the State Address to pass legislation to expand the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identification in employment, education, housing, and real estate as well as use of public accommodations and public services. Governor Whitmer was also the first governor to fly the Pride Flag on a State of Michigan building in 2019.

 

Governor Whitmer also signed Executive Directive 2019-09 to expand protections for LGBTQ+ state employees and has also issued a statement of support regarding the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on LGBTQ+ protections, which deemed that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals from discrimination based on sex.

 

Michigan has been at the forefront of advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ people beginning with the nation’s first non-discrimination ordinance passed in 1972 in East Lansing and the nation’s first Civil Rights Commission to independently recognize that discrimination “because of sex” includes sexual orientation and gender identity in 2018.

 

View the full proclamation here.

 
MDHHS invites public comment on Title V Block Grant

MDHHS invites public comment on Title V Block Grant

by | Jun 1, 2021 | Health and Wellness

MDHHS banner with logo no names

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 1, 2021
CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112, [email protected]

MDHHS invites public comment on Title V Block Grant application

 

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) invites the public to comment on the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant application.

Title V of the Social Security Act of 1935, as amended, provides funding to states to improve the health of mothers, infants and children, including children with special health care needs. Michigan’s Title V application is for services from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022, and includes a report on activities and services provided in fiscal year (FY) 2020.

Title V state action plans address the following priority areas for the current five-year cycle (FY 2021-2025) to improve the health of the MCH population in Michigan:

  • Low-risk cesarean delivery.
  • Infant safe sleep.
  • Transition for youth with special health care needs to adult health care.
  • Preventive dental visits for women and children.
  • Childhood lead poisoning prevention.
  • Immunizations for children and adolescents.
  • Medical care and treatment for children with special health care needs.
  • Pregnancy intention.
  • Developmental, behavioral and mental health services.

These MCH priorities address needs across five federally identified population domains: women/maternal health, perinatal/infant health, child health, adolescent health and children with special health care needs.

The Title V draft application and annual report are available online. MDHHS welcomes comments on the application by 5 p.m. on June 30. Comments can be submitted to MDHHS-MCHBlockGrant@michigan.gov.
So why are those trees being cut down?

So why are those trees being cut down?

by | Jun 1, 2021 | Recreation

 
Centennial banner

– DNR News –
May 28, 2021
Contact: Steve Milford, 989-732-3541, ext. 5040

So why are those trees being cut down? It’s part of good forest management

A tree cutting machine sits in the center of a clearing surrounded by piled-up logs and slash -- branches and other debris -- on the ground. Visitors to the Grayling area this summer will notice some spots in the woods where trees have been cut down on state-managed land near trails and roadways.

The clearcuts may be unsightly for a few seasons, but they’re an important part of the process the Michigan Department of Natural Resources uses to manage 3.9 million acres of state forest and keep forests thriving well into the future.

“We cut trees for a lot of different reasons. It’s part of good forest management. It can be for the health of the forest, to provide wildlife habitat, or to regenerate stands that are aging,” said Steve Milford, manager of the Eastern Lower Peninsula District of the DNR’s Forest Resources Division. Trees being cleared by timber harvesters in that area include jack pine, red pine and hardwoods such as oak.

Cutting trees has helped clear a view along the trail all the way to Higgins Lake.

Cutting may remove trees more susceptible to disease and open views along trails

Clearcuts also take place for other purposes. For example, jack pines in the area are strategically cut to maintain nesting sites for the Kirtland’s warbler, a once-endangered songbird that will nest only on the ground under the shelter of young, shrub-like jack pine trees.

Another clearcut area that will be noticeable is within the historic Higgins Lake State Forest Nursery, which is the beginning of the North Higgins Lake State Park hiking trail system. The seed bed grounds, which are state park lands managed as a museum by the Michigan History Center, were overgrown with invasive black locust trees. When the nursery started operating in 1903, there were fewer trees on the landscape because much of northern Michigan had been clearcut for lumber. The nursery produced millions of seedlings to reforest large portions of the state.

“Forest habitats change over time,” said Kristen Bennett, acting statewide trails coordinator for the DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division. “Over the course of 10 or 20 years, your favorite trail or camping site may have changed in small or big ways.

“Resource management decisions consider a variety of factors in the level of action to take. At times, the action is to monitor and let the natural process work. At other times, there is intensive management through cutting and replanting. The DNR divisions work closely together to make sure that forest health and recreation are both considered in the process.”

The areas that have been cut will remain managed forest land and are not being cleared for development. The forest is intended to be replanted or undergo natural generation from nearby seed trees.

DNR is certified in sustainable forest practices

The DNR is certified by two independent agencies that promote sound forest management. In addition, public input is always welcome. You can find an interactive state forest map and learn more about state forest management plans at Michigan.gov/ForestManagement. Comment periods are open through the summer for management plans including cutting, prescribed burning and more to be carried out in 2023.

Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.

Clearcut: Clearcuts can be shocking for people who are used to seeing an unbroken stand of trees, but this important forest management tool can benefit forest health, wildlife habitat and more. This red pine clearcut is in Beaver Creek Township in Crawford County and is scheduled to be replanted.

Lake view: Removal of aging and non-native trees along this trail in conjunction with an Iron Belle Trail surfacing project has opened up a view of Higgins Lake in the distance.

DNR COVID-19 RESPONSE: For details on affected DNR facilities and services, visit this webpage. Follow state actions and guidelines at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus.