Flags lowered to Honor Fallen Flint Firefighter Ricky Hill Jr. 

Flags lowered to Honor Fallen Flint Firefighter Ricky Hill Jr. 

by | Mar 2, 2023 | Regional News

Office of the Governor header

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2023

Contact: [email protected]

 

Gov. Whitmer Lowers Flags to Honor Fallen Flint Firefighter Ricky Hill Jr.

 

LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex and across all public buildings and grounds to be lowered to half-staff on Friday, March 3 to honor and remember Flint Firefighter Ricky Hill, Jr., who passed away in the line of duty. The flag lowering will coincide with the date of Hill’s funeral.

 

“My heart breaks for the Flint community and the family of Ricky Hill Jr.,” said Governor Whitmer. “He was an example of the selflessness and dedication firefighters across Michigan demonstrate each and every day. Let’s honor this fallen hero and keep his family and the entire Flint Fire Department in our thoughts.”

 

Ricky Hill Jr. graduated in 1991 from Carman-Ainsworth High School and joined the Flint Fire Department in 2007. Hill was a dedicated public servant within the Flint Fire Department, an animal lover and an avid pinball player. He was a member of Corunna Road Baptist Church. Hill was also a devoted husband to his wife and father of two.

 

The State of Michigan recognizes the duty, honor, and service of fallen Flint Firefighter Ricky Hill, Jr. by lowering flags to half-staff. Michigan residents, businesses, schools, local governments, and other organizations also are encouraged to display the flag at half-staff.

 

To lower flags to half-staff, flags should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The process is reversed before the flag is lowered for the day.

 

Flags should be returned to full staff on Sunday, March 5 in expectation of other flag honors.
MDHHS celebrates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month  

MDHHS celebrates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month  

by | Mar 2, 2023 | Health and Wellness

MDHHS banner with logo no names

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 2, 2023

CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112, [email protected]

MDHHS celebrates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council (MiDDC) along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are recognizing March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is meant to raise awareness and educate the public about developmental disabilities and to recognize the strengths, abilities and important contributions of people with developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions that manifest before the age of 22 and result in a significant impairment in physical, learning, language or behavioral areas. Throughout the month, MiDDC will be sharing personal self-advocacy stories of those with developmental disabilities to help raise awareness about what living with a developmental disability means for approximately 180,000 residents in Michigan.

“MiDDC is proud to highlight our work advocating for improved community inclusion of people with developmental disabilities,” said Vendella Collins, MiDDC executive director. “March is also an opportunity for us to bring greater public awareness to the ongoing work of full inclusion and integration of people with developmental disabilities into employment and typical community activities.”

As part of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, MiDDC will be co-hosting Disability Advocacy Day on March 7 with the Self-Advocates of Michigan. This event is for people with developmental disabilities to meet with their state legislators to discuss current issues impacting their lives.

MiDDC will also engage in various activities to improve public understanding and promote inclusion for people with developmental disabilities in our communities. Resources and information will be shared on Facebook. The public is invited to participate and follow on Facebook for updates using the hashtag #DDAM2023.

More information about upcoming events can be found at Michigan.gov/middcevents.
MDHHS highlights brain injury prevention

MDHHS highlights brain injury prevention

by | Mar 1, 2023 | Health and Wellness

MDHHS banner with logo no names

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2023

CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112, [email protected]

MDHHS highlights brain injury prevention during Brain Injury Awareness Month

LANSING, Mich. — Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and acquired brain injury (ABI) are leading causes of injury-related death and disability in the United States and in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is observing Brain Injury Awareness Month this March to raise awareness about prevention of brain injuries.

“Prevention strategies can greatly reduce the risk for TBIs and death,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “These include removing hazards in and around the home, keeping sports play safe by using protective equipment, avoiding driving in bad weather if possible, always wearing a seat belt and making sure children are secured in an age- and weight-appropriate child seat or booster seat in the car.”

Brain injuries may affect cognitive, motor, sensation and emotional functions. Observable signs of traumatic brain injury may include appearing dazed or stunned, forgetting an instruction, moving clumsily, answering questions slowly, losing consciousness (even briefly), showing mood, behavior or personality changes, and being unable to recall events prior to and/or after an injury event.

Falls are the leading known cause of TBI (40%) in the United States, and cause more than half (55%) of all TBIs among children ages 0 to 14 years, and 81% of all TBIs are among adults ages 65 and older. Other leading and preventable causes of traumatic brain injury include being struck by or against an object or person, motor vehicle crashes, suicide, substance misuse and assaults, including shaken baby or abusive head trauma.

There were more than 1,800 TBI-related injuries in 2020 and more than 9,500 hospitalizations in Michigan. Annual costs of TBIs in the U.S. exceeds $40 billion.

For more tips on preventing TBIs, visit CDC.gov.

For more tips to keep your home safe, visit CPSC.gov, and Safekids.org.

More information about sports concussions is available here.

Additional resources for seniors for classes to prevent falls and improve mobility and independence may be found at CDC.go/steadi.
State awards $3.6 million for invasive species projects

State awards $3.6 million for invasive species projects

by | Mar 1, 2023 | Environmental

 
Michigan Invasive Species Program banner
Fresh, undisturbed snow blankets a long, peaceful line of trees.
March 1, 2023
Contact: Erin Campbell, 269-300-9698 or Joanne Foreman, 517-284-5814

State awards $3.6 million for invasive species projects

The state of Michigan today announced that 35 projects will share $3.6 million in grants through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

A woman dressed in outdoor winter gear is placing a small tag on the trunk of a hemlock tree on a snowy cliff above Lake Michigan.The program – cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources – addresses prevention, detection, eradication and control of aquatic (water-based) and terrestrial (land-based) invasive species in Michigan through four key objectives:

  • Preventing the introduction of new invasive species.
  • Strengthening the statewide invasive species early detection and response network.
  • Limiting the spread of recently confirmed invasive species.
  • Managing and controlling widespread, established invasive species.

This year’s grantees have offered $532,300 in matching funds and services to support these projects, leveraging a total investment of $4,132,300.

Expanding prevention, detection and management

Grant funds will support several early detection and response efforts for watch list invasive species:

  • Continuing survey and treatment of hemlock woolly adelgid in Oceana, Mason, Benzie and other counties along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
  • Surveying and creating “trap trees” for spotted lanternfly across the Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Oakland and Macomb counties.
  • Refining the potential for early detection of didymo (rock snot) using environmental DNA and testing environmental variables that may lead to stalk-producing “blooms.”
A man holding a small, trapezoid-shaped mesh trap and a woman, both in waders, stand in the water at the edge of a pond.

  • Coordinating red swamp crayfish surveys across the Clinton and Rouge river watersheds.
  • Initiating outreach and monitoring for watch list tree pests and diseases on the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ tribal lands.
  • Treating known locations of mile-a-minute weed and expanding surveys in the vicinity of Albion in southwest Michigan.
  • Coordinating Himalayan balsam survey, removal and outreach across the Upper Peninsula.

Funding also will support efforts to prevent the spread of invasive species:

  • Testing the effectiveness of household cleaners to decontaminate waders, boats and equipment exposed to didymo and New Zealand mudsnails.
  • Training paddle sport enthusiasts to decontaminate boats between uses and to look for and report aquatic invasive species.
  • Spreading the “Clean, Drain, Dry” message using a mobile boat wash at popular boating access sites in southeast Michigan.
  • Evaluating nitidulid beetle and oak tree cycles in the Upper Peninsula to better predict risk periods for spreading oak wilt.

Support in every Michigan county

This year’s grants also support 21 regional cooperative invasive species management areas, the network of partnership organizations working to manage and control invasive species and provide service to all 83 counties in the state. CISMA projects include enhanced education and outreach, technical assistance to landowners, and survey and treatment of high-priority invasive species.

Program background and progress

didymo mats in Manistee RiverIn 2014 the state Legislature designated $5 million in annual funding to address invasive species. This support substantially enhanced Michigan’s Invasive Species Program for aquatic organisms, supported a formal program for terrestrial species and initiated the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

This cycle marks the ninth year of program funding. To date, over $32 million has been awarded to support 238 projects undertaken by units of government, nonprofits and institutions. Because of this program:
  • More than 592,000 acres of land and water have been surveyed for invasive species.
  • More than 51,000 acres have been treated for invasive terrestrial and aquatic plants.
  • Through direct contact, including face-to-face interactions at boat washes, workshops, trainings and other events, 292,000 people have been reached with information about invasive species.
  • An additional 41 million people were reached through grantees’ “passive impression” efforts, including mail, newspapers, social media and handouts.

Over $5 million requested

The program began accepting grant applications for this funding cycle in September 2022. A total of 42 applications were received, requesting approximately $5.1 million in support. Grant applicants were asked to commit to providing at least 10% of the total project cost in the form of a local match.

The full list of grant recipients, project descriptions and award amounts is available on the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program website at Michigan.gov/MISGP.

Michigan’s Invasive Species Program is cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes and Energy; and Natural Resources.

/Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Suggested captions and photo credit information follow:

Survey: A CISMA strike team member prepares to tag a hemlock tree during a winter survey for invasive hemlock woolly adelgid.

Trap: DNR staff prepare to deploy a trap to determine abundance of invasive red swamp crayfish in a drainage pond.

Didymo: Didymo (dark brown) blooms on cobble in the Manistee River./
$1 Billion Tax Break for Working Families and Seniors

$1 Billion Tax Break for Working Families and Seniors

by | Mar 1, 2023 | Regional News

Governor Whitmer Header

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

March 1, 2023

Contact: [email protected]

Governor Whitmer Celebrates Passage of $1 Billion Tax Break for Working Families and Seniors

Lowering MI Costs rolls back retirement tax, quintuples Working Families Tax Credit, puts thousands back in people’s pockets

 

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement after Michigan Legislature passed the Lowering MI Costs plan to deliver a $1 billion tax break to seniors and working families. The plan will roll back the retirement tax to save 500,000 households an average of $1,000 a year and quintuple the Working Families Tax Credit to put an average refund of $3,150 back into the pockets of 700,000 Michiganders.

 

“Michiganders need relief as inflation drives up costs and eats into their paychecks. That’s why I worked with the Michigan Legislature to pass the Lowering MI Costs plan to deliver a $1 billion tax break for seniors and working families.

 

“The Lowering MI Costs plan will put money back in people’s pockets to help them pay the bills and put food on the table. Rolling back the retirement tax will save half a million households an average of $1,000 a year. Quintupling the Working Families Tax Credit will put an average combined refund of $3,150 back in the pockets of 700,000 families, directly benefiting half the children in Michigan.

 

“This is long overdue relief for Michiganders after the rug was ripped out from under them in 2011, when the retirement tax was slapped on and the Working Families Tax Credit was gutted. It was wrong. Now, we are making it right. We’ve been fighting to get this done for over a decade and I am proud to have partners in the legislature committed to delivering real relief.