by orionontv | Feb 26, 2024 | Transportation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2024 |
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MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Frezell
517-281-6519
[email protected] |
MAC and MDOT announce award winners for
outstanding achievements in improving Michigan aviation
LANSING, Mich. – At the 2024 Michigan Airport Conference held in East Lansing on Feb. 22, the Michigan Aeronautics Commission (MAC) and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced the award winners for achievements in promoting and improving aviation. These awards are presented to airports, professionals, consultants, and others. Here is a list of the 2024 award winners:
- General Aviation Airport of the Year Award The West Branch Community Airport in West Branch was selected for outstanding contribution and sustained excellence toward aviation progress and safety in Michigan. The airport demonstrated exemplary leadership and dedication in providing exceptional aviation services to the public.
- Air Carrier Airport of the Year Award The Alpena County Regional Airport in Alpena was recognized for sustained excellence and partnership toward aviation progress in Michigan. The airport is commended for their rebuilding of a runway critical to the airport’s operational efficiency and business continuity, which will meet the needs well into the future.
- Aviation Professional of the Year Award Gary Todd of the Clare Municipal Airport in Clare was recognized for his outstanding contribution and sustained excellence serving as the airport’s manager for the past decade. He showed exemplary leadership in maintaining the airport in top condition. Todd also collaborates with others in the aviation community to share his knowledge and provided flight training. His dedication and hard work contributed to aspirational standards for many aviation professionals.
- Aviation Community Involvement Award Casey Brown was selected for his outstanding contributions supporting the Lowell City Airport in Lowell. Brown volunteered at the airport, ensuring a safe, well-maintained facility, in addition to hosting special aviation events, which are recognized and appreciated by the public.
- Robert G. Pekham Consultant of the Year Award Arconcepts, an architectural, design and planning firm based in Livonia, was recognized for exceptional work on the Hillsdale Municipal Airport Terminal Project in Hillsdale. The firm’s team brought this project from sketch to reality in a very short timeline, ensuring all deadlines were met along the way. The newly designed terminal brings many modern amenities to the airport, creating a welcoming space for the public to enjoy. The building’s forward-thinking concept will meet the needs of next generation aviation enthusiasts for years to come.
- Aviation Student of the Year Award Willow MacLaughlin of Owosso was recognized for outstanding contributions as a Michigan aviation student. Passionate about aviation, she demonstrated it through volunteering with the Civil Air Patrol and restoring the Owosso Community Airport’s historic Beacon Memorial. In obtaining her private pilot license and studying to become a commercial airline pilot, MacLaughlin is a shining example of the high-caliber aviation professional the future aeronautics workforce can look forward to.
“Congratulations to this year’s awards winners and thank you for your contributions to improving Michigan aviation,” said Mike Trout, MAC director and MDOT Office of Aeronautics administrator. “Their outstanding work has not gone unnoticed to the MAC, MDOT and the aviation community.”
The MAC and MDOT have recognized airports, individuals and organizations whose innovative contributions have led to significant improvements to facilities, operations or public relations that support aviation in Michigan. The MAC is responsible for the general supervision of aeronautics within Michigan.
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MDOT: Working with our partners at airports, bus systems, marine and rail to find innovative solutions for
Michigan’s transportation systems.
General Aviation Airport of the Year Award
Left to right: Betsy Steudle, MDOT Office of Aeronautics; Ben Evergreen, West Branch Community Airport; and Stephanie Whitinger, MDOT Office of Aeronautics.
© 2024 MDOT Photography Unit
Air Carrier Airport of the Year Award
Left to right: Sarah Finello, Nick Patterson and David Joye, RS&H; John Kozlowski, chairman of the Alpena County Board of Commissioners; Steve Smigelsk (holding plaque), Alpena County Airport manager; and Jim Hartman, MDOT Office of Aeronautics.
© 2024 MDOT Photography Unit
Aviation Community Involvement Award
Left to right: Casey Brown and Ashley Lucas, MDOT Office of Aeronautics.
© 2024 MDOT Photography Unit
Robert G. Pekham Consultant of the Year Award
Left to right: Nick Patterson, RS&H; Ginger Moore, Hillsdale Municipal Airport; and Andrew Laszczyk and Shirley Ghannam, Arconcepts
© 2024 MDOT Photography Unit
Aviation Student of the Year Award
Left to right: Willow MacLaughlin and Michael Soper, MDOT Office of Aeronautics.
© 2024 MDOT Photography Unit
Aviation Professional of the Year Award – Not Pictured
by orionontv | Feb 26, 2024 | Regional News
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| Hi there,
I want to talk to you about the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Restoration Act, HR 7138, which I reintroduced with my colleagues Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva and Jan Schakowsky at the end of last month. This bill is hyper-relevant for families with children with special needs, and who are trying to plan for the future needs of these adult children.
This is a bill I first introduced during my first term in 2019 to address shortfalls in the SSI program. SSI provides assistance to disabled or elderly individuals. It’s especially important to the blind and people with disabilities, including more than one million children.
The Social Security Income program has gone largely unchanged since 1972 and is in desperate need of updates to keep beneficiaries out of poverty. For instance, because the program has not kept pace with inflation, individuals with more than $2,000 in their savings account are not eligible for SSI benefit. This bill would increase that cap to $10,000 (or $20,000 for eligible couples).
While this legislation is a common-sense approach to help families support their loved ones with disabilities live independently, it really would not be possible without the families across my district who have shared their own experiences with the SSI program and advocated for these overdue changes.
I especially want to thank Craig and Linda Brown, of Clarkston, who first brought this issue to my attention. They have two sons with autism and are deeply rooted in autism advocacy for young people across the state, and the parents who love them and want to help secure their future. The SSI Restoration Act achieves that, and I’ll be encouraging my colleagues to move the bill forward in Congress.
– Rep. Elissa Slotkin |
by orionontv | Feb 26, 2024 | Regional News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2024
Contact: Ron Leix, Treasury, 517-335-2167
Taxpayers in Nine Michigan Counties Can Request Additional Time to File Tax Returns, Pay State Tax Bills
LANSING, Mich. – With the Internal Revenue Service granting tax relief on Feb. 15 after President Biden approved a federal disaster declaration for nine Michigan counites, the Michigan Department of Treasury is providing an opportunity for disaster survivors to obtain state tax relief.
Individual and business taxpayers who reside in Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne counties can request additional time to file state tax returns and pay state tax bills, with penalties and interest waived. These areas were affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from Aug. 24-26, 2023.
“A natural disaster can be devastating both personally and financially,” State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said. “By providing tax relief, disaster survivors will have more time to focus on recovering and getting their lives back to a sense of normalcy. Taxpayers should reach out to us to learn more about the process for obtaining this relief.”
Individuals unable to meet filing or payment deadlines due to this disaster should contact Treasury at 517-636-4486. Businesses are asked to call 517-636-6925.
In addition, affected taxpayers may write to Treasury to request disaster-related tax relief. When writing, the following must be included in the correspondence:
- Name and account number of the individual or business taxpayer.
- Reason for the relief request.
- Taxpayer address within one disaster area or address of the tax preparer located in the disaster area.
Taxpayers should send the completed correspondence to the following address:
Michigan Department of Treasury
Attn: Disaster Tax Relief
Lansing, Michigan 48922
Some taxpayers may receive a preliminary assessment notice before a tax relief request is formally received by Treasury. Taxpayers within the disaster area who receive these notices should contact Treasury by phone to resolve.
To learn more about Michigan’s tax system, go to https://www.michigan.gov/taxes.
by orionontv | Feb 26, 2024 | Health and Wellness
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 26, 2024
CONTACT: Chelsea Wuth, 517-241-2112, [email protected]
Health Information Technology commission releases 2023 annual report, announces advisory committee members
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), in partnership with the Health Information Technology Commission (HITC), is releasing its annual report summarizing major activities in 2023 and proposing six key recommendations for the commission in 2024.
Community Information Exchange (CIE) is a priority of MDHHS in advancing health equity in Michigan. Across the state, organizations use different technology systems to provide health, human and social services to Michigan residents. CIE reduces barriers between people and technology by connecting data-sharing between health care providers and social care providers. While efforts to build CIE are happening at the state and local level, MDHHS recognizes and is working toward the development of a statewide strategy to support streamlining efforts.
“The development of statewide community information infrastructure will enhance health care and social care organizations’ ability to address the needs of all people in Michigan,” said Elizabeth Hertel, director. “MDHHS’ commitment to quality improvement has begun improving data collection across the state which will streamline care and make it easier to connect patients with resources to help them outside of a hospital or clinic setting.”
In 2023, the HITC established the CIE task force that produced a final report detailing 33 recommendations for the development of statewide CIE capacities and infrastructure. To implement and execute the recommendations laid out by the CIE task force, the HITC established a community information exchange advisory committee. The advisory committee held its first meeting December 2023.
“I am thrilled that the work of the task force will continue through the CIE advisory committee under the HIT commission,” said Janée Tyus, chair of the advisory committee and former co-chair of the CIE task force. “We have just begun to scratch the surface of opportunities in this space, and I am excited to work with the wonderful individuals who’ve been appointed to this committee. I am hopeful that many will be able to learn from the groundbreaking work being done in Michigan.”
Committee members are listed online.
Meeting materials and summaries are located online. Any questions or feedback of the CIE task force can be sent to MDHHS-SDOH-PolicyandPlanning@michigan.gov..
by orionontv | Feb 26, 2024 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Saturday February 24th at 1:00 AM
This is the top 23 for both girls and boys basketball heading into the boys postseason. This will be the final boys rankings for the season.
Boys
- Troy (21-1): Since when did Colts Athletic Coordinator Shayne Hynes go all Spongebob???
- West Bloomfield (16-5): Lakers postseason path is daunting.
- North Farmington (18-2): Raiders are still not there yet.
- Adams (14-7): Congrats to Peter Kardiasis on breaking Adrian Schaffer’s most points in a game record.
- Ferndale (13-8): Eagles need to be very careful this postseason.
- Groves (10-11): Falcons have everything lined up for them this postseason.
- Clarkston (11-11): Hard to believe Wolves are playing on Monday.
- Lake Orion (15-7): Dragons have been rolling lately.
- Avondale (16-6): Jordan Clayton is a difference maker.
- Troy Athens (14-8): Red Hawks have lost two to their arch rivals, it’s hard to beat a team three times.
- Oxford (14-8): Jake Champagne is a difference maker.
- Pontiac (13-8): Phoenix believing they have a chance on Monday.
- Berkley (13-7): Ah what Bears team am I getting this postseason???
- Harper Woods (8-12): Julian Young and Isiah Lewis are difference makers in the postseason.
- Rochester (7-15): Falcons are red hot heading into Romeo.
- Farmington (11-10): Greg Grays is in a walking boot means not a good sign.
- Bloomfield Hills (5-17): Dyonvi Edwards is the real deal.
- Seaholm (6-16): Maples have an interesting path this postseason.
- Stoney Creek (6-15): Cougars have shown some signs despite record.
- Oak Park (4-14): Knights need to get healthy and fast.
- Royal Oak (9-12): Ravens are 1-7 since the Stoney Creek loss.
- Ferndale University (2-18): Eagles are really struggling heading into the postseason.
- Southfield Arts and Tech (3-19): Warriors are the wildcard of the postseason.
Girls
- West Bloomfield (18-1): Lakers are gearing up for the postseason.
- Ferndale (14-3): Eagles doing everything they need to do to prepare for the postseason.
- Lake Orion (12-7): Ryan Pawlacyzk is living up to her nickname “Playoff P.”
- Clarkston (15-6): Wolves are 3-1 without Elianna Robak, which says something.
- Oxford (10-9): Braydee Elling is filling in really nicely with the injury to Sophia Rabb.
- Stoney Creek (14-5): Cougars might be in trouble come postseason time.
- Berkley (15-5): Bears might have the Los Angeles Chargers intro schedule beat.
- Seaholm (13-7): Seriously did the Maples go all Stone Cold Steve Austin???
- Royal Oak (14-6): Ravens are 1-3 in their last four games.
- Rochester (7-13): Falcons have allowed 51 ppg in last two games, to their defense it was against Hartland and Clarkston but still it’s a big concern.
- Bloomfield Hills (10-9): Blackhawks playing well at the right time.
- Troy (13-8): Colts are finding some balance which is a good omen.
- Southfield Arts and Tech (12-7): Warriors are your Jekyll and Hyde type of team.
- Groves (7-12): Falcons had themselves a huge week.
- Troy Athens (9-11): Red Hawks have not been the same team since the Troy loss.
- North Farmington (11-9): Raiders have been up and down lately.
- Harper Woods (7-11): Pioneers have been struggling in White play.
- Adams (5-16): Highlanders are improving despite their record.
- Avondale (7-13): Injuries have really hurt the Yellow Jackets.
- Oak Park (5-11): Knights should be very interesting to watch this postseason.
- Pontiac (5-14): Phoenix look to close the season in style.
- Farmington (1-18): Falcons scoring has gone up however the points against has as well.
- Ferndale University (0-17): Eagles are getting better despite record.
