Oakland Together 40 Under 40 Nominations Now Open

Oakland Together 40 Under 40 Nominations Now Open

by | Jan 12, 2026 | Regional News

Oakland Together 40 Under 40 Class of 2026 Nominations Now Open

Post Date:01/12/2026 1:00 PM
  • The Oakland Together 40 Under 40 program, now in its 14th year, recognizes individuals younger than 40 who live or work in Oakland County and are driving positive change in their communities.
  • Forty individuals will be selected by a committee and invited to special events throughout the year.
  • Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Feb. 2. For more information, visit oakgov.com/40under40.

Pontiac, Mich. – Oakland County is now accepting applications for the Oakland Together 40 Under 40 Class of 2026. This annual program recognizes dynamic leaders younger than 40 who live or work in Oakland County – and who are making a meaningful impact through innovation, community service, and professional achievement.

“We’re proud to continue spotlighting the exceptional young leaders who help move Oakland County forward,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. “Through Oakland Together 40 Under 40, we celebrate individuals who embody our vision of All Ways, Moving Forward and who are making a real difference in our communities.”

A selection committee composed of community members and county leadership will choose 40 individuals for the Class of 2026. The class will be announced publicly in April.

Those selected will be invited to participate in special events throughout the year, offering opportunities to connect, collaborate and engage with fellow leaders and county officials.

Applicants must self-nominate, live or work in Oakland County, and be at least 18 years old. Eligible applicants must be born after Dec. 31, 1985. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Feb. 2, 2026.

Previous winners included public servants, educators, business owners and community leaders.

For more information or to apply, visit oakgov.com/40under40. For questions, contact 40under40@oakgov.com or 248-858-5400.

Rehearing on DTE Data Center Special Contracts

Rehearing on DTE Data Center Special Contracts

by | Jan 9, 2026 | Regional News

Michigan Department of Attorney General Press Release banner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 9, 2026

Media Contact:
Danny Wimmer

Attorney General Petitions MPSC for Rehearing on DTE Data Center Special Contracts

LANSING – Yesterday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a Petition for Rehearing with the Michigan Public Service Commission concerning Case U-21990, wherein DTE applied for and received ex parte approval of two special contracts to service a 1.4 gigawatt hyperscale AI data center in Washtenaw County. The Commission conditionally approved those contracts on December 18th while granting DTE a timeline of 30 days to convey their acceptance of those conditions and denying the Attorney General’s request to hold a formal contested case.

Within her petition the Attorney General challenges the statutory authority of the Commission to approve these special contracts without a contested case hearing and requests a rehearing in this matter. The Attorney General additionally seeks clarification regarding the extent of the conditions ordered by the Commission and their enforceability, as many of the conditions purportedly put in place by the Commission appear to require only repeated assurances from DTE with no further evidentiary support or commitment, rather than enforceable conditions imposing meaningful requirements on the utility or its customer. Attorney General Nessel also expresses concerns regarding DTE’s ability to serve as the financial ‘backstop’ in lieu of sufficient collateral requirements, as dictated by the Commission.

The Attorney General continues to seek a contested case hearing in order to review the heavily redacted special contracts, verify DTE’s claims of affordability benefits to its ratepayers and that servicing this customer will cause no increase in electric rates for their existing customers, as well as verify adequate ratepayer protections such as collateral and exit fees in place to protect DTE and its customers if the data center fails to purchase the full projected amount of electricity, leaves the State before the full length of the contracts run, or goes bankrupt.

“I remain extremely disappointed with the Commission’s decision to fast-track DTE’s secret data center contracts without holding a contested case hearing,” said Nessel. “This was an irresponsible approach that cut corners and shut out the public and their advocates. Granting approval of these contracts ex parte serves only the interests of DTE and the billion-dollar businesses involved, like Oracle, OpenAI, and Related Companies, not the Michigan public the Commission is meant to protect.

“The Commission imposed some conditions on DTE to supposedly hold ratepayers harmless, but these conditions and how they’ll be enforced remain unclear,” Nessel continued. “As Michigan’s chief consumer advocate, it is my responsibility to ensure utility customers in this state are adequately protected, especially on a project so massive, so expensive, and so unprecedented. As my office continues to review all potential options to defend energy customers in our state, we must demand further clarity on what protections the Commission has put in place and continue to demand a full contested case concerning these still-secret contracts.”

The Commission ordered DTE to formally accept its conditions within 30 days of its December 18th order. This timeline creates a difficulty for the Attorney General or any other party deciding whether further challenge is necessary to protect DTE’s more than two million electric customers and Michigan energy customers broadly within the applicable timeframe in which parties may seek relief through further challenges to the Commission’s order. Accordingly, the Attorney General files her Petition for Rehearing this week in-part to preserve her arguments concerning the issues surrounding the Commission’s unclear conditions and legal justification for granting review and approval of these special contracts on an ex parte basis.
Update on Work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto

Update on Work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Transportation
MDOT header (SOM branding)Talking Michigan Transportation (TMT) banner with the Mackinac Bridge.

An update on MDOT’s work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto

Jan. 8, 2026

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Peter Anastor, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Rail, about where things stand for passenger rail service at Michigan Central in Detroit.

A rendering of the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District on a parcel just southwest of the station in Detroit.
MDOT Rail Peter AnastorAnastor also offers an update on plans to link passenger rail service in Michigan with service in Canada and create a link between Chicago and Toronto.

In October, MDOT, the City of Detroit and Michigan Central signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin preliminary assessments for a new multimodal transportation hub located within the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District on a parcel just southwest of the station.

Key provisions include:

  • The partners will utilize a $10 million grant awarded to MDOT through the Federal Transit Administration’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program (now known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program), plus an additional $30 million in state funds.
  • This proposed hub would include infrastructure for passenger rail and intercity bus service.
  • Decisions about final project designs, funding and timelines will be shared as the exploratory phase progresses.

Listen and subscribe

Listen now at buzzsprout.com/1374205.
Subscribe for Talking Michigan Transportation podcast updates.
Falling ice closures are possible for the Mackinac Bridge

Falling ice closures are possible for the Mackinac Bridge

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Transportation

 
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MDOT News
Jan. 8, 2026

Media contact: James Lake, LakeJ1@Michigan.gov, 906-250-0993

Winter is here, and falling ice closures are possible for the Mackinac Bridge

Fast facts:

  • When ice falls from the bridge’s towers and cables, the Mackinac Bridge Authority closes the bridge to traffic for safety.
  • Ice chunks, sheets and spears that fall hundreds of feet from the bridge’s towers and cables have damaged vehicles and have the potential to injure or kill vehicle occupants.
  • The Mackinac Bridge has closed due to falling ice 32 times since 1995, for an average duration of five hours and 54 minutes per closure.

ST. IGNACE, Mich. – Ice has formed on the upper cables and towers of the Mackinac Bridge, leading to the possibility of closing the bridge to traffic due to falling ice over the coming days or weeks.

When ice falls from the bridge’s towers and cables, the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) closes the bridge to traffic for safety. Ice chunks, sheets and spears that fall hundreds of feet from the bridge’s towers and cables have damaged vehicles and have the potential to injure or kill vehicle occupants.

“It’s impossible to say when this ice could begin falling from the bridge, resulting in a closure, or if it could gradually melt without incident,” said Bridge Director Kim Nowack. “We want our customers to be aware of the possibility of closures and know how to find more information if they occur.”

A video released by the MBA and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) includes video footage and still images of kitchen table-sized sheets and 20-foot-long spears of ice shattering on the bridge deck to help explain why the bridge must be closed when ice is falling.

Mackinac County 911, using its RAVE Alert System, will send updates and information from the MBA to users’ cell phones any time the bridge has a partial or full closure due to weather or other conditions. Messages also will be sent when a full closure is reduced to a partial closure or when the bridge reopens to all traffic. To sign up, text “MacBridge” to 67283.

Details and updates are also available around the clock at www.MackinacBridge.org/Fares-Traffic/Conditions/ and on X at @MackinacBridge. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) posts information on closures on X, BlueSky, Threads, Facebook and www.Michigan.gov/Drive, as well as on freeway dynamic message signs.

The MBA has compiled a list of frequently asked questions about falling ice and other topics on its website.

Since 1995, when the MBA began tracking closures of the bridge for any reason, the bridge has been closed 32 times for falling ice, an average of about one each year. The first noted closure for falling ice was on Jan. 30, 1998, when the bridge was closed for two hours and 50 minutes. The most recent was April 2-3, 2025.

The shortest closure for falling ice was 37 minutes on Nov. 29, 2001. The longest closure to date was the April 2-3, 2025, closure when the bridge was closed for 30 hours and four minutes. The average falling ice closure lasts about five hours and 54 minutes. Over the last 30 years (roughly 262,800 hours), the bridge has been closed 188 hours and four minutes for falling ice, less than 0.1 percent of the time.
MI licenses first dental therapist to help increase access to care

MI licenses first dental therapist to help increase access to care

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Health and Wellness

 

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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 8, 2026

CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, Sutfinl1@michigan.gov  

Michigan licenses first dental therapist to help
increase access to care; address workforce shortages
Ferris State University preparing to launch dental therapy program

LANSING, Mich. – As part of an effort by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to increase access to dental care for all Michigan residents, the state’s first dental therapist has been licensed and is practicing in the Upper Peninsula. Additionally, to increase the number of dental therapists in the state, MDHHS is assisting with the development of a dental therapy training program. 

Dental therapists are licensed providers trained to deliver routine dental care including exams, cleanings and fillings under a dentist’s supervision. Because they focus on a limited set of procedures, training is faster and more affordable than traditional dental school – three to six years compared to eight years. 

“Strengthening the state’s dental workforce is an important focus for the department,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “Licensing Michigan’s first dental therapist is an important step in expanding access to care in underserved areas where there are limited providers.”  

Dental therapists can practice in traditional private offices and non-traditional settings such as schools, mobile clinics and community health centers. The profession has existed globally for more than 100 years and is authorized in at least 14 states. 

“I am proud to be the first dental therapist in Michigan because I have the opportunity every single day to show others how rewarding this career can be and the powerful impact a dental therapist can have on improving access to oral health care in underserved communities,” said Dana Obey, licensed dental therapist. “I hope my journey inspires others to join this profession. Becoming Michigan’s first dental therapist is more than a career milestone – it’s an opportunity to go above and beyond to provide a safe space where patients feel respected and heard. I’ve seen firsthand how, with the right support, tools and education, lasting lifestyle changes are possible.”  

While Michigan has 59.1 dentists per 100,000 people, they are not equally distributed throughout the state or representative of the populations they serve. More than 1.5 million residents live in federally designated dental shortage areas with limited access to care. This includes children and seniors, low-income families, pregnant women, people with disabilities and rural residents.  

Dental therapists are uniquely trained to serve these populations, helping to: 

  • Reduce wait times. 
  • Expand access cost effectively. 
  • Ease pressure on existing providers. 
  • Improve cultural and linguistic representation in care. 

Michigan established a licensure pathway for dental therapists in 2021. However, as no dental therapy programs are offered in the state, Michigan students have had to pursue their education in other states with the intention of returning to serve in Michigan communities. Currently, only five dental therapy programs exist nationally 

This is set to change as Ferris State University is developing Michigan’s first program, targeted to launch in the next couple years. MDHHS is assisting Ferris State with program development through a federal Health Resources and Services Administration oral health workforce grant. This includes $85,000 in funding to help the university hire a consultant to assist with curriculum design and accreditation through the Commission on Dental Accreditation.  

“The development of a Michigan dental therapy program is another way our state is working to ensure Michigan families can easily access care as oral health plays a critical role in overall health and well-being,” said Hertel. 

Learn more about dental therapy at MI Dental Access.