Focus West Michigan
Focus West Michigan for 7-9-24
(upbeat music) Today on Focus West Michigan, hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents are eligible for a disability benefit, but may not know it. GRPS is hosting an information session about the New Southeast Careers pathway. There's a new drug showing up in overdose deaths and more state and West Michigan news. For WGVU, I'm Joe Bilecki. Today is Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (upbeat music) Focus West Michigan is brought to you by listeners like you to support this show and everything we do. Visit WGVUnews.org and click the donate button. (upbeat music) Experts say hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents are eligible for a disability benefit, but they either don't know about it or are afraid to take advantage of it. WGVU's Tim Morrison explains. - There are still thousands of people who don't know about this program and who could utilize this program. - Scott Devarona is the executive director of the My Able program. He spends a lot of time traveling the state, explaining what it is. - The program allows individuals with disabilities to save up to $18,000 a year without jeopardizing their eligibility for any of the benefits that they need, things like Medicaid or SSI, or any of the programs that they need because of that disability. - It's similar to an education savings account, but can be used over a lifetime. Experts estimate approximately 500 to 600,000 Michigan residents are eligible to open My Able accounts, but only 1% are currently enrolled statewide. - Devarona says many people are confused about a federal limit of $2,000 in assets and fear they'll lose their benefits if they take part. - The disabled population has been told to stay broke. They're so concerned with losing their eligibility for the programs that they need. They know that if they have too much money, if they save too much, they'll be punished for that. - The My Able program allows people to invest and leverage the money they earn without risking benefits. - Yes, you now have the ability to save. You now have the ability to invest and you can spend that money with whatever you need for your disability-related expenses. - More information is available on the My Able website. I'm Dee Morrison. - Grand Rapids Public Schools is hosting an information session allowing the public to review design plans for the new Southeast careers pathway. WGVU's David Limbaugh has more. Renovation of 6B School, which opened in 1975, is expected to begin this fall, transforming the former elementary school and Grand Rapids Southeast side into the new Southeast careers pathways. Since 6B School closed in 2004, it has housed Grand Rapids Public School staff and was leased by a preschool operator. The project is expected to cost $7 million and will be one of the first major renovation projects funded by the $305 million bond passed by voters last November. Updates to the building include expanding windows, a safe and secure entrance, kitchen upgrades, masonry restoration, parking lot repairs, upgrading heating and air conditioning units, as well as building finishes and lighting and replacing building furnishings. The public information session will take place at 6B School on Thursday, July 18th at 6.30 PM. Representatives from Pure Architects will be there to present renderings and additional project details. Students are expected to start at the new Southeast careers pathways in August 2025. I'm David Limbaugh. A coalition of minority leaders in Michigan are calling for their constituents to unify behind three black congressional candidates in August's Democratic primary. US Senate candidate Hill Harper, along with mid-Michigan congressional candidate Pamela Pugh and Detroit congressional candidate Mary Waters face uphill primary fights. Arab American news publisher Osama Siblani says black Arab Asian and Muslim voters need to band together to have their voices heard by Democratic party leaders. - It is not the time to scream. It is the right time to vote. - Critics have complained that a lack of Democratic party support for minority candidates may result in apathy among minority voters in Michigan in November. The Michigan Democratic primary says it does not get involved in primaries. State Attorney General's officials sent a letter to the head of a West Michigan-based grocer, warning egg carton labels may be misleading customers. WGVU's Dean Morrison explains. - The Department of the Attorney General sent a letter to the CEO of Byron Center-based Spartan Nash, emphasizing the importance of transparency in egg sourcing. A recent report reveals egg carton labels are contributing to consumer confusion. Cage-free eggs come from hens that are not kept in cages, allowing them to roam freely and nest naturally. Cage-free systems are seen to provide better living conditions for hens compared to traditional cages, which raise numerous public health, environmental and animal welfare concerns. The letter stated that being clear about which eggs come from cage-free chickens is important, as Michigan law will prohibit the sale of eggs from caged chickens beginning in 2025. It went on to request clearer signage on egg carton labels so consumers can make informed choices on what to buy. The AG's office sent a similar letter to the head of Kroger grocery stores in 2023. I'm Dee Morrison. - A popular recreational lake in New Aigo County has tested positive for a harmful algal bloom. WGVU, David Limbaugh, has more on the bloom at Hess Lake. The Michigan District Health Department number 10 confirms that a harmful algal bloom has been found in New Aigo County's Hess Lake. In speaking with WGVU, Environmental Health Supervisor for DHD number 10, Megan Stee said samples were collected by the agency after the bloom was first reported on June 26th. Those samples were sent for testing to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which confirmed the findings. Algal blooms can form when there are high levels of nutrients within a body of water coupled with warm temperatures. Stee said that not all algal blooms are harmful, but the results from this particular bloom have classified them as such. She went on to say that bloom toxins can be hazardous to aquatic life, pets and humans, so it is important to avoid areas where blooms have been identified. Bodies of water that contain algal blooms often appear scummy or have a green shade to them, much like slime or split pea soup. Stee says the agency posted signs around the public boat launch on Hess Lake to notify visitors to avoid contact with the water. It's also planning on testing the water weekly to verify when it's safe for residents and pets to access the lake again. I'm David Limbaugh. Michigan Democrats are working to solidify support for President Joe Biden's reelection campaign as he fights calls to step aside. Colin Jackson has more. It's been a rough go for Biden, whose performance had a recent debate with former President Donald Trump caused many to question his acuity. Former Michigan veterans affairs agency director Adam Olier says debates shouldn't matter to service members as much as Biden's record. Olier says veteran services have been more responsive, like when he needed help with the student loan program. When my 10 years was up, I was like, all right, filing for my student loan repayment. And you know what they said to me? They said, you have made three qualifying payments. And I was like, but I've been paying consistently for the past decade. Under a Biden presidency, they went back and fixed that program. Meanwhile, Republicans are pointing to Trump administration policies around veteran healthcare and education. I'm Colin Jackson and Lansing. - Defendants sentenced to life without parole for crimes committed as teenagers have a chance at freedom under US Supreme Court decisions, but they can be ordered to pay restitution as part of any resentencing under a decision made on Monday from the Michigan Supreme Court. We have more from Rick Pluto. - William Neely was 17 when he was part of a group that killed a victim during an armed robbery. His initial automatic sentence of life without parole was overturned by US Supreme Court decisions. He was resentenced by a Kalamazoo County judge who added a restitution order. Neely challenged that as an unconstitutional penalty that was tacked on after the fact. The Michigan Supreme Court held restitution is not a punishment, but an effort to help victims recover. Timothy Boffman with the prosecuting attorneys association of Michigan says it is also part of the Michigan Constitution. - The victims have a right to restitution and that needs to be protected. - The court order at issue in this case required restitution to reimburse the family for a few role expenses. I'm Rick Pluto. (upbeat music) - Living West Michigan celebrates the vibrant people, captivating places, and remarkable things that define our community's unique lifestyles. Through engaging storytelling, we are showcasing the diverse community, breathtaking natural beauty, and rich cultural heritage that make this region truly exceptional. Vibrant people, captivating places, remarkable things. Living West Michigan. - Wednesday evenings at six on WGVU Public Television. (upbeat music) State health officials are warning people about a dangerous new drug showing up in overdose deaths in Michigan, three since March in England, Barriean, and Wayne counties. WGVU's Dean Morrison spoke with Michigan's chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Beggdassarian, about what her office is finding. - Perhaps you can start by identifying what this new drug we're seeing is. - Happy to do that. Essentially, metamidine is a drug that is similar to something called xylazine, which has been found already in the illicit drug supply for some time. Now, these are both typically used as veterinary tranquilizers. And when used in humans, they can cause sedation and cardiovascular depression or very slow heart rate. And we've been seeing xylazine again in the illicit drug supply for some time. We're now seeing metatomidine in the illicit drug supply in combination with many other agents, including opioids. And this is making the drug supply deadlier, it's making it more potent, and making it harder for us to prevent overdose deaths. - So the reason we are concerned about drugs like metatomidine and xylazine is because they are not reversed by naloxone, which is concerning for us. And what we're seeing in general is these newer contaminants mean that we have fewer tools. For xylazine, we still have testing strips, so folks can come in and test their drugs or test their drugs at home if they are using drugs for the presence of things like fentanyl and xylazine, but we do not have access to testing strips for metatomidine. So newer contaminants, fewer tools. The reason why we are recommending that people still use the existing tools that we have is because we're not seeing metatomidine alone. We're seeing it in combination with other things. We're seeing it in combination with fentanyl with other opioids. And so we still want people to check their drug supply. If you are using, we want you to check your drug supply or contamination with fentanyl and xylazine, and then know that other contaminants are a possibility, things like metatomidine. We still want people to keep those reversal agents at hand, things like naloxone, because even though naloxone will not directly reverse either xylazine or metatomidine, it will reverse the fentanyl that's there or the heroin that is in that drug as well. So we want to make sure that we're still using whatever tools we have. It's also really important that we're advising people not to use drugs alone and that there's someone there who can administer first aid or call 911 if they do notice signs of an overdose. And so we really want people to be safe. Our primary goal here is to reduce death. And as the drug supply has grown deadlier, over the last several years, nationwide, there have been increases in overdose deaths. Now, because we have been so proactive in states like Michigan with putting harm reduction tools out there, it does look like that trend is starting to reverse in the last year and a half. But we won't be able to keep things moving in a downward trajectory if we are not using all the tools we have at our disposal. You know, I think that in general, this is a problem that is only going to grow. There are folks out there who want the drug supply to be more addictive, more potent, and they are doing that at the cost of our residents' lives. And so in public health, we are doing our utmost to stay ahead of the curve, to stay ahead of some of these changes. And that means using whatever tools we have, one of our biggest tools is awareness. We want to make people aware of these trends, of these new compounds. That's the reason we put out the press release and the reason why conversations like the one you and I are having are so important. We want to, again, encourage them to use the testing strips that we do have, the Naloxone that still reverses opioid overdoses. And in 2023, the state of Michigan was able to provide over 300,000 doses or kits of Naloxone for free to the community. And I think it's really important that we continue to increase that number. The more Naloxone we can get out there, the better. We really want to think of this as a fire extinguisher. We hope you never have to use it. But if you do, we want to make sure that Naloxone is in as many places as possible. And then we're really looking for ways to innovate and, again, get ahead of this issue and get ahead of this dangerous trend and look for new and innovative ways that we can really keep people safe. One of those new and innovative things that we have seen are there are drug supply testing machines that have been used widely in places like New York and some of our harm reduction centers here in Michigan also have them. And they do detect contaminants like metatomidine. And so providing these harm reduction centers with more testing machines, more tools, is also something that could potentially keep people safer. And we're looking into all of those aspects here. - Thank you. I really appreciate your time today. - Thank you, you too. (upbeat music) - This has been Focus West Michigan from WGVU for Tuesday, July 9, 2024. I'm Joe Bilecki. Our audio operations manager is Rick Bierling and our news and public affairs director is Patrick Center. We'll be back with more news and events in West Michigan tomorrow, wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (gentle music)