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Morning Briefing

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022

In today’s newsletter, the PFAS safety level for drinking water is lowered by the EPA, a plan for a Muskegon-area casino is rejected by Gov. Whitmer and thousands of gallon of oil spill into the Flint River.

You know the state bird and the state flower. But how about a state grain?

Michigan's state bird is the American robin. The state flower is the apple blossom. While a good number of Michiganders are familiar with those state symbols, there are plenty of others. We would be impressed if you have the whole list memorized. If you want the info on all the symbols, check out this detailed piece.

There could be another symbol added to the list soon. How about a state grain? A bill making its way through the Michigan legislature could give that title to Manoomin, also known as Michigan wild rice. The rice is important to many wetlands and culturally significant to the state’s Indigenous tribes.

We'll let you know if the addition of a state grain is approved, so you can update your personal knowledge on state symbols.  

Curated by Jessica Shepherd

Townsend Street, which sits in the shadow of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, is one of the streets in Michigan to be rated a 1 out of 10 – which is the worst rating.

Want to see the worst-rated roads in your Michigan county? We have a look at all 83.

The state's worst roads: Michigan roads are rated on a scale of 1 to 10. The lower the number, the worse the road's condition. We have a look at the roads with the worst ratings in each of Michigan's 83 counties. You can even search for specific roads or communities using our database.

Not every county has a road rated a 1: Less than 1% of Michigan’s road miles evaluated in 2021 were rated a 1. Of Michigan’s 83 counties, 62 have at least one road with the lowest rating. In 20 counties, the worst-rated road was a 2. And in Luce County in the Upper Peninsula, the lowest-rated road was a 3.

Flooding causes issues in the Porkies: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reporting flooding on many of the roads in and out of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Read more

'Huge ripple effects' are expected as PFAS safety levels plunge in drinking water.

Virtually zero:The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has lowered what’s considered a safe level of toxic PFAS in drinking water to virtually zero in a move that’s expected to produce wide regulatory ripple effects.

A huge change: The new levels are so small they’re below the current minimum reporting level that most drinking water analysis labs use as a baseline for any PFAS detection. They also are far lower than any state regulatory standards for the compounds in drinking water or groundwater, including standards enacted two years ago in Michigan.

Speaking of safety: Ford has recalled nearly 3 million cars because they can roll away, even while in park.

Read more

Gov. Whitmer rejects a Muskegon-area casino after a 14-year long push.

No casino for the Muskegon area: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday rejected a request by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians to build an off-reservation casino in Fruitport Township, a project under discussion for nearly 14 years.

'So disheartening:' Fruitport Township Supervisor Todd Dunham said, "It would have helped out the whole west side here ... everybody’s had these new developments and developers coming to them because of the possibility of that casino coming, and now it’s just all gone."

Other action from Whitmer: The governor wasn't saying "no" to everything this week. She signed a bill into law Tuesday allowing 17-year-olds to serve alcohol at bars and restaurants. The action aims to ease a labor shortage.

Read more

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FDA advisors recommend vaccinating children under 5 against COVID-19.

A Wednesday vote: Advisors to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are unanimously recommending that the COVID-19 vaccine be made available to children ages 6 months through 4 years of age.

Moderna and Pfizer: Moderna’s vaccine is currently recommended in two doses spaced four weeks apart, though there was discussion of eventually needing a third dose. Meanwhile, Pfizer’s shot is recommended in three doses, with the first two separated by three weeks and the third dose coming eight weeks later.

COVID cases down in Michigan: New COVID-19 cases in the state dropped by 18% in the last week.

Read more

Thousands of gallons of oil spilled into the Flint River.

An oil spill in the Flint River:City, Genesee County and state of Michigan agencies responded to a significant oil spill in the Flint River Wednesday. Officials for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said the spill was estimated at several thousand gallons.

Environmental Protection Agency responding: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it is sending two on-scene coordinators to Flint in response to the oil spill.

Stay out of the river: The county’s medical health officer has ordered residents and visitors to stay out of the Flint River until further notice.

Read more

You're all caught up.

Don't forget to check MLive.com any time of day for the latest Michigan news. You can also stay updated by following our Facebook page.

If you value the hard work of Michigan journalists like the reporters we feature here, consider becoming an MLive subscriber.

Have a wonderful Thursday. We'll see you here for a Friday (yay!) newsletter.

— Jessica Shepherd

OTHER TOP STORIES

• 2 public universities in Michigan are among the best 200 in the world, rankings say
  
  
• Body found in Flint is woman who went missing in 2013, police say
  
  
• Man enters Gratiot County home and kills sleeping woman, himself
  
  
• Tigers close clubhouse for players-only meeting after embarrassing loss
  
  
• We're getting used to inflation. That makes the Federal Reserve nervous.

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