DETROIT, Michigan, July 1 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: Senior staff attorney Miriam Aukerman has the following reaction: "Keeping people locked up in close quarters in immigration detention puts everyone inside the jail and outside at risk of becoming extremely ill or dying. This is what our clients have been facing as ICE has them trapped behind bars where they cannot practice social distancing as health experts have urged. We are grate  more

DETROIT, Michigan, June 30 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sent a letter to the Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack urging the court not to authorize remote jury trials for criminal cases statewide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ACLU of Michigan Legal Director Dan Korobkin writes in part, "The pandemic currently sweeping our planet presents challenges to countless facet  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 29 -- The American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release: Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and AFT Michigan President David Hecker following the announcement that the University of Michigan has officially recognized the AFT as the representative of the nearly 350 physician assistants employed at Michigan Medicine: AFT President Randi Weingarten said: "As the country faces unprecedented economic, health and rac  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 30 -- The Altarum Institute issued the following news: Significant disparities in health care access and quality exist between women living in rural areas and those in urban areas, especially regarding prenatal care, birth outcomes, and maternal morbidity and mortality. Rural women, especially racial and ethnic minorities, are dealing with a lack of access to comprehensive services and support during pregnancy and the postpartum period due to hospital closures, limited  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 3 -- The Altarum Institute issued the following news on July 2: According to today's jobs report, health care added 358,000 jobs in June 2020. Combined with the 315,000 jobs added in May, the health sector has regained 43% of the 1.6 million jobs lost in March and April. Workload and employment in ambulatory care settings, where most of the job losses occurred, have come back more quickly than anticipated. Health sector employment trends have looked similar to overall   more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The Altarum Institute issued the following statement: We've long known that racial injustice continues to haunt our country some 55 years after the repeal of Jim Crow and the historic gains of the civil rights movement. And yet something has happened over the last few weeks to bring long-simmering anger and frustration to the fore in a nationwide protest. Why are the cries for change so strong now, and what can we do to address them? We can speculate that the kil  more

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities issued the following statement by President Peter McPherson on the Lifting Our Communities through Advance Liquidity for Infrastructure Act, which was introduced by Sens. Roger F. Wicker, R-Mississippi, and Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan: "APLU applauds Senators Wicker and Stabenow for their leadership in introducing the LOCAL Infrastructure Act to ease the extraordinary financial emergencies states are facing amid the pan  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives issued the following news release: Several U.S. cities may be at increased risk of surges in COVID-19 cases as they reopen their economies because their residents are unwilling to follow practices that reduce the spread of the disease, according to Penn State researchers. Dr. Robert Lennon, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Penn State College of Medicine, and his colleagues, incl  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives issued the following news release: Six leading healthcare organizations announced the formation of a national coalition called Patient ID Now, which is committed to addressing the issue of patient identification by advocating for legislation and regulations. The founding members of Patient ID Now are the American College of Surgeons, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Coll  more

DETROIT, Michigan, July 3 -- The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan issued the following news release: Five area LGBTQ+ organizations receive grants totaling $200,000 from The HOPE Fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announced that five key LGBTQ+ organizations have received grants totaling $200,000 from the Community Foundation's HOPE (Helping Others through Partnerships and Education) Fund. Each organization receiv  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 29 -- Comparative Studies in Society and History, a peer-reviewed journal that says it features change in human societies through time, from the Society for the Comparative Study of Society and History, published research articles on the following topics in its April 2020 edition: * Terroir and Territory on the Colonial Frontier: Making New-Old World Wine in the Holy Land * The Kacca and the Pakka: Disenchanting the Film Event in Pakistan * Brutalism and the People:   more

DETROIT, Michigan, July 1 -- The Detroit Medical Center issued the following news release: Dr. Audrey Gregory, chief executive officer of the Detroit Medical Center, was appointed as a trustee at-large for a two-year term to the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Board of Trustees. Her appointment became effective on June 25, 2020. Members of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) elected new officers and appointed board members during the association's virtual Annual Membe  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Environmental Defense Fund issued the following news release: EDF joined an extensive coalition of 23 states including California, Michigan and Colorado, cities and regional clean air agencies, and environmental advocates to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to protect states' long-standing authority to reduce dangerous pollution from cars. The filing of the coalition's court brief capped two weeks of examples of America's momentum toward cleaner car  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, July 1 -- The Environmental Law and Policy Center issued the following news release: On behalf of the Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN) and itself, the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) filed a petition to intervene in front of the Michigan Public Service Commission to oppose Enbridge's application for permission to relocate its deteriorating Line 5 twin pipeline to a new tunnel through the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Michigan. The groups seek to intervene in th  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 30 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: The economic havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially disruptive to small businesses, which often depend on foot traffic and operate on smaller profit margins than their larger counterparts. As Michigan prepares to reopen its economy, small business owners are struggling with the financial viability of their businesses, the concerns of their families and their employees' famili  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 3 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: This week marks the launch of the Democracy & Debate Theme Semester, a unique opportunity for teaching and learning about free speech and the exchange of ideas, democratic engagement from a global perspective and what it means to be a member of a democratic society. The theme semester will link courses and events from across the University of Michigan and incorporate online learning opportuniti  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 3 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: The Center on Finance, Law and Policy co-hosted a day-long conference with the Brookings Institution on June 30 to mark the Dodd-Frank Act 10th Anniversary. Former Senator Chris Dodd and former Representative Barney Frank participated, as did Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard and former Fed chief Janet Yellen, among others. Dean Michael Barr was one of the key architects of the law and was   more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: The Federal Reserve undertook its annual stress tests for the 34 largest US banks on Thursday, June 25, and determined to require big banks to suspend share repurchases during the third quarter and limit dividend distributions to the levels banks paid out in the second quarter. In an article in American Banker (https://www.americanbanker.com/news/did-fed-get-it-right-on-shareholder-payouts), Fo  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: Kenneth Lowande, assistant professor of political science and a faculty by courtesy at the Ford School, is quoted in an article on Bridge (https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-police-defend-surplus-military-gear-debate-about-force-grows) June 29 that looks at the militarization of police forces around the state of Michigan. He has studied the federal Law Enforcement Support Offi  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: As everyday activities in Detroit begin to resume, four out of 10 working Detroiters remain temporarily or permanently laid off, and many residents say they feel the state is reopening too soon. According to the third rapid response COVID-19 survey from U-M's Detroit Metro Area Communities Study, the unemployment rate in Detroit still sits around 45%--similar to last month's estimates of 45%. T  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: Towsley policymaker in residence Javed Ali, asserts that the latest reports about Russian intelligence officers offering bounties to the Taliban in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers need to be addressed in the larger context of Russia's anti-US agenda. Writing with Josh Kirshner in Newsweek (https://www.newsweek.com/responding-russian-bounties-us-troops-afghanistan-opinion-1514163) June 29,  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 2 -- The Journal of Clinical Investigation, a journal from the American Society for Clinical Investigation that says it publishes basic and phase I/II clinical research on such biomedical specialties as autoimmunity, gastroenterology, immunology, metabolism, nephrology, neuroscience, oncology, pulmonology and vascular biology, published research articles, including the following topics, in its July 2020 edition: Viewpoints: * The changing investment in translational   more

DETROIT, Michigan, July 1 -- The League of Women Voters issued the following news release: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a group that has repeatedly sued election officials for not purging voters aggressively enough, asked a judge to dismiss its own lawsuit against the City of Detroit. PILF had sought to compel the city to undertake unwarranted voter purges based on questionable and unsubstantiated data. But after the League of Women Voters of Michigan and the League of Women V  more

MIDLAND, Michigan, July 1 -- The Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued the following news release: Children across the country should have greater access to more educational options, thanks to a decision (https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/18-1195_g314.pdf) by the U.S. Supreme Court in Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue. In a 5-4 opinion, the Court struck down discriminatory policies that some states use to block support of and access to religious schools. Unfortunately, Michigan   more

MIDLAND, Michigan, July 2 -- The Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued the following news release on June 30: The Michigan Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will hear the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation's case challenging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's unilateral extension of emergency powers. The clients are three medical practices that were unable to provide necessary care and a patient who was unable to receive care. While the governor eventually lifted the ban on nonessential medical p  more

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina, July 2 -- Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, issued the following news: With the start of Fiscal Year 2021 on July 1, 2020, the following members are beginning new terms or continuing their roles as elected Sigma Xi leaders. Thank you to these members for volunteering their time, energy, and expertise to Sigma Xi's mission of enhancing the research enterprise, fostering integrity in research, and promoting the public understanding of science. Off  more

LANSING, Michigan, July 2 -- The Michigan Economic Development Corp. issued the following news release: Projects that will support growth and economic recovery in seven communities including Kalamazoo, Adrian, Allegan, Calumet, Hastings, Ironwood, and Mason have received support from the Michigan Strategic Fund, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced. In total, the projects are expected to generate a total private investment of $5.73 million and will bring new vitality and econ  more

LANSING, Michigan, July 3 -- The Michigan Economic Development Corp. issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the formal launch of the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), naming Trevor Pawl as the state's Chief Mobility Officer and reaffirming Michigan's position as the global leader in producing and developing the next-generation of transportation technologies. The new office will work across state government, academia and private industry to enh  more

EAST LANSING, Michigan, June 29 -- The Michigan Education Association issued the following statement by President Paula Herbart regarding the announcement of the agreement between the governor and legislative leaders on the fiscal 2020 state budget: "I applaud Gov. Whitmer and legislative leaders for working together to minimize the negative impact on schools, students and public education employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This budget agreement prevents massive education funding c  more

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 2 -- The Michigan Education Association issued the following statement on July 1 by President Paula Herbart regarding Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's guidelines for safely returning to school: "While minimum steps provide a roadmap back to in-person learning, things are not 'returning to normal.' It will not be perfect and there will be curves in the road ahead. We owe our students -- and the educators who serve them -- the greatest measures of clarity and consiste  more

LANSING, Michigan, July 2 -- The Michigan Environmental Council issued the following news: Michigan Environmental Council's board of directors is composed of 17 members committed to Michigan's environment and whose experiences and perspectives make them champions of it. Jeremy Orr - Natural Resources Defense Council attorney and MEC board member representing the Michigan NAACP - is protecting Black Lives Matter protesters and their rights as a legal observer for the Detroit and Michigan chapter  more

LANSING, Michigan, July 1 -- The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following news release on June 30: The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following statement on bipartisan FY 2019-2020 budget agreement between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature. The statement can be attributed to Alex Rossman, External Affairs Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy. "The fact that there's a bipartisan budget agreement is good news, as is the fact that the Leg  more

LANSING, Michigan, July 3 -- The Michigan Nurses Association issued the following news release: The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) announced the launch of a PPE enforcement program that will provide all Michigan healthcare workers with some of the strongest protections in the country. This launch comes after months of advocacy by the Michigan Nurses Association, including filing MIOSHA charges against Michigan Medicine and Mercy Health Partners - Hackley Hospit  more

LANSING, Michigan, June 30 -- The National Center for Law and Economic Justice issued the following news: Medicaid recipients have long had rights to "fair hearings" to challenge actions affecting their benefits. According to a new lawsuit, however, recipients in Michigan cannot get relief from those hearings, even when they win. The suit, filed by attorneys for Michigan Protection & Advocacy Services, Inc. (MPAS), the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) and Legal Services of   more

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The American Civil Liberties Union, a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union launched a new five figure digital ad campaign on Facebook and Instagram in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and North Carolina urging members of Congress to ensure access to COVID-19 testing and treatment for everyone i  more

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 30 -- The Ohio Environmental Council issued the following news release on June 26: On Friday, June 19, the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) and Sierra Club filed an amicus brief at the Ohio Supreme Court supporting the Ohio EPA's authority to enforce water quality protection laws. The case, State of Ohio ex rel. Dave Yost, Ohio Attorney General v. Rover Pipeline, LLC, stems from the construction of the Rover pipeline, a 700-mile fracked gas pipeline spanning 18 counties in  more

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, June 30 -- The Progressive Democrats of America issued the following news release: Two prominent national progressive organizations released an open letter to Vice President Joe Biden, calling on him to choose Senator Elizabeth Warren as his running mate. RootsAction.org and Progressive Democrats of America - which together represent more than a million online and on-the-ground activists - named Warren as the vice-presidential candidate best positioned to unite the Democ  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, July 2 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news on July 1: By Larry Adams Contributing Writer, SME Media Fostering human-centered innovation by developing powerful, easy-to-use tools is at the heart of the new products, enhancements and services showcased during the Siemens Digital Industries Software 2020 Media & Analyst Conference, a two-day virtual event hosted by the Plano, Texas-based company on June 16 and 17. Building off of its Xcelerator  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, June 30 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news: By Geoff Giordano Contributing Editor, SME Media Systems that allow processing of sheet and tube eliminate secondary steps As laser manufacturing systems for sheet and tube grow more sophisticated--powerful, automated and scalable--navigating the wealth of choices might feel daunting. But with a little imagination and collaboration, fabricators of all sizes can craft a robust system that meets cur  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, July 1 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news: By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media All the other stuff a shop needs to make parts efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively There's more to machining than machine tools and cutters. Shops also need an assortment of machine components to keep their CNC lathes and machining centers humming. As part of the IMTS Machine Components/Cleaning/Environmental pavilion, new machine components (  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, July 3 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news on July 2: By Bill Koenig Senior Editor, SME Media U.S. manufacturing employment surged in June as makers of motor vehicles and parts returned to work from shutdowns related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Manufacturers added 356,000 jobs last month, with a gain of 290,000 in durable goods, according to a breakdown by industry sector issued today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The mot  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, July 2 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news: By Bill Koenig Senior Editor, SME Media Manufacturing rebounded in June, the best positive change in almost 40 years, helped by improved demand and production, the Institute for Supply Management said. The Tempe, Ariz.-based group's manufacturing index, known as the PMI, surged to 52.6 percent last month, up from 43.1 percent the month before. Manufacturing is trying to recover from shutdowns spurr  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, July 3 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news: By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media Learn how to keep your shop floor (and our environment) clean and safe Suppliers of cleaning, safety, and environmental equipment are promoting a common message--good housekeeping is not only good for your workforce, it's also good for the shop's balance sheet. And perhaps the best way for any manufacturer to practice this is by paying attention to the f  more

DETROIT, Michigan, July 4 -- The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments issued the following news release: Jason Morgan, Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, has been named Chair of the Legislative Policy Platform Task Force of SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. Theresa Rich, Trustee, Oakland Schools will serve as Vice Chair. In making the appointments, SEMCOG Chair Donald Hubler, Macomb Intermediate School District Secretary, noted, "Both Jason Morgan a  more

ROYAL OAK, Michigan, July 3 -- Education Trust-Midwest issued the following statement on July 2 by Director of External Relations Brian Gutman: The president of the Michigan State Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction have requested a waiver of federal requirements for student assessments and school accountability for next school year. If approved, Michigan would become the first state to waive school assessments and accountability requirements for the 2020-21 school year.  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 1 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson was featured on NPR's Marketplace, which noted that, "Summer has arrived; lots of summer jobs have not." This year is going to be tough on people who work in travel, tourism and restaurants, which hire a lot of seasonal workers. "What we'll actually see is not the season not coming, but it coming in such a partial way that there's a lot of job de  more

LANSING, Michigan, July 1 -- The Michigan Economic Development Corp. issued the following news release: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is reminding Michiganders that there is still time to support small businesses participating in the MI Local Biz community crowdfunding program (https://www.patronicity.com/milocalbiz). Launched in early June, more than 100 campaigns utilizing this crowdfunding for COVID-19 recovery efforts will be expiring over the coming days and weeks, with man  more

NEW YORK, July 1 -- Physician for Human Rights issued the following statement by Michele Heisler, medical director and professor of internal medicine and public health at the University of Michigan: The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed at the Matamoros migrant encampment along the Mexico-U.S. border, where more than 2,000 asylum seekers wait for U.S. immigration court hearings while stuck in squalid conditions. * * * "The tragic confirmation of the first positive COVID-19 case at the Mata  more