DETROIT, Michigan, May 21 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan applauds Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for announcing plans to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters for the August primary and November general elections to ensure both public health and the right to vote are protected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state will include a cover letter advising voters that   more

DETROIT, Michigan, May 23 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Michigan, Arnold & Porter, and Goodman Acker filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan's requirement that absentee ballots be received by Election Day in order to be counted. The lawsuit, League of Women Voters of Michigan v. Benson, was filed in the Michigan Court of Appeals on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Michigan and individual vote  more

OAKLAND, Michigan, May 22 -- The Advancement Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit that develops and inspires community-based solutions based on the high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns, issued the following news on May 21: Civil rights and racial justice groups won a major victory, ordering the release of medically vulnerable people from the Oakland County Jail in Michigan. Federal Court Judge Linda V. Parker granted a preliminary injunction which orders medically vulnerable peop  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 23 -- The Altarum Institute issued the following news: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis is marching on. More than 2 million Americans struggle with opioid use disorder, with approximately 130 Americans dying each day from an opioid overdose, and the coronavirus may only exacerbate this already extensive problem. Data indicate that dentists are frequent prescribers of opioids, especially after tooth extractions. However, a new study finds that opioids are n  more

MIDLAND, Michigan, May 23 -- The American Property Casualty Insurance Association issued the following news release: Flood waters from the failed Edenville Dam and Sanford Dam rushed through surrounding areas and communities this week, destroying and damaging homes and businesses in its path. When the water begins to recede and evacuated residents can safely return to their homes, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) urges those who experienced damage to contact their in  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities issued the following news: By Dottie Rosenbaum, Senior Fellow SNAP (food stamps) responds quickly to increased need, such as during economic downturns and natural disasters, and the economic crisis spurred by COVID-19 is no exception. Indeed, the rise in the number of SNAP participants in recent weeks is unprecedented, with 2 million (14 percent) more people accessing benefits between February and April in the 17 states that have  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 22 -- Child Development, a journal from the Society for Research in Child Development that provides research for child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, specialists in early childhood education, educational psychologists, special education teachers, published research articles, including the following topics, in its May/June 2020 edition: * Young Children's Ability to Produce Valid and Relevant Counter-Arguments * A Developmental Study   more

DETROIT, Michigan, May 21 -- The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan issued the following news release: The current COVID-19 health crisis requires both immediate and long-term, sustainable relief in varying degrees across the U.S. This pandemic escalated what were previously already growing health concerns, such as access to care, food insecurity and mental health. Through a commitment from The Humana Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is honored to announce i  more

DETROIT, Michigan, May 21 -- The Detroit Regional Chamber issued the following news release: The Detroit Regional Chamber released the findings from a new statewide poll of registered voters in Michigan that provides insight and data on how Michiganders have reacted to the state's dual public health and economic crises. The poll's findings demonstrate both key consistencies and mood shifts compared to the Chamber's previous poll conducted April 15 through 16, 2020. "As the State's 'Stay at Hom  more

SANTA BARBARA, California, May 23 -- Direct Relief issued the following news: Thousands were forced to evacuate their homes in central Michigan after two dams failed, causing severe flooding. The Edenville Dam and Sanford Dam failed after days of heavy rainfall across the state, causing what the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, described as a 500-year flood. Residents in the neighboring towns of Edenville, Sanford, and Midland were forced to flee. According to the city of Midland, 11,0  more

DETROIT, Michigan, May 20 -- The Detroit Medical Center issued the following news release: The Detroit Medical Center has named Kathy Donovan, MSN, RN, NE-BC, as the new chief executive officer of Children's Hospital of Michigan. The appointment is effective June 1, 2020. Donovan has more than a decade worth of experience in healthcare administration including her most recent position as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St.  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 19 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: The global push for funding to fight COVID-19 has many concerned that sexual and reproductive health will suffer. Experts predict that the diversion of funds to fight COVID-19, along with some women avoiding hospitals altogether, will result in decreased global access and resources for sexual and reproductive health. To avoid this scenario, Ford School alumna and associate director for federal i  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 22 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news on May 21: It's a great week in the Hausman household, with news that both professor Catherine Hausman and professor Joshua Hausman will receive promotions to associate professors of public policy, with tenure, at the Ford School. "Both Catie and Josh are top-notch scholars, with a strong track record of teaching, service, and engaging in policy-relevant work," said Michael S. Barr, dean of the   more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 22 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: "The pandemic has revealed enormous inequalities in homes, in schools, in families. So the technological challenges are large, and they are very much connected to a family's financial resources," according to Ford School professor Susan Dynarski, who was featured in a story on ABC's Nightline (https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/covid-19-pandemic-teachers-students-forced-adjust-workarounds-70  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 22 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: Kristin Seefeldt, associate professor of social work and public policy and faculty by courtesy at the Ford School, says Michigan's unemployment system was never set up to handle severe drops in unemployment. In an article on Mlive May 15, she was quoted as saying, "Usually in our economic downturns, job loss happens gradually and our systems are designed for that. They're not designed for a sw  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 23 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: The U.S. and global economy will only recover when major improvements in healthcare and the ability to combat the coronavirus take hold. The crisis has exacerbated inequality along racial, ethnic and economic lines. This recession is unlike any other we have seen. These were the main themes in a wide-ranging Ford School Policy Talk [From a Distance], "Navigating the economic crisis during a glo  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 23 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: Reforms in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have been in the news this week, as it reduced the size of its Counterterrorism Office just as a new DNI, John Ratcliffe, was confirmed by the Senate. Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, Javed Ali, a former senior National Counterterrorism Center official gave insight articles in The New York Times (http://www.ny  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 20 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: "This was a game-changer for us," said Kwaku Osei, the CEO of Farmacy (link is external), a food app startup focused on user's dietary needs. Osei was one of five social entrepreneurs of color in the Detroit metro area matched with Masters students from the Ford School and the School of Information in a project focused on Public Interest Technology (PIT). The aim of the project is for the studen  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 23 -- The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy issued the following news: COVID-19-themed cyberattacks are on the rise due to an exponential increase in telework and an opportunity to exploit fear during the pandemic. Ford School alum John Guerriero (MPP '17) and his team at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) are guiding governors across the country in how to maintain cybersecurity in their states. As part of the National Governo  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 21 -- The Journal of Clinical Investigation-Insight, a peer-reviewed journal that says it features preclinical and clinical research studies from the American Society for Clinical Investigation, published research articles, including the following topics, in its May 21, 2020 edition: * Loss of Wasl improves pancreatic cancer outcome * In utero exposure to transient ischemia-hypoxemia promotes long-term neurodevelopmental abnormalities in male rat offspring * Monounsat  more

MIDLAND, Michigan, May 23 -- The Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued the following statement by Legal Affairs Vice President Patrick Wright: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she is lifting her ban on nonessential medical procedures, beginning May 29. That's a week after the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, in conjunction with the Miller Johnson law firm, filed a lawsuit on behalf of a patient who is unable to have surgery, as well as three medical practices that have been unable to provide  more

MIDLAND, Michigan, May 23 -- The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation issued the following news release: The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, along with the Miller Johnson law firm, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan and a private landscaping company. The lawsuit argues that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Executive Orders 96 and 97, which implement "strict workplace safety measures" in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, are unconstitutional. As businesses w  more

LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- The Michigan Economic Development Corp. issued the following news release on May 21: The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs has awarded a total of $502,400 in Emergency Relief Fund grants to 176 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations around Michigan to provide relief from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced. MCACA also leveraged $83,834 in funds from Arts Midwest , a nonprofit regiona  more

EAST LANSING, Michigan, May 21 -- The Michigan Education Association issued the following news: Through one art project, MEA member Julie Durocher has found a way both to alleviate stress for those quarantining at home and to help homeless people who lack a safe place to hunker down amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Durocher lined up visual artists in Jackson County - where she is a professional artist and elementary art teacher - who would contribute original work for a downloadable Quara  more

EAST LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- The Michigan Education Association issued the following news: Last year, MEA member Bill Boerman launched an ambitious greenhouse project at Holland Middle School because he knew it would pay big dividends in his STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) students' learning about design, gardening, and nutrition. Now it's led to a benefit he didn't imagine: delivering fresh produce to a local food bank for people thrust into need by the global COVID-19 pandemi  more

DETROIT, Michigan, May 22 -- The Michigan Nurses Association issued the following news release: A coalition of 10 Michigan unions has jointly condemned McLaren's lack of transparency about finances and PPE, many filing a charge that the health system has violated federal labor law by withholding information from frontline workers. McLaren sent a letter May 15 to each union refusing to provide frontline workers with the basic information they had requested: how much money the hospital received   more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 21 -- NSF International issued the following news release: NSF International's food safety training programs in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico have been accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The prestigious accreditation means NSF can now offer continuing education units (CEUs) to participants in its training programs in those countries. NSF Training & Education Services has been an IACET Accredited P  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- People for the American Way issued the following statement by Marge Baker, executive vice president for policy and program in response to President Trump withhold federal funding from Nevada and Michigan after Michigan's State Secretary Jocelyn Benson announced vote-by-mail plans: In response to breaking news this morning, that President Donald Trump, threatened to withhold federal funding from Nevada and Michigan after Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announce  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws issued the following news release: Most adults living in states where marijuana use is legal say the policy change has been successful, according to state-specific polling data compiled by YouGov. Respondents in California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, and Washington were asked if they viewed their state's adult-use legalization policy as either a "success or a failure." A majority   more

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, May 22 -- The Progressive Democrats of America issued the following news release on May 21: Three progressive national organizations announced formation of the 2020 Bernie Delegates Network, which will serve as a communications and action hub for more than 1,000 Bernie Sanders delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Selected last week as a Sanders delegate from Arizona to the 2020 national convention, Patti Serrano said: "We look forward to continue holding the  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Protect Our Care issued the following news: On a press call, Protect Our Care and Public Policy Polling along with Michigan State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn, MI) and Dr. Rob Davidson discussed President Trump's response to the coronavirus crisis in Michigan and how his failures have placed Michiganders' health and safety at risk ahead of his visit to the state. Protect Our Care also unveil a new survey conducted with Public Policy Polling in Michigan that finds vote  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Public Citizen issued the following news release: The Ann Arbor City Council approved a resolution on Monday night in support of the federal Medicare for All Act of 2019 and the state MiCare initiative. The resolution sends a strong message to both Congress and the Michigan Legislature that the residents of Ann Arbor are demanding a change to the for-profit health care system that treats health care as a privilege rather than a right for everyone. The passage of the reso  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, May 22 -- The Society of American Archivists issued the following news release: Lydia Tang, special collections archivist-librarian at Michigan State University, is the 2020 recipient of the Mark A. Greene Emerging Leader Award from the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The award celebrates and encourages early career archivists who have completed archival work of broad merit, demonstrated significant promise of leadership, and performed commendable service to the archi  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, May 20 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news release: The field of health care is often considered to be one of the most dynamic. The speed at which innovation is occurring--from the way surgeries are performed, to the development of new therapies--is moving evermore rapidly. We are also seeing tremendous changes in the way medical devices are manufactured. On a global scale, manufacturing is undergoing a transformation as companies introduce th  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, May 21 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news release: Grinding, like all machining processes, is generally thought of as a process of tradeoffs. To gain one attribute, you have to sacrifice another. However, that is not always true. For example, one logical attempt to achieve good material removal rates as well as limited wheel wear is to fix diamond or CBN super-abrasives in a sintered metal bond. As Andrew Osborn, a product engineer at Unite  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, May 20 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news release: Promess Inc., Brighton, Mich., a manufacturer of high-tech industrial equipment, has turned its manufacturing expertise to the production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the fight against the COVID-19 virus. An ad hoc team of management, final assembly and mechanical engineering personnel have thus far produced more than 3,000 face shields and a large number of N95 mask covers and  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, May 22 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news release on May 21: So you've heard all sorts of good things about Swiss-style, sliding headstock CNC lathes and have been thinking about investing in one. There are some excellent reasons to do precisely that. With five-axis milling capabilities, multiple tools in the cut at once, and much faster spindle speeds than are possible on conventional, fixed-headstock lathes, these versatile machines can be   more

DEARBORN, Michigan, May 20 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news release: Global engineering company Renishaw teamed up with two inventive technology concerns to show how metal additive manufacturing (AM) can make lightweight spinal implants that mimic the mechanical properties of bone. The role of one of the partners, the manufacturing research organization Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR), was to design and manufacture the implants, using software from nTopolo  more

DETROIT, Michigan, May 22 -- The United Automobile Workers issued the following statement on May 21: The UAW welcomed President Donald J. Trump to the Ford Rawsonville manufacturing plant to see the hard work of our many heroes on the line who have volunteered to make PPE equipment. Despite some in the President's entourage not following health and safety protocols in the plant today, we want to make it clear that the CDC guidelines have not changed and it is vitally important that our members  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, May 22 -- The United Steelworkers issued the following statement by International President Tom Conway in response to the breaching of the Edenville and Sanford dams, which caused historic flooding and forced at least 10,000 people from their homes in and around Midland, Michigan: "This is a devastating blow to the people and communities of central Michigan, many of whom are members of our union. Our hearts go out to them and their families and to everyone dealing wit  more

SAN DIEGO, California, May 22 -- The American Public Health Association issued the following news release: As the state of Michigan experiences major flooding, spring flooding is well underway, and hurricane season is upon us, the American Flood Coalition partnered with the American Public Health Association to release their Dual Disaster Handbook: a comprehensive resource to help local officials and emergency managers address the "dual disaster" scenario of flooding during the COVID-19 pandemi  more