JACKSON, Michigan, July 14 -- Consumers Energy Foundation issued the following news release: The Consumers Energy Foundation announced $135,000 in grants to assist 14 Michigan nonprofit organizations, helping them meet critical needs as they serve residents the COVID-19 pandemic has affected. "We want to do our part to help people, businesses and communities that will continue to feel the pandemic's effects for months," said Brandon Hofmeister, president of the Consumers Energy Foundation. "T more PR

JACKSON, Michigan, July 16 -- Consumers Energy issued the following news release: CMS Energy, and its principle subsidiary Consumers Energy, announced Angela Thompkins, currently executive director of Inclusion and Strategic Talent Sourcing, will be named vice president & Chief Diversity Officer, effective August 1, 2020. Thompkins will be responsible for setting and monitoring the company's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy, as well as partnering with leaders across the organizat more PR

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following news release: In the midst of a pandemic, when over 5.4 million Americans have already lost their health care, including 220,000 in Michigan alone, Peter Meijer and Lynn Afendoulis' party is still pursuing a lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. If successful, they would gut protections for over 310,000 people in MI-03 with pre-existing conditions and 46,000 in the district would lose coverage.  more PR

YPSILANTI, Michigan, July 16 -- Eastern Michigan University issued the following news: The Office of Engage@EMU is responding to a critical need for child development employees in eastern Washtenaw County by providing an entryway into employment as an assistant or lead teacher at a child development center site. This Child Development Certificate (CDC) Pipeline Program enables community members to take their CDC courses at Washtenaw Community College (WCC) while completing their practicum sem more PR

YPSILANTI, Michigan, July 16 -- Eastern Michigan University issued the following news: A group of Eastern Michigan University students have teamed up with faculty members from the Department of Chemistry this past year in an interdisciplinary research effort that focuses on exploring the interactions of several chemical players, mainly proteins and carbohydrates, attempting to further unravel their role in various diseases such as depression, Alzheimer's and cancer. The collaboration has resul more PR

ALLENDALE, Michigan, July 14 -- Grand Valley State University issued the following news: Grand Valley researchers are seeking to learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on student wellness, in hopes of offering enhanced resources throughout the university. GVSU's Department of Public Health, in collaboration with Recreation and Wellness, is conducting a research study of more than 17,000 students. Ranelle Brew, chair and associate professor of public health, said on July 1 the surveys were em more PR

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, July 16 -- HarperCollins Christian Publishing, a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers, issued the following company news: Zondervan announced Megan Dobson as the vice president, publisher for Zonderkidz, the children's imprint for Zondervan. She will begin on July 27 and report to Laura Minchew, senior vice president, Children's and Gift Group publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP). Dobson joins Zonderkidz after serving as publisher for ChristianAudio more PR

HOLLAND, Michigan, July 14 -- Hope College issued the following news release: Dr. Angela Carpenter of the Hope College religion faculty has received the 2020 Dallas Willard Book Award from the Martin Institute and the Dallas Willard Research Center (MIDWC) at Westmont College for her book "Responsive Becoming: Moral Formation in Theological, Evolutionary, and Developmental Perspective." Dallas Willard (1935-2013) was a thinker, pastor and author of such books as "The Spirit of the Disciplines" more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 15 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following statement after the Trump administration rescinded its rule that would have barred hundreds of thousands of international students from studying in the U.S.: "International students not only benefit our educational institutions here in Michigan, but our state economy as a whole is in a much better position from their contributions. "This policy would have left thousands of international students no choice  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Michigan is set to receive a share of $117 million after an agreement was reached between numerous other states, territories and the federal government to settle allegations of fraud against Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS) and its subsidiary, which own and manage psychiatric and behavioral health care facilities. UHS is a for-profit holding com more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release on July 13: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop a new federal rule that threatens to bar hundreds of thousands of international students from studying in the United States. The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Cust more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 17 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: The Michigan Department of Attorney General recently signed an agreement with an online business that allegedly violated the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCPA) by engaging in practices like price-gouging, misleading consumers about its goods and services, and failing to address legitimate requests for replacements or refunds. The settlement is with a drop-shipping operation called Direc more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) announced that small businesses across Michigan are entitled to a refund under a recent settlement reached with the Florida-based CA Certificate Service LLC, doing business as MI Certificate Service. A lawsuit filed last year alleged the company sent a form intentionally designed to resemble an more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 17 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: After every region in Michigan saw an uptick in new COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks, Governor Gretchen Whitmer took swift action by signing a new executive order to save lives. Executive Order 2020-151 extends the governor's emergency and disaster declaration until August 11, 2020 at 11:59pm. "COVID-19 has now killed more than 6,000 people in Michigan. That's more than 6,000 of our pare more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 17 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-152 extending a provision of her earlier COVID-19 emergency order on pharmacies that allows student pharmacists to continue training under remote supervision. The order also scales back other provisions of that order that waived aspects of the Public Health Code in order to give pharmacies more flexibility and operational capacity to cope with more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Whitmer signed Executive Orders 2020-148 and 2020-149, extending COVID-19 adaptation in long-term care facilities to protect residents and staff, and extending existing safety measures, including 2 hours a week of reserved shopping time for vulnerable populations, to protect consumers and employees at grocery stores and pharmacies. "The frontline workers across the state have been the  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-150 which scales back the suspension of scope of practice laws for frontline health care workers while continuing suspension of certain licensing and certification requirements for health care professionals, life support and first aid workers, and 911 operators. The order replaces Executive Order 2020-61, which is rescinded. "As Michigan continues to more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 17 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following statement: The Michigan Democratic Party released the following statement on behalf of spokesman Christian Slater on Attorney General Barr's desperate attempt to distract from Trump's embarrassing weakness on China: * * * "Donald Trump has broken his promise to get tough on China, showing nothing but weakness on the international stage and doing nothing but concede. "He struck disastrous deals with the Chinese g more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release: One year ago, Donald Trump told farmers they were "over the hump" and a few days later said they would be doing "be doing fantastically well" in a year. In the year since, Trump has abandoned them as they suffer from his failed response to COVID-19 and his disastrous trade deal with China. Since Trump's remarks, Michigan farmers have been decimated with farm bankruptcies spikingby 50% as exports plum more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following statement: On Tax Day, the Michigan Democratic Party released the following statement on behalf of spokesman Christian Slater: "This delayed tax day is yet another bleak reminder that Trump's economic agenda never had working people at heart. "Not only was the tax scam ineffective at helping families in our state get ahead, it rewarded big corporations for laying off workers and closing factories in Michigan. Whi more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 17 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news on July 16: Last night, FEC reports were filed with the second quarter of fundraising hauls now in the books. Combat veteran and Detroit businessman John James reported $6.45 million raised in Q2, for a total of $19.5 million for the cycle - outraising Gary Peters by $1.3 million. James has now outraised Peters for four consecutive quarters. The campaign reported having $9.3 million cash on hand, making the d more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 15 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following statement: The following statement is from Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox regarding Governor Gretchen Whitmer's announcement that she will yet again extend her order for a State of Emergency. Such an order allows the governor to act unilaterally without input from the peoples' elected representatives in the state legislature. "While it is clear that Michigan is still under threat from COVID-19, it's  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: Profiteering Gary Peters spent $125,000 in taxpayer funds traveling in 40 different countries - some more than once - but never went to the country he said he was so dedicated to protecting Michigan jobs from: China. Peters has bragged repeatedly in television ads that he held China accountable. However, despite traveling the world on the taxpayer dime, Peters never went to China to hold them accountable. N more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: As Michigan residents reach the Tax Day deadline to file their tax returns, voters should remember that U.S. Senator Gary Peters voted to raise taxes and fees at least 103 times while "serving them" in Congress. This should not be surprising. Before getting to Washington, D.C., Peters refused to take a "No New Taxes" pledge while running for one of many, many offices in his 30-year career- on this occasion,  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 15 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: Thirty-year politician Gary Peters tries to have it both ways on health care, but was heard in a video saying America's next step beyond the ACA is Medicare for All, telling an MFA advocate that, "We have to go where you're going." Peters has claimed he does not support MFA. Instead, he claims he supports the ACA while adding more and more people to Medicaid. This includes his own legislation to lower the a more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: Half of Americans could not afford to travel last year, but profiteering Gary Peters again found a way to benefit from his office by taking at least $125,000 in taxpayer-funded trips around the globe since joining Congress. A 2019 survey by Bankrate.com found that only half of the respondents were planning to take a summer break on their own dime. Why didn't they plan to travel last year? Sixty-percent said  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 10 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: Michigan citizens face record levels of unemployment and income losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but profiteering U.S. Senator Gary Peters sees no reason to slash his multiple government checks. Peters double dips when it comes to taxpayer funding. He has collected about $250,000 from taxpayers in the form of a State of Michigan pension even though he is also vacuuming up $174,000 and other government pe more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 15 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: Profiteering Gary Peters has traveled to so many countries on the taxpayer dime that he may be recognized by more people outside of the United States than he is in Michigan, where he currently serves as a U.S. Senator. Recent polling showed that Peters was so unknown in his home state of Michigan that only 19% of voters said he deserved reelection. Part of that reason may be that Peters has traveled in a wh more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: Yesterday, MIRS reported that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said that it could take a year to respond to all of the Michigan Legislature's Joint Oversight Committee inquires. These inquiries include correspondence between MDHHS and Governor Whitmer's office on the handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, among other issues. Three weeks ago, leaders of the Michigan Legislature's J more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- The Michigan Republican Party issued the following news: While thousands across Michigan are still struggling to receive benefits from the state or to hold onto their businesses, Governor Whitmer is cashing in on the COVID crisis by releasing a new line of political gear. This morning in an email to supporters, Gretchen Whitmer shamelessly asked people to donate to her re-election campaign, which is more than two years away, even though Michiganders continue to st more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Research at Michigan State University is developing new styrene-free bio renewable resins with broad applicability in the construction of countertops, bathroom fixtures, windmill blades and boats. The research is from the team of John Dorgan, the Lamp Endowed Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Dorgan's third-year graduate student Harshal Bambhania took the team's researc more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Michigan State University will provide opportunities for a diverse group of talented undergraduate students from across the United States to engage in a wide range of research studies related to "sociomobility" as part of a recently funded grant. Sociomobility, which is the area of research that lies at the intersection of engineering and the social sciences, involves the investigation of the societ more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 15 -- Michigan State University's College of Social Science issued the following news release: Is middle age really the "golden age" when people are the most optimistic in life? Researchers from Michigan State University led the largest study of its kind to determine how optimistic people are in life and when as well as how major life events affect how optimistic they are about the future. "We found that optimism continued to increase throughout young adulthood, se more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- Michigan State University's College of Natural Science issued the following news: Trained medical laboratory scientists are in high demand in health care, especially in medically underserved communities (MUCs). And this demand continues to accelerate. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, the demand for baccalaureate-level medical laboratory science professionals is projected to increase 19 percent by 2030. In 2018, the American Soci more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Trained medical laboratory scientists are in high demand in health care, especially in medically underserved communities. And this demand continues to accelerate. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, the demand for baccalaureate-level medical laboratory science professionals is projected to increase 19 percent by 2030. In 2018, the American Society for Clinical Laboratory more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Michigan State University Sunday joined 58 other institutions of higher education from 24 states and the District of Columbia in filing an amicus brief in support of Harvard and MIT's motion for a preliminary injunction on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) July 6 directive. The directive places entirely new restrictions on institutions of higher education and hundreds of thousands  more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Is middle age really the "golden age" when people are the most optimistic in life? Researchers from Michigan State University led the largest study of its kind to determine how optimistic people are in life and when as well as how major life events affect how optimistic they are about the future. "We found that optimism continued to increase throughout young adulthood, seemed to steadily plateau and more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: International trade wins and losses don't just show up in the stock market, but also on a nation's environmental sustainability scores, a new study in "Nature Sustainability" shows. In a first analysis of its kind, scientists at Michigan State University's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, or CSIS, and in China examine how international trade affected seven of the 17 United Nations  more PR

HOUGHTON, Michigan, July 14 -- Michigan Technological University issued the following news: Turbulent air in the atmosphere affects how cloud droplets form. New research from Michigan Technological University's cloud chamber changes the way clouds, and therefore climate, are modeled. Chat with an atmospheric scientist for more than a few minutes, and it's likely they'll start advocating for a planetary name change. Planet Ocean-Cloud is much more fitting than Earth, they'll say, when so much o more PR

LANSING, Michigan, July 17 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: University of Michigan and Michigan State University men's and women's basketball coaches joined Governor Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist to call on Michiganders to wear a mask while they're out in public. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also released a new television ad featuring MSU football coach Mel Tucker, MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, MSU women's basket more PR

MONROE, Michigan, July 17 -- Monroe County Community College issued the following news release: The Foundation at Monroe County Community College (MCCC) announced it received a $1,500 grant from the DTE Foundation to bolster MCC's Emergency Relief Fund, which helps students - including those financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic - continue to work toward achieving their educational and career aspirations. "When the stay-home, stay-safe procedures were implemented, we responded quickly  more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, July 16 -- Michigan State University's College of Natural Science issued the following news: Fungi appeared on earth around 1.5 billion years ago. There may be as many as 5 million fungal species, and they are found everywhere, from the mushroom that pops up in your lawn to the food in the mold on the food in the back of your refrigerator. A collaboration of international scientists and funding agencies, led in part by MSU's College of Natural Science plant biologist F more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 17 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release on July 16: Susan M. Collins, a public policy and economics professor and former dean of the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, was appointed provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan. Collins had been serving as interim provost since March and, before that, in an acting capacity since early this year. The Board of Regents appr more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 14 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Researchers with the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services are reaching out to adults with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 to collect information they hope will inform future response efforts to the coronavirus pandemic in the state. Those participating in the Michigan COVID-19 Recovery Surveillance Study will choose between filling o more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 14 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Black woman wearing mask. Image credit: APAAntiracist and feminist movements often fail to advocate for the rights of Black women, who are less likely than white women to be regarded as a "typical woman" and viewed much the same as Black men, according to new University of Michigan study. "Black women are often overlooked in people's conversations about racism and sexism even though they face a unique more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 14 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Critically ill COVID-19 patients who received a single dose of a drug that calms an overreacting immune system were 45% less likely to die overall, compared with those who didn't receive the drug, according to a new University of Michigan study. And they were more likely to be out of the hospital or off a ventilator one month after treatment, the research shows. The lower risk of death in patients wh more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 16 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Feeling confident in social situations isn't just something that some people are born with. Rather, it's something that people can learn, researchers say. Many people who lack a natural ability or the relevant successes to feel confident in various social contexts often turn to self-help books, videos and seminars. While most studies have focused on how individuals identify their own confidence, litt more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 14 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Image courtesy: U-M IHPIMiddle-aged Americans have worse health than their English counterparts--and the difference in health between rich and poor is much larger on the American side of the Atlantic, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Michigan and University College London found that even top income earners in their late 50s and early 60s in the United States have higher rates more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 16 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Michigan local government officials' attitudes about the direction of the state and the performances of the governor and the legislature have improved from last year, but remain more negative than positive. The 2020 Michigan Public Policy Survey (http://closup.umich.edu/michigan-public-policy-survey/81/local-leaders-evaluations-of-michigans-direction-and-governors-performance-during-the-covid-19-pande more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 14 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: An offhand remark by an acquaintance about using a smartphone. A joke about someone losing their memory or hearing. An ad in a magazine focused on erasing wrinkles or gray hair. An inner worry that getting older means growing lonely. All of these kinds of everyday ageism, and many more, are common in the lives of Americans over 50, a new poll finds. In fact, more than 80% of those polled say they comm more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 14 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Concurrent failures of federal drinking water standards and Michigan's emergency manager law reinforced and magnified each other, leading to the Flint water crisis, according to a University of Michigan environmental policy expert. Flint's experience offers lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated local financial challenges while highlighting the importance of access to clean, safe  more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 15 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: A new robotic prosthetic leg prototype offers a more natural gait while also being quieter and more energy efficient than other designs. The key is the use of new small and powerful motors, originally designed for a robotic arm on the International Space Station. The streamlined design offers a free-swinging knee and regenerative braking, which charges the battery with energy captured when the foot hi more PR

MADISON, Wisconsin, July 16 -- The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute issued the following news release: Milwaukee is known for its busy urban beaches along Lake Michigan. As in communities elsewhere, beach managers use E. coli as an indicator of the presence of pathogens, and elevated E. coli levels can result in beach closures during prime swimming season. E. coli, which can come from either human or animal fecal matter, can, at certain levels, cause human health problems. As the Mi more PR