JACKSON, Michigan, May 20 -- Consumers Energy issued the following news release: Consumers Energy announced a partnership with Google and Uplight to provide Google Nest thermostats to up to 100,000 households, helping Michigan residents power through the COVID-19 pandemic by saving energy and money. "Consumers Energy is committed to Michigan's success, and we're excited to help so many of our friends and neighbors during these challenging times by putting this powerful technology into their ha more PR

KALAMAZOO, Michigan, May 19 -- Western Michigan University issued the following news: The University's Office of Research and Innovation has awarded five grants for research related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The projects cover a diverse field of study, from religion to education and language support. "Our guiding principle was to advance excellence in the pursuit of knowledge and ideas to help tackle COVID-19-related issues," says Dr. Terri Goss Kinzy, vice president for research and innovatio more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 20 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Divorce--not buying granite countertops for a remodel--is what drives people to withdraw from their retirement funds well before they actually retire, according to a University of Michigan researcher. And mortgage payment distress is also a major factor--leading families to withdraw funds. Americans were most likely to access cash from their retirement accounts before they were retired during a divorc more PR

DETROIT, Michigan, May 22 -- DTE Energy issued the following news release: DTE Energy has launched "Caring in the Crisis," an awareness effort aiming to make sure Detroit-area residents who need help know how to get it during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort includes a series of public service announcements and digital messages encouraging DTE customers to contact the company to explore payment assistance and financial help options if they are experiencing a hardship due to COVID-19. It will  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 23 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a temporary, $2-per-hour pay raise for direct care workers providing Medicaid-funded in-home behavioral health and long-term care services to Michigan's most vulnerable residents during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative is part of Governor Whitmer's ongoing efforts to support front-line health care workers risking their lives every day to protect more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland County after the Edenville and Sanford Dams breached. "If you have not evacuated the area, do so now and get somewhere safe," said Governor Whitmer. "This is unlike anything we've seen in Midland County. If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now. If you don't, go to one of the s more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 23 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release on May 22: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-98 adding Arenac, Gladwin, and Saginaw Counties to the state of emergency declaration issued earlier this week for Midland County after heavy rains caused widespread flooding and resulted in the breach of Edenville and Sanford dams. "Thousands of residents in these communities have been impacted by the widespread damage this flooding has more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 20 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-93 extending her previous order which gives pharmacists increased operational capacity and expands access to prescriptions for Michiganders who need them. "As we continue to suppress the spread of COVID-19, Michiganders need to continue to stay safer at home," said Governor Whitmer. "By allowing patients to get a refill of their prescriptions  more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 23 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the following appointments to the Michigan Dairy Market Program Committee, Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Commission, Michigan Education Trust Board of Directors, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, and the Committee on the Purchase of Goods and Services from Community Rehabilitation Organizations. Michigan Dairy Market Program Committee Jeremy Beebe, of more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release on May 21: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed executive order 2020-96 to reopen retail businesses and auto dealerships by appointment statewide on Tuesday, May 26, as part of her MI Safe Start plan. The governor's executive order also lifts the requirement that health care providers delay some nonessential medical, dental, and veterinary procedures statewide beginning on Friday, May 29. And the order more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 19 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release on May 18: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-92, allowing for the reopening, in two regions, of retail businesses, office work that cannot be done remotely, and restaurants and bars with limited seating. The two regions are both in the northern part of the state--specifically, MERC regions 6 and 8, as detailed in the governor's MI Safe Start Plan to re-engage Michigan's economy. more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to President Trump requesting federal aid in responding to the catastrophic flooding in Midland County. "Over the past two days, a major rainfall event in mid-Michigan led to the failure of two dams and severe flooding in affected areas. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate as water surged into their streets, homes, and businesses in the county of Mi more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-95, which extends and further enhances protections for the health and safety of residents and employees of long-term care facilities. The order expands on protections provided in Executive Order 2020-50 and provides clear procedures for facilities and hospitals to follow when residents test positive for or experience symptoms of COVID-19. The o more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 19 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release on May 18: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed executive order 2020-91 to ensure robust protections for Michigan workers as she continues to re-engage parts of the economy. This executive order requires all businesses to adhere to strict safety guidelines to protect their workers, their patrons, and their communities from infection. To foster compliance, the governor also signed Executive Directive 20 more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following statement after the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget released Michigan's April unemployment numbers, when the state had reached a peak number of positive cases of COVID-19: "We are going through an unprecedented crisis, unlike anything we've seen in our lifetime," said Governor Whitmer. "This virus has devastated families across the state and put hardworking Michiganders out of a job for month more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 20 -- The Michigan Public Service Commission issued the following news release on May 19: The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) moved forward on its annual approval of the funding factor for the state's Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund (LIEAF) (Case No. U-17377). Each year the MPSC sets the funding factor for LIEAF, a monthly per-meter fee assessed on retail electric billing meters in all rate classes that cannot exceed $1. The total amount collected is capped a more PR

LANSING, Michigan, May 20 -- The Michigan Public Service Commission issued the following news release: The State of Michigan has been awarded more than $35 million in additional federal funding to help vulnerable households struggling to afford utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic, as radio broadcasters across the state air public service announcements alerting Michiganders to the assistance available to those in need. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced  more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, May 19 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Step outside and spring is in full bloom, from red tulips, to pink magnolias to purple lilacs, but how do plants create all that color? The alluring hues that attract pollinators and provide beautiful bouquets begin with the formation of pigments known as anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are part of a plant's communication and protection plan. Synthesized by specialized metabolic pathways, they filter harm more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, May 22 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: When an employee spends hours on a video call, isn't physically comfortable and doesn't leave the "office" at the end of the day, it can take a toll on mental health. Angela Hall, a professor in Michigan State University's School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, has been tracking workplace dynamics and changes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has said that employment will forev more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, May 21 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Brian Kalt, professor of law and an expert in constitutional law of the presidency, answers questions about what would happen if the president and vice president of the United States become incapacitated simultaneously. What is the transition of power if both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence become incapacitated by COVID-19 simultaneously? The normal transition is for the vice pr more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, May 21 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: Due to COVID-19, "contact tracing" has been added to our vocabulary. Not everyone understands it is essential to stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus. Meika Smart, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Division of Public Health in the College of Human Medicine, answers questions about contact tracing. She received her public health training at Johns Ho more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, May 19 -- Michigan State University issued the following news release: What if doctors could not only diagnose a COVID-19 infection but identify which patients are at the greatest risk of death before any major complications arise? One Michigan State University scientist believes nanotechnology may be the answer. In a new paper, Morteza Mahmoudi, assistant professor in the Department of Radiology, Precision Health Program at the MSU's College of Human Medicine, proposed more PR

HOUGHTON, Michigan, May 20 -- Michigan Technological University issued the following news: Adrienne Minerick, dean of the College of Computing at Michigan Technological University, is president-elect of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Engineering education was already changing -- and now it has to. As the ASEE announcement for their now-virtual conference in June says, "Can we follow the stay-home orders and have a conference? Of course. We're engineers. We can solve any more PR

MONROE, Michigan, May 21 -- Monroe County Community College issued the following news release on May 20: Monroe County Community College leaders have a reassuring message for prospective and current MCCC students: Despite all the uncertainty created by COVID-19, they can still work toward meeting their higher educational and career goals this fall. "Even though life has changed, your plans don't have to," Valerie Culler, interim vice president of enrollment management and student success, told more PR

MARQUETTE, Michigan, May 20 -- Northern Michigan University issued the following news release: Northern Michigan University, Peter White Public Library and the Marquette Regional History Center are collaborating on a project to document Marquette County's response to the COVID-19 pandemic for future generations. They encourage area residents to submit stories, images and artifacts that represent how the crisis has impacted daily life. "This is an extremely momentous and pivotal point in histor more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 22 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: What if a helmet could be programmed to direct collision impact to regions far from the skull while being a lighter-weight material? What if body armor could suddenly transform into a state that can disperse greater impact when hit by a bullet, while being flexible in regular conditions? A team of researchers led by the University of Michigan is looking to develop just that type of material using a fiv more PR

DEARBORN, Michigan, May 20 -- The University of Michigan's Dearborn Campus issued the following news: Contractors have slowly returnied to the Engineering Lab Building job site. In line with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Executive Order, many new protocols have been put in place to keep workers safe. These include adding hand sanitizer stations and establishing a single point of entry to the jobsite, where a daily questionnaire and temperature screening is completed for each worker and visitor. Man more PR

DEARBORN, Michigan, May 19 -- The University of Michigan's Dearborn Campus issued the following news: When beginning something new -- job, family, education -- there's always a learning curve. But it doesn't have to be difficult. A new campus program for incoming students wants to make sure the transition to higher education and the Dearborn campus is welcoming, interesting and informative. The CASL Foundations Program, which begins this fall, takes general education requirements -- called th more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 20 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release on May 19: Safe and more affordable nuclear energy is the goal of a new project led by the University of Michigan, bringing together researchers who specialize in nuclear energy technology and computer science. The study, which will develop AI-enhanced "digital twins" of nuclear reactors, is funded with a three-year, $5.2 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The project incl more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 20 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Discussions of drought often center on the lack of precipitation. But among climate scientists, the focus is shifting to include the growing role that warming temperatures are playing as potent drivers of greater aridity and drought intensification. Increasing aridity is already a clear trend across the western United States, where anthropogenic climate warming is contributing to declining river flows, more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 22 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release on May 21: Organisms carry long-term "memories" of their ancestral homelands that help them adapt to environmental change, according to a new study that involved raising chickens on the Tibetan Plateau and an adjacent lowland site. The study provides new insights into how creatures adapt to changing environments, a topic that's especially relevant in the context of rapid climate change, which is creatin more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 23 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Organisms carry long-term "memories" of their ancestral homelands that help them adapt to environmental change, according to a new study that involved raising chickens on the Tibetan Plateau and an adjacent lowland site. The study provides new insights into how creatures adapt to changing environments, a topic that's especially relevant in the context of rapid climate change, which is creating challeng more PR

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 21 -- The University of Michigan issued the following news release: Black communities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the number of coronavirus cases and deaths. At the same time, white nationalist activities have increased in the last months. Riana Anderson, assistant professor at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, discusses how these trends are affecting the mental health of African Americans. She studies racial discri more PR

KALAMAZOO, Michigan, May 19 -- Western Michigan University issued the following news: Across the nation, COVID-19 is infecting tens of thousands of people daily, but it's impacting communities of color particularly hard. A new study conducted by a team of epidemiologists and clinicians found while Black Americans represent just 13.4% of the U.S. population, they make up more than half of all novel coronavirus cases, and nearly 60% of deaths nationwide and 40% in Michigan. Two WMU alumni are hel more PR