Biden administration announces $30 million to improve Michigan railways
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced $30 million in rail infrastructure funding for Michigan. The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program awarded $368 million to 46 projects across 32 states and Michiganโs projects were selected.
Woman slips handcuffs, drives off and wrecks Michigan police cruiser
LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP, Mich. โ A police cruiser has been stolen and wrecked in southwestern Michigan by a 25-year-old woman who slipped from handcuffs after being arrested earlier for drunken driving. The woman had been taken into custody about 3 a.m. Monday after a crash in Lockport Township, authorities said. She was placed in the rear seat of a St. Joseph sheriffโs office vehicle. The sheriffโs office said she drove off in the cruiser but struck a utility pole and several trees. Lockport Township is north of Michiganโs state line with Indiana.
Michigan school district might drop Redskins nickname next week
PAW PAW, Mich. โ The leader of a school district in southwestern Michigan said he will recommend that the Redskins nickname be dropped. Paw Paw Superintendent Rick Reo said he will take his message to the school board on March 9. โOur nickname is preventing us from realizing our true potential as a school that welcomes, celebrates, supports and challenges all students,โ Reo said in a district newsletter. The Paw Paw board voted in 2017 to keep the nickname and mascot. Reo said he believes the district originally chose Redskins to "celebrate the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans."
Michigan State Police: 3 million doses of fentanyl seized in I-94 traffic stop
PAW PAW, Mich. โ Michigan State Police seized three kilograms of fentanyl during a traffic stop on I-94 in Southwest Michigan. Michigan State Police made the stop in Van Buren County after troopers spotted โseveral indicators of criminal activity,โ eventually searching the vehicle and finding the hidden drugs, WOOD TV reports. โThe amount of fentanyl involved in this case is alarming and not typical of what we see day to day,โ Capt. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Like morphine, it is a medicine that is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, especially after surgery.
Two more Eastern equine encephalitis deaths reported in Michigan
(CNN) - Four additional cases of Eastern equine encephalitis, including two deaths, have been confirmed in Southwest Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. Michigan has confirmed seven total EEE cases, including three deaths, officials said. Typically, only 5 to 10 human EEE cases are reported every year, but about 30% of all cases result in death, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to the Michigan cases, two more people in Rhode Island have been diagnosed with EEE, the Rhode Island Department of Health and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said Tuesday. In Massachusetts, there have been eight human EEE cases, the Massachusetts Department of Health said Friday.