PFAS turn up in wells near the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base. Kalamazoo County Commissioners say many of their constituents are skeptical about a taxpayer-funded event center. Battle Creek City Commissioners will interview applicants for a vacancy on the commission at the end of the month. The U.S. Education Department says Michigan's special educaiton programs need intervention. Michigan State University says it should not be the subject of a lawsuit claiming that a woman was discouraged from reporting a rape by three basketball players.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) Another community in Southwest Michigan has wells contaminated with toxic chemicals known as PFAS. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that wells at two homes near the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base have tested above the recommended EPA limit for PFAS of 70 parts per trillion. Another 11 wells tested by the Department of Environmental Quality were below the limit but still had some contamination. Some states set acceptable levels for PFAS well below the EPA standard. It’s possible the chemicals washed off the base, where firefighting exercises used to involve PFAS-containing foam. An informational meeting is set for July 30 at the Burma Center. An open house starts at 5:30 with a program at 6:30.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) Several members of the Kalamazoo County Commission say they’ve heard mostly negative comments from constituents about a proposal to build an event center in downtown Kalamazoo. It’s up to the Board to decide whether to send the question to voters, since tax dollars would pay for the project. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that a number of residents in rural areas have told their commissioners they oppose the idea. Some of those commissioners say they’re against the event center proposal as well, but others say they’re still making up their minds.
(Battle Creek Enquirer) Battle Creek City Commissioners have set a deadline of July 27th to apply to fill a vacancy on the city commission. Vice Mayor Dave Walters resigned from his Ward 5 seat on the commission last week. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that the commission plans to interview applicants during a special meeting on July 31st. Applicants have to be Ward 5 residents. The commission has 30 days to fill the vacancy. Walters’ resignation was effective on Sunday.
(WCMU) The U.S. department of education says Michigan schools need intervention for their special education programs. Michigan was the only state in the country identified as needing intervention. That was based on it’s high drop out and low graduation rates, among other things. The federal report showed Michigan had a drop out rate of 29% and a graduation rate of 63%. The federal targets for Michigan were 8% and 80% respectively.
(Detroit Free Press) Michigan State University says it should not be the subject of a lawsuit by a woman who says she was discouraged from reporting that she was raped by three members of the basketball team. The Detroit Free Press reports that MSU argues in a court filing that the lawsuit by the unnamed student should be dismissed because the alleged rape happened off campus and was only reported to university counseling staff, who are not mandatory reporters. Attorneys for MSU say the plaintiff should file her lawsuit against the players. The lawsuit says after the rape in 2015, the woman was told by a university counselor that it would not be in her best interest to report the assault to law enforcement.
In baseball, Battle Creek lost at Wisconsin Wednesday night 2-1. The Bombers held a 1-0 lead until the Woodchucks scored two runs in the eighth inning. Battle Creek plays at Green Bay Thursday night.
Kalamazoo suffered its second straight blowout loss to Wisconsin Rapids Wednesday night 12-1. The Growlers begin a two game series at Wisconsin Thursday night in Wausau.