(Detroit News) A lawsuit that alleges that former governor Rick Snyder knew about and ignored the Flint water crisis for months is going forward. The Detroit News reports that a U.S. District court judge ruled on Monday that the class-action suit brought by Flint residents can continue. The plaintiffs claim that they suffered personal injury and property damage while Flint’s water was tainted with lead and other contaminants. They say Snyder knew about the dangers of drinking water from the Flint River months before the state warned Flint residents. The court threw out the lawsuit’s claims against some other state officials. But it allowed claims against a former state treasurer and two former Flint emergency managers.
(CBS News) The Kellogg Company is selling a handful of its snack food brands. CBS News reports that Italy-based Ferrero, which Americans know best as the maker of chocolate spread Nutella, is buying Keebler and Famous Amos and other product lines for $1.3 billion. The sale will increase Ferrero’s presence in the U.S. as the company takes over manufacturing plants in four states.
(Detroit Free Press) - Dogs involved in a controversial animal testing program in Mattawan will go to adoptive homes. The Michigan Humane Society made the announcement Friday, March 29. The Society says Corteva Agriscience has agreed to release 32 beagles. They had been force-fed fungicides as part of a testing program at Charles River Laboratories. Animal welfare and rights groups around the country had protested against the tests. Corteva, a division of Dow-DuPont, said the tests were needed in order to sell the products in Brazil. But officials there agreed to drop the testing requirement after an undercover investigation at the Mattawan lab by the Humane Society of the United States.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) - One of Kalamazoo's most popular brewpubs has paid some of its back taxes. But Arcadia Brewing could still face a mortgage foreclosure. Arcadia owner Tim Suprise has said he's working on lining up "strategic partners" for the business but hasn't announced any details. The Kalamazoo County Treasurer's Office says Arcadia paid some of its outstanding property taxes last month. It has until March 2020 to pay the remaining $99,000. A possible mortgage foreclosure auction could be held later this week. But that has been scheduled and then delayed several times since last December.
(Battle Creek Enquirer) - TreeHouse Foods says it will close its plant in Battle Creek by the end of June. The announcement came in documents the company must file under federal law. The move will cost the city 75 jobs. The company had announced plans to close the plant in January but didn't set a date. TreeHouse Foods says it's transferring production to its plant in Lancaster, Ohio. TreeHouse bought the former ConAgra plant in in downtown Battle Creek three years ago. But it now says the facility isn't "economically viable."
State health officials say it's a bad idea to eat fish caught in two waterways in Calhoun County. The State Department of Health and Human Services says the warning is in effect for Helmer Creek and the Beaver Dam Pond. It says tests have found high levels of a PFAS chemical in fish there. That's the group of chemicals linked to a number of health problems like kidney cancer. State officials say the advisory does not apply to fish caught in the Kalamazoo River. The department says touching affected fish isn't a health concern. But it says it's a good idea to avoid foam on the water in the creek and pond because it can have higher PFAS levels.
Battle Creek residents have a chance to win prizes for conserving water. The City says it's entering the national Wyland Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation. People who participate can win three thousand dollars to pay utility bills as well as water-saving fixtures and other prizes. And a non-profit in the city could get a free vehicle. The challenge runs through the end of April. Last year, Battle Creek officials say people in 3,800 communities around the country promised to reduce water use by three billion gallons. They also encourage Battle Creek residents to think about buying a rain barrel to reduce run-off.
Western Michigan University is looking for input on possible changes in transportation on campus. It will hold a public forum from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3. A second forum the next day will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both events will be in the Bernhard Center. University officials say they need to prepare for what they call "dramatic changes" in transportation in coming years. They include ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft as well as driverless vehicles. The university also wants to hear comments on the transportation effects of its South Campus redevelopment plan, among other issues.
(MPRN) - The state has issued its first advice for people who want to get into the marijuana business. That’s after voters legalized recreational marijuana in Michigan last November. The first bulletin from the Michigan Bureau of Marijuana Regulation deals largely with cannabis oils and lotions. The bureau says it’s won't adopt rules on marijuana products that have little or no THC. Josh Hovey at the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association says the announcement is a good start. The state says the rules will focus on marijuana products that have enough THC to get people high. Although Michigan voters changed state law to allow marijuana use, that's still illegal under federal law.
(MPRN) - The state's new minimum wage and earned sick time laws took effect on Friday, March 29. But there’s lingering controversy about how they became law. State lawmakers adopted the ballot questions before they could go to voters – then made significant changes before sending them to former governor Rick Snyder. Danielle Atkinson is a leader of the campaign to change the state’s sick time laws. She says that’s not how the process is supposed to work. The Michigan Supreme Court is considering whether to weigh in on the legality of the process. The Attorney General’s Office is also considering a request to look at the issue. Atkinson says her group hopes the court or the attorney general may say its original proposal must become law.
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