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Breastfeeding crucial to health of infants

Michigan is committed to encouraging a strong foundation for life by supporting breastfeeding as not only a lifestyle choice but an essential public health priority. As part of this effort, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared August as Breastfeeding Month. “Breastfeeding can be beneficial to both babies and parents and protect babies against allergies, sickness and many diseases,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s chief medical executive, said in a news release. “We recognize that not all parents are able to breastfeed, and in those cases we offer resources to ensure that ...

Keeping work zones safe for everyone involved

Most work zone crashes are caused by inattentive motorists. It only takes a split second of distraction to dramatically change lives forever. Michigan’s goal of Toward Zero Deaths on our roads includes our work zones. Sadly, the statistics tell us we are not at zero yet. In Michigan, the Office of Highway Safety Planning reports the number of fatal crashes and injuries that occur in construction, maintenance and utility work zones. In 2024, preliminary work zone crash statistics included: • 6,097 work zone crashes • 15 fatal work zone crashes • 16 work zone ...

Plan ahead of time to deal with extreme heat

The Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division is urging residents and visitors to stay protected during extreme heat even experienced here in the Upper Peninsula. Extreme heat has the ability to be life-threatening. By taking the proper precautions, you can minimize your risk of heat-related illness and stand ready to assist those who are most affected by severe heat. To prepare for extreme heat: • Cover windows that receive morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, blinds or awnings to reduce the amount of heat that enters your home. • ...

During National Wellness Month, consider giving blood

During National Wellness Month, the American Red Cross encourages people to prioritize their personal health and well-being while helping to save lives with a blood or platelet donation. Donors of all blood types — especially those with type O-positive or B-negative blood — are asked to make an appointment now to prevent a further drop in donor turnout, the Red Cross states in a news release. In August, the Red Cross will provide free A1C screening — a test commonly used to screen for prediabetes and diabetes — for all donors who make a successful blood, platelet or plasma ...

Stymieing wind, solar hurts U.S. needs

The U.S. economy desperately needs more electricity. Demand is projected to outstrip supply in the coming years, largely due to data centers powering artificial intelligence. That leaves the government no choice: To avoid an energy crisis, it needs to supersize the nation’s electrical grid. The Trump administration, apparently, hasn’t gotten the memo. Instead, it’s allowing its opposition to clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, to stymie growth. Case in point: The Energy Department’s cancellation last week of a $4.9 billion loan guarantee for a major transmission ...

Deportations contribute to higher costs

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.… They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists.” So declared presidential candidate Donald Trump after descending the golden escalator at Trump Tower in New York and kicking off his first successful presidential campaign 10 years ago last month. Through his ensuing first term as president, then four years as a civilian and now six months into his second term, Trump has consistently centered his political movement on what was always a toxic lie: That America is being overrun by violent migrant ...