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MDHHS announces updates to COVID-19 vaccines

By Journal Staff LANSING — The Food and Drug Administration has amended emergency use authorizations to recommend bivalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines be used for all doses administered to those 6 months of age and older, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced. Monovalent COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for use in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices supports these recommendations. “Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines offer critical protection from severe ...

Grants aim to help Michigan businesses nurture talent

By Journal Staff LANSING — Michigan employers looking to take advantage of the Going PRO Talent Fund program will be able to apply for a share of approximately $12.4 million in competitive training awards in the second Going PRO Talent Fund cycle, which started on Monday. Going PRO Talent Fund helps ensure employers have the talent they need to grow and stay competitive by providing awards to assist in training, developing and retaining current and newly hired employees, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity announced. Training must fill a demonstrated talent ...

Birding webinar for Michigan’s ‘Wetland Wonders’ scheduled for Tuesday night

MARQUETTE — A webinar titled “Off the Beaten Path: Birding at Michigan’s Wetland Wonders” is scheduled for 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. MI Birds, a program of Audubon Great Lakes and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, will provide the free event to educate people about Michigan’s Wetland Wonders. The webinar will focus on special, off-the-beaten path places that aren’t frequently visited by bird watchers, despite being open to the public and offering a wide range of recreational opportunities. Participants can learn what makes these areas important for birds ...

Following mild winter

PORTLAND, Maine — After a mild winter in the U.S., will there be an uptick in ticks this year? Researchers say it is hard to predict how the tick season will play out. This year’s mild winter and early snow melt, though, could mean more ticks earlier than usual and a wider spread of Lyme ...

Company seeks first-time restart of shuttered nuke plant

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A company that tears down closed nuclear power plants wants to do in Michigan what has never been done in the U.S.: restore a dead one to life. Holtec Decommissioning International bought the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station last June for the stated purpose of dismantling it, weeks after previous owner Entergy shut it down. Fuel was removed from the reactor core. Federal regulators were notified of “permanent cessation of power operations.” But with support from Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and leaders in the Lake Michigan community where ...

Stellantis to offer buyouts amid electric vehicle transition

DETROIT — Another automaker is trying to cut its workforce to trim expenses and stay competitive as the industry makes the long and costly transition to electric vehicles. Stellantis on Wednesday said it’s offering buyouts to groups of white-collar and unionized employees in the U.S., as well as hourly workers in Canada. The cuts are “in response to today’s increasingly competitive global market conditions and the necessary shift to electrification,” the company said in a prepared statement. Stellantis said it’s looking to reduce its hourly workforce by about 3,500, but ...