Michigan’s ‘Path of Intolerance and Regression’; Florida Officials Seek to Ease ‘Flesh-Eating’ Infection Fears
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Al Goldis / AP Photo
Also: Bakken crude oil train safety questions in Minnesota and Las Vegas water ‘alarmism.’
A quick look at various state and local stories playing out across the nation ...
LANSING, Michigan: These are some harsh words for the state of Michigan from one of its largest media organizations: Last week “ was a banner week in the Legislature's apparent crusade to turn Michigan into a backwater, intolerant, anti-economic development state .” That’s according to the editorial board of the MLive Media Group, which publishes MLive.com and newspapers in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Flint, Kalamazoo, Saginaw and other cities, penned a harsh editorial saying that Gov. Rick Snyder, who has OK’d legislation that would allow adoption services to reject same-sex couples based on religious objections and eliminate a key tax credit for the state’s lowest-income earners. [MLive Media Group]
TALLAHASSEE, Florida: The Florida Department of Health would like to ease fears about cases of a “ flesh-eating bacteria ” in the state’s waters that’s led to eight reported cases of Vibrio vulnificus in 2015, two of which have been fatal. In a press release titled “ Families and Visitors Encouraged to Visit Florida’s Beautiful Beaches ,” the department said that “several media outlets published stories that contained inaccuracies about the safety of Florida's beach water related to cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections.”
According to the department:
The following are some important facts about Vibrio vulnificus:
- The bacterium does not pose a risk to a normally healthy person (who does not have open cuts or wounds) who swims in Florida's coastal waters.
- Vibrio vulnificus infections are rare.
Florida's beaches and water are safe to enjoy responsibly—risk of infection is minimal if you take proper precautions.
Happy swimming.
[WFLA-TV; Florida Department of Health]
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota: How safe are crude-oil trains traveling along rail corridors in Minnesota? Are state and local governments prepared to deal with a major disaster if a derailment or other accident were to occur? The Star Tribune examined some of the major concerns involving crude-oil trains and “found that an incident in rural Minnesota might result in fewer than 10 people being evacuated, while one in northeast Minneapolis might result in the evacuation of as many as 8,000.” [ Star Tribune ]
LAS VEGAS, Nevada: The Las Vegas Review-Journal would like to dispel some water-use alarmism :
Fact is, Nevada has enough water not only for today, but for tomorrow — even a tomorrow that includes hundreds of thousands of new Las Vegans and millions more tourists.
Additionally, the newspaper writes when it comes to Las Vegas’ water use: “Phoenix and most of metro Los Angeles have less right to exist.” [ Las Vegas Review-Journal ]
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