Tagged: oil spill

Governor Snyder stands by pension tax

Governor Snyder is standing by a new state tax on retirees' pensions despite calls from both Republicans and Democrats to repeal the legislation.

"A group of five Republican state senators wants to repeal the pension tax, and reinstate some homestead property tax credits. Snyder says the tax on pensions is just a matter of fairness so the tax burden falls equally," Michigan Radio's Steve Carmody reports.  

E. Coli outbreak reaches Michigan

Two Michigan boys are among those sickened by a nationwide outbreak of E. coli.

"The contamination has been traced to Farm Rich frozen food products including mini pizza slices, mini quesadillas with cheese and chicken, philly cheese steaks with cheese, and mozzarella bites. The recalled products were sold at Kroger, Spartan Stores and other chain supermarkets," according to Steve Carmody.

Oil spill on Grand River linked to malfunctioning equipment

The Board of Water and Light is attributing an oil spill into the Grand River in Lansing this weekend to a malfunctioning piece of equipment at their Eckert Power Plant.

"A utility spokesperson says fewer than 300 gallons of oil seeped into the Grand River. Oil-collecting booms have been deployed to contain the spill," reports Steve Carmody.

There's good news and bad news for residents with drinking water wells near the Kalamazoo River. A massive oil spill contaminated the river in 2010.

State officials tested 150 of the residential water wells for contaminants.

“Now the oil related chemicals, those would have been iron and nickel, they were detected in a few wells but nothing but was levels of concern,” says Angela Minicuci, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Community Health.