Latest news with #MichiganDepartment
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Smoke from Canadian wildfires expected to move through Michigan Friday
Smoke from Canadian wildfires will continue to spread across the skies over much of the Great Lakes and may linger through the weekend. Officials declared a state of emergency for the entire province of Manitoba on Wednesday as out-of-control fires raged over 150,000 acres. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit The smoke may create air quality issues at times, mainly for sensitive groups. Individuals who are more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution include children, older adults, and individuals with pre-existing conditions like asthma, heart disease, or other respiratory or cardiovascular problems. Pregnant women and those who work outdoors for extended periods of time may also be more at risk. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit The CBS News Detroit NEXT Weather team is tracking the chance that the smoke could lower in the atmosphere, resulting in a stronger chance for reduced air quality, following guidance from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, and will keep you up to date on any changes in the forecast. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit EGLE is currently talking with counterparts in Minnesota and Wisconsin to coordinate any advisories and alerts. The plume is expected to hit the western Upper Peninsula first, then make its way towards the central Upper Peninsula, then southward into the Lower Peninsula, with a second plume possible on Saturday. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit At the least, expect to see the smoke dim the sun, resulting in hazy sunshine, and create colorful sunrises and sunsets. Where smoke is the thickest and reaches the surface, reduced visibilities and a campfire smell may be evident at times.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan's unemployment rate continues to increase, exceeding national average
Michigan's unemployment rate rose for the third consecutive month, increasing to 5.5% in March, according to data released April 17 by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, up from 5.4% in February. The state's unemployment rate has increased by 1.3 percentage points since March 2024 when the jobless rate was 4.2%, the department said. Michigan's jobless rate in March was also 1.3 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2% last month. Payroll jobs declined in March, led by losses in the manufacturing and professional and business services sectors, the department said. Manufacturing declined by 5,000 jobs in March compared with the month prior, while the professional and business services sector lost 4,000 jobs in that time. While March's data reflects job cuts made by President Donald Trump ally Elon Musk through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to federal workers around the country, Michigan's government sector actually demonstrated the largest over-the-month employment increase, with jobs increasing by 2,000 in March. This sector includes local, state and federal government jobs. The gains in the government sector in March were shared between the state and local government subsectors, Wayne Rourke, labor market information director for Michigan's Center for Data and Analytics, said in an email. In March, federal employment in the state was unchanged and has only declined by a few hundred jobs since the beginning of the year, he said. Nearly 58,000 Michigan residents were working in the federal sector (with about 21,000 of those jobs attributed to the U.S. Postal Service) in December 2024, according to recent data from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. More on resources for federal workers: New state webpage offers resources for federal workers in Michigan who lost their jobs In April, Michigan workers are filing new claims for unemployment insurance at elevated levels compared with a year ago at this time. More than 6,500 new claims were filed in Michigan last week, a 38% increase from the same week a year ago, according to U.S. Department of Labor data released April 17. "We are projecting Michigan's economic growth to slow substantially over the next two years, but we are not projecting an outright downturn," said an economic forecast for the state that was released in February from the University of Michigan Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics. After Michigan's economy was near a complete recovery from the pandemic recession at the end of 2023, Michigan's economy had an up-and-down year in 2024, U-M economists Gabriel Ehrlich, George Fulton and Saul Hymans wrote. The economists wrote that 2024's "seesaw performance" doesn't provide much guidance on the economic outlook moving forward, "and the picture is further clouded by the uncertain path of federal economic policy." More on the impact to small businesses: Michigan small businesses pivot, rethink growth plans amid federal policy shifts They expect Michigan's unemployment rate to hover between 4.8-4.9% through the second half of 2025 and in 2026, as federal tax cuts help to stimulate economic activity. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's unemployment rate rose for 3rd consecutive month in March
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New claims for jobless benefits in Michigan surge sharply
New weekly unemployment claims in Michigan rose by nearly 130% for the week ending May 3 compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said on May 8. New claims, a proxy for layoffs, rose to 12,287 in the week ending May 3, up from 5,381 the week prior, the labor department said. It wasn't immediately clear why new jobless claims rose at such a steep rate compared with the week prior. New claims for unemployment insurance have been hovering around 6,000 for the last few months at slightly elevated levels compared with similar periods in the last two years. There were 228,000 seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. for the week ending May 3, a decrease of 13,000 claims compared with the week prior. Michigan's unemployment rate has exceeded the national average in recent months. The state's jobless rate rose for the third consecutive month in March, increasing to 5.5%, up from 4.2% the same month a year ago, according to the most recent data from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. More on Michigan's unemployment rate: Michigan's unemployment rate continues to increase, exceeding national average More on Michigan's economy: Inflation is slowing. Wages are up. So why does life feel costly for many Michiganders? The manufacturing and professional and business services sectors were the industries that saw the steepest job losses in March, the department said. Manufacturing declined by 5,000 jobs in March compared with the month prior, while the professional and business services sector lost 4,000 jobs in that time. Several companies with employees in Michigan have filed WARN Act notices with the state in recent months, a notice that employers must give to employees and local government officials before they execute a mass layoff or close an employment site and a sign that new claims for unemployment insurance could increase as workers lose their jobs. For example, Akasol, an electric vehicle battery maker, ended production in Michigan in April and laid off 188 workers in Warren and Hazel Park. Flagstar Bank said in February that it would lay off about 400 employees because plans to transfer them to another company were canceled. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan sees a sudden rise in unemployment claims
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New claims for jobless benefits in Michigan surge sharply
New weekly unemployment claims in Michigan rose by nearly 130% for the week ending May 3 compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said on May 8. New claims, a proxy for layoffs, rose to 12,287 in the week ending May 3, up from 5,381 the week prior, the labor department said. It wasn't immediately clear why new jobless claims rose at such a steep rate compared with the week prior. New claims for unemployment insurance have been hovering around 6,000 for the last few months at slightly elevated levels compared with similar periods in the last two years. There were 228,000 seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. for the week ending May 3, a decrease of 13,000 claims compared with the week prior. Michigan's unemployment rate has exceeded the national average in recent months. The state's jobless rate rose for the third consecutive month in March, increasing to 5.5%, up from 4.2% the same month a year ago, according to the most recent data from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. More on Michigan's unemployment rate: Michigan's unemployment rate continues to increase, exceeding national average More on Michigan's economy: Inflation is slowing. Wages are up. So why does life feel costly for many Michiganders? The manufacturing and professional and business services sectors were the industries that saw the steepest job losses in March, the department said. Manufacturing declined by 5,000 jobs in March compared with the month prior, while the professional and business services sector lost 4,000 jobs in that time. Several companies with employees in Michigan have filed WARN Act notices with the state in recent months, a notice that employers must give to employees and local government officials before they execute a mass layoff or close an employment site and a sign that new claims for unemployment insurance could increase as workers lose their jobs. For example, Akasol, an electric vehicle battery maker, ended production in Michigan in April and laid off 188 workers in Warren and Hazel Park. Flagstar Bank said in February that it would lay off about 400 employees because plans to transfer them to another company were canceled. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan sees a sudden rise in unemployment claims
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MDHHS says its making progress in child welfare systems after 17 years of court oversight
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Senior Deputy Director of Michigan's Children's Services Administration, or CSA, Demetrius Starling testifies before the Michigan House Health Policy Committee in Lansing, Michigan on May 6, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has made strides to ensure children in the state's care are safe and able to leave the child welfare system equipped to succeed, Senior Deputy Director of Michigan's Children's Services Administration, or CSA, Demetrius Starling told lawmakers Tuesday. It's been 17 years since the state's child welfare system first was placed under federal monitoring in 2008 after Children's Rights., a national children's welfare advocacy group, brought legal action outlining the state's failures in protecting children in the foster care system, placing kids in safe foster homes and facilitating timely placements in permanent homes. Michigan only met or exceeded standards for five of the 26 monitored areas, according to the federal monitoring report issued in January, although the state was successful in ensuring caseworkers have no more than 15 children assigned to them at a time and improved on creating service plans for children to be connected to resources and followed through on those plans. Though 21 of the 26 monitored areas fell short of compliance, the report notes that Michigan came close to compliance in facilitating children in the foster care system all have monthly visits with their siblings and ensuring children entering the system receive initial medical and mental health exams within 30 days of entering into foster care. The state health department remains committed to improving child welfare to the point that federal oversight will no longer be required, Starling told the House Human Services Committee Tuesday, noting that it's not uncommon for states to be under oversight for decades before exiting monitoring, though the department is aiming for an earlier exit. Since 2006 when Children's Rights raised legal issues with Michigan's welfare system, Michigan has removed various areas from the monitored agreement, notably increasing educational opportunities and improving 4-year high school graduation rates for children in foster care. Starling said the state has increased the number of visits caseworkers pay to children in foster care since 2006 and has increased child immunization rates for children in care. 'I think that it's our obligation and our responsibility that whenever children are removed and placed under our care and jurisdiction, [that] we work to expedite that return back safely to the homes for those children, keeping children safe again with their families,' Starling said. '…finding different ways to keep kids safe with their families, in their communities, with prevention services, if at all possible, to divert families and children away from our systems is a Paramount focus of ours.' The goal of the committee is to see that kids are receiving the absolute best care they can, rather than the minimum legally required, House Human Services Committee Chair Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) said. Roth said he's worried that the state health department may argue for the court to lower its standards in order for Michigan to be released from monitoring, as the federal judge overseeing the improvements said in January Michigan could be released within the next two years. Underachieving is not the goal, Starling replied, noting that there have been pros and cons to the lengthy court oversight, as the legislature and state partners have unlocked resources and funds to improve case management resources and reform child welfare as a whole. In order to speedily convince the court to relieve the state of monitoring, Starling said it's MDHHS' goal to exceed certain metrics by 30% past the benchmarks set, to convey the department's interest in maintaining improvements. An end to court oversight would allow MDHHS to focus more of its resources on implementing services to keep kids safe and rather than maintaining compliance with court reporting, Starling said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
