Latest news with #ThomasAlbert
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Daylight Saving returns to Michigan – perhaps for the last time
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — It has been a yearly gut punch for Michiganders since 1973, when the state first began observing daylight saving time. But one lawmaker in Michigan wants voters to decide whether the state should stick with the practice. State Sen. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, has proposed legislation letting voters decide this November whether to keep Michigan on standard time permanently. If passed, Michigan would join Hawaii and Arizona as the only states that don't change their clocks. State lawmakers have introduced similar bills before — although the measures haven't advanced. The implementation of daylight saving time goes back to the World War I era when it was promoted as an electricity-saving step during wartime. The federal Uniform Time Act of 1966 put daylight saving time into effect unless a state specifically opted out – which Michigan voters decided to do in a 1968 vote. A 1972 state election reversed that decision. Sleep experts, however, say there could be real benefits to dropping the time switch. A Corewell Health sleep medicine psychologist says losing the hour of sleep can wreak havoc on the body, increasing the likelihood of heart attack and strokes. The time twist also affects driver concentration and irritability, with a 6% increase in auto accidents, a from the University of Colorado-Boulder found. But doing away with the change could still have consequences. 'If we stayed on daylight saving time, it wouldn't be light until nearly 9 o'clock in the morning in the winter days,' Dr. Kelly Baron, a sleep specialist at the University of Utah Health's Sleep-Wake Center, said on the . 'That would be really difficult for kids waiting for the school bus…everybody would be feeling really tired in the morning.' Adjusting to the time change is usually something that takes a few days, but now that we've sprung forward, there are some safety tips that experts say are important to embrace immediately. Michigan Department of Transportation emphasizes the importance of watching out for pedestrians, early morning runners and bicyclists, even more so when visibility is limited. As you patrol the house looking for any and every clock to reset, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs urges everyone to also check on their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. As of March 1, 25 people have died in 22 fires in Michigan this year, and 15 of those 22 homes did not have working smoke alarms, the Michigan Fire Inspectors Society said on its . Michiganders are also encouraged to talk to their families about 'Get out and Stay out' methods as well as not fighting the fires themselves. To help prevent fatal fires, LARA recommends the following: Check your smoke alarms monthly using the test button. Replace 9-volt smoke alarms with alarms that have a 10-year lithium battery. Install a smoke alarm AND a carbon monoxide alarm in every bedroom or sleeping area and one on every level of the home, including the basement. The city of Grand Rapids offers a , which includes a free fire safety check, smoke alarm upgrades and installation, and one-on-one safety consultations. Free smoke detectors are also available through the Red Cross. They'll install up to three at no cost. You can register or call 1-800-RED CROSS to learn more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Should Michigan stick with daylight saving time? One lawmaker wants voters to decide
After months of Michigan's often brutal winters, longer lasting sunlight during the day is a sure sign spring is near. And come Sunday, when daylight saving time begins and the clocks spring forward at 2 a.m., the sun will shine even later. It has been a yearly tradition in Michigan since 1973, when the state first began observing daylight saving time. Each year, the clocks move forward an hour in March and fall back an hour in November. One lawmaker in Michigan, however, wants voters to decide whether the state should stick with the practice. Senate Bill 126, introduced by state Sen. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, would place a question on the November 2026 ballot in Michigan asking voters to decide whether the state should continue to observe daylight saving time. 'Is switching to daylight saving time worth the headaches? Does it have any valid reason for continuing in this day and age? I personally would say 'no,' but obviously opinions differ. We should let the people of Michigan decide once and for all,' Albert said in a statement. SB 126 has 11 bipartisan co-sponsors. In the U.S., daylight saving time traces back to World War I, when Congress passed the Standard Time Act in March 1918. At the time, proponents argued workers would have more sunlight time for recreation. There are stories of daylight saving time originally being intended to give farmers more hours of sunlight to work their fields, but farmers actually made up some of the strongest voices against the Standard Time Act in 1918, according to a 2016 New York Times article. Daylight saving time: Love it or leave it? Tell us in a letter to the editor at It's not the first time a lawmaker in Michigan has opened debate over the value of observing daylight saving time — legislators have introduced bills to stop the practice in recent sessions, although the measures haven't advanced. In order for voters to get a say, SB 126 would need to pass each chamber of the Legislature and be signed into law. Michigan voters have decided on daylight saving twice before. First, in 1968, a measure to observe daylight saving time was narrowly rejected by voters — falling short by 490 votes out of 2.8 million cast, according to a 1972 Ann Arbor Times article. In 1972, voters opted to observe the practice, adding Michigan to the list of states participating in daylight saving time. Currently, Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) are the only states in the U.S. that don't observe daylight saving time. From Nov. 2022: We're setting our clocks back again, so look to the western U.P. for inspiration Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan lawmaker wants voters to decide on daylight saving time
CBS News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Michigan lawmaker seeks to place daylight saving time observance on the ballot
Michigan residents have voted twice on whether to observe daylight saving time – once to revoke it in 1968, then once to reinstate it in 1972. State Sen. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, thinks it is time to bring the matter back to the ballot. Lowell introduced Senate Bill 126 on Thursday, calling for the elimination of DST in Michigan, should voters approve that step in the November 2026 election. It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Government Operations. Basically: if the bill is passed by the Michigan Legislature, the matter will go on the ballot. Senate Bill 126 appears to have significant support already with 11 co-sponsors, for a total of 12 among the 38 Michigan senators who have signed onto the bill. The co-sponsors include Republican Aric Nesbitt, who has announced his candidacy for the Michigan governor's race. "Is switching to daylight saving time worth the headaches? Does it have any valid reason for continuing in this day and age?" Albert said in his announcement. "I personally would say 'no,' but obviously opinions differ. We should let the people of Michigan decide once and for all." Daylight saving time doesn't extend the actual day, it just shifts the clocks so that sunrise and sunset happen one hour later. Therefore: daylight lasts longer in the evening. Since 2005, the U.S. has called for the time to change on the second Sunday of March and revert on the first Sunday in November. Michigan currently observes the federal schedule for daylight saving time. But that was not always the case, and the state has had a contentious history with timekeeping and time zones. Numerous attempts have also been made at the federal and regional levels to end the twice-yearly time changes or to fiddle with the effective dates in place of them. One of the efforts that got huge attention was the 2022 Sunshine Protection Act, which the U.S. Senate passed but it stalled in the House. The result would have ended the time changes, and observed daylight saving time year-round. Michigan's history with daylight saving time The implementation of DST itself goes back to the World War I era, when it was promoted as an electricity-saving step during wartime. Albert's announcement makes reference to the upheaval that resulted in Michigan after the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966 invoked daylight saving time — unless a state specifically opted out. Michigan voters rejected DST effective in 1968. Voters then permitted its return in a 1972 election. Both votes were quite close. The federal "year-round daylight saving time" experiment of 1974 invoked the time change from Jan. 6, 1974 to Oct. 27, 1974. Then in 1975, Michigan refused to change its clocks until several weeks after the federal time change. For all practical purposes, that decision placed most of Michigan one hour behind other Eastern time zone states from late February until late April in 1975. Eastern time vs. Central time Michigan's clock discussions are further complicated by the fact that the state straddles the Eastern-Central time zone lines. After World War I, the entire state of Michigan was placed in the Central time zone. Detroit fought that, with the city staking its claim on Eastern time starting in 1915. All of the Lower Peninsula was granted permission in the 1930s to shift into the Eastern time zone. These days: most of the state is in the Eastern time zone; a few counties in the Upper Peninsula are in the Central time zone.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Son of fallen NOPD captain hopes to see Sirgo Plaza moved
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – A tattered American flag flies at half-staff near Sirgo Plaza, which is outside the old NOPD headquarters on South Broad Street in Mid-City. Sirgo Plaza is a memorial dedicated to NOPD's fallen officers. Among those honored is Captain Thomas Albert, Sr. His son, Thomas Albert, Jr., visited the memorial a couple of weeks ago while in New Orleans. 'The monuments were all in good shape,' explained Albert. 'The flame, just like I had checked on it right after Katrina, was not burning, and the whole place had feeling of abandonment.' 'A Freedom Fighter': The life and legacy of Oretha Castle Haley It's a far cry from when a then-teenage Albert, alongside his family, appeared for his father's dedication. At the time of his death at 48-years-old, Captain Albert worked as commander of the 8th District during the 1979 police strike. 'He wouldn't abandon his post essentially. He was responsible for the 8th District, which was the center of the city,' said Albert. 'He was responsible for police headquarters, as my understanding, the entire core complex there, and it was hard for him because the building was surrounded by his own men and other policemen striking.' One night, after being on duty for more than 20 hours without relief, Captain Albert suffered a fatal heart attack while at his desk. Nearly 50 years later, the pain is still there, which is why the Albert family hopes the city and the NOPD will keep their father's memory alive. <NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirpatrick: 'Absolutely, we're going to honor bringing that memorial to a new location, and so some of the family members, I know, have talked with us, and we want to make it very, very nice, but we're not going to leave the memorial out there,' said NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick when WGNO poised the question during a press conference. 'They're going to come with us. We will always honor our fallen.' After learning about Kirkpatrick's response and having a conversation with one of the department's leaders, Albert says he has faith that Sirgo Plaza will be moved. 'I would say based on the way the NOPD has treated my mother ever since my dad died and based on my dad's love for the NOPD, I sort of have no doubt that they will do it,' said Albert. A spokesperson for the department says the plans for the move are still in the Krewe of Music rolls along Jefferson Parish's West Bank Son of fallen NOPD captain hopes to see Sirgo Plaza moved U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activates high-water plan as Mississippi River rises Mylar, confetti cannons banned from New Orleans parade routes Mass graves case: Police officers last to see disappeared individuals alive Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
