By Vanessa Romo
Drinking fountains are marked "Do Not Drink Until Further Notice" at Flint Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., in May 2016. After 18 months of insisting that water drawn from the Flint River was safe to drink, officials admitted it was not.
The Supreme Court (click here) on Tuesday cleared the way for water crisis victims to sue state and local government officials in Flint, Mich.
For years, Flint city officials and state regulators have argued that they are protected by "qualified immunity" from being sued for their role in the water contamination crisis. But lower courts have ruled to the contrary.
In refusing to take up a pair of cases involving the lead-tainted water, the Supreme Court has upheld those lower court rulings.
Attorney Michael Pitt, co-lead counsel on the class action lawsuit, which includes thousands of Flint residents suing for damages from the 2014 incident, welcomed the decision as a major victory.
He said, "It's time for the people of Flint to start feeling like they are going to get their day in court," Michigan Radio reporter Steve Carmody reported. "This just moves the entire process closer to that day."
Pitt added that his clients have thus far "been denied justice."...
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Geography (click here)
Q: How many lakes are there in Michigan?
A: There are more than 11,000 inland lakes, 5 acres in size or larger, in Michigan. According to the Michigan Historical Society, one is never more than 6 miles from an inland lake or more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes.
The formation of the advisory council in Michigan is long overdue. The states has a great deal of water issues in every county in the state. In order to maintain quality of life and economic strength Michigan demands a comprehensive council to provide oversight to serious issues of water quality and sustainability.
January 24, 2020By Madeline Clark
Lansing -Two Flint residents (click here) are among 21 people who were just selected to serve on Michigan’s first advisory council for environmental justice.
The council will be under the direction of Governor Whitmer.
Lynn Williams and Mona Monroe-Younis are the representatives from Flint.
Williams is the community engagement officer for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and a board member on the Richard Allen Battle Foundation.
Monroe-Younis is the executive director of Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint and a neighborhood planner for the Flint Planning and Development Department.
The other representatives are as follows:
Paul Mohai, Ph.D., Ann Arbor
Tony Reames, Ph.D., Farmington Hills
Carla Walker-Miller, Detroit
Fadi Mourad, Farmington Hills
Monica Lewis-Patrick, Detroit
Bryan Lewis, Detroit
Salah Ali, Dearborn
Theresa Landrum, Detroit
Justin Onwenu, Detroit
Nick Leonard, Detroit
Sylvia Orduño, Detroit
Frank Houston, Royal Oak
Donavan McKinney, Detroit
Joel Howrani Heeres, Detroit
Alison Sutter, Grand Rapids
Nicole Britten, Saint Joseph
Bryan Newland, Brimley
John Petoskey, Northport
Keith Cooley, Detroit
