Child welfare experts and foster care advocates say the measure will protect adults improperly flagged by the state for abuse and neglect
Ted Roelofs
Ted Roelofs of Kentwood, has written extensively on healthcare as well as prison and juvenile justice reform. Roelofs spent nearly three decades at the Grand Rapids Press where he covered politics, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rural poverty and mental illness among the homeless. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Reach Ted at ted.roelofs@gmail.com
Posted inTalent & Education
In 1978, a teen opened fire at Lansing Everett. It has lessons for Oxford.
1978 was an era of school fire drills, not active-shooter training. Former students and a teacher recall how unprepared Everett High School was when a 15-year-old shot and killed one classmate and injured another.
Posted inChildren & Families
Michigan House panel approves changes to state child abuse and neglect list
The package is intended to add safeguards to the Central Registry, a listing kept by the state child welfare program to identify adults who pose a threat to children. Critics say too many innocent adults get placed on the registry.
Posted inChildren & Families
Michigan House weighs bills to protect families from unfair abuse claims
Some child-welfare and foster care advocates say the state too often ensnares innocent adults in its Central Registry listings of people flagged for child abuse or neglect. But others warn against tilting too far against vulnerable children.
Posted inMichigan Government
Will COVID vaccines protect Michigan from the omicron variant?
The new variant out of South Africa presents plenty of questions. Is it worse than delta? Unclear. Should I travel? Depends where. Should I get a booster? Yes. We answer your biggest questions .
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Facing COVID vaccine mandates, these Michigan residents just said no
A looming federal mandate means 2 million Michigan residents must prove they’ve been vaccinated, submit to weekly tests or lose their jobs. A weatherman, dentist, nurse and pastor explain why they refused.
Posted inUrban Affairs
In booming Grand Rapids, many Black residents left out of city’s comeback
The percentage of Black residents fell in the past 10 years, driven out by rising rents and home values. Now, the city is redoubling affordable housing efforts.
Posted inBusiness Watch
After 18 months: Welcome back, Canada, if you’re vaccinated
Michigan families, along with businesses that depend on Canadian visitors, hailed the Biden administration’s announcement that vaccinated Canadians can once again cross into the U.S. beginning in November.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Studies show meth addicts respond to $2 reward. What’s stopping Michigan?
A California nonprofit has found that modest financial rewards for clean urine tests can help break the chain of meth addiction. But the treatment is barely being replicated in Michigan, in part because insurers are not yet on board.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Lethal, highly addictive methamphetamine again stalking rural Michigan
Law enforcement and treatment experts chart a rising toll from meth, from overdose deaths to families ripped apart. Cheaper and more pure versions now come from Mexican labs, and there are not enough treatment resources in rural counties.