Breaking News

Press Releases

MDHHS issues Request for Proposals for juvenile justice racial and ethnic disparities reduction

LANSING – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in collaboration with the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for stakeholders to implement and evaluate programming to reduce racial and ethnic disparities (RED) in the juvenile justice system. MDHHS is committed to the goal of decreasing disparities, unequal treatment and unequal outcomes amongst youth belonging to racial or ethnic minorities. Applicants funded through this program must demonstrate that RED exists in their jurisdiction and must propose activities that ...

First ever state conference on service and volunteerism focuses on reimagining possibilities, developing resiliency

LANSING – The Michigan Community Service Commission, the State’s lead agency on volunteerism, will host the inaugural 2021 Michigan Conference on Service and Volunteerism virtually on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, to help organizations reimagine the possibilities service and volunteerism can offer as Michigan recovers from the pandemic and moves to developing resilience. The conference theme, “Volunteering – Truth, Youth, and the Future,” is intended to help explore avenues that support Michigan’s path forward. Conference workshops will include all aspects of volunteering and service, ...

Rural Health Essay winners announced

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health announced the winners of its essay competition for high school seniors on National Rural Health Day, Nov. 18. This year’s topic was the shortage of paramedics and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel in the Upper Peninsula, which was exacerbated by the pandemic. Students were asked to address how EMS agencies and communities could interact and build and strengthen relationships that would enhance recruitment, retention and overall success. “Once again, our high school seniors have embraced the opportunity to dive deeper ...

ProtectMiChild Registry expands to keep kids safe from adult ads on social media apps

Michigan’s ProtectMiChild Registry, which helps keep kids safe from adult-oriented ads via text and email, is now offering protection on social media accounts as well, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced today. The registry, ProtectMiChild.com, is a free and secure program offered by the Secretary of State since 2014 that families and schools can use to block ads for products like alcohol, tobacco, pornography and online gambling from reaching children’s email inboxes, tablets, cell phones or instant messenger IDs. Unspam, the company that provides governments with ...

Nominations sought for 2021 Governor’s Service Awards

LANSING – The Michigan Community Service Commission is encouraging Michiganders to nominate the friends, family and peers who have made a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2021 Governor's Service Awards that will take place virtually on Jan. 12, 2022. “There are Michiganders in every county who dedicated their time and resources to help neighbors and build up their communities through the pandemic,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “The Governor’s Service Awards are a small token of our appreciation and recognition of Michiganders who went above and beyond, and I ...

Benson lifts driver’s license suspensions for more than 150,000 Michiganders, cancels infractions for many more

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced today that her department has lifted suspensions on the driver’s licenses of more than 150,000 Michiganders after ongoing implementation of laws that took effect last month identified additional infractions to cancel. The department lifted the suspensions of 12,000 Michiganders in October. Michigan residents who are now eligible for a driver’s license may still need to pay a reinstatement fee or renew or reapply for a license, depending on how long the license was suspended. In all, the Michigan Department of State has canceled ...