Michigan taxpayers fund 31,388 repairs on employee vehicles in 2024
When a Michigan government employee hits a pothole and blows a tire, the taxpayer might foot the bill.
The state of Michigan owns or leases more than $14,000 vehicles that state employees use to drive millions of miles.
In fiscal year 2024, the state’s leased fleet used 6.9 million gallons of fuel and traveled more than 116 million miles.
State employees service their vehicles at the taxpayer-funded Vehicle and Travel Services Garage. The garage recorded more than 31,300 repairs in fiscal year 2024, according to the state’s 2025 fleet plan..
Taxpayers paid for vehicle wear-and-tear caused by Michigan’s rough roads. The garage recorded nearly 4,000 tire jobs, over 1,700 brake repairs, 1,600 body and glass repairs, 5,000 miscellaneous repairs and 275 towing services. Click here to read more.
Detroit Uses Pandemic Relief Money To Provide Medical Aid To Homeless
DETROIT, Mich. – The city of Detroit has given $562,868 to an organization that will conduct medical outreach for the homeless in what is known as “street medicine.”
The Detroit city council approved extending the contract through the end of 2025 at its Sept. 2 meeting. Click here to read more.
Parents say middle schooler was attacked by another student in cafeteria, had to have parts of skull removed
KILGORE, Texas – A middle school student in Texas is recovering from serious injuries after his family says he was attacked by another student at school and had his head slammed into a metal pole.
Lukas Hardeman, 14, was injured by another student in the cafeteria on Aug. 21 after Lukas’ parents said their son made a joke.
Michael Hardeman, Lukas’ father, said the other student slammed his son’s head against a metal pole attached to a stool.
Lukas suffered from brain injuries that required two parts of his skull to be removed, and according to his dad, he has over 60 staples holding his head together now. Click here to read more.
ChatGPT's safety fixes come amid scrutiny over teen use of AI chatbot companions
OpenAI announced steps it's taking over the coming months to address safety concerns for people, especially teenagers, who use the company's chatbots while experiencing mental and emotional distress.
The actions come on the heels of a lawsuit filed against the ChatGPT maker on behalf of a family who lost their 16-year-old son to suicide after the company’s chatbot allegedly encouraged his suicidal ideation.
OpenAI’s post on Tuesday announcing the new safety actions didn’t mention the teen, Adam Raine.
OpenAI said it’s enlisting the help of youth development and mental health experts in designing future safeguards for its chatbots.
The company said it will begin routing “sensitive conversations” to more advanced “reasoning models” that are capable of following safety guidelines more consistently.
And it’s giving parents the ability to link accounts with their teens, disable features and get notifications when ChatGPT detects acute distress in the interaction with the young user. Click here to read more.
First In The Nation: Florida To End All Vaccine Mandates
Florida’s surgeon general, alongside GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, announced on Wednesday that the Sunshine State will end all vaccination mandates, including requirements for schools.
“The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the government, is working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law — all of them,” Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo told a room of supporters. “Every last one of them.”
Ladapo went on to say that the government has no right to tell parents what to put in their children’s bodies, or their own bodies, sparking loud applause.
“Every last [mandate] is wrong and drips with disdain — and slavery,” he argued. “Who am I, or anyone else … to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body?” Click here to read more.
