Page 6 - Aruba Today

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U.S. NEWSTuesday 12 January 2016

Michigan governor pledges contact with every Flint household

DAVID EGGERT for additional money for An officer with the Genesee County Sheriff’s office carries water filters as he along with fellow
Associated Press the emergency before his officers and a work detail of people sentenced to community service hand out water filters and
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An budget proposal in Febru- gallons of water to residents of Flint’s north side on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, in Mich.
apologetic Gov. Rick Sny- ary.
der pledged Monday that Flint switched from Detroit’s (Sean Proctor /The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
officials would make con- water system to river wa-
tact with every household ter in a cost-cutting move by Snyder have faulted has investigated the Flint residents were “basically
in Flint to check whether in 2014, while under state the Department of Environ- situation posted online an getting blown off.” Snyder
residents have bottled wa- financial management. mental Quality for not re- email obtained through a said Monday he wanted
ter and a filter and want to That was intended as a quiring Flint to treat the river public records request that to “push on (state) depart-
be tested for lead expo- temporary step while a water for corrosion and shows Snyder’s chief of staff ments” after hearing con-
sure while his embattled pipeline was built from Lake belittling the public’s fears. expressing concerns in July cerns from the community,
administration works on a Huron. The city returned to Former DEQ Director Dan to Department of Health and the agencies “reaf-
long-term solution to the Detroit’s Lake Huron wa- Wyant resigned last month. and Human Services Di- firmed they didn’t believe
city’s water crisis. ter in October after vari- Last week, a professor who rector Nick Lyon that Flint there was an issue. q
He also said he first clearly ous problems, but officials
knew of Flint’s lead prob- remain concerned about
lem around Oct. 1, when the corrosion caused by
state health authorities the Flint River water. Extra
confirmed elevated blood- anti-corrosion controls be-
lead levels in children that gan last month.
were detected by a local “We don’t want people to
doctor. Exposure to lead assume anything’s good
can cause behavior prob- until we have a chance to
lems and learning disabili- do extensive testing and
ties in children. It was the confirm that publicly,” Sny-
Michigan Republican’s first der said.
visit to the 99,000-resident Michigan Department of
city since October, when Environmental Quality In-
he called for a switch back terim Director Keith Creagh
to Detroit’s water after gave no timeline for when
more corrosive Flint River the tap water would be OK
water leached lead from to drink, saying additional
15,000 service lines and testing is needed.
into homes. Snyder said he The state auditor general
may ask state lawmakers and a task force created

High court seems ready to scrap mandatory public union fees

SAM HANANEL fornia teachers who say lawsuit is part of a conser- “free riders” — workers who said all the items negotiat-
Associated Press those mandatory fees vio- vative agenda to weaken reap the rewards of union ed in a collective bargain-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The late the free-speech rights unions, which are known bargaining and grievance ing agreement “are neces-
Supreme Court appears of workers who disagree for reliably supporting Dem- procedures without paying sarily political questions.”
ready to deliver a ma- with a union’s positions. ocratic candidates and for it. “The union basically Arguing in support of the
jor setback to American Labor officials fear unions’ policies. The challengers is making these teachers union, California Solicitor
unions as it considers scrap- very existence could be are backed by the conser- compelled riders for issues General Edward DuMont
ping a four-decade prece- threatened if workers are vative Center for Individual on which they strongly said the state needs a reli-
dent that lets public-sector allowed to get all the ben- Rights. disagree,” Kennedy said, able bargaining partner
labor organizations collect efits of representation with- But Justice Anthony Ken- noting the political nature that is funded by all the
fees from workers who de- out at least paying fees to nedy rejected arguments of bargaining issues like workers it represents. He
cline to join. cover the costs of collec- by lawyers for the state of teacher salaries, merit pro- said the fees for collective
During more than an hour tive bargaining. The case California and the Califor- motions and class size. bargaining typically apply
of oral arguments Monday, affects more than 5 million nia Teachers Association Even Justice Antonin Sca- to non-political issues such
the high court’s conserva- workers in 23 states and that the current fee system lia, who in the past has ex- as mileage reimbursement,
tive justices seemed likely Washington, D.C. is needed to prevent non- pressed some sympathy for working hours and other
to side with a group of Cali- Union advocates say the members from becoming the free-rider argument, mundane matters. q