Bills on unemployment, property tax, wolf management, and more
What’s been happening in Lansing during June?
Michigan Legislative Action, June 2021
Sen. Ed McBroom
Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov
Phone: 866-305-2038
Sponsored bills introduced
Sen. Ed McBroom introduced Senate Bill 531 early in June. This bill would require the unemployment insurance agency to get background checks on independent contractors, and their employees. It was referred to the Committee on Economic and Small Business Development and there has been no further movement.
Sen. McBroom introduced Senate Bill 541, which creates a homestead property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a person who dies on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces if they have not remarried. It is currently held by the Committee on Finance.
Sen. McBroom also introduced Senate Bill 540, which would shift the cost of property tax exemptions granted to disabled veterans from the county to the state through reimbursement. This bill was referred to the Committee on Finance. Tie-barred with it is Senate Bill 539, which prescribes more of the process.
At the end of June, Sen. McBroom introduced Senate Bill 590, which would require conservation officers to wear body cameras while on duty. It has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
Sen. McBroom also introduced Senate Bill 581, which sets the penalty for someone who injures a “vulnerable roadway user” as not more than 5 years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both. It is tie-barred with Senate Bill 580, which defines a vulnerable roadway user as pedestrians, bicyclists, people using wheelchairs, or others “operating or riding a transportation device in compliance with this act [the law]”.
Votes of note
Sen. McBroom voted in favor of Senate Bill 458, requiring the governor to notify legislators when traveling out of state, and against Sen. Jeff Irwin’s proposed amendment to waive the requirement for legislators believed to be “a security risk to this state because of his or her affiliations with a domestic terrorist organization.” The bill and amendment passed and failed, respectively, along strict party lines. The bill has been received by the House and referred to a committee.
Sen. McBroom’s bill to limit the membership of the Wolf Management Advisory Council to residents of the Upper Peninsula until studies find a wolf population in the Lower Peninsula passed the Senate along party lines and has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation.
Sen. McBroom voted with a mix of Democrats and Republicans that supported waiving driver’s license fees until the Secretary of State offices are “fully open”, which includes at least 25 hours a week of walk-in service. The bill passed the Senate, was amended and passed by the House — where Rep. Greg Markkanen also voted in favor — and has now been returned to the Senate for confirmation.
Sen. McBroom voted in favor of Senate Bill 393, which would grant a tax break to restaurants, taverns, hotels, and other commercial businesses that had to close under pandemic orders for at least six weeks, along with other restrictions. The bill passed with solely Republican support and is now in the House Committee on Tax Policy.
Sen. McBroom supported Senate Bill 285, which would require identification to vote with some exceptions. It passed along party lines with Republican support. The bill is now in the House Committee on Elections and Ethics.
Sen. McBroom also voted yes on Senate Bill 379, which prohibits the governor from selling bonds to fund road repairs without approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate. It passed on party lines and is now in the House Committee on Transportation.
Finally, Sen. McBroom supported Senate Bill 28, which would grant $25 million to certain rehab clinics that are reported to be in danger of closing after fee caps in the 2019 auto insurance reform law take effect this year. It was presented to the governor on July 1.
Rep. Greg Markkanen
Email: GregMarkkanen@house.mi.gov
Phone: 517-373-0850
Sponsored bills introduced
Rep. Greg Markkanen, with fellow U.P. representatives Sara Cambensy and Beau LaFave, proposed House Bill 4978, which would exempt interstate truckers from a fuel tax reciprocity agreement. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation and hasn’t received a vote or any fiscal analysis yet.
House Bill 4976, which exempts truckers from state sales and use tax on fuel if they are subject to fuel tax reciprocity agreements, has also been referred to the same committee and has not been analyzed.
Likewise, House Bill 4977, which amends the rules for entering into fuel tax reciprocity agreements, has not seen any action since being introduced.
Rep. Markkanen is also a sponsor of House Bill 5046, which has support from both major political parties. It sets a time limit of 90 days for child care centers or group homes to come into compliance with new rules.
Votes of note
Rep. Markkanen voted in favor of House Bill 4667, to prohibit state or local governments from issuing COVID-19 “vaccine passports”. While the bill passed mostly along party lines, it did have some support from a handful of House Democrats as well. The bill passed on to the Senate but has yet to receive a vote there.
Rep. Markkanen also supported House Joint Resolution D, which would let voters decide if a two-thirds majority of the House or Senate could suspend the salary and expense allowances of another member. It would also require roll call votes to give a law immediate effect after passage. The bill moved on to the Senate but has not received a vote there.
House Bill 4685 also received a ‘Yes’ vote from Sen. Markkanen. This bill would impose a personal financial disclosure mandate on state officers from the governor to members of state university governing boards. It passed the House with a mix of support from Democrats and Republicans but has not been voted on in the Senate.
The story is nearly the same for House Bill 4684, which would impose similar disclosure mandates on members of the legislature. However, these reports would be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
Rep. Markkanen and other Michigan House Republicans joined with two House Democrats to pass House Bill 4434, which will cancel the state’s participation in the federal $300 boost to unemployment benefits. The bill was originally introduced to require the unemployment agency to use plainer language in its communications but was amended before being passed. It was amended again by the Senate — where Sen. McBroom also supported it — and concurred to in the House.
Autism advocates pushing for greater awareness, understanding in others
“If you’ve met one kid with autism, then you’ve met one kid with autism,” said Janel Summers, the autism consultant at the Copper Country Intermediate School District.
Mental Health Support Series, Part 2
Autism is a developmental disorder that can be uniquely challenging because of the variety of behaviors and symptoms associated with it.
“If you’ve met one kid with autism, then you’ve met one kid with autism,” said Janel Summers, the autism consultant and special education instructional coach at the Copper Country Intermediate School District.
Summers said that Autism Spectrum Disorder now also includes several diagnoses that used to be considered separately, including Asperger's syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorders.
Some of the things most commonly associated with autism are difficulties with communication and social interaction and certain repetitive behaviors, but it can vary greatly from person to person, as autism is diagnosed on a spectrum.
“Some kids become very social outside,” Summers said, as an example.
Others might do better in music class, or in mathematics. Some might not present with any obvious symptoms. Summers described an autistic person’s skills as a line with mountaintops on it, or “hills and valleys”. And each person with an autism diagnosis has a different set of those hills and valleys.
This can make supporting people with autism especially difficult because each support system has to be individually crafted, there is no universal, or even a typical, option. Summers said that they have to meet people with autism in their usual environment and learn about them to see what kind of supports would be helpful for them.
The number of people with an autism diagnosis has been growing, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s unclear if that is because of advances in detection or an actual increase in people with the disorder. Summers said it’s more commonly diagnosed in boys, to a 4-1 ratio, but it may be due to boys' tendency to show more outward aggression that makes it easier to identify.
Autism Supports in Schools, and Beyond
Autism in education has changed. Once, special education classes kept students diagnosed with autism and other disorders apart from regular lessons with other students. Now —
“Our goal is to have 80% of our students in gen-ed [general education] 80% of the time,” Summers said.
Rather than grouping students with autism together into special education classes, the goal is to give them what support they need to succeed in the same environment as other students. Summers said a large part of this is the goal to avoid removing them from the social environment of the classroom, which is as important for them as any other student.
Supports like social stories, visual schedules, sensory tools like weighted blankets, and video models of behavior expectations are often used to help students in the general education classrooms, in addition to even more individualized accommodations.
As students prepare to transition out of high school, there are programs to help them get ready for college, job placement, and living independently as an adult.
“It’s really preparing them to live on their own,” Summers said. “It’s really neat to watch the kids go through those stages and really get ready to be totally independent.”
The Superior Alliance for Independent Living also helps with support services and planned activities.
Copper Country Mental Health also offers Applied Behavior Analysis for children with autism (0-21 years old). ABA is an internationally-used approach to teaching skills and changing behaviors, with intense data collection to demonstrate progress and an emphasis on positive reinforcement and practice through repetition. This therapy is available both in the CCMH office and the home, according to Leslie Griffith, CCMH outpatient program director.
Autism and First Responders
Interacting with first responders from the police to firefighters can be a harrowing experience for someone with autism, and difficult for both parties. While a typical child might enjoy seeing firetrucks with the lights and sirens at annual parades, a child with autism is often sensitive to loud sounds and flashing lights and isn’t going to feel comfortable in a parade atmosphere at all. In a tense situation like a car accident or house fire, someone shouting directions or grabbing at a person with autism isn’t likely to get a positive response, either.
For this reason, Summers has been working with a group called Copper Country Autism Awareness Foundation to help kids with autism be more comfortable around first responders and to teach first responders how to recognize and interact with someone who has autism.
Special sensory-sensitive events have been hosted with first responders, at the county fair, and in the emergency room. Flashing lights and loud sounds were disabled, and first responders, nurses, and ER staff were given a chance to interact with local autistic students and their parents without the pressure of an ongoing emergency.
Local first responders have also been equipped with communication tools like a CORE board, which can be used to nonverbally communicate about pain or other emergencies. The emergency room also has weighted blankets and some other things that help soothe anxiety for a child with autism.
An example of a CORE board from praacticalaac.org. Someone who is non-verbal can point at the corresponding images rather than try to speak.
Summers said she has talked with other educators for a long time about trying to bring first responders from across the community to MTU to give classes to them all at once but hasn’t been able to make it happen yet.
Within law enforcement, there’s been a movement toward greater training, too.
“It’s called Managing Mental Health Crisis Training,” Lt. Nick Roberts of the Houghton City Police Department said.
The MMHC training program is approved by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and is developed in cooperation with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The training is offered by the Cardinal Group II. Roberts and another officer in Houghton are trained instructors in the program, and they work with social workers to train other officers in several departments.
Within the training is a module that focuses on autism and other developmental disorders. Unfortunately, someone with autism or a head injury can sometimes be mistaken by first responders for someone on drugs. The training helps officers recognize telltale signs and behaviors that might indicate that this person actually has a developmental disorder, and teaches them how to interact differently with that person.
“I’m not a professional in autism,” Roberts said.
The training doesn’t enable them to diagnose autism, but there are strategies that can be used in a variety of situations, and officers are taught when to employ them. For instance, Summers said presenting a CORE communications board to someone who doesn’t have autism isn’t likely to produce any helpful results, whereas it likely will if they do have an autism diagnosis. Roberts said focusing on remaining calm, and being mindful of the common autism symptoms like sensitivities to sound and touch are important, as well as tone and body language.
“We can be intimidating,” Roberts said.
He said that’s also why sensory-sensitive events are important, to give everyone a chance to meet first responders outside of an emergency situation. The MMHC training also helps them spot and take advantage of individual opportunities to connect with community members.
“We try to get to know our community,” Roberts said.
In search and rescue situations where someone with autism has gone missing, speed is of the essence.
“Right away, we know it’s going to be a lot more difficult to find that person that can’t communicate,” Roberts said.
Someone with a developmental disorder might also not understand a stranger who finds them is trying to help by pulling at them, or that a loud machine is full of people looking to bring them to safety.
Roberts said encountering someone on the job who is entirely nonverbal is “tough”, but that he always does his best.
“We do have a lot of outcomes that turn out successful because of our training,” he said.
CCAAF did not reply to requests for an interview.
Growing the Supports
Unfortunately, access to these autism supports isn’t always easy.
“Even something like getting a ride to ABA therapy is a barrier for some of our families,” Summers said.
Griffith said CCMH can provide transportation to ABA therapy and other services in cases where no other options are available for the consumer. They’ve also tried to lower other barriers to service like a lack of cellphone minutes when receiving services via the phone, as prepaid and inexpensive cellphone plans often have limited minutes.
Some families can’t afford a car or only have one that’s needed for a parent to commute to work, leaving the other without a way to bring their child to therapy, group activities, and other appointments. Even relatively close sessions could be too distant to get there without a vehicle. Summers said having more local opportunities for therapy in smaller communities, or free transportation services would be helpful for those people.
Summers said another big source of support for people with autism is the CCAAF and wished they could receive more grants.
Summers said the foundation is their “go-to” when they need something in a hurry like an unexpected Lyft or Uber ride to an appointment. They also help with things like specialty support devices, installing safety fences, and helps in other emergencies, too.
“That would be awesome if they had more monies,” Summers said. “Schools just don’t have extra funds.”
Summers said she feels like she could use three more staff members with her training at the CCISD, and her caseload is still growing.
Roberts said he’d like to see more time and money spent on training officers on how to better interact with people with autism, too. He said the pandemic caused many training organizations to move their work online, which helped reduce the necessary travel for local officers to attend sometimes-distant training sessions.
“Zoom saved us a ton of money,” Roberts said.
He thinks the MMHC training should be given to every police officer, and regularly teaches sessions alongside local social workers.
Editor’s note: This story has received multiple updates since its original publishing, on CCMH’s ABA program and available transportation, and correcting how head injuries and autism can be mistaken for drug use.
Santori's Corner Gasoline Spill
I’ve cut together the overhead video and photo released by Superior Search and Rescue, and compiled information that has been released through the Portage Health Foundation, on behalf of the Hancock Fire Department.
What we’ve heard so far
I’ve cut together the overhead video and photo released by Superior Search and Rescue, and below is compiled information that has been released through the Portage Health Foundation, on behalf of the Hancock Fire Department.
From Portage Health Foundation at 3:23 p.m., Thursday:
Around 8 a.m. a gasoline tanker tipped over at Santori’s Corner on US Highway 41 in West Hancock. The tanker immediately started spilling gasoline. It was carrying about 8,500 gallons. There have been no injuries caused by the accident and spill. Drinking water has not been affected.
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD), working in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), issued a public health advisory for the Portage Canal near Houghton/Hancock due to the fuel spill that discharged into the Portage Canal in Houghton County.
Evacuations: West Hancock from Santori’s Corner on South Lincoln Drive (Highway 41) to Michigan Street, Michigan Street up to Elm Street and down to the Jutila Center, and Minnesota and Ohio Streets between Ethel Avenue and Michigan Street.
Traffic Detours: Through traffic is requested to use alternative routes, with northbound traffic asked to follow M-203 toward McLain State Park and southbound traffic asked to take Airport Park Road through Dollar Bay. This is especially true for tractor-trailers. Local traffic is open, and White Street in Hancock is currently open to two-way traffic because of the incident. There is a potential it will be closed overnight, possibly affecting the morning commute.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), and Region 8 Hazmat Team are on scene to advise on cleanup efforts. Various contractors are on-site and on route for cleanup efforts.
Due to the petroleum release and the heavy equipment operating in the area, residents are requested to avoid the area if possible.
From PHF at 5:53 p.m., Thursday:
Late this morning, the tanker was emptied of the remaining 1,960 gallons of gasoline.
U.P. Environmental Services out of Bark River arrived on the scene around 4 p.m. to remove the remaining standing gasoline that had been kept on Santori’s Corner by berms built by the Hancock Fire Department, Hancock Department of Public Works, Superior Sand and Gravel, and B&B Construction. That work is still being done to clear the scene.
Around 5 p.m. the tanker was put upright and removed from the scene.
Air monitoring is in progress in the surrounding area by Mannik & Smith Group and TriMedia Environmental & Engineering.
From PHF at 8:17 p.m., Thursday:
There will be another update coming around 9:30 p.m. with the hope of announcing that evacuated residents will be able to reoccupy their homes tonight.
The Western U.P. Health Department is providing guidance to residents who will be reoccupying their homes with the assistance of the fire department.
Highway 41 will remain closed overnight into the morning. It is likely the highway will not be open for traffic until Saturday.
Beaches along the canal will remain closed until further notice.
Due to the petroleum release and the heavy equipment operating, residents are requested to avoid the area if possible.
From PHF at 9:34 p.m., on Thursday:
The Hancock Fire Department is lifting the evacuation order that was in place. Residents are encouraged to return home.
The Western U.P. Health Department, with assistance from the Hancock Fire Department, provided printed guidance to residents who will be reoccupying their homes.
Air monitoring will continue to take place over the coming days.
Due to the petroleum release and the heavy equipment operating in the area, residents are requested to avoid the area if possible.
From PHF at 8:09 a.m., Friday:
Highway 41 at the scene of the spill is being remediated and replaced today. It is still hoped the road will reopen Saturday.
Access to The Tire Shop has been restored. Customers can access it through North Ethel Avenue.
Drinking water has been and continues to be safe.
Detours remain in place. As a reminder, through traffic is requested to use alternative routes, with northbound traffic asked to follow M-203 toward McLain State Park and southbound traffic asked to take Airport Park Road through Dollar Bay. This is especially true for tractor-trailers. Local traffic is open, and White Street in Hancock is currently open to two-way traffic because of the incident.
Beaches along the Portage Lake Shipping Canal remain closed until further notice.
Due to the petroleum release and the heavy equipment operating in the area, residents are requested to avoid the area if possible.
The next update will likely come when the road is opened.
From PHF at 5:44 p.m., Friday, on behalf of the Houghton County Office of Emergency Measures:
In response to the gasoline spill, there has been absorbent boom material around the outlet of the storm sewer line into the Portage Canal. Petroleum from within that boom area has been and continues to be safely removed for proper disposal.
The gasoline sheen on the water has been monitored from the shoreline, from the air via drone and plane, and from the water via boat since noon on Thursday. Air monitoring has been conducted along the shorelines of the canal. The ongoing monitoring of the sheen – size and location – has shown that the sheen has been naturally dissipating over the last 24 hours, especially east of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge.
The recommendation of both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) is to continue to monitor the gasoline sheen as the sunlight continues to aid in its evaporation. That is expected to continue into next week, depending on the weather. Mechanical methods of surface recovery used with heavier oils are not effective with the gasoline sheen. Chemical methods of removing the gasoline are not allowed on the Great Lakes.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been overseeing and conducting air monitoring in the community. All levels in the community are safe. The only areas where gasoline compounds continue to be found are the storm drains and work areas.
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD), working in conjunction with the EPA, EGLE, and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), has updated the public health advisory for the Portage Canal following the recent fuel spill in the City of Hancock. The Portage Canal may reopen for recreational boating, fishing, and body contact swimming as long as the public avoids any areas with visible fuel sheen.
There is no update to the time frame for Highway 41 opening to traffic again.
Due to the heavy equipment operating in the area, residents are requested to avoid the area of the spill if possible.
PHF announced at 9:50 a.m. on Saturday, on behalf of the Houghton County Office of Emergency Measures, that U.S. 41 reopened. Ethel Avenue remains closed while crews continue to flush the storm sewer.
Water sheen monitoring photos, courtesy of Superior Search and Rescue, via PHF, from Friday, June 25:
Parcel split, collective bargaining agreements, thanking Rachel Lankton, upcoming public hearing
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Houghton City Council, June 23, 2021
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Meeting Highlights
During City Manager Eric Waara’s report, he covered ongoing construction and beautification projects in the city, an update on pier funding, and possible futures for the city center building.
During the Police Chief’s report, he gave an update on calls and accidents, officer training, and the department’s work toward upgrading their body mics and in-car cameras.
Among other things under “New Business” on the agenda, the board approved a parcel split of “Lot D” of the proposed future development along Canal Road.
They also voted to approve new collective bargaining agreements with the Department of Public Works and police unions, as well as an updated agreement for non-union and non-contract employees.
The board also reviewed the Personnel Committee’s review of Waara’s performance. He got a raise.
The council also scheduled a public hearing for a rezoning ordinance for parcels of land along Canal Road near the mouth of Coles Creek for their next meeting, July 14.
And finally, they honored former Councilor Rachel Langkton with a round of applause and cake to go around.
Students offer expertise in managing invasive species
I got out to the park Saturday afternoon and found students from the Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area presenting publicly about their work, how they do it, and why it matters.
Budget approval, archaeological survey, and upcoming millage renewal
Meeting Highlights
During the city administrator’s report, City Manager Mary Babcock informed the council of the first farmer’s market of the year (with a new fish vendor), the new sign on Quincy Green, Friday night’s first Canal Rock event (with the potential for a food vendor), the Memorial Park dedication, and the zoning ordinance review committee.
Babcock also highlighted the upcoming recreation millage renewal.
A tri-fold brochure about the recreation millage renewal produced by the City of Hancock.
The commissioners discussed an old resolution that had been tabled which opposed the expansion of the county jail in favor of investing the money in programs that would instead reduce the use and need for a jail. It was ultimately tabled once again.
During the preceding public comment, one person had stood up to briefly support the resolution against the county jail expansion.
The resolution to adopt the 2021-2022 budget passed with one dissenting vote from Councilor William Lytle.
The 2nd amended version of the 2020-2021 budget passed similarly.
After the meeting, I sat down with Councilor Lytle to give him a chance to explain his choice to dissent.
“My dissenting vote about that police budget is not a reflection of the performance of our officers,” Lytle said.
He said it’s not really a reflection of the national discussion around policing either. He said it’s more about the consistent and ongoing growth of the police budget year over year and referenced the compliance and accountability documents on the city’s website, which shows growing police expenditures over several years.
A part of the City of Hancock’s budget reporting documents.
A part of the City of Hancock’s budget reporting documents.
The public hearing for the 2021-2022 budget was quiet.
The council also unanimously approved the proposed agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for an archaeological survey at the business and technology park that is in development.
McBroom on election security, wind turbine discussion, and WUPHD presents about the New Points program
Houghton County Commissioners meeting, June 15, 2021
I meant to record the full video, but I’m afraid that due to a technical SNAFU, I missed the first fifteen minutes. Most of what happened during that time was routine, but if you’re interested, we’ll have to get the recording from someone else. My apologies. Here’s the rest of the meeting, with documents, notes, and video bookmarks following.
The county administrator, after months of pressure, finally posted some actual documents as part of the information packet. It’s fairly complete, but there are still a couple of things left out of it. One thing left out was a correspondence the board received from the Michigan Press Association lawyer, at my request. Since the county didn’t choose to share this with their board packet, I’d like to share it with you. I had it sent to the board of commissioners after May’s regular meeting. More about this letter and my work for transparency in Houghton County in The Inside Scoop, the editorial and opinion section I’m debuting this week that will be the paid portion of Late Edition in the future.
Meeting Highlights
Senator Ed McBroom attended the meeting via Zoom from his office in Lansing to talk about the commission investigating election irregularities and possible fraud. The commission, which he is the chairperson of, is expected to release their full report next week. He specifically addresses Mike Lindell’s supposed evidence during the meeting. At least one person still requested a forensic audit, possibly privately funded, before the meeting ended.
You can watch the entire presentation he gave, but he gives shorter, clearer answers while taking questions.
Comments from the public got quite heated during the discussion of the development of wind turbines in Adams and Stanton townships. People commented on their concerns about the longevity and effectiveness of the turbines, the impact on the local lifestyle and tourism industry, and the damage to property values and the environment.
The commissioner’s response, particularly Commissioner Tom Tikkanen, was similar to that in Baraga County during the L’Anse Township wind turbine issue. It’s a zoning issue, and zoning is handled by townships, cities, and villages. Permits are granted based on whether a planned project adheres to existing strictures, not the government or public’s opinion. Tikkanen did encourage opponents of the turbines to do everything within their legal rights to stop the turbines.
Representatives from the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department presented about the New Points Program, a ‘syringe service program’ or needle exchange that was recently established locally within the department. The response they received was not positive. At the tail-end of the meeting, one person proposed “reducing” the health department.
New Points program presentation
During Kate Beer’s report on the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department and local COVID-19 cases and deaths, Commissioner Tikkanen asked some clarifying questions about the expiring pandemic restrictions. While most are expiring on July 1, MIOSHA rules will remain for employers and employees.
Tom's questions, Kate's answers
The commissioners unanimously approved Resolution 21-10, which was not on the agenda or in the board packet posted on Friday. (I’ll attempt to acquire a copy of the resolution to follow up). It sold a portion of Houghton County land to the Copper Island Academy. The entire discussion lasted less than 30 seconds.
Editor’s note: Resolution 21-10 is in an updated version of the board packet posted to Houghton County’s website before the meeting. It’s now also available here.
The commissioners also unanimously approved a tax millage increase of .2268 mills, the summer property tax levy, and to establish an “Enduring Gifts Funds Program” to accept charitable donations on the county’s behalf.
Commissioner Tikkanen offered an update on the 5th Street fire cleanup and recovery. He included an effort to “dispel some rumors”, including saying there was no insurance on the buildings lost in the fire.
During the airport manager’s report from Dennis Hext, he made an interesting observation about the availability of rental cars this year, with a “word to the wise” recommending early reservations.
New programs rising to meet young people’s mental health needs
Local school are implementing tiered systems of support to address the needs of school kids early on.
Tiers of mental and emotional support for students from kindergarten up
A survey of parents conducted by the University of Michigan found that 16.5% of youth between the ages of 6 and 17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016, but about half of those estimated 7.7 million children went untreated.
In much of Houghton County, there is an overlapping and growing network of programs designed to address the mental health issues of youth as early as possible. They don’t meet every need, but several are newly implemented and seeing positive results even during a tumultuous time.
Many schools are also focusing on mental health supports for students without impairments, or any illness or acute needs at all, too. The idea behind these new programs is to support a student’s mental health needs, starting from basic social support and potentially scaled up to 1-on-1 therapies, as necessary.
Multi-tiered Systems of Support
This is based on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and is being rolled out through the Michigan Department of Education and locally through the intermediate school district. MTSS was launched to take a more proactive approach to identify students with greater needs by first taking a schoolwide approach to basic mental health supports. The program is optional.
“School districts can choose whether or not they have tiered levels of support for students in the schools,” Natalie Morgan said.
Morgan is the mental health services coordinator with the Copper Country Intermediate School District.
Not every school district is involved with MTSS. If districts choose to participate, they create a local team that works with Morgan or another CCISD “coach” to develop and execute the details of their MTSS program.
All students in participating districts are screened and school data is assessed three times throughout the school year. Tiers of support can be escalated to meet an individual or group of student’s needs. Parental involvement is also emphasized.
“We try to have as much communication with parents as we can,” Morgan said.
Sometimes the school can call meetings between a student’s parents, teachers, mental health provider, and even an administrator if necessary, but there are other, positive steps taken first.
“Every student throughout the school gets the tier one supports,” Morgan said.
Tier one - School-wide, foundational work to create a generally structured and supportive atmosphere for students.
This can look different in different schools and classrooms. The structure element comes from the expectations of behavior and conduct.
“So the things that are in, like the student handbook,” Morgan said.
Rather than simply having these posted or distributed, the teacher takes time to teach what the expectations of behavior are.
“Then tier two supports are for those students who just need a little extra boost of those tier one expectations,” Morgan said.
Tier two - Group-level interventions that might include a special reading group or study hall.
These groups can offer some students some extra assistance toward catching up with peers on schoolwork or offer social-emotional learning lessons.
“So that could be friendships, it could be talking about empathy,” Morgan said.
After seeing a lot of missing homework in their data, Baraga High School recently had a homework catch-up day that allowed students to catch up on homework.
“They didn’t tell the students about it at first…” Morgan said. “The percentage of homework completion that was done was like, through the roof.”
Tier two might also include regular 1-on-1 check-ins with teachers throughout the day.
“And it’s not, you know, a 10-minute conversation,” Morgan said. “It’s ‘thanks for sitting down and getting your pencil out right away’ kind of thing.”
Tier three - Individual interventions for students who might need support like 1-on-1 counseling.
“We have a whole range of students who are referred for services,” Morgan said.
Sometimes a student can be referred because of truancy or problem behavior in class, other times it can be because of something that happened at home.
“So it kind of depends on what the school is seeing and how they assess that situation,” Morgan said. “And then a lot of times it’s a referral to services here. To the ISD.”
The CCISD has two full-time and two part-time clinicians to meet referred students with mild to moderate needs. Students with extremely high needs can be referred to Copper Country Mental Health or served by CCISD staff under Project AWARE.
Sessions are usually once a week for 30 to 45 minutes.
Project AWARE
A new program to the area, this program is launched with federal grant dollars from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
“We technically started it in like January, maybe February of this year,” Morgan said.
Along with some money toward supporting youth mental health treatment, it also funds money toward public education and fighting the stigma surrounding mental health treatment.
One program under this umbrella is Youth Mental Health First Aid. The training is for people like youth pastors, team coaches, and other people who regularly interact with youth.
“It can be employers if they’re an employer that employs youth,” Morgan said.
The training helps someone recognize if a youth is struggling with something and get them any needed support.
DEFINING TRAUMA - A quick sidebar
Trauma is often thought of as something that occurs after a violent or sudden event, like a fire, car crash, or physical abuse.
“It can be that car accident or that one event that happened that’s traumatic,” Morgan said.
But it could also be a divorce or death of a close family member or mentor. There are also complex traumas like generational drug and alcohol abuse or poverty.
“When a traumatic experience happens it can shift how your brain absorbs information,” Morgan said.
The traumatic experience becomes a lens through which the entire world is filtered.
“We see that in soldiers who come back from war,” Morgan said. “If they hear a door slam it can trigger their brain into thinking that is, you know, a gunshot or an explosion of some sort.”
For children, different things can be experienced as traumatic.
“We’ll work with students who have adults in their life who have identified a traumatic experience that the student went through,” Morgan said. “We’ll start working with them and they don’t see it as traumatic.”
When that’s the case, Morgan said they don’t pressure the person to see it as a traumatic event. She said it all depends on how the individual is internalizing an experience. If a person feels it is traumatic, and that memory is impacting how they perceive and react to the world, then therapists work to help them.
Therapy under Project AWARE is with Morgan as a therapist and Andy Kalcich or Allie Richmond, CCISD mental health services specialists, for skill-building. Therapy is where a student might work through trauma or practice mindfulness techniques. In the skill-building portion of their work, they talk about things like what coping skills they use, and each’s respective effectiveness for that individual.
Capturing Kids’ Hearts
Capturing Kids’ Hearts is a program launched by the Flippen Group that also relies on some of the same PBIS science in MTSS, but involves more intensive, direct training for the adults in a school than the state has dedicated for MTSS. CKH particularly focuses on building strong relationships between the students and adults within a school.
Calumet, Laurium and Keweenaw Elementary School recently launched their program locally with grant assistance from the Portage Health Foundation, and this year they were recognized nationally as a model school. It’s only the second year they’ve participated in the program. The selection process includes a direct evaluation as well as surveys from students, parents and staff.
“But the biggest thing to hang our hat on,” Julie Giachino said, “is just the culture we’ve created for these children and staff.”
Giachino is the assistant principal at CLK Elementary School, and one of the school’s first participants in the Flippen Group’s 2-day training. She described the culture transformation as “magical.”
Students are individually greeted as they enter the school building and classrooms.
“You’re engaging that student and finding out--What are their needs, right now?” Darren Kinnunen said.
Kinnunen is the social worker at CLK Elementary. He said a student isn’t going to learn well if they have distractions like needing breakfast or having lost something important to them, or other personal issues. These initial, immediate check-ins are a way to discover those needs and address them before they lead to bigger issues during instruction.
Photo provided by Julie Giachino
One of the first things a class does together at the beginning of the year is create their shared social contract.
“It could be viewed as your set of rules,” Giachino said.
The group develops the classroom rules for the year together, with the teacher leading a discussion about how the students want to be treated, and how the teacher should be treated. Involvement in the process empowers kids to check in on each other, as the rules are shared, rather than just the teacher’s own.
“So anytime there’s conflict or anything in the room… we always go back to that social contract,” Giachino said.
The school staff also develops one for themselves at the beginning of the year. In kindergarten classrooms, they call it the ‘classroom promise’ to keep the vocabulary understandable to the young students.
Two examples of social contracts developed at CLK Elementary this year. The one on the left is from a kindergarten classroom, the one on the right is the staff social contract. Photos provided by Julie Giachino.
Kinnunen said that some instruction time is lost to these extra interactions, but by eliminating distractions and stress students can focus more on academics. He said that Horizons Alternative High School has found more classes are being completed since they’ve started spending time implementing Capturing Kids’ Hearts.
“Once you have their heart, their minds are open,” Giachino said.
The concepts of CKH are along the same guidelines at Tier one MTSS supports. The program also dovetails with other programs CLK Elementary has enacted in the last couple of years.
KINGS Time
Through each week, the CLK Elementary School’s social worker, Kinnunen, spends 40 minutes with each class talking about things like problem-solving, developing empathy, understanding your own emotions, and social interaction.
“Some kids are maybe getting it at home, right?” Kinnunen said. “Just because of the household that they have. Some kids aren’t getting it.”
It also helps Kinnunen build a rapport with the kids so that if they come in to see him about an individual problem, they already have the basis of a mentor-mentee relationship.
“For me, it’s just a great opportunity to connect with kids,” Kinnunen said.
These social classes are also very similar to some Tier two MTSS supports, but enacted across the entire elementary school rather than targeted.
Therapy Dogs
Benny the therapy dog and Matt Hampton, CLK Elementary principal. Photo by Joshua Vissers
The CLK district currently has five hypoallergenic therapy dogs that spend their days at the schools. Two are in the elementary school. Sometimes they’re scheduled to be in classrooms, other times they’re in one-on-one meetings.
“He even comes in here once in a while for some of our parent meetings and he’ll jump over there on the chair,” Matt Hampton, CLK Elementary School principal, said. “It really not only puts students at ease but also puts parents at ease.”
Right now the new dogs are training with Hampton and waiting for programs to restart after the pandemic. The dogs that have been in the building longer went through Pet Partners training.
“It’s been a great success for us,” Kinnunen said.
Handle With Care
CLK Schools have coordinated with local police in this state program to increase their awareness of what students are experiencing outside of school.
“We recognized that there are some students in our district that may have been affected by just, trauma, in their life,” Kinnunen said, “and that maybe we weren’t picking up on some of that.”
Kinnunen would sometimes find that students in his office had major events happen in their lives that the school staff was completely in the dark about.
In the Handle With Care program, if police encounter schoolkids when on a call, they inform the school; not of all the details, but simply that the student may be tired from lack of sleep, distracted in class by something that happened, or need extra support temporarily.
“Depending on the circumstance, it might just be a check-in and not really talk about what happened last night,” Kinnunen said. “But just to say ‘Hey, how are you doing?’”
It’s a simple program, conducted via email, and Kinnunen highly recommends it to other districts.
Copper Country Mental Health
In addition to assisting schools with many of the above programs and being directly involved with Project AWARE, Copper Country Mental Health also provides several independent programs.
“We provide a whole array of services, as required by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services,” said CCMH Executive Director Cari Raboin.
Much of their programs are paid for through Medicaid, which sets a severity condition on the treatment they can offer and requires them to follow other MDHHS rules, too.
Independent referrals go through NorthCare Network. Most children need a parent or legal guardian involved, but there are some limited services available without parental consent to those over the age of 14.
Leslie Griffith is the outpatient program director at Copper Country Mental Health, but spent 17 years of her career focused on early childhood and youth treatment, a segment of the population she says are particularly underserved.
CCMH considers youth to be prenatal to age 21.
Griffith wrote in an email that the goal of youth intervention programs is to reduce problematic behaviors and symptoms to ultimately have “a decrease in functional impairment”. Functional impairment is simply the barriers or limitations an illness places on carrying out a person’s daily life.
Services can be paid for through some private insurance, Medicaid, or MiChild insurance, according to Griffith. Charges are also income-adjusted.
“I’m concerned that people aren’t calling us who are eligible for our services,” Raboin said.
She said anyone in doubt of their need or financial assistance eligibility should call 1-888-906-9060 for a screening.
Parent Support Partner
PSP is a program to help parents with training and support to be caretakers of children with serious emotional disturbances. The goal is to move families to independence from counselors and other interventions through training in how to directly participate in the treatment process.
Youth Peer Support Services
This program pairs youth with a young adult to offer advice and support.
Wraparound
This program helps coordinate the supportive adults in the orbit of a child who has serious emotional disturbance to have a team approach in managing the necessary support. The program is especially effective for those involved with multiple institutions.
A variety of education and training programs.
Dial Help
A local organization originally established to address addiction, Dial Help now offers a variety of support services.
Crisis Line
To talk to someone about available help and resources in the community, Dial Help keeps someone available around the clock. They offer specialized youth services and can make referrals to other experts.
Call: 1-800-562-7622
Text: 906-356-3337
Dial Help supports the local Communities That Care initiative, which uses an evidence-based prevention model to address youth substance abuse, delinquency, and mental health. The organization relies heavily on volunteers.
Pandemic’s impact on youth mental health
“There’s definitely been some ups and downs,” Morgan said.
One of the positives, according to her, is that insurance companies and other institutions have come to recognize the value and effectiveness of teletherapy, which is conducting therapy sessions via video conferencing.
“Some of those students who have been virtual, we’ve done virtual sessions with them,” Morgan said.
She said more people have been able to participate in meetings virtually, too.
On the other hand, the distance has created some problems, too.
“If a student doesn’t want to meet, they just don’t log on,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the pandemic exacerbated the anxiety and depression some students they see were already feeling.
“So it’s just being able to recognize that and really working with students on different coping skills and things that they can use to kind of help get through this,” Morgan said.
The CCISD staff has been approved to keep meeting with students into the summer.
At CLK Elementary, the challenge was how to continue connecting with students when schools went virtual. CLK Elementary was only closed twice in the last school year, both in the fall, but the staff said switching back and forth was difficult.
Social contracts and regular greetings continued, but the venue changed.
Kinnunen said that they tried to maintain what schedule consistency they could so that students could develop new habits.
“We’re all creatures of habit, right?” he said. “Anytime there’s a shift, it just throws your system.”
Kids that didn’t show up for classes got calls from paraprofessionals and other staff from the school to check in on why.
The change to virtual learning also presented some students with issues finding both devices and internet access to participate. Different solutions were found for each, with the Portage Health Foundation assisting with establishing wifi hotspots, too.
Struggling to meet community staffing needs
“It’s mostly just qualified therapists to provide the services,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the CCISD has been fortunate in their hiring, but other ISDs in the UP have struggled just to find qualified people to fill those positions, and keep them there.
Currently, the CCISD has a small staff serving several school districts, with more joining the MTSS program. Morgan said more support from within the individual school districts would be very helpful. Social workers in schools, like Kinnunen, are beginning to be more common.
“If we could have, you know, be able to provide a social worker in every school, that would be phenomenal,” Morgan said.
Griffith wrote that there are “certainly” unaddressed needs in the community, but that families with higher income have access to private practitioners.
Raboin also said staffing is an issue. CCMH covers a four-county area with a small staff that has to be able to do many different things.
“Our staff really have to be jacks of all trades,” Griffith said.
Frequent turnover makes keeping well-trained people on the job difficult. The geographic differences across the state aren’t always accounted for in the requirements they’re placed under, and encouraging needed people to move to the area isn’t always easy, either.
Social workers and therapists have specific educational requirements that have to be met as well. Raboin said CCMH has found success using remote teletherapy for their patients, as then therapists can be non-local.
Houghton City Council tentatively approves triathlon proposal
Houghton City Council regular meeting, June 9, 2021
The full video of the council meeting is below, as well as a link to the agenda and information packet. A brief description of the meeting with links to bookmarked parts of the video is also included.
The Houghton City Council gave tentative approval to a triathlon honoring Verna Mize that was proposed during the public comment section.
Public hearings for the annual budget and capital improvement plan were mostly uneventful.
City Manager Eric Waara’s report to the council included updates about ongoing projects in the Public Works Department (they’re busy), ongoing construction in the city (it’s going to be a while), the flags in Veteran’s Park (they’re fine), the miner statue’s restoration (it’s back!), and more. As usual, he concluded with 10 good things in the city.
Police Chief John Donnelly reported on local police activity. He said the arrest and citation numbers were getting back to what they were before the pandemic.
The items under ‘New Business’ were all approved, including matching funds for new fire department equipment.
During the councilors closing comments, Councilor Mike Needham asked for an update on the pier construction project. It’s moving forward, but the timeline is getting tight.