Category Archives: State & Region

Crash involving horse trailer occurs on I-275 near Will Carleton Road

Posted by The Huron Hub | April 3, 2023 – 11:55 PM EST

A crash involving a horse trailer occurred late Monday morning on northbound I-275 near Will Carleton Road in Huron Township.

Reports state that a horse may have died as a result of the crash.

It is unclear what other injuries may have occurred during the crash.

Traffic delays are currently expected in the area of the crash.

Check back with The Huron Hub for updates to this story.


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Statewide tornado drill scheduled for Wednesday

(Photo/Pixabay)

Posted by The Huron Hub | March 21, 2023

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared March 19-25 as Michigan’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, and the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) is calling on residents to act by participating in a voluntary statewide tornado drill at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22.

“We are approaching the anniversary of the deadly EF3 tornado that devastated the city of Gaylord last year,” said Capt. Kevin Sweeney, deputy state director of Emergency Management and commander of the MSP/EMHSD. “It serves as an important reminder to take steps now to prepare and create a plan to protect your home, your family, and your pets.”

According to The National Weather Service, the state of Michigan averages 15 tornadoes each year. “This drill gives people a chance to make a plan and put it to the test, so we are all better prepared when a disaster strikes,” Sweeney said.

Businesses, organizations, families, and individuals are encouraged to engage in this statewide preparedness activity but are not required to do so. During the drill, residents will observe or hear alerts on TV and radio stations, as well as outdoor sirens in their community if the local emergency management agency is participating. Contact your local emergency management agency to learn how local alerts are administrated in your community and if your community is participating.

The average lead time for tornadoes to develop is 10 to 15 minutes, which means residents need to be ready to react quickly when a warning is issued.
To be ready for a tornado:

  • Know the difference: tornado watch means conditions exist for a tornado to develop; tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.
  • Know the signs of an approaching tornado: dark, often greenish sky; large hail; a large, dark low- lying cloud; and a loud roar, like a freight train.
  • Stay tuned to commercial radio or television broadcasts for news on changing weather conditions or approaching storms.
  • Develop an emergency preparedness kit with essential items such as a three-day water and food supply, a NOAA Weather Radio, important family documents, and items that satisfy unique family needs.
  • Identify a safe place in your home for household members and pets to gather during a tornado.
  • Make sure everyone understands the tornado warning system in your area.
  • Engage with your local emergency manager to find out if they are participating.

For wmore information about being safe before, during, and after a tornado, follow the MSP/EMHSD on Twitter at @MichEMHS or go to http://www.michigan.gov/miready.


Whitmer, Wayne State University announce free tuition program

Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined Wayne State University officials Monday to announce the Wayne State Guarantee. (Photos provided)

Posted by The Huron Hub | State & Region news | March 14, 2023

Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined Wayne State University officials Monday to announce the Wayne State Guarantee, a new initiative offering incoming Michigan students with family incomes of $70,000 or less a tuition-free degree with zero out-of-pocket expenses.

The program will begin in the fall of 2023 and cover the full cost of tuition and standard fees. This is made possible by the bipartisan Michigan Achievement Scholarship program, which Governor Whitmer signed into law in 2022, saving students up to $8,250 on their associate degree at a community college, up to $20,000 at a private college, or up to $27,500 at a public university.

“Students in Michigan deserve the opportunity to receive quality, affordable higher education,” said Governor Whitmer. “I’m proud to work with universities across the state to lower the cost of college for Michigan students and help them gain the skills to be prepared for the new and expanding businesses coming to the state. Last year, almost half of first-year students at Wayne State University had zero out-of-pocket expenses, with this initiative, the university is offering that opportunity to even more students.”

Who’s Eligible for the Wayne State Guarantee

-Incoming first-year undergraduates who are Michigan residents admitted for fall 2023 as a first-time undergraduate in a degree-program.
-Household income of $70,000 or less and assets of $50,000 or less as confirmed on the 2023-24 FAFSA.
-Michigan residents eligible for the Pell grant in 2023-24 are also eligible.
-Must be enrolled full time (12 or more credit hours per semester) each semester. Funding is for fall and winter semesters.
-WSU must receive your 2023-24 FAFSA by April 1, 2023, and be eligible to receive federal student aid.
-Must be admitted to WSU by April 1, 2023.

The Wayne State Guarantee covers the full cost of tuition and standard fees (matriculation, registration, and student service fees) with a combination of federal, state, and other WSU scholarships and grants. The award is renewable for up to four years, with the option to apply for a fifth year if the student is on track to graduate in that year.

Wayne State provides more than $350 million in financial aid annually.

“Wayne State has a long history of being a university of access and opportunity, and now our commitment to making a college degree affordable comes in the form of a guarantee,” said Roy M. Wilson, Wayne State University president. “We are excited to expand the opportunity for an affordable, world-class education to more Warriors. We are grateful for Governor Whitmer’s leadership in establishing the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and paving the way for Michiganders to pursue tuition-free higher education.”

Michigan Achievement Scholarship 

To make college more affordable for families, grow Michigan’s talent pool, and get the state closer to achieving its Sixty by 30 goal, the governor signed bipartisan legislation creating the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. This legislation builds on Governor Whitmer’s promise in 2019 to pass Michigan Reconnect and Michigan Opportunity Scholarships to reach the state’s Sixty by 30 goal of 60% of adults with a skill certificate or college degree by 2030. 

The scholarships are renewable for up to three years at a community college and up to five years at a private college or public university, totaling up to:

-$8,250 at community college
-$20,000 at a private college or university
-$27,500 at a public university


Eww: 3 to 6 inches of snow possible by Friday afternoon

The photo speaks for itself (Huron Hub file photo)

Posted by The Huron Hub | Thursday, March 9, 2023

The photo above says it all.

Winter continues in the mitten state as we wrap-up the week.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for all of southeast Michigan from 10 p.m. Thursday night through 2 p.m. Friday.

The National Weather Service in Detroit says a period of snowfall will begin early tonight and end early Friday afternoon.

The heaviest snowfall rates of a half inch to an inch per hour are expected to occur during the morning commute which would lead to reduced visibility and snow covered roads.

Snowfall will taper off in the early afternoon.

Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches are expected.

Plan on slippery road conditions during the Friday morning commute.


Detroit Metro Airport recognized as best in North America for customer experience

Provided photo

Press Release — posted by The Huron Hub, Monday, March 6, 2023

Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) has earned the 2022 Airport Service Quality Award for “Best Airport of 25 to 40 million passengers in North America.” Presented by Airports Council International (ACI), this recognition is one of the highest honors in the aviation industry. DTW shares this title with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The ASQ initiative is unique as the industry’s only global benchmarking program measuring customer satisfaction while passengers are still at the airport. Implemented at nearly 400 airports worldwide, this year’s results recognize the top 20% of airports in each category as selected by their passengers.

“Our entire team at Detroit Metropolitan Airport is responsible for DTW receiving this honor, our third ASQ Award since 2018,” said Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Chad Newton. “We’ve listened to customer feedback and developed action plans for improvement. Everyone played a role, including our Airport Authority staff, airlines, janitorial staff, Customs & Border Protection, TSA, concessionaires, and more. It’s encouraging to know our customers have noticed our efforts. We are grateful and remain dedicated to exceeding expectations at DTW.”

Customers rated DTW high for wait times at the security checkpoints and border/passport control areas, as well as the courtesy of the staff in those locations. Customers also acknowledged the increased and improved signage throughout the airport, high cleanliness standards, as well as various services.

“Putting the traveler at the center is more important than ever, and it is the way forward,” said ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira. “We are proud of the team at Detroit Metropolitan Airport for winning the Airport Service Quality Award. This shows that the whole airport community has come together to put the passenger first.”

Detroit Metropolitan Airport has been a participant in the ASQ benchmarking process since 2006. Prior to the 2022 award, DTW was recognized as best in North America in 2020 and 2018.


Glaab makes statement on behalf of CWW regarding Ohio hazardous waste shipments to Michigan

(File photo/David Glaab)

By Scott Bolthouse | The Huron Hub
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Posted Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Huron Township Supervisor David Glaab is the chairperson for Conference of Western Wayne (CWW).

This week he released a statement on behalf of the CWW regarding the shipment of hazardous waste from the Ohio train derailment to Republic Services in Romulus and to Van Buren Township.

“The Conference of Western Wayne represents nearly 730,000 residents who depend on us to fight for clean water and air. The safety of Wayne County families is our number one priority and that is why we support Romulus, Van Buren Township and Wayne County in their opposition to being the dumping ground for Ohio’s hazardous material. It is not a Michigan problem, and it must not become one,” Glaab said.

After news of the toxic waste shipment surfaced last week, a temporary pause was put in place.

According to Glaab, the CWW wants it to be much longer than that.

“While there has been a pause on the importation, we are calling on the EPA to publicly commit that there will be a permanent halt and that this hazardous material will never be sent to Wayne County,” Glaab said.

According to a report by the Associated Press, contaminated waste from Ohio began moving again on Monday.

The AP is reporting that some of the remaining liquid waste is going to a facility in Vickery, Ohio, for disposal in an underground injection well. Norfolk Southern is also shipping solid waste to an incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio.

Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency also announced that two new hazardous waste sites will receive some of the shipments — an incinerator in Grafton, Ohio, and a landfill in Roachdale, Indiana.

The CWW is an organization of 18 Western Wayne County communities that coordinates 9-1-1 services for its 730,000 residents and a 340 square mile region, according to the organization’s website.

CCW meets monthly to discuss issues such as legislation, transportation, public safety, substance abuse prevention, community and economic development, employment and the environmental health of the region.

CWW communities are the Cities of Belleville, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, Inkster, Livonia, Northville, Plymouth, Romulus, Wayne and Westland, and the Townships of Canton, Huron, Northville, Plymouth, Redford, Sumpter and Van Buren.



Ice storm wreaks havoc on region, causes power outages all across area


By Scott Bolthouse | The Huron Hub
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Posted Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 — 9:45 AM EST, Updated 10:30 AM

An ice storm glazed the region Wednesday night into Thursday morning, causing a major headache for residents everywhere.

The ice covered nearly every surface, especially tree branches.

Nearly 500,000 DTE customers are without power as of Thursday morning due to the storm.

DTE says they estimate that 95% of customers will be restored by Sunday.

DTE said: “Ice storms moved through Michigan overnight and extreme weather continues to affect our service territory. The trees and branches that fell due to the ice storms damaged our power lines and caused outages. Our Storm Response Teams, along with lineworkers from neighboring states, will continue to work around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.Please be safe and remember to stay at least 25 feet from any downed power lines — assume they are live and dangerous. Report any outage or downed line by clicking Report an Outage above.”

School districts across the region have also closed for classes today.

Huron School District closed Thursday due to icy conditions


Ice storm warning in effect until 4 a.m.

Ice freezes over on surfaces in Huron Township on Wednesday afternoon during an ice storm. (Huron Hub photo by Scott Bolthouse)

Posted by The Huron Hub | Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 — 6:45 PM EST

An ice storm warning is in effect for Wayne County through 4 a.m. Thursday morning.

Forecasters say moderate to briefly heavy freezing rain will persist through the rest of the evening before ending around or shortly after midnight.

Locations near Lake Erie will have less ice accumulations due to the influence of the lake.

Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact evening travel on the roads.

Total ice accumulations around a quarter inch are expected through the storm warning’s timeframe.

Prepare for possible power outages. Be aware of possible falling tree branches and power lines.


Overturned rail car in Van Buren TWP contained agricultural grain, police say

Photo source: Facebook

By Scott Bolthouse | The Huron Hub
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Posted Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 — 3:09 PM EST

Police in Van Buren Township say an overturned rail car contained agricultural grain, and that the remaining overturned rail cars were empty.

A rail car containing hazardous material was not affected by the derailment, police said.

That rail car contained liquid chlorine, according to authorities. Its contents were not exposed during the incident.

“The involved train had one railcar that contained liquid chlorine; however it was located away from the overturned section, and was part of the section of railcars removed first. There is no evidence of exposed hazardous materials,” a statement from Van Buren police said.

At 8:30 a.m Thursday morning, Van Buren Police and Fire Departments responded to a train derailment including approximately 30 rail cars between Martinsville and Haggerty roads, south of Huron River Drive.

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, and Wayne County Homeland Security have all been notified of the incident, and will continue to coordinate with Van Buren Public Safety and local officials.

Haggerty Road is now open. Huron River Drive West of Haggerty remains closed, and is expected to be re-opened to traffic this evening.

The investigation is active and ongoing. Updates will be made to the public as they become available.


Train derailment reported in Van Buren Township

HURON HUB FILE PHOTO

This story has been updated here

Posted by The Huron Hub | Feb. 16, 2023 — 9:30 AM EST

Van Buren Township Police are asking the public to avoid the area of Huron River Drive, between Martinsville and Haggerty due to a railroad derailment investigation.

Haggerty Road will be closed south of I-94, as well as Huron river Drive west of Haggerty.

Authorities say there is no evidence of leaking hazardous materials, and no injuries reported.

The investigation is active and ongoing, updates will be made as they become available.