Rina Miller

Bugged by your neighbor's pesticides? Registry would require notification of spraying

Rina Miller — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:14:32 +0000

Lots of people are fussy about their lawns: no weeds, no bugs allowed.

But the chemicals used to maintain a perfect lawn can make some people sick.

Michigan has a registry for people whose doctors say they shouldn't be exposed to pesticides. The registry requires lawn-care companies to notify those people before applying pesticides close to where they live.

The week in review: Michigan's budget, Medicaid expansion, and selling the DIA's artwork

Jack Lessenberry and Rina Miller — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:00:00 +0000

This week in review, Rina Miller and Jack Lessenberry discuss the highlights of the Michigan’s budget, whether Michigan’s Medicaid program will be getting an expansion, and whether the Detroit Institute of Arts will be forced to sell some of its collection in order to pay off the city’s debts.

Michigan’s budget

The state budget is on time for the third year in a row, but it is not finished.

Don't be a slouch: You'll hurt yourself

Rina Miller — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:02:00 +0000

Remember how your mother told you to "sit up straight?"

Well, she wasn't picking on you. She was right.

Medical experts say poor posture can be hazardous to your health -- and to business.

Two-thirds of people who work at desk jobs suffer from neck, shoulder and back pain, says Lisa DeStefano, who chairs Michigan State University's Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine.

That pain leads to about $3 billion loss in worker productivity every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"We need to line our head and trunk up over our pelvis," DeStefano advises. "It will help decrease the amount of strain on our neck and shoulder muscles."

Agritherapy plants the seeds of healing

Rina Miller — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:00:00 +0000

There’s a new kind of healing happening at a Michigan hospital. The prescription includes seeds, soil, sun, and water.

It’s a hot, humid day, but there’s a nice breeze blowing through a hoop house at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Hospital. That’s a greenhouse that can be used almost all year long.

It’s like walking into an oasis.

There’s a waterfall that flows into a small pond where a few koi live.

The week in review: Mackinac Policy Conference, Schauer runs for Governor, and the Ambassador Bridge

Rina Miller and Jack Lessenberry — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:30:00 +0000

On Saturdays, Michigan Radio's Rina Miller checks in with our political analyst, Jack Lessenberry.

This week, Lessenberry attended the Mackinac Policy Conference.

He says one of the takeaways this year is that the business community is happy with the state's direction.

Ann Arbor man to run for governor

Rina Miller — Thu, 30 May 2013 17:33:26 +0000

An Ann Arbor man says he plans to run for governor as an Independent Progressive.

Robin Sanders is a Michigan corrections officer who served in Vietnam and in Desert Storm. He has also worked as a union lobbyist.

Sanders believes Michigan could shore up its budget by keeping business in the state.

"I've seen the tendency of government to outsource in the form of third-party contracts that actually sends billions of dollars out of our state to other states and other countries, for that matter," Sanders says.

U-M looks at better treatments for prostate cancer

Rina Miller — Mon, 27 May 2013 16:11:00 +0000

A new study at the University of Michigan is looking at why hormone-based treatments stop working for some men with advanced prostate cancer.

About 50 percent of men with prostate cancer have what's called a gene fusion that may cause some treatments to stop working, says Dr.Maha Hussain, a U-M professor of medicine and urology who is a co-leader for the prostate cancer program.

"We found out that potentially the fusions, if they occur in a patient, may likely be more responsive to newer forms of hormone treatment."

U-M, St. Joe collaborate on senior care

Rina Miller — Mon, 27 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

The University of Michigan Health System and St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor are working together to improve care for patients age 70 or older.

The Acute Care for Elders (ACE) unit is housed on the tenth floor of St. Joe's East Tower.

It's one of the few in the country that will follow a model of care intended to help older patients recover from illness or injury.

Mind your potty manners in the pool

Rina Miller — Sat, 25 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

You've probably seen those funny signs in backyard pools that say, "We don't swim in your toilet, so please don't pee in our pool."

Well, it's not a joke.

Martha Stanbury is with the Michigan Department of Community Health. She says if pools aren't properly maintained, they can make you sick.

U-M doctors use 3-D printer to build life-saving device

Rina Miller — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:00:00 +0000

An Ohio baby is likely alive today because of the collaborative ingenuity of two University of Michigan doctors and their teams.

Kaiba Gionfriddo has a condition called tracheobronchomalacia -- a blockage of the airway to the lungs. The condition affects about 1 in 2,200 babies born in the U.S. Many grow out of it by the time they’re two or three years old. Sometimes the disorder is misdiagnosed as asthma.

Kaiba stopped breathing every day, and his parents, April and Bryan Gionfriddo, were told their child would probably not survive.

Detroit event will swap weapons for groceries

Rina Miller — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:07:46 +0000

A groceries-for-guns exchange is set for Saturday in Detroit. People who turn in an unloaded gun will get a $50 grocery gift card.

Gerald Acker is a partner in the Southfield law firm Goodman Acker, which is sponsoring the event. He says they want to do something about gun violence.

Things that go boom in the night? Maybe not

Rina Miller — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:50:12 +0000

When Michigan relaxed its fireworks laws last year, some people took things too far. Now lawmakers may make some changes.

The idea of the original law was to give municipalities more flexibility in the sale and use of fireworks.

It was also meant to bring fireworks sales revenue to Michigan.

No property taxes for disabled vets? It could happen

Rina Miller — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:09:12 +0000

Some Michigan veterans who have been classified as 100 percent disabled because of an injury could have their property taxes eliminated under a measure proposed in the State Senate (SB104).

State Sen. Glenn Anderson, D-Westland, says the vets would be restricted to 200 percent of the poverty rate to qualify.

"Theoretically, the very highest compensation someone might be receiving could be in the $40,000 to $45,000 range," Anderson says. "But they're going to have additional expenses if they're 100 percent disabled."

Flint's emergency manager tries to sell Santa and his reindeer

Rina Miller — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:23:06 +0000

When Flint's emergency manager put the city's Santa Claus display up for auction, some local residents decided that was going too far.

Melodee Mabbitt says her hometown doesn't need more bad news, so she and her husband bid $150 for the jolly old elf, his sleigh and four reindeer that sit atop Flint's city hall during the holidays.

The comma problem

Rina Miller — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The comma may be a very small punctuation mark, but people often have very strong feelings about how it should, and should not be used.

On this edition of "That's What They Say," host Rina Miller and University of Michigan Professor Anne Curzan discuss the Oxford comma, semicolons and breaking rules.

Listen to the full segment above.

The week in review: Expanding Medicaid, teacher union dues, schools in money trouble

Jack Lessenberry and Rina Miller — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:05:00 +0000

This week in review, Rina Miller and Jack Lessenberry discuss a bill to expand Medicaid, how school districts will no longer collect union dues from teachers, and the financial trouble with Buena Vista and Pontiac schools.

Software firm offers free classes for military veterans

Rina Miller — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:05:47 +0000

Military veterans who have a background in engineering or manufacturing can brush up on their skills with free training from a Detroit-area software company.

Siemens Product Lifestyle Management in Livonia is one of 22 locations across the country offering the classes.

Michigan House Dems pursue tighter restrictions on gun ownership

Rina Miller — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:43:30 +0000

A trio of Democratic lawmakers says the state needs to revamp its gun laws.

A law proposed by Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing, would expand gun-free zones to include libraries and disallow open carrying of firearms in public buildings.

Another measure introduced by Rep. Vicki Barnett, D-Farmington Hills, would strengthen mental health services by requiring parity with other medical services.

Exercise: Good medicine for arthritis, depression

Rina Miller — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:33:36 +0000

You know the old joke, "Doctor, it hurts when I do this?" and the doctor says, "Well, don't do that?"

That's not the case when it comes to arthritis and physical activity.

About two million Michiganders suffer from arthritis. According to state health officials, a sedentary lifestyle can make arthritis worse -- and make you more vulnerable to depression.

"People with arthritis pain do worry about whether those activities will exacerbate pain, and that can be a demotivator for them certainly in getting started," says Annemarie Hodges, who's a public health consultant in the arthritis program at the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Will vanilla frosting make a rat's behind look big?

Rina Miller — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Let's say you're a rat and someone gives you the option of eating vanilla frosting instead of boring old rat food.

If you're a female rat, you're probably going to eat that frosting -- six times likely more than males.

It's no secret that eating disorders are more prevalent among women than men, but new research from Michigan State University finds that might be caused by biology -- not just emotions or social pressure.