Advocates Sue Flint Over Poisoned Drinking Water

“That’s in addition to increasing awareness of the 211 action line, which will quickly connect residents with the assistance they need”, Murray said.

“His tone was one of remorse and regret and I took that to be genuine”, he said.

Snyder and staff did not speak to reporters.

The city was thrust into the national spotlight after researchers found some Flint children had elevated levels of lead in their blood.

“We’re focused on protecting the health and welfare of Flint residents, especially children and young adults who might have been exposed to lead”, Snyder said in a statement.

Defendants in the case are state Treasurer Nick Khouri, Flint Administrator Natasha Henderson and members of the Flint Receivership Transition Advisory Board, which is guiding the city’s transition from state control under an emergency manager to democratic control under Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and the Flint City Council.

The cash-strapped city was reportedly hoping to save $5 million over two years by drawing water from the Flint River beginning in April 2014 rather than continuing to buy it from nearby Detroit.

Brooks, who first spoke at a public meeting, also called for a federal investigation by the Justice Department and the creation of a victims’ fund.

The state is also asking the federal government to expand Medicaid health care eligibility to cover all Flint-area residents up to 21 years of age and provide Medicaid match dollars for lead abatement activities.

Snyder’s time in office has been trademarked by uplifting bumpersticker slogans.

NAACP President and CEO Cornell Brooks drew a direct connection between Flint’s socioeconomic factors and the toxic drinking water.

Cincinnati has 16,000 lead service lines, which represents 7 percent of the city’s total lines.

Tests have shown high lead levels in some children after the switch.

In the comments section, activists said that officials only checked a Flint address for people with identification – which some pointed out could mean an individual does not even need to reside in the city.

Meanwhile, the crisis has attracted the attention of the United Nations, which is “looking at the human implications closely”, according to Baskut Tuncak, a UN expert on hazardous substance and waste.

Councilwoman-at-Large Lisa Sarty asked if there was a way for the water testing results to be posted on the city’s website, similar to the way microcystin-lr in Lake Erie’s algal blooms is tested for nearly daily in the summer and posted online when results are available.

It’s the latest of a number of task forces and investigations into the causes of the pollution and how to make things right for Flint.

Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof said Tuesday that “duplicating efforts is not very helpful”.

Snyder also announced Wednesday that a close adviser, Flint native Rich Baird, would run a new state office in Flint.

Meekhof suggested Schuette should pay for the outside investigators with existing funds and not ask the Legislature for additional money.

“People are wondering what is happening in Detroit and Flint, why are they going through this?”.

CrowdRise fundraising campaigns for Flint have raised more than $400,000. Lead, a malleable and affordable metal, has been used for water pipes since the Roman period.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has named a special prosecutor and investigator to look into possible crimes in the crisis.