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Hegseth’s vaccine policy backfires with flu outbreak

An influenza outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas has sickened almost 160 people in the past few weeks and might have even killed one person going through basic training. If it wasn’t already clear why Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to eliminate the military’s universal flu vaccine mandate was an exceptionally bad idea, it should be now. Hegseth announced the policy change in April, and since then, fewer than half of Air Force trainees have opted to get the shot. The vaccine does not provide perfect protection, but it reduces infections, lessens the severity for ...

Teens play an important role in region’s workforce

About 252,500 Michiganders ages 16 to 19 are expected to participate in the labor market this summer, with more than 207,000 projected to be employed, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Industries employing the teens include retail, hospitality, food service and recreation, among others. Employers have an opportunity to do more than fill seasonal positions, Susan Corbin, director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, says in a news release. By creating meaningful early career opportunities for young workers, employers ...

A week to celebrate our native pollinators

The Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin play host each year to a wide variety of native pollinators — but not as many as there once was, experts say. Which is why the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources encourages Wisconsinites to help these important species during Pollinator Week, which started Monday and extends through Sunday, and year-round as well with a few simple lawn care habits, volunteering and supporting endangered resources funding. Most of Wisconsin’s pollinators are bees — the state has more than 400 native species, including 21 bumble bee species — ...