June 17 2020 Your Source for Livonia Happenings
Partnerships for Progress Listening Tour aims to bring open conversation and active listening to the Western Wayne County region in light of ongoing protests and the horrific killing of George Floyd
FridayMusings is pleased that the Western Wayne County NAACP along with Western Wayne County Leaders are announcing a Partnerships for Progress Listening Tour. With Western Wayne County NAACP, local police and elected leaders working together to begin listening events to open a new dialogue between residents and law enforcement in light of ongoing protests seeking discussion and reform in our communities.

Livonia Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan posted on Facebook that "In announcing the Listening Tour it is hoped to bring open conversation and active listening to the Western Wayne County region in light of ongoing protests and the horrific killing of George Floyd."

Westland Mayor Bill Wild hosted the kick off event and Livonia will host the first listening session on June 24 at 6:00 pm at Clarenceville High School Auditorium.  Wayne County Commissioner Terry Marecki along with western Wayne County community leaders attended the kick off announcement.

To accommodate social distancing required due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event is limited to 100 people attending in-person, and PPE will be provided. Those wanting to attend in-person can access registration information at  www.c-w-w.org.  There are no restrictions on who can attend, but in order to ensure COVID-19 safety and compliance, you must be pre-registered.

For those who cannot attend, the events will be livestreamed via Facebook Live at  www.facebook.com/conferenceofwesternwayne

The meetings will include time for questions to encourage an all-encompassing conversation. Community members who register can submit proposed questions and/or statements in advance via the  C-W-W.org  registration page.

The events will be moderated by Daicia Price, LMSW, a member of the Detroit- Wayne County Crisis Intervention Team, which supports collaborative efforts to sustain more effective interactions between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

The goal is for community members to be able to ask police and elected officials questions, share stories and offer ideas for solutions and change. The Listening Tour meetings are an extension of ongoing discussions that recently began between Western Wayne police chiefs and the Western Wayne County NAACP.

“We realized that for far too long, many members of the community felt like they have not been heard by the elected officials and law enforcement in their communities. The recent killing of unarmed Black people and the resulting global protest says it is time to do something different,” said Gina Wilson Steward, Western Wayne County NAACP President.

Livonia Prayer Breakfast 45 year tradition is set to go digital this coming Monday, June 22nd

FridayMusings wants to pass along that the annual Livonia Prayer Breakfast a Livonia fixture for 45 years will live-stream its online worship, music event next Monday June 22 and you can be a part of it.

The Covig-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 in-person Livonia Community Prayer Breakfast last month. However, program chair Ken McMullen wasn't going to let a pandemic cancel this longtime event. This year's event - the 46th annual - is going digital.

At 8 p.m. Monday, June 22, local leaders and others throughout the country will be part of a livestream prayer, scripture and music event "The Heaven's Declare."

Speakers and participants include Chuck Gaidica, pastor and broadcaster; Frank Tanana, former Detroit Tiger; Joel Lindman, pastor of Bell Creek Community Church and Livonia Police Department chaplain; Pastor Kellie Whitlock of Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church; Livonia Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan, Livonia Chamber of Commerce President Dan West; pastor and author Dr. Tony Campolo and many others.

Ken McMullen, chair of the Livonia Community Prayer Breakfast, invites all to "join local leaders and guests in this prayer, scripture and music worship event for our communities, nation and world."

The Livonia Community Prayer Breakfast was initiated in 1975 be an ecumenical group of citizens. Its focus has been on bringing inspirational speakers to communicate positive, faith-filled principles that inspire people to think globally and act locally. It is a reaffirmation that people of goodwill, standing together, can transcend racial, geographic or cultural differences, and create unparalleled opportunities for community progress.

Congresswoman Haley Stevens Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Reduce Plastic Waste
Tuesday, Reps. Haley Stevens (MI-11), the Chairwoman of the House Science Subcommittee on Research and Technology, and Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16) introduced bipartisan legislation to reduce plastic waste and improve the global competitiveness of the United States plastics recycling industry.

The  Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act  directs the establishment of a plastic waste reduction and recycling research and development program, calls on the Federal government to develop a strategic plan for plastic waste reduction, and calls for the development of standards for plastics recycling technologies.

“We can no longer deny that we face a plastic waste crisis,”  said Congresswoman Stevens .

“In 2018, the U.S. woke up to the fragile predicament of our plastic waste management system. No longer able to ship our plastic waste to international markets, U.S. cities were forced to cut longstanding recycling programs. Instead, they had to resort to incinerating recyclables or tossing them in landfills. There are plenty of reasons for why and how we got here; however, a major factor is because we failed as a nation to invest in domestic recycling infrastructure and policies to account for the growing demand for plastic. As a result, today, the U.S. recycles just 9% of its plastic waste. The Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act will help develop a world-leading U.S. industry in advanced plastics recycling technologies, and unleash the innovative potential of our nation to address our plastic waste crisis and generate greater value from the plastics we do produce.”

In December 2019, Congresswoman Stevens  launched  the  Congressional Plastics Solutions Task Force , a coalition of lawmakers working together with state and local officials and industry representatives to facilitate investment in recycling technologies and promote education on plastics generation and recovery. As Chair of the Research & Technology Subcommittee, Congresswoman Stevens convened the first Science Committee  hearing  about recycling in a decade after hearing concerns about the long-term viability of  local recycling programs  in southeast Michigan.

The  Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act :
  • Directs the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish a “Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Program.” The purpose of the program is to improve the global competitiveness of the United States plastics recycling industry, ensure U.S. leadership in plastics waste reduction and recycling research, ensure U.S. leadership in national and international standards development, and reduce any harmful effects of plastic waste on the environment.
  • Directs the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish an interagency committee to coordinate the program and develop a strategic plan for plastic waste reduction and recycling and plastic waste remediation.
  • Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technologies to carry out research and provide the metrology basis for standards development for plastics recycling and related technologies, and to develop a clearinghouse to support dissemination of the tools, guidelines, and standards supported by the program.
  • Directs the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support research and other activities on advanced recycling technologies, plastic waste remediation, and the public health impacts of microplastics, among other topics.
  • Authorizes funding for 5 years and invests $85 million in fiscal year 2021 for these activities. Authorizes a 6.5% increase over the previous year’s authorization for each of fiscal years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.