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Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; the importance of healthcare decision planning; and a debt dilemma: poll shows how many people wrestle with college costs.

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Civil rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump, and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

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Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

What Does Bird Flu Mean for You?

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Thursday, June 11, 2015   

LANSING, Mich. – With news that the deadly bird flu, which already has killed millions of poultry and captive birds, has been confirmed in Michigan, experts say extra vigilance is needed to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Katie Ockert, a 4-H animal science educator at Michigan State University Extension, says anyone who deals with birds, including the many Michiganders who raise backyard chickens, needs to take special precautions.

"Making sure to wash your hands before and after you interact with your birds,” she advises. “Having one set of clothing and footwear to go and care for your animals in, and that doesn't get worn anyplace else, and is washed often."

Michigan is the 21st state to report cases of the H5N2 flu strain, which has a very low transmission rate to humans. However, Ockert cautions that anyone who sees wild birds that are dead or appear ill should not touch them, and should contact the state's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Because of the outbreak, Michigan officials have cancelled all of this year's poultry and waterfowl exhibitions statewide, including county fairs, swap meets and petting zoos.

Ockert says while this is a disappointment to the thousands of children in programs such as 4-H, it's also an important real-life agriculture lesson.

"We're figuring out ways that youth can still be involved through a little less traditional methods, but we're really trying hard to salvage what we can," says.

Ockert adds that there will be alternate forms of judging experiences for those who raise birds for exhibition, and that plans are still in the works for raised poultry that is typically sold at market following fairs, such as broiler chickens and turkeys.





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