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Lester Graham
Reporter, The Environment ReportLester Graham reports for The Environment Report. He has reported on public policy, politics, and issues regarding race and gender inequity. He was previously with The Environment Report at Michigan Public from 1998-2010.
He has been a journalist since 1985. Graham has served as a board member of the Public Radio News Directors Inc., and also served as President of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association. He is a member of the Radio-Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), Society of Professional Journalists and other professional groups.
Lester has received 15 first place national awards for journalism excellence and scores more at the national, regional, and state levels.
Contact Lester: graham@michiganpublic.org
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Dow is getting $120 million and tax exemptions as part of a package from the state of Michigan that Governor Gretchen Whitmer says will protect 5,000 jobs.
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AmeriCorps has created a Forest Corps as part of a larger effort to combat the effects of climate change.
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Michigan gets a $129 million US EPA grant to assist local governments and tribes in siting, zoning, and permitting utility-scale renewable energy projects.
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Hotter days make heat exhaustion a greater hazard for kids. Hotter days also can mean more ozone pollution and that leads to lung impairments. Unusual weather events, particularly storms that cause flooding, add stress to children's lives.
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services trumpets improvements noted in a follow-up audit from the Office of the Auditor General, but said the OAG's report was a disservice to the public.
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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is using a couple of roving robots on tracks to sift through the sand on beaches, cleaning up debris.
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A University of Michigan study looked at data from more than 25,000 participants to see if long term exposure to air pollution had effects on elderly people's health. It found even those without chronic diseases from air pollution needed assistance from family or professionals for everyday living.
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After legal challenges from environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to reconsider its decision to not protect the Kirtland's snake under the Endangered Species Act.
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Michigan has a pilot program to restore a large wetland area to reduce fertilizer runoff from getting into Lake Erie because it feeds toxic cyanobacterial blooms that spread in the western basin each year.
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Federal money coming for trees in urban areas, but will local residents have a voice in the process?The U.S. Forest Service is promoting its second round of funding for planting trees in urban areas. Tackling the inequity of how government has not included local communities in discussions about planting trees in their neighborhoods is a priority.