edenville dam

What to know about COVID vaccines, especially if you’re pregnant or have small infants in your life. Also, Eastern Michigan becomes the latest to cut ties with some foreign universities. Then, the Third Place music festival returns to Washtenaw County. Plus, new views on your favorite fresh water: cartographer Alex Hill’s book, "Great Lakes in 50 Maps."

In May 2020, the Edenville and Sanford dams in mid-Michigan failed following heavy flooding. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate, and many homes were destroyed. A formal investigation followed, and the disaster has since led to an ongoing lawsuit seeking to hold the state of Michigan accountable for what happened.

Dam rebuilding is moving forward in Midland and Gladwin counties after a legal appeal against the project’s financing was denied, but some still say there needs to be a better way to fund these kinds of projects.

In this episode of Stateside, the rebuilding of the Edenville dam begins, but residents are the ones footing the bill and lawsuits have been filed. And we celebrate the 100th birthday of Malcolm X.

On May 19, 2020, parts of Gladwin and Midland counties were flooded after two dams failed after days of heavy rain. The state of Michigan is being sued for damages tied to the floods.

After a group of homeowners in Midland and Gladwin counties appealed a prior state court decision, the Michigan Supreme Court denied their request for relief from a special assessment. The assessment would increase taxes for local property owners during the ongoing restoration of four dams that failed in May 2020.

A group of Midland and Gladwin county property owners are fighting a special assessment to pay for rebuilding dams that failed in 2020. They claim the assessment places an "unfair burden" on them.

The Three-judge panel is promising to quickly issue an opinion

The Edenville and Sanford dams failed in 2020. The dam failures also left many lakefront property owners without lakes.

To restore the dams, Midland and Gladwin county commissioners last month approved a local assessment. But many property owners claim the assessment devalues their homes and will drain their savings.