The average American’s household’s leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year. To put this in perspective, this is the same amount of water needed to wash 270 loads of a laundry.

Wasted water is a problem that has been plaguing our nation for a while now. Luckily, the city of Detroit has come up with a plan that can hopefully stop water from being wasted all over the city.

This plan is a type of incentive program in which the city will reward homeowners who don’t use a lot of water and incur lower monthly water bills. The idea behind this strategy is simple — the less water used, the less the homeowners have to pay.

There would be a few tiers to this program, but the preliminary rate would be capped at 1,500 gallons of water a month. This is the minimum amount required by the United Nations for basic hygienic standards for a family of three. Any home that goes above this amount will have to pay a higher rate.

The rollout of this proposal comes on the heels of a water shut-off plan that happened all over the city of Detroit. The city ordered the water to be shut off because there was a water shortage, and while there were positive motivations behind the cuts, it sparked an outrage from human rights advocates across the city. A large legal battle ensued, and for the past year, there has yet to be a permanent solution.

Overall, this water subsidy plan could lower the water bills of about 90% of Detroit homeowners. Only 5% are expected to see an increase, and the remaining 5% would stay the same.

These block rates will be especially helpful for lower-income residents who are just at the brink of having their water shut off. This means they owe $150 or more in overdue payments, so hopefully, a cut in their water bill will help ensure their financial security.

According to the Detroit Water and Sewage Departments, this plan will hopefully be put into effect come 2018.

Researchers from Michigan State University have developed a potentially life-saving drug meant to fight against the spread of melanoma.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and this drug can prevent its spreading by up to 90%.

As of right now, the drug does not have a name and is at least two years away from entering clinical trials. But the discovery is groundbreaking considering the medicine’s unique ability to stop melanoma in its tracks. The man-made medication is composed of a small molecule compound that prevents a gene’s ability to produce RNA molecules, which are found in many melanoma tumors.

Not only will this drug be beneficial for those with skin cancer, researchers believe it can also help treat breast cancer. The medication is meant to target a specific pathway that is present in both melanoma and breast cancer cells.

“What we showed is we can very dramatically reduce the metastasis (the spread of cancer),” professor Richard Neubig, author of the study explained to Detroit News. “We think the potential is tremendous and are excited about the possibilities.”

According to the American Cancer Society, there are many different forms of skin cancer, but melanoma is the most likely to grow, spread, and become fatal. If the tumor or growth is caught early, the chance of death is only 2%. However, once it spreads and metastasizes, the risk of death rises to 84%.

Researchers began their study about 10 years ago, after noticing skin cancer was on the rise. They screened 2,000 compounds in order to try to find a compound that could block signal pathways in melanoma, as current drugs on the market are unable to block that deadly pathway known as Rho MRTF. After growing cells in a Petri dish, they found this specific compound was able to stop the movement of melanoma cells by 85-90%.

The study was published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. For the next step, Neubig explains that the team will now go on to study which patients will benefit most from this treatment, as some cancer patients don’t have this crucial signaling pathway turned on in their genome.
The development of this drug just goes to show that overall, skin care is changing, hopefully with risks such as skin cancer in mind. By 2012, the global market for skin care is expected to be valued at about 154 billion U.S. dollars.

Officials are coming together to help stop the current opioid addiction epidemic in its tracks. Heroin use is a growing problem not just in Michigan, but nationwide.

The statistics are painful. Over the past decade, the landscape of addiction has changed dramatically across the country. During 2012 there were over 259 million prescriptions written for painkillers, representing a 400% increase in prescription opioid use within 10 years.

Michigan police officers are taking small steps in order to help addicts in the state get help. Officials in Roseville have created a free addiction program called Hope Not Handcuffs that will soon be available in every police station in the greater Detroit area.

The idea is simple. Addicts can walk into any police station, hand over their drugs without fear of arrest, and police will have a “Rehab Angel” sit with them, give them advice, and secure them a room at a rehabilitation center.

It is an initiative sponsored by Families Against Narcotics and will be available to anyone, despite their insurance status. The goal is to provide quality care to everyone, and police are hoping that this program will provide an answer to those struggling with addiction who don’t know where to turn.

“If you walk in, we will get you help. You don’t have to pay for anything. If you have insurance, great; if you don’t, don’t worry about it. Come in; we’ll get you help,” says Roseville Police Chief James Berlin to Fox 2 Detroit.

The idea for this procedure came after Governor Rick Synder explained in his 2016 State of the State that heroin overdoses have more than doubled since 2009.

This is due in part to the high cost of prescription opioids while heroin can be acquired inexpensively.

Hope Not Handcuffs officially launched February 1.

Since 2000, efforts to fight malaria across Africa have been able to cut the rate of infections in half. Thanks to an ancient Chinese malaria remedy, the battle against tuberculosis (TB) could enjoy just as much success.

Telegiz reports that tuberculosis is a global epidemic and requires at least six months of treatments. Robert Abramovitch of Michigan State University believes that many tuberculosis patients end up giving up on the treatments because of the length of time it takes to effectively cure the disease.

“When TB bacteria are dormant, they become highly tolerant to antibiotics,” added Abramovitch, who is an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at MSU. “Blocking dormancy makes the TB bacteria more sensitive to these drugs and could shorten treatment times.”

Abramovitch’s study is published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-third of the global population is infected with tuberculosis; approximately 1.8 million people died from the disease in 2015 alone.

“TB is a global problem that requires new tools to slow its spread and overcome drug resistance,” Abramovitch added. “This new method of targeting dormant bacteria is exciting because it shows us a new way to kill it.”

Research must continue before any serious success is made, but Abramovitch and other researchers are optimistic that artemisinin will effectively block tuberculosis bacteria. International Business Times states that artemisinin could soon be repurposed for use on humans, but there would have to be resistance precautions.

If we used artemisinin, we would have to make sure that resistance to this medicine does not develop, as is the case today for some malaria patients,” Abromovitch added.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with the National Institutes of Health and Michigan State University’s AgBrioResearch, funded the research for the study. Other MSU researchers involved in the study include Benjamin Johnson, Huiqing Zheng, and Christopher Colvin, as well as researchers from the University of Michigan.

As the city of Detroit undergoes a massive transformation, a trio of yarn enthusiasts has found a fun way to celebrate their home city’s rebirth. Craft Lady Trio owners Lynn Cusumano, Martina Browning, and Patty Halan, who bought the Macomb yarn shop just over a decade ago, are launching an online yarn club called KYHO (Knit Your Hearts Out).

Starting in January, the program will deliver high-quality yarn straight to the doorsteps of people who may not otherwise have access — or who simply want a surprise project. Here’s how it works:

“Those who wish to join will have the option to choose a one-month, three-month, six-month or 12-month membership,” said Browning. “Prices range from $49.95 for one month to $419 for the whole year. Each month, members will receive yarn sufficient for a (one-skein) project, a link to download the pattern, a unique reusable project bag, and an extra surprise.”

To celebrate Detroit and Michigan, most of the yarn that comes in the packages are from small family-owned businesses, and either the pattern or the yarn itself will represent a place or event in the city or state.

“The first year begins with a celebration of the city of Detroit and all of its wonderful, historic and new venues worth visiting worth knitting about,” explained Browning. “Places such as the Grey Ghost Restaurant, Belle Isle Park, the Renaissance Center, and Campus Martius Park are just a few of the inspirations members can look forward to learning…about.”

Projects will include fingerless mittens, cowls, scarves, and hats, and the skill level will vary, as will the types of knitting needles (there are three basic types: “pin” style, double pointed, and circular). However, the shop will offer two-hour help sessions for members who need assistance or additional tools and equipment.

Knitting clubs are, of course, nothing new, and neither are monthly subscription boxes. In fact, while search engine queries and email are the two most popular Internet activities across the globe, more and more consumers have been using the web to find subscription box services over the past year.

Businesses have begun to take advantage of what some people are calling the “Dollar Shave Club phenomena,” responding to consumer’s desire for convenience.

“The value proposition is just too good for people not to try,” explained James Gagliardi, VP of Strategy and Innovation at Digital River. “Distilling those elements outside Dollar Shave Club to any replenishment products — set it and forget it — is a key aspect of having success with subscription services. People who take advantage of these types of services feel like they’re members of a club rather than subscribers.”

He went on to explain that “the curation that many of these programs offer appeals to people who are open to experimentation, who want something outside the norm and who are willing to pay for some expertise — Barkbox for a variety of things for your dog; Unboxed Love for date night in a box; and even curated clothing services.”

These types of services are particularly popular among young people, which is precisely the audience Craft Lady Trio is looking to engage with.

“The future of hand knitting and crochet is in the hands of the young people of today. With (Club) KYHO, we can, hopefully, reach a larger audience and not only tempt them with unique yarn and patterns, but encourage them to create,” said Halan.