Another inmate from Michigan’s female prison died on Thursday, the Michigan Department of Corrections reported, becoming the fourth female inmate to die at the facility plagued by complaints of poor conditions since May.

Dalephenia Jones, 62, of the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility died at Trinity Health Hospital about two weeks after correctional officers found that she needed medical assistance in her cell, the department said.

“As this was an unexpected death, the department will be investigating the events preceding Ms. Jones being sent to the hospital and will provide information on the result of those investigations when they are complete,” Department of Corrections spokeswoman Jenni Riehle said in a statement.

More: Family of woman who died at Michigan women’s prison calls for reform

Three prior deaths at the women’s facility led 30 state lawmakers on May 19 to urge the resignation of Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington, citing a history of problems at the state prisons under her leadership.

The prison has recently been under fire over its conditions. A state House oversight committee heard testimony in February from prisoners, advocates and former staff who testified about the conditions, including mold and a lack of medical care, similar to complaints that have risen since the two women’s deaths.

The prison’s warden, Jeremy Howard, was put “temporarily on personal leave,” the department said earlier this month.

Washington and other health care leadership have been onsite regularly at Women’s Huron Valley since the other deaths occurred in May, Riehle said.

On June 19, Huron Valley corrections officers took Jones to the facility’s health care area after finding her conscious but in need of medical assistance, the department said. The health care staff requested outside emergency medical services, the department said.

Emergency technicians determined that “Jones was having a cardiac event and she was taken into surgery after arrival at the hospital,” Riehle said.

No other specifics were given about Jones’ condition during the 14 days following surgery or the cause of the cardiac event. But Riehl said Jones “had multiple documented chronic medical conditions for which she was being offered medical treatment as part of a chronic care plan,” some of which potentially increased the risk for cardiac events.

Jones was sentenced in Wayne County to life in prison in 1994 at the Huron Valley facility.

“The department continues to take meaningful actions at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional, and other facilities, to improve the health and safety of incarcerated individuals,” Riehle said.

Riehle maintained that the department has sent “experienced clinical leadership from across the state” to the facility and that it is “hiring additional full-time medical staff, developing a new healthcare staffing plan with enhanced nursing management, improving communication, among other action items that provide additional supports.”

The concerns about the facility began after Khaira Howard, 28, died May 14 in a medical observation cell at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Howard’s parents are calling for reform at the Ypsilanti facility and for answers about their daughter’s death.

Rebecca Fackler, 57, another prisoner, died May 17. Both Fackler and Howard reportedly died after they were denied medical care, said two attorneys handling civil cases for loved ones of the two women.

In early June, Ashley Hoath, 36, died at Trinity Health Hospital several hours after being transferred out of the prison’s medical unit, Riehle said.

(FOX 9) – Some Minnesota state parks in southern Minnesota have been closed due to flooding ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.

Flooding impacts state parks, trails

What we know:

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), two Minnesota state parks are closed after heavy rains brought flooding to the southeastern part of the state. 

Beaver Creek Valley State Park is currently closed due to floodwaters obstructing park roads and a damaged bridge. 

At Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, the Mystery Cave Unit is closed, and cave tours are canceled. The Forestville side of the park and its campgrounds are not affected by flooding and are currently open. 

The DNR advises no travel on the Root River State Trail due to flooding causing washouts and mudslides. The damage hasn’t been fully assessed, and visitors are asked to check for posted safety signs. 

All trails in Snake Creek and Trout Valley Recreation Areas in the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest are closed. 

For more information, click here. 

What we don’t know:

It is not known when the parks and trails will open again. 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted Thursday to begin an effort to restore the once-grand Federal Reserve building on Grand Avenue in the city’s downtown.

The council approved an ordinance that directs KCMO City Manager Mario Vasquez to begin the receivership process “for the vacant nuisance property known as the former Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.”

The building closed in 2008 and neglect followed the closure, according to a docket memo to the city council that lays out problems with the building.

You can read the docket memo below.

A developer bought the site in 2013, and the city approved a financial incentive deal in 2016 for the developer to build a 284-room hotel, a 450-space parking garage and a 40,000-square-foot family entertainment center.

The cost of the development was estimated at $182 million, but after investing $42 million in asbestos removal and interior demolition by April 2021, no other progress has been made on the project.

In 2022, the current developer got a temporary restraining order to avoid foreclosure after a default notice “alleging failure to maintain property insurance, unpaid property taxes, and outstanding mechanic’s liens,” according to a docket memo.

KSHB 41 News reached out to Alicia Brady, an Iowa-based photographer whose work includes photographs of the building’s decay.

Courtesy of Alicia M Brady, Urban Alicia Photography

“I was thrilled to learn that the mayor came across my post and photographs and that they helped spark action toward getting the former Federal Reserve building back on track for rehabilitation,” Brady said in an email to KSHB 41 News. “As someone who has been documenting abandoned and historic buildings since I was 15 years old, it’s incredibly rewarding to know that my work may have played a small part in preserving such an important piece of Kansas City’s history.”

KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on LinkedIn about Thursday’s council action.

“Since 2008, the old Federal Reserve Bank building has sat empty, left open to the elements, vandals, fires, neglect and decay,” Mayor Lucas said. “ No more. We’re taking action to ensure accountability from property owners and new life in this tower in the heart of our downtown.”

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