Celebrity News January 17, 2016
Cher Pledges Support, Free Water to Flint, Michigan
Us Weekly reports that Flint, Michigan — which has been supplied with lead-contaminated water since 2014 — has a surprising new ally in Cher.
The legendary performer, who made waves earlier on social media by attacking Michigan's governor over the debacle, is teaming up with Icelandic Glacial to donate 181,440 bottles of water to the city.
In a statement released Saturday, Cher said:
"This is a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it's happening in the middle of our country. I am so grateful that Icelandic Glacial has come on-board to help the city of Flint. I cannot wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned because the water they've been getting out of their taps has been polluted for so long and remains that way without the state or federal government stepping in with any substantial plan to resolve this problem."
The water will be sent starting Monday, January 18, and any recycling money from the bottles will go to area food banks.
The city's water supply was contaminated when the city went from using water from Lake Huron to using water from the famously polluted Flint River to save money. Lead entered the drinking supply from the pipes that were used, but no problem was acknowledged until over a year later.
