Bird moving ban has some worried swimmers will be itching for relief
by Eli Newman (Bridge Michigan) Duncan Lawrence saw the full ramifications of cercarial dermatitis — better known by its dreaded nickname “swimmer’s itch” — after his grandchildren experienced the allergic reaction firsthand at his cottage near Roscommon. The three school-aged kids came out from playing in Higgins Lake and within hours were pockmarked with little red welts […]
Michigan Dreaming Bucket List: Staying in a lighthouse is fun, but work, too
Laura Herberg (Bridge Michigan) The current Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse on Michigan’s Thumb opens for public tower climbs a couple times a year. But, as volunteer assistant lighthouse keepers, Donna and Dennis Phillips get to go places where the public isn’t allowed. Normal visitors have to stop short of the part of the lighthouse tower […]
Great Lakes scientists discover new lifeform microbe, name it ShipGoo1
by Emilio Perez Ibarguen (Bridge Michigan) When a team of scientists and sailors studying Lake Erie algae blooms docked their ship in Cleveland last autumn, they expected a short stop to fix a noisy rudder. Instead, they discovered a new life form aboard the research vessel R/V Blue Heron. Grease that oozed from the rudder […]
Michigan gives boost to summer boating with $3.8M for local marina projects
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Just in time for summer, several Michigan communities are receiving state funding to upgrade their public boating facilities and expand recreational boating opportunities. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced this month it has awarded $3.8 million to 11 communities for a dozen projects, including dock upgrades, marina repairs, engineering studies and […]
Michigan officials made Minnesota shooter list. Some want home address shield
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) Michigan lawmakers are considering changes to state disclosure laws to hide the personal addresses of elected officials in the wake of an alleged politically motivated weekend shooting in Minnesota. Authorities say the suspected shooter, who killed a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband after injuring two others at their homes on Saturday, had […]
Iconic whitefish on edge of collapse as Great Lakes biodiversity crisis deepens
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) LELAND — Locals and tourists alike flock to The Cove restaurant for Great Lakes whitefish, served 10 ways with a view of the docks where fishermen have hauled in Lake Michigan’s bounty for nearly two centuries. “Why get something else?” said Bob Hasse, a lifelong Michigander who visits the place […]
Fact check: Kristi Noem, Trump allies warn of ‘northern border crisis’ at Michigan event
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and fellow Trump administration officials are “not letting our guard down” at the US-Canada border, she said Friday in Michigan. “Many more” transnational gang members are now attempting to cross into the country’s northern border amid ramped-up security at the southern border with Mexico, she […]
Abandoned Michigan cemetery unearths history of segregation — even in death
by Astrid Code (Bridge Michigan) YPSILANTI – Historic preservationist Kat Slocum walked across an empty field at the end of a dead-end road, poking a thin, rubber-tipped pole into the scruffy grass and overgrown brush until she hit something hard. She and volunteers dug carefully around the area until a headstone emerged. Sophronia Brock 1900-1961 […]
Michigan nears tornado record
by Jenelle D. Jamesn(Bridge Michigan) A tornado that touched down in Macomb County on Wednesday afternoon was the 29th in Michigan this year, the highest number since 2001. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado struck Fraser just after 1 pm Wednesday near Kelly Road between 14 Mile and 15 Mile. The 29 tornadoes recorded so […]
Back from DC, Michigan GOP leader backs Medicaid, food assistance cuts
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall is “very supportive” of proposed federal spending cuts on Medicaid and food assistance despite the potential budget implications for the state, he said Wednesday following meetings in Washington with members of the Trump administration. “I’m not convinced that the Whitmer administration is doing all of […]
