By Rachael Gleason
Nove. 23, 2009
It doesn’t take a weatherman to find perfect Great Lakes kite-flying conditions. This interactive map lets you know exactly what to expect.
Windfinder integrates wind and wave data from weather stations into maps for surfers, sailors and kite flyers around the world. The Web site has data for at least a 100 Great Lakes locations. Colored arrows show wind direction and strength; click them for forecasts.
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By Emily Lawler
Nov. 22, 2009
LANSING, Mich. — Look for more car pool lots in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the 2010 state road map.

By Vince Bond Jr.
Nov. 21, 2009
LANSING, Mich. – Even as the state strives to transition to a green economy, recycling doesn’t appear high on residents’ to-do lists.
Michigan recycling rates have fallen by 28 percent in the last 10 years — dropping from .36 tons per resident in 1998 to .26 last year, according to a report by Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants. In contrast, Michigan’s 72 percent landfill rate is second only to Ohio among Great Lakes states.

(MN) Minneapolis Star-Tribune - Over the next two years, the eight-mile stretch of Nine Mile Creek running through Hopkins will be transformed from a muddy drainage ditch into a pretty, meandering stream.

Haley Walker
Nov. 20, 2009
James Jiler says the more time prisoners spend in the garden, the less likely they are to repeat an offense.
The author and activist has spent years advocating for the benefits of prison horticulture, including making inmates more marketable when they get out.
“People are less likely to go back to prison if they come out of it with an education,” Jiler said. “I want them to go home with a skill, and find a purpose in life that is better than making license plates, and learning how to …

(IN) The Post-Tribune - More than a dozen stakeholders commented on U.S. Steel’s 2009 draft wastewater permit for Gary Works on Wednesday night at Indiana University Northwest in Gary.

(MI) The Mudpuppy - Results from a second round of samples collected from the Midland, Saginaw and Bay City water supplies show “no dioxin or furan contamination,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials say.

By Sarah Coefield
Nov. 19, 2009
The best medicine for diseased deer is the business end of a rifle, according to wildlife experts managing the species. And it’s inoculation time.
With hunting season in full swing, conservation officials across the Great Lakes region are relying on hunters to thin the massive herd and slow the spread of disease.

(MI) Traverse City Record-Eagle - Temperatures 64 feet beneath Grand Traverse Bay are warmer than those that will greet some locals on their front porch this week.

(OH) The Toledo Blade - By tightening the rules on private septic systems, state health and environmental officials hope to prevent a repeat of a bacterial outbreak here that caused 1,400 people to have stomach cramps and diarrhea in the summer of 2004.