Climate

Michigan tourism preps for a colder winter

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By Victor Wooddell

Capital News Service

The 2023-24 winter was the warmest on record in the U.S. with average temperatures throughout the state above freezing, with close to average precipitation, according to the National Weather Service. Data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center shows that average daily maximum temperatures in the Midwest were several degrees above normal between December 2023 and February 2024. But this year may be different. The outlook for Michigan for the 2024-25 winter is for increased precipitation and lower average temperatures than last year due to an expected “La Niña” effect, the National Weather Service says. A La Niña is when cold water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean affect the weather across the continental United States.

Land

Fraudsters face sentencing in fake green energy venture 

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By Georgia Hill

Two men who admitted conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud await sentencing for cheating 22 investors out of more than $2 million from June 2016 to April 2018. Former Pittsburgh resident Jonathan Freeze and Kevin Carney of Euclid, Ohio, have pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh. Freeze, Carney, and a third defendant, Robert Irey, who died after also pleading guilty, created a business called Alternative Energy Holdings to use investments from their victims to build plants that would convert biodegradable waste into renewable energy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the department, they promised high rates of returns to prospective investors who made short-term loans. The three defendants assured those investors that they would use all of the loan money for the company.

Land

Students at Michigan State and Wisconsin win EPA funding for environmental health innovations

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By Isabella Figueroa

Student researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin are among the winners of an Environmental Protection Agency contest for innovations in sustainability. Muhammad Rabnawaz, an associate professor of packaging at Michigan State, brainstorms with his team

The EPA established the People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition to support teams of undergraduate and graduate students working to develop solutions to environmental and public health challenges. The latest round of grants, announced in September, provided around $100,000 each for teams that previously received up to $25,000 from the agency for promising projects. Michigan State’s team is working to create more sustainable materials for disposable cups, takeout containers and other single-use items. Today many of those products are made with microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” due to their extremely slow breakdown in the environment. The team is developing fiber-based and paper packaging that works as well as plastic without using harmful substances.

Land

Lawmakers plan bills to protect Michigan sand dunes

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Michigan’s towering freshwater sand dunes make up a one-of-a-kind natural resource and the largest collection of freshwater dunes on the planet. But environmentalists say the state’s legal protections are vague and leave the beloved dunes—and homes nestled among them—vulnerable to shortsighted development. A pair of West Michigan lawmakers seek to solve these problems with planned legislation to protect the state’s most sensitive dunes. The bills apply to areas that the Legislature designated as “critical dunes” in 1989. “They found that certain dunes were a unique, irreplaceable and fragile resource that provides significant recreational, economic, scientific, geological, scenic, botanical, educational, agricultural and ecological benefits,” said Emily Smith, land and water conservation policy manager at the Michigan Environmental Council.

Land

Industry opposition, partisan politics slow polluter-pay bills

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By Elinor Epperson

Capital News Service

It’s been one year since Michigan Democrats introduced legislation that would significantly change the state’s environmental regulations. But those bills are stuck in committee. Election distractions, negotiation, and a slim Democratic majority in the state House have kept a suite of polluter-pay bills in limbo, according to environmental advocates and one of the  sponsors. Polluter-pay laws hold businesses financially liable for contamination they cause. Lawmakers introduced the bills a year ago, but they haven’t made much progress since.

Land

Efforts to bridge digital divide expand in Michigan’s rural areas

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By Donté Smith

Capital News Service

The digital divide remains a pressing issue for Michigan’s rural communities, where broadband access lags due to challenging geography and limited infrastructure. Jason Hamel, the operations manager and product assembler for Hower Tree Baler Corp. in Merritt, says current dial-up connection speeds in the area “aren’t worth it.”

“It was much faster to sit by a window to try and pull something up on our phone than it was to use our dial-up connection,” said Hamel. “Spectrum’s high-speed internet has streamlined things and improved our workflow.”

Spectrum, the nation’s leading rural internet provider, has focused its efforts in areas like Merritt and Cadillac, where connectivity gaps are common. The company recently expanded its reach to 34,000 homes and businesses across Michigan in 2023, aiming to bridge the divide through targeted rural construction projects, says Mike Hogan, the senior director for public relations in the company’s Great Lakes Region.

Land

Animal shelters struggle with challenges

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By Victor Wooddell

Capital News Service

Animal shelters in Michigan are at capacity, even while facing staff and resource shortages. According to experts, more animals are being abandoned and too few pet owners are having their animals spayed or neutered. In 2020, adoption rates soared due to pandemic-related stay-at-home orders across the country, according to an article in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Medicine. A study by the American Humane Association found a dramatic increase in the rate at which previously adopted animals are being returned. Shelter directors in Michigan say that results in long waiting lists for kennel space and more abandoned animals, with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic making the situation worse.

Land

An uncommon wildfire season is exceeding averages 

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By Gabriel S. Martinez

Capital News Service

An unusually busy fall fire season in Michigan has produced more than double the seasonal wildfires originally anticipated so far. About 100 prescribed burns are scheduled on both state and federal land for next year to help reduce damage from future wildfires. According to the state Department of Natural Resources, dry debris is the main cause of wildfires this year, contributing to about 58 more wildfires and 255 more acres burned in September and October than the usual fall average. Jeff Vasher, a DNR fire specialist, said the lack of moisture is a factor in the high number of wildfires. The Ottawa National Forest in the Upper Peninsula reported that the Summit Lake wildfire, started by dry wood underneath the forest floor on Oct.

Land

Steam railroad takes passengers on journey through time

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By Donté Smith

As the crisp autumn air settles over Michigan, the gentle chug of steam engines echoes through Coldwater. The Little River Railroad, a historic steam railway, invites passengers to step back in time for a ride filled with charm and nostalgia. It’s one of 55 steam locomotives in the state, 15 of them still operational, according to Steam Locomotive Information. Among their other locations are Owosso, Benton Harbor, Buckley and Monroe, Dearborn, Lake Linden and Skandia. Heather Kaiser, a stoker for the Little River Railroad, shared the story of the locomotives that power these rides.

Beth Hudson, a left below-knee amputee, can enjoy one of her favorite pastimes, cycling, with her modified tricycle that has a small motor activated with a throttle. Image courtesy Beth Hudson
Land

Disability rights advocates ask Mackinac Island to allow Class 2 e-bikes

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By Gabrielle Nelson

The only things that rival the popularity of bikes on Mackinac Island are horses and fudge. M-185 stretches around the island, hugging the coast with a clear view of Lake Huron’s crystal blue waters. The 8.2 miles is a perfect bike trail because it boasts a unique feature: It’s the only state highway in the country with no motorized vehicles. And that includes e-bikes that riders can operate without pedaling by engaging a throttle. To preserve the no-motor tradition, Mackinac Island placed a ban on throttle assisted e-bikes, but is now facing backlash from e-bike users who say the ban discriminates against people with disabilities who can’t use the iconic road.