Friday, July 23, 2021

Man found at base of Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock died by suicide, police say - Police have determined that a man who fell from Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock jumped from the top intentionally…The man in his 40s was found at the base of the iconic rock formation at about 9:15am Wednesday..It was initially unclear how the man fell, but police say a suicide note penned by the victim has been found since… The man's name is being withheld at the request of his mother and father…

Here are Michigan’s warmest water beaches for the weekend - Need a warm beach this weekend?...M-Live says this time of year you'll find warmer water at the beach when the wind is blowing gently onshore… Saginaw Bay beaches, like Bay City and Caseville, have water temperatures near 80 degrees heading into the weekend…Southwest Michigan’s beaches have warm water…Northern Lake Michigan beaches from Ludington northward beach water in the 50s and 60s…Before heading out, there are 14 beaches that, as of Thursday afternoon are closed or under contamination advisories for high bacteria levels…Ross Lake's-Beaverton City Park, Houghton Lake's-Denton Township Public Beach & Lake Isabella's-South Park were on the list

Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth Memorial Highway’ renaming project moves forward - Efforts are being made to rename a portion of US-127 in Isabella County after a Marine from Mt. Pleasant who passed away in 2004…The highway would be renamed after Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth, who sacrificed his life to help his fellow Marines while on patrol in Iraq…From the CFX-Morning Sun 24 hour newsroom,  friends & family wanted to do something to honor his life and death & a GoFundMe page was set up to raise the funds to manufacture, install and maintain the signs for the stretch of Highway after the State approved the name change…The fundraising goal has been met so updates on the project will soon follow.

Local attorneys to offer veterans free legal advice - From the CFX-Morning Sun 24 hour newsroom, two attorney’s who recently opened a new law practice in Mt. Pleasant plan to offer free legal advice to veterans in Gratiot, Clare and Isabella counties…Both T.J. Pierce and Kyle DeCloux are U.S. Army combat veterans & this week they begin offering their pro bono clinics from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at the Alma VFW post…Even though the program is being held at a VFW the program is for all veterans regardless if they are a member of the VFW or qualify for VFW membership…More at themorningsun.com

‘Bama Sophomore QB Approaching $1M In NIL Money - College players are wasting no time cashing in as new name, image & likeness moneymakers in college sports…Alabama's head coach Nick Saban says his quarterback, Bryce Young is well on his way to earning $1-million in deals this year & he’s only thrown 22 passes for the Crimson Tide in his career…Spencer Rattler out of Oklahoma has already taken on autograph and picture events at $150 a pop - Source: Sportico

DNR Hiring Three Dispatchers For Poaching Hotline - The Report All Poaching hotline is hiring three emergency dispatchers to join the Michigan DNR Law Enforcement team…Emergency dispatchers provide 24/7 communication and monitoring to ensure conservation officer safety. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 23. Successful applicants will have a minimum of a high school equivalent education and a willingness to learn telecommunication, CAD and LEIN systems.

Michigan Seeing Increase In Legionnaires’ Disease Cases - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says Michgian is seeing an increase in reports of Legionnaires’ disease…Between July 1 and July 14, 107 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported in 25 counties…That's up 569% from referrals from the same period in 2020…All the new cases were in the Detroit area…Legionnaires’ disease symptoms include fever, cough and pneumonia.

Thursday, July 22, 2021 -

Clare County Sheriff Department locates Harrison man connected to homicide - After searching for a 43-year-old man from Harrison as a part of a recent homicide investigation, the Clare County Sheriff Department have made an arrest…From the CFX-Morning Sun 24 hour newsroom, the homicide occurred on Tuesday night on Harrison Avenue & Ronald McClure was arrested without incident Wednesday…Late Wednesday afternoon a second suspect was arrested in the killing of Brian Richard Leszcz, 39, of Farwell…Kenneth Joseph Young, 31, of Harrison, is jailed on several charges in the incident…More at themorningsun.com

Michigan House Votes To Repeal 1945 Governors’ Powers Law - Grass Roots Group "Unlock Michigan’s" effort to repeal the 1945 emergency powers law that Governor Gretchen Whitmer used to impose COVID restrictions has made its final approval Wednesday in the Michigan House. Whitmer cannot veto it. The Senate also voted to repeal that law last week…Lawmakers say governors can still act under a 1976 law, but that law has a 28-day maximum for emergency orders before legislative approval is required & the Governor is now using a 1918 law that allows her, through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, to issue orders that have no time limit on them…Another grass roots campaign is planned to repeal that law as well

Mecosta County man wins $198,857 Fantasy 5 Jackpot from the Michigan Lottery - A Mecosta County man won just under $200,000 in the Fantasy 5 jackpot from the Michigan Lottery…James Snyder, of Barryton, matched the Fantasy 5 numbers in the July 12 drawing to win the big prize - He bought his winning ticket at the East Bay General Store in Chippewa Lake.

CDC Director: Delta Variant Now Makes Up 83% Of Cases In U.S. - The so-called Delta variant now accounts for more than 80-percent of coronavirus cases in the U.S…That's from the CDC…That's up from  50% during the week of July 3rd…Almost everybody should mask up in schools this fall regardless of whether they've gotten a coronavirus vaccine, says the American Academy of Pediatrics…It says everybody over the age of two should wear a mask…That's a direct difference from the CDC who says vaccinated people in schools do not need to wear a mask this fall…

Man’s fatal fall from Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock ‘very rare,’ park official says - Mackinac Island officials are reminding visitors that warning signs near rock formations on the island are not to be ignored…The warning comes after a man in his 40s was found dead after falling from the island’s Arch Rock on Wednesday morning…Officials called the incident “very rare” and unprecedented, at least during the modern history of the island. The identify of the man has not been released.

Michigan adds requirement for unemployment, relaxes rules for manufacturing workers - Governor Whitmer signed a bill this week adding a requirement for people on unemployment that makes them register for work through Michigan Works!...For laid-off manufacturing workers expecting to get recalled, the new law allows them to keep getting benefits without looking for work for up to 135 days.

Michigan’s $1M sweepstakes winner unveiled, plus more $50K recipients - Get up & go to work, you didn't win the Michigan SHOT TO WIN Sweepstakes this week…51 year old LaTonda Anderson of Grand Blanc won the $1 million prize…Two additional winners -- each receiving $50,000, were Jenna Basaj of Madison Heights, and Paul Bareno of Rockford….There are more drawings to come, residents 18 and older with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine need to enroll at MIShotToWin.com.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Mt. Pleasant Schools to require masks for 12 and younger - From the CFX-Morning Sun 24 hour newsroom, Mt Pleasant School board members have voted to require students 12 and younger to wear masks during the upcoming school year…Only one trustee objected to the idea…The two previous board meetings saw significant public feedback on the teaching of critical race theory in the district, and sex education, but those two topics were put on hold by Covid-19 concerns this week…There's more at themorningsun.com

Whitmer vetoes Republican plan to end extra $300 of unemployment - Michiganders on unemployment can keep getting up to $662 per week of unemployment benefits, as Governor Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed a Republican bill that aimed to axe the extra $300 of weekly funding put up by the feds…The $300 boost ends the week of Sept. 4, although more than half of the states in the U.S. have nixed the benefits so far, with the goal of encouraging people to fill jobs…Louisiana’s governor was the only Democratic governor to cancel federal unemployment benefits – the other 25 states to do it are led by Republicans…Even if Whitmer would have signed the bill, it wouldn’t have taken effect until 2022, making it a moot point…

Michigan reports a four-day total of 1,028 new coronavirus cases - Michigan reported a four-day total of 1,028 new coronavirus cases and 14 new deaths covering Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this week…The state is averaging 272 new cases per day over the last week…New cases were reported in Wayne County, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Washtenaw, Genesee, Ingham, Saginaw, Ottawa and Kalamazoo counties…Twenty-one counties reported no new cases over the four-day period.

MDARD finds credit card skimmer device at a Gladwin gas station - During a routine inspection, weights and measures inspectors from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development found a high-tech credit card skimmer at the  Cimaron Convenience Store in Gladwin…Credit card skimmers cannot be seen outside the pump & are located inside the pump where the devices make a copy of the consumer’s card information…The state didn't announce when they found the sklimmer at the pump in Gladwin

New, More Inclusive Emojis, May Be On The Way - Saturday was World Emoji Day, and to celebrate a preview of the new emojis that may be coming our way has been revealed…Unicode Consortium, the non-profit that oversees emoji standards and is responsible for new releases, will approve new emojis in September & some of the new options reportedly include gender inclusive prince and princess emojis, 15 different handshake skin tone combinations, and even a pregnant man and pregnant person…Other new options include melting face, saluting face, a face holding back tears, a disco ball and a low battery symbol.  Source: MSN

Passport Backlog Could Be More Than A Four Month Wait - If you’ve got your sights set on international travel, but your passport needs to be renewed, get moving…The U.S. Department of State says past closures and higher passport demand has resulted in delays that can last as long as four months. If you want to pay the extra $60 to have it expedited, you’ll likely be looking at around 2 ½ months. In the case of an emergency, there are a limited number of 72-hour appointments, but they can be hard to get and third-party companies that offer them might not all be reputable.  Source: Men’s Journal

Michigan officials ‘concerned’ after seat belt use drops to lowest rate since 2004 - Michigan’s seat belt use rate has decreased sharply in recent years and now sits at its lowest mark in 17 years, according to a study by Michigan State University…The state’s seat belt usage rage has dropped from 94.4 percent in 2019 to 92.6 percent in 2021…Michigan traffic deaths peaked above 1,000 for the first time in three years this past year, a 10% increase from 2019…Michigan’s all-time belt use record was 97.9 percent in 2009.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

*WATER NEWS - YACHT RACES ARE BACK ON THE GREAT LAKES…THE 112TH CHICAGO TO MACKINAC RACE GOT UNDERWAY SATURDAY…THE 13TH ANNUAL RACE AROUND THE ISLAND IS WEDNESDAY WITH THE PORT HURON TO MACKINAC RACE NEXT WEEKEND…In the meantime, WATER LEVELS FOR LAKES HURON AND MICHIGAN WERE DOWN SLIGHTLY IN JUNE. The U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS says LAKE LEVELS WERE DOWN SIX TENTHS OF AN INCH LAST MONTH, but JUNE'sS DEPTH IS STILL A LITTLE MORE THAN 14 INCHES ABOVE THE LONG TERM AVERAGE.

Canada to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated Americans starting Aug. 9 - Canada will begin allowing fully-vaccinated Americans into the country beginning on Aug. 9…You'll need your vaccination at  least 14 days prior to entering Canada to cross the border…Border restrictions to nonessential travelers have been in place since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic…Children under the age of 12 or who are not yet eligible for vaccination in the U.S. or unvaccinated dependent children will be allowed to enter the country with a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, tutor or guardian who is eligible to enter Canada

How long will pink sunsets and sunrises in Michigan continue? - If you caught a sunrise or sunset in the past few days, you know it looked different and was spectacular…M-Live says the reason - Smoke from wildfires in Oregon, Washington and western Canada…Satellite photos show smoke over much of Michigan…How long will the smoke be overhead & the sunsets particularly colorful…A weather forecast model shows you can expect great sunrises and sunsets Tuesday, but it will depend on your location…By Wednesday, less smoke, less color

Gas prices rise 10 cents, set 2021 record - The average gas price in Michigan is at a 2021 high at $3.27 per gallon, according to AAA…That average price for regular gasoline is 10 cents higher than this time last week, 14 cents higher than a month ago and $1.07 higher than a year ago…The counties with the cheapest gas this week are Baraga & Luce County in the UP & Lenawee County oin the lower

CMU announces vaccine incentive program for students - ?In an effort to increase the number of students receiving COVID-19 vaccines, CMU has launched a vaccine incentive program for students…Students who have completed a full vaccine protocol — one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, can register online to enter the incentive program…CMU will choose 101 winners during each of four scheduled drawings starting August 2nd…In each drawing, 100 students will receive a $75 gift card, and one student will win a full-tuition scholarship & all participants will receive a 20% discount at the CMU Bookstore

Meijer expands back-to-school teacher discount to include office furniture, kids’ clothing - Meijer is expanding its annual back to school discount to help teachers prepare for a return to the classroom…In addition to more than 1,500 items already discounted, Meijer is also now including office furniture and kids’ apparel in the discount…Meijer says it provides savings on classroom essentials while addressing the issue of teachers spending their own money on supplies throughout the year to restock classrooms…The average teacher spent approximately $745 on supplies last school year…The 15 percent discount also includes several cleaning products…Teachers can get the discount by presenting a current school ID at their local Meijer Customer Service desk.

Bezos Ready To Blast Off - Richard Branson may have flown to the edge of space just over a week ago, but Jeff Bezos is right behind him…Tuesday, Bezos will fly to space aboard a rocket and capsule that was developed by his private space company "Blue Origin."…Bezos will be breaking records by bringing the oldest person to space and the youngest…A former test pilot, Wally Funk who is 82 years old, and 18-year-old teenager Oliver Daemen will both be going with him….The mission blasts off from Texas & returns to Texas, with the flight lasting about 10 minutes.   Source: Yahoo News