Major road construction in East Lansing may cause years of campus traffic

A new road construction project has been under work and officially unveiled to the Greater Lansing area, with major changes to be made to US-127 and Interstate 496 from early 2024 to late 2025.

These two roads are the main roads that run along the East Lansing-Lansing border and include some of the most common access points to get into both the East Lansing area and Michigan State University. This includes two exits that are frequently used to get to both Trowbridge and Dunckel roads, which run straight to Michigan State.

The Dickinson County Road Commission paves a road with a rubber-modified asphalt that uses recycled tires.

Thousands of tires hitting the roads may end up in them

TIRES: Michigan may have a sustainable answer, at least in part, to fixing its roads: asphalt made from recycled rubber tires. A partnership among state regulators, Michigan Tech and county road commissions is looking to reduce the piles of used tires. State grants support such efforts. We hear from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, a Muskegon official and a Michigan Tech expert. By Anna Barnes. FOR IRON MOUNTAIN, BAY MILLS, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, LUDINGTON AND ALL POINTS.

Bicycle accidents increase drastically in Michigan, study says

BICYCLE ACCIDENTS: Bicycling deaths are up in Michigan, and that worries cycling advocates, law enforcement and traffic safety experts. We hear from the League of Michigan Bicyclists and a former Washtenaw County deputy sheriff. Includes references to serious accidents in Ionia County, Clinton Township and Hillsdale. The Office of Highway Safety Planning has given grants to the sheriffs’ offices in Berrien, Macomb and Oakland counties and to police in Chikaming Township, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Lansing and St. Joseph. By Sophia Ceru. FOR GREENVILLE, IONIA COUNTY, HILLSDALE, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Michigan blood banks, hospitals, face donor shortage

BLOOD SHORTAGE: Michigan’s two large blood banks, Detroit-based Red Cross and Grand Rapids-based Versiti, are grappling with a shortage of donors and canceled blood drives this winter. We talk to the lab manager for MyMichigan Health medical centers in Alma, Clare and Mt. Pleasant, the laboratory medical director at Cadillac Hospital, the medical director of transfusion services at Sparrow Health and the blood bank director for Munson Healthcare. By Theo Scheer. FOR CADILLAC, WKTV, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, DETROIT, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, GREENVILLE, MIDLAND, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is intended to deter drunken and drugged driving during the holiday season

State gives cold reminder during National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

DRUNKEN DRIVING: The Office of Highway Safety Planning, State Police and other agencies are raising awareness of the dangers of drunken and drugged driving during the winter holiday season. In 2022, the state registered 9,331 alcohol-involved crashes, with 322 fatalities, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. By Kayte Marshall. FOR ALL POINTS.

Alpena Community College has 16 apartments that are in high demand.

Community college students struggle with affordable housing 

COMMUNITY COLLEGE HOUSING: Community colleges are urging the Legislature to make it easier for them to afford to build housing for their students, many of them already hard pressed financially to attend. Their association wants $40 million in grants to help pay for construction of housing at about eight campuses. Twelve of the 28 public colleges offer housing, including Monroe Community College, Northwestern Michigan College, Southwestern Michigan College, Kirkland Community College, North Central College, Gogebic COmmunity College and Bay College.We hear from the Michigan Community College Association, and the presidents of Alpena and West Shore community colleges. By Kenzie Terpstra. FOR ALPENA, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, MONROE, ADRIAN, BLISSFIELD, LUDINGTON, LAKE COUNTY, OCEANA COUNTY, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, DETROIT, SAULT STE. MARIE, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, CLARE, CRAWFORD COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.

Drug testing could hinder driver shortage progress

DRUG TEST: Mandatory drug testing for bus drivers, including testing for legal medical and recreational marijuana, makes it harder for public transit agencies to recruit and retain drivers. It’s a matter of public safety, but causes problems when many local transit need more drivers. We talk to the Michigan Public Transit Association, the Ionia director of transportation and Harbor Transit in Harbor Springs. By Brandy Muz. FOR IONIA, GREENVILLE, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY AND ALL POINTS.