Business & Economy
Ships iced in at Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior in March 2022

Great Lakes shipping continues to decline

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GREAT LAKES SHIPPING: Great Lakes shipping continues its long-term decline, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, with changes in the region’s steel industry largely responsible for the trend. There are some positive developments, including rising demand for sand and cement for infrastructure projects and work on the new Soo lock. Ports handling at least one million tons of a commodity annually include Alpena, Rogers City and Marquette. By Eric Freedman. FOR MONROE, ALPENA, ALCONA, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, IRON RIVER, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, MANISTEE, SAULT STE. MARIE, DETROIT, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, BENZIE COUNTY, CHEBOYGAN, OCEANA COUNTY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU AND ALL POINTS.

News

Arrest made in Sleeping Bear Dunes vandalism case

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SLEEPING BEAR DUNES: A Frankfurt man pleaded not guilty to federal charges of vandalism and tampering that allegedly damaged the Platte River through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. By Eric Freedman. FOR LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY AND ALL POINTS.

Environment
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service classifies the eastern massasauga rattlesnake as a threatened species.

What do Michigan rattlers chow down?

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RATTLESNAKES MENU: What’s on the menu today? Yummy! If you’re an eastern massasauga rattlesnake in the Lower Peninsula, the main course is likely to be small mammals like meadow voles and masked shrews, with an occasional side order of bird and snake, according to a Grand Valley State team that did field research in Montmorency, Crawford, Lenawee, St. Joseph, Oakland, Manistee, Barry, Kalamazoo and Alcona counties and on Bois Blanc Island in Lake Huron east of Mackinac Island. By Eric Freedman. FOR BLISSFIELD, MANISTEE, MONTMORENCY, ALCONA, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, CRAWFORD COUNTY, DETROIT, MONROE, LUDINGTON, ALPENA, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture
Kudzu covering an open forest landscape

Watch out! Creepy kudzu coming? 

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KUDZU: Beware! Kudzu – that fast-growing invasive vine we associate with smothering abandoned buildings and suffocating forests in the South – is moving into the Great Lakes region thanks to climate change. It’s been found in several places in Michigan as far north as Benzie County and has been reported in Cass, Berrien, Allegan and Clare counties. We talk to a DNR invasive species expert, a study co-author and a Southwestern Michigan “strike team coordinator.” By Eric Freedman. FOR BENZIE COUNTY, CLARE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, OCEANA, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.

Environment
Michigan conservation officer badge.

Busted: Scofflaws keep state conservation officers busy

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BUSTED: What do DNR conservation officers do during the winter? Plenty, as recent DNR reports show. We hear about arrests, rescues and oddities in the U.P. and Montmorency, Presque Isle, Jackson, Gladwin and Kalamazoo counties. Incidents include efforts to save a doe that fell through the ice on a pond and the stupidity of a sandhill crane poacher who taped himself shooting the federally protected birds from a bedroom window. By Eric Freedman. FOR MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, ALPENA, MONTMORENCY, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, ALCONA AND ALL POINTS.

Business & Economy

Small coastal towns love the water but ‘don’t want to be Traverse City’

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WATER HERITAGE: The relationship between residents of coastal communities with waterfront industrial histories and local water heritage can advance restoration efforts, create recreational opportunities and promote tourism and economic growth, but also can create tensions between environmental and economic interests, according to a new study from MSU and the Office of the Great Lakes. Study took place in Alpena, Sault Ste. Marie, Manistee, Port Huron, Big Rapids, Beaver Island, Harrisville, East Jordan, Niles, Detroit and Owosso. One researcher says, “Everyone mentioned they don’t want to be Traverse City. People from there can no longer afford to live there.” Mentions Benton Harbor project. By Eric Freedman. FOR BIG RAPIDS, ALPENA, MARQUETTE, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, SAULT STE. MARIE, ALCONA, MONROE, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, BAY MILLS, OCEANA COUNTY, BENZIE COUNTY, HOLLAND, CHEBOYGAN, PLANET DETROIT, HARBOR SPRINGS, WKTV, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! STURGIS, THREE RIVERS AND ALL POINTS.

Commentary
Former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, faces allegations that include bribery, embezzlement and campaign finance violations.

Commentary: Tarnished gavels – Is corruption an occupational hazard for House speakers?

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COMMENTARY TARNISHED GAVELS: Escalating criminal and ethics controversy enveloping ex-House Speaker Lee Chatfield is a reminder of how far the mighty can fall. Chatfield was one of Michigan’s two most powerful state legislators, but once the Emmet County Republican left office he’s been on the firing line as investigative journalists and law enforcement agencies probe a wide range of his activities. For all its perceived power and prestige, a speakership may bring temptations marked by greed, influence-peddling, favoritism and lax enforcement of ethics standards. Maybe it’s an occupational hazard: House speakers in Illinois, Ohio. Massachusetts, New York, Missouri, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and elsewhere have been convicted of crimes. By Eric Freedman. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, DETROIT, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY AND ALL POINTS.

Diversity Issues

Melanoma cases higher in rural areas, study finds

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SKIN CANCER: Residents of Michigan’s rural counties are much more likely to get melanoma – skin cancer – than their urban counterparts. A principal reason: lack of dermatologists in rural areas. Thirty-eight of the state’s 62 rural counties have none. Counties with the highest rates of new skin cancer cases are Lenawee, Leelanau, Emmet, Antrim, Charlevoix, Benzie, Ottawa, Wexford, Missaukee, Bay, Jackson, Livingston and Cheboygan. We talk to the lead researcher at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital and leaders of the Michigan Dermatological Society from Wayne State Med School and Dearborn. By Eric Freedman: For ALCONA, ALPENA, MIDLAND, CADILLAC, BIG RAPIDS, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, HARBOR SPRINGS, MONTMORENCY. PETOSKEY, HERALD REVIEW, LAKE COUNTY, HOLLAND, CRAWFORD COUNTY, CLARE COUNTY, BENZIE COUNTY, MANISTEE, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, ST. IGNACE, ADRIAN, BLISSFIELD, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, FOWLERVILLE, CHEBOYGAN, LUDINGTON, OCEANA, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

Government

Michigan jail inmate sues royal family

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BUCKINGHAM: It may be the first lawsuit filed in the United States against members of the British Royal Family and Buckingham Palace since Charles III became king. An Isabella County Jail inmate claims to be the victim of their use of “spy technology” or “satellite monitoring” to invade his privacy and manipulate him through death threats. The handwritten federal court suit seeks $75,000 from the palace, Princes William and Harry, Princess Kate and President Biden. A University of DetroitMercy law professor says the case is unlikely to get anywhere. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.