On this episode of Focal Point News, we bring you breaking news on a fatal car crash in East Lansing. An elevator form shifted at a construction site in downtown East Lansing creating an eight hour fix. Plus, Michigan State switches from green to teal for “It’s On Us” week to raise awareness for sexual assault prevention. Also, we get student opinions on the university’s new flat-rate tuition model. Media day for the much-anticipated men’s basketball team gave us an insight into what the players expect from this season.
Education
Great Lakes classrooms move outdoors during pandemic
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OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS: There are some schools and alternative programs that are keeping kids out of school — literally — during the pandemic. Winter or not, they’re teaching outdoors. We talk to the Detroit Waldorf School, a private school in Detroit, and the Cambridge Farm and Forest School in Ontario, which are giving students new outdoor learning options. By Chioma Lewis. FOR DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
Environment
Microplastics threaten Great Lakes, and not just the water
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MICROPLASTICS: Microplastic particles, typically studied as aquatic pollutants, have become common in coastal dunes on Great Lakes’ shorelines, a new study says. The situation is worse than originally expected, based on findings from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Sources include a Michigan Sea Grant educator in the Saginaw Bay area. By Lillian Young. FOR ALCONA, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, MARQUETTE, MANISTEE, OCEANA, BENZIE, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, LEELANAU, HARBOR SPRINGS, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.
Capital News Service
Oldest Coast Guard cutter with smallest crew and largest Great Lakes responsibility needs replacing
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The U.S. Coast Guard wants to retire its oldest cutter on the Great Lakes, the 57-year-old cutter Buckthorn based in Sault Ste. Marie. Doing so will take years, however, as the Coast Guard awaits congressional budgetary approval to begin the process of replacing up to 35 aging cutters. The Buckthorn covers between Whitefish Point on Lake Superior through the St. Marys River connecting Lake Huron to Lake Superior to Cedarville. The first replacement may not be ready until 2025, and it could take until 2030 for all the new ones to enter service.
Arts & Entertainment
Famous Lake Michigan view featured on National Geographic’s December issue
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LAKE MICHIGAN COVER STORY: A famous view of Lake Michigan graces the cover of this December’s National Geographic. By Marie Orttenburger. For PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, OCEANA, BENZIE, CHEBOYGAN, HARBOR SPRINGS, HOLLAND AND ALL POINTS.
Conservation
CSI Great Lakes: genetic material helps researchers find invaders
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eDNA: Environmental DNA is playing an increasingly important — but sometimes controversial — role in monitoring invasive species in the Great Lakes. Experts from the DNR and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explain. By Yue Jiang. FOR ALCONA, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, MAQUETTE, BAY MILLS, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, HOLLAND, OCEANA, BENZIE, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
Conservation
Turning toxic lemons into lemonade, from algae to biofuel
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ALGAL SCRUBBERS. A Western Michigan University professor says new algal turf scrubber technology could combat the algae blooms that threaten to suffocate the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie. The devices filter water over areas designated for algae to grow and eventually be harvested for use as biofuel. Changes in farming practices to reduce runoff removing nitrogen and phosphorus from surface water upstream would still be necessary. By Lillian Young. FOR BLISSFIELD, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
Environment
Ann Arbor author explores Great Lakes as the ‘inner coast’
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INNER COAST: Farm auctions in Southeast Michigan. The trauma of the Flint water crisis. Ice canoe racing in Quebec. Ann Arbor writer Donovan Hohn’s book of essays looks at where the natural and the historic overlap to make sense of where we are. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.
Capital News Service
As temperatures rise, Great Lakes region faces spike in Lyme disease
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LYME DISEASE: Warming temperatures have lengthened the breeding season for the blacklegged tick that carries the bacteria for Lyme disease, and the number of reported cases in Michigan has risen sharply. The ticks live in wooded and rural areas. Increasing concern about climate change could contribute to public demand for a new vaccine. We talk to experts at the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Program in Ann Arbor and nationally. By Lillian Young. FOR CRAWFORD COUNTY, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, PETOSKEY, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, CLARE, BENZIE COUNTY, HOLLAND, GREENVILLE, BLISSFIELD, IONIA, CHEBOYGAN, OCEANIA, HERALD REVIEW, LAKE COUNTY, BIG RAPIDS, CADILLAC, LEELANAU, THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
Capital News Service
Great Lakes farmers look to the future with alpacas
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ALPACAS: Move over chickens, cattle and pigs. Alpacas, a transplant from Peru, are growing in popularity among farmers in Michigan and elsewhere in the Great Lakes Region. We hear from the owner of a Mount Pleasant alpaca fiber business and the Great Lakes Alpaca Association. By Anne Hooper. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CORP! AND ALL POINTS.
Capital News Service
Is Lake Michigan the most dangerous Great Lake?
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DROWNINGS: Is Lake Michigan the most dangerous of the Great Lakes when it comes to drownings? This year as of Sept. 30, it accounted for 55 of the lakes’ 94. We hear why from the Army Corps of Engineers, Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium and Michigan Sea Grant. By Katheleen Fitch. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, HARBOR SPRINGS, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, OCEANA, BENZIE AND ALL POINTS.