Federal Government

Michigan’s ‘red flag laws’ extend protections from firearms in light of SCOTUS decision

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On June 21, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in United States v. Rahimi, upholding a federal law barring individuals under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. In Michigan, those under a domestic violence restraining order are unable to purchase firearms but are not always required to hand over the ones they already own. With the Supreme Court ruling, legal support for firearm removal from domestic violence perpetrators has gained precedent, which will allow little room for objections to Michigan’s new “red flag laws.”

Sports

USPBL provides opportunity for semi-pro athletes, fun to locals

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The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) in Utica, Michigan, offers aspiring athletes a critical pathway to professional baseball, while providing affordable entertainment for fans. Home to four semi-professional teams—Utica Unicorns, Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers, Eastside Diamond Hoppers, and Westside Woolly Mammoths.

Construction & Development
Jim and Melinda O’Neill’s property overlooks the east end of Belleville Lake. They don’t boat or fish on the lake, but enjoy the view.

Dams may power a stop harmful algal blooms in urban lakes, expert says

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DAMS & BLOOMS: Like clockwork, Ford Lake and its downstream neighbor, Belleville Lake, turn bright green every summer due to harmful algal blooms. The lakes, near Ypsilanti, have struggled for decades with phosphorus pollution that spurs algae growth. The quest for a solution is familiar to urban lake communities across the Great Lakes region. Area residents, a U-M researcher and an Ann Arbor public works official discuss. By Elinor Epperson and Daniel Schoenherr. FOR ALL POINTS.

Arts & Entertainment
Author Sally Cole-Misch says her background in environmental communication taught her that story-telling is a powerful educational tool.

Need a summer read? Join this Great Lakes -wide book club

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GREAT LAKES BOOK CLUB: Readers across the Great Lakes states and Canada this year will participate in a basin-wide book club hosted by the Library of the Great Lakes. From now until September 2025, participants will read Bloomfield Township author Sally Cole-Misch’s The Best Part of Us that takes place on an inland lake near Lake Huron and deals with family history, heritage and place-based attachment.They’ll also read an Ontario author’s children’s book, The Water Walker. By Kayla Nelsen. FOR ALL POINTS.

Agriculture
Farmland in Livingston County.

Utility-scale solar farm proposals cause turmoil in Livingston County

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SOLAR DISPUTE: Large-scale solar projects are a hotly disputed topic in Livingston County and elsewhere in the state, especially in rural areas with lots of farmland that could become project sites. Complex, interconnected questions about local government authority, private property rights and renewable energy sources. We talk to a Conway Township farmer, Consumers Energy, Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association and Michigan Environmental Council. By Ruth Thornton. FOR ALL POINTS.