August 7, 2020 You've heard of dogs being able to detect drugs or missing persons using the power of scent. That's not all they can sniff out. For more than 25 years, Lori and Jack Grigg have trained dogs to find bed bugs and alert diabetics of drops in their insulin levels. You know what they say: The nose knows. So when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Griggs thought their scent-enhanced pooches could potentially help identify the virus. The duo says they have successfully trained two of their bed bug detection dogs to recognize coronavirus traces in saliva. “We usually do testing every day and right now they’ve been anywhere from 75 to 85% accurate in detecting the COVID-19,” Lori Grigg said. “Most of the time they’re hitting the positive.” MORE Tuesday's primary election set a record for voter participation in an August primary within the state. In total, more than 2.5 million voters decided races and local proposals across Michigan. About two-thirds of those votes came by way of absentee ballot. That's also a record for the state. Massive primary turnout means it's likely November's general election will also have huge participation numbers. We talked to some experts to get predictions. MORE Nearly 14% of Michigan residents received unemployment assistance during the week ending July 18. That puts the state at number 10 on the list of states with the most unemployment insurance recipients, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Our unemployment rate sits above the national average. The good news is the number of new unemployment insurance claims is dropping and so is the number of total claims, as Michigan's economy continues a slow rebound from coronavirus-related closures. MORE Yes, baseball is happening. Well, when games aren't canceled or postponed. But the stands are empty. There are no food vendors -- no peanuts and Cracker Jacks, if you will. Things have changed for players, coaches, fans and even reporters. Tigers beat writer Evan Woodbery had a whole routine in place for covering our team in Detroit. That's all out the window right now due to the pandemic. But, as an avid baseball fan, Evan is just thankful the season wasn't canceled this year. Even if it changed nearly every aspect of his work days. MORE Have you ever found a random item in your yard? Something, perhaps, left there by a former resident or dropped by a passerby? Recently, a Grand Rapids man found lots of somethings in his backyard. After happening upon a metal detector that's been in his family for years, the man decided to use it in his own yard. That's when he hit the backyard treasure jackpot. So far, the discoveries include an antiquated telephone, a rusted out long gun, plenty of old metal toys and more. And he isn't even done digging yet. MORE Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive To ensure receipt of our emails, please add newsletters@update.mlive to your address book or safe sender list. |