| June 9, 2021 
 Rain that fell on Ohio this spring contained a surprisingly high amount of toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to raw data from a binational Great Lakes monitoring program that tracks airborne pollution. Rainwater collected in Cleveland over two weeks in April contained a combined concentration of about 1,000 parts-per-trillion of PFAS compounds. The network has other monitoring stations in Illinois, Michigan and New York and the chemicals were detected there, too. “You can actually say it’s raining PFAS at this point,” said Marta Venier, an environmental chemist. READ MORE ►Avoid surface water foam while recreating outdoors, health officials warn  Two weeks ago, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was asked if she would consider implementing a lottery or sweepstakes as a means to incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations. Her response was quick -- Michigan law precludes the administration from adopting a raffle similar to one put in place in Ohio. Whitmer didn’t specify which rules prohibited a giveaway, but added that her office would investigate if there were additional ways to encourage people to get vaccinated against coronavirus. But there is some disagreement about whether a lottery is actually off-limits in Michigan. READ  The Michigan Secretary of State’s office is looking to address its service backlog by adding 350,000 new appointments at branch offices across the state. As Republican lawmakers have taken aim at the Secretary of State’s appointment-only service structure, the department has added the appointments to its website at branch offices through September, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced Tuesday. Benson’s office is adding the extra appointments by shortening 20-minute time slots to 10 minutes. MORE ►Michigan Republican who challenged election results running for secretary of state
 Jared Goff was very good his first few years in the NFL. He wasn’t very good at all the last two years. The Detroit Lions think they have a plan to help him get his groove back, but if early practices are any indication, there is still a long way to go before he’s ready for the regular season. “It’s a constant work in progress,” Goff said after an up-and-down showing on Day 1 of mandatory minicamp. “We obviously have work to do, and anytime you’re in a new offense, new scheme, with new players and everything, there’s always work, a ton of work to do." READ  Sure, we are getting some rain this week, but it isn't an immediate turn-around for our drought situation. Most of Michigan is in some level of drought, with much of Lower Michigan at least in moderate drought. There are steps we should take now to avoid plants dying across our landscape. Often if you wait until you see plants turning yellow or brown, it may be too late to nurse the plants back to health. This is especially true for trees and shrubs. So we put together these useful tips for protecting your landscaping: READ Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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