Map tracks balloon debris found on Great Lakes beaches hat  Balloons are lovely. But balloons released freely into the wild can be dangerous, as birds and other wildlife can die from ingesting balloon debris. An online survey project is attempting to map balloon litter throughout the Great Lakes and raise awareness about its impact to the environment. In just over four months, 900 pieces of balloon debris have been catalogued and mapped. MORE ►Lake Michigan cyanide spill shows troubling patter, group says

  

The search for Michigan's Best Chili continues   Our Michigan's Best tag team duo of John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman opened up Week 2 of their chili search yesterday with a pair of stops in Muskegon. Check out their itinerary. If they are in your neighborhood, go chat them up over a bowl of yummy chili. They'd love seeing you on the chili trail! You then could tell them in person your vote for favorite chili toppings and styles of chili. MORE ►What is the best topping for Michigan's Best Chili? ►What is your favorite style of chili?

Rank 'em if you got 'em, and we sure do got 'em hat  The 2019 football season is starting to round into picture. High school teams are entering Week 7 of their nine-game regular season. College teams are nearing the halfway mark. The pros already are a quarter of the way through the season. There are clear front runners in each of our weekly rankings. Is anybody gonna topple Muskegon atop our Top 50 prep ranking, or Ohio State in the Big Ten rankings, or New England in the NFL rankings? It is looking less and less likely. MORE ►Michigan prep football AP poll ►Prep player of the year watch list

  

Kirtland's warbler no longer 'endangered'       The population of the Kirtland's warbler was reduced to less than 200 pairs in the 1970s. But after decades of conservation efforts, the migratory songbird that nests in young jack pine forests in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario has rebounded from the brink of extinction. There are now an estimated 2,000 pairs of the songbird. MORE ►Two hunters confess to killing bald eagle near Manistee ►'Nuisance' deer herd in Muskegon could be culled by sharpshooters