Morning Briefing

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2023

In today's newsletter, Native remains robbed from graves across the country laid to rest by Michigan tribe, severe thunderstorms could be on the horizon for Michigan, and the ancient Lyrid meteor shower will end months-long meteor drought.

Young caregivers need more support. There’s an app for that.

Claudia Holewinski and her sister Marilyn, were 16 and 24, respectively, when they became caregivers of their mother who was battling leukemia. The pair would spend the next 14 months caring for their mom in Kalamazoo until her death in March 2018.

The Holewinski sisters' weren't alone in their struggles. The average age of a caregiver is 49, but almost 13 million adult unpaid caregivers in America are 18 to 34, according to a 2020 report issued by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. That doesn't account for another 5.4 million adolescents are also who are unpaid caregivers, says a report from the American Society on Aging.

A Europe-based mobile app named "Me-We" is hoping to provide support and alleviate the mental strain of being a teenage caregiver. A Me-We style program could be useful in Michigan, but finding organizations to implement it could be challenging. “It’s very hard on your mental health to be a young person taking care of your parent, who’s the one supposed to be taking care of you,” Claudia said. “And you need people to understand what you’re going through.”

Curated by Cara Hackett

The Milky Way and meteors of the Lyrid annual meteor shower as seen in the night sky over the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn, northern Germany. (Photo by Daniel Reinhardt/dpa/AFP via Getty Imagesdpa/AFP via Getty Images)

Native remains robbed from graves across the country laid to rest by Michigan tribe

Final resting place: An amateur archeologist and prolific grave robber named Donald Miller illegally dug up the remains of more than 500 individuals, most of them Native Americans. The FBI has spent a decade trying to get them back where they belong. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi has laid to rest some of the last.

U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten is introducing legislation that would increase the financial penalty nearly tenfold for child labor law violations after the New York Times highlighted migrant children in West Michigan and beyond working in dangerous conditions.

More in public interest: Gun violence is the leading killer of kids in America, but the CDC has been prevented from researching it since 1996. Michigan U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin wants to change that, plus institute some new gun safety policies.

Read more

Michigan could have significant severe weather, tornadoes if this pattern continues into May

A look ahead at the weather: If the current upper-air pattern continues into late April and May, Michigan could wind up with a few severe thunderstorm outbreaks. Our first widespread severe weather situation in Michigan could be as early as next week.

Stormy weather on the way: Thunderstorms are on tap for parts of Michigan late Thursday night going into Friday morning. Most storms are likely to not be severe, but it still gives us our first round of thunderstorm activity of the season.

Beware of the bears: Bears will begin leaving their dens and looking for food in late-March to early May, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reminding residents of the best ways to prevent problem bear behavior.

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Ancient Lyrid meteor shower will end months-long meteor drought in April, how to watch

One for the ages: Occurring annually each spring, the Lyrids are one of the oldest meteor showers on record, with the first recorded sighting dating back to 687 BC, according to NASA. This year the Lyrids will take place from April 15 to April 29, marking the end of a months long meteor shower "drought", according to EarthSky.

Catch the meteor magic: You can expect to see about 10 to 15 bright, fast Lyrids per hour. To catch a view of the meteor shower, NASA recommends finding a skywatching spot at a designated dark sky park or rural area away from urban lights; come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, and/or lawn chair; lie back with your feet facing east and look up at the sky.

Speaking of the great outdoors: This week, ORV enthusiasts will get to see freshly updated maps showing where they can ride on more than 11,000 miles of Michigan’s state forest roads.

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Lions think they have chance to sell out Ford Field for entire 2023 season

Selling like hotcakes: As the Lions head into 2023 as the favorites to win the NFC North, tickets are selling faster than at any other time in recent years. So much so that they think they could sell out Ford Field for the season.

Soccer superstar: The historic accomplishments continue to roll in for teenage soccer phenom Chloe Ricketts. Less than a month after becoming the youngest women’s soccer player to ever sign with a National Women’s Soccer League team, the 15-year-old from Dexter agreed to a multi-year partnership with Adidas on Wednesday, according to a press release.

A different March Madness: Michigan's Terrance Williams II is among the college basketball players who faced online hate after the Wolverines blew an eight-point lead in a one-point loss to Vanderbilt earlier this month in the NIT. A social media post even suggested that the junior forward for Michigan should be left for dead in a ditch. That's just one example of the toxic minefield that athletes, coaches, friends and family face on social media during March Madness.

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‘We didn’t find them, they found us:’ Mackinac Island is most popular Michigan cruise ship port

Into the wilderness: Mackinac Island is Michigan’s most popular cruise ship port with the most expected calls in 2023. The summer paradise is expected to welcome 92 cruise ship calls from May to October, and they just received two more calls yesterday, according to Tim Hygh, CEO of Mackinac Island Tourism.

House of the Week: This log cabin style mansion looks like something out of the hit TV Western, “Yellowstone”. MLive's House of the Week is situated on 220 feet of sandy beachfront with access to the resident-only all-sports lake in Clarkston along Lake Waumegah.

A slice of home: Wolverine fans transplanted in Los Angeles will find the New York-style pizza at Berkshire House is the perfect complement to a football Saturday.

Read more

You're all caught up.

I'm glad you decided to start your day with the Morning Briefing.

Check back in tomorrow morning for top stories from across the state. In the meantime, catch the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming a MLive subscriber.

I'll see you here bright and early tomorrow morning!

— Cara Hackett

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