Morning Briefing

MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2023

In today's newsletter, the 10 wealthiest counties in Michigan, when Michigan’s early-summer heat will end and Michigan AG Dana Nessel violated FOIA by withholding kidnap plot records, lawsuit claims.

Wildfire causes evacuations, flight restrictions in Northern Michigan

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced a roughly 2,400-acre wildfire is at 90% containment with aid flowing in from surrounding states.

The fire was located about four miles southeast of Grayling in Crawford County. The fire was initially reported near Grayling in a tweet posted at about 2:15 p.m., June 3 by the Michigan DNR.

It was caused by a campfire on private property.

Curated by Jamie Rewerts

First responders participate in ‘Goat Yoga’ at the home of the Pinkster family home in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Rodney Coleman-Robinson | MLive.com)

See which Michigan towns grew, shrunk in 2022

Between April 2020 and July 2022, the state lost an estimated 43,000 residents, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates. About 40% of cities, townships and villages saw estimated population declines during that stretch. See the data here.

Michigan needs people, badly: The state's population trend could bring economic pain. How are policymakers responding?

Speaking of cities: A Northern Michigan community has been named Michigan’s newest “Monarch City USA” for its commitment to protecting monarch butterflies.

Read more

These are the 10 wealthiest counties in Michigan, new study says

Number one: Home to popular wineries along the coast of Lake Michigan near Traverse City, Leelanau County is Michigan’s wealthiest county, according to a new study. Washtenaw County, anchored by Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, ranks No. 2 on the list.

How we got here: The study calculated a wealth index for each county based on median income, investment income and home value data from recent years to show areas accumulating the most wealth. See all ten county ranks here.

Speaking of counties: Dollar General is in every Michigan county – except one.

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When Michigan’s early-summer heat will end, and for how long

There's some wind coming: We’ve had about one week of warmer-than-normal to hot temperatures. This is the case for all of Michigan. Well that hot stretch is about to end and in a big way.

A Top-10 dry May: Alpena only had 0.96 inches of rain, making it the fifth driest May on record. Houghton Lake had just a touch over one inch of rain. This made May 2023 the eighth driest May in Houghton Lake.

A perfect storm for flowering trees: Trees and shrubs in some parts of Michigan have been enjoying a spectacular spring bloom thanks to a number of factors that all aligned in their favor over the past year.

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Michigan AG Dana Nessel violated FOIA by withholding kidnap plot records, lawsuit claims

What's happening: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is facing a lawsuit and criticism over decisions by her office to withhold investigation records from the media and public.

The details: The AG’s Office refused to release search warrant records related to the ongoing corruption investigation into Lee Chatfield, former speaker of the Michigan House and legislator from 2015 through 2020; and has declined to disclose documents connected to the investigation of suspected Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plotters.

Your guide to Michigan politics: Housing, government transparency and more were the focus of the 2023 Mackinac Island Policy Conference this past week, where lawmakers, lobbyists and business leaders came together to discuss some of the biggest problems facing the state.

Read more

Michigan State NIL deal ending after Mat Ishbia’s purchase of Phoenix Suns

Name, image and likeness: A program that paid Michigan State football, men's basketball and volleyball players thousands of dollars a year is coming to an end.

Switching out: The Detroit Tigers recalled right-handed pitcher Garrett Hill from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. Hill takes the roster spot that opened up when right-hander Alex Faedo was placed on the injured list with a finger injury.

In high school sports : These are the highlights and results from the 2023 Division 1, Division 2, Division 3 and Division 4 track and field state finals.

Read more

You're all caught up.

Thank you for joining me today on the Morning Briefing.

As always, you can read the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming a MLive subscriber.

See you tomorrow!

— Jamie Rewerts

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