You might be surprised...
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 |
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In today's newsletter, Michigan Supreme Court will consider constitutionality of no-fault reforms, how school elections became political battlefields and why 'spirit bear' sightings go unreported. |
The best place in the country to see fall color is in Michigan |
When it comes to fall colors, there’s no better place to be than Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. That’s according to USA Today readers across the country, who named the sprawling wilderness the best destination in America to see fall colors in 2022. The U.P. also claimed the top spot in the poll in 2018 and 2020. It's starting now! The color is starting to pop at the Porcupine Mountains. The photo of it below is absolutely stunning. We're talking phone wallpaper stunning.
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Fall color can be seen around the Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Rangers estimate a 30% color change as of Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Peak color for the western U.P. is expected between Saturday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 7. (Provided by K. Urban | Michigan Department of Natural Resources) |
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Michigan Supreme Court will consider constitutionality of no-fault reforms |
The Michigan Supreme Court will allow auto insurance companies to challenge a Michigan Court of Appeals decision that said the cuts to lifetime health benefits that were part of the 2019 overhaul to the state’s no-fault auto insurance law could not apply retroactively. Looking it over: In an order released today, the Supreme Court said it will consider whether the lower court erred last month when it found that car crash victims injured before the effective date of the new law should not be subject to new limits on their medical benefits.
The importance: The outcome of the case could have a significant impact for thousands of patients who saw reimbursements for rehabilitation and other services cut nearly in half and for the providers who served them. |
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Trans athletes, book bans: How school elections became political battlefields |
Times are changing: Local school board elections were once considered to be a relatively benign local position. Now, at least in Michigan, they've taken up arguably the same amount of oxygen and attention as federally elected positions.
MEA spokesperson Thomas Morgan said: Current fervor around school boards began to “really kick off with the early days of the pandemic” on topics like masking and virtual schooling, but has since evolved into outrage about the concept of critical race theory being taught to school-age students and banning symbols from classrooms such as a gay pride flag.
In other political races:These topics have spread into bigger elections with culture wars taking center stage in Tudor Dixon’s education proposals. |
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New housing vouchers awarded to Michigan as fair-market rent climbs |
Federal funding: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Michigan public housing agencies 511 vouchers valued at $4.4 million. Housing choice vouchers provide rent subsidies for people who have low-incomes and live in privately owned homes and apartments. Making history: Federal officials doled out more than 19,000 new vouchers last week in the largest allocation of flexible rental assistance in two decades. The "rapid rent increases" have pushed housing voucher values up 10% in Michigan.
The purpose: Vouchers are one way to make housing more affordable in Michigan, where an estimated half of renters are paying too much. But long waitlists and limited funding mean Michiganders wait an average of 26 months to secure a voucher, the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities found. |
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Why ‘spirit bear’ sightings go unreported. ‘It’s like spotting a 200-inch buck, OK?’ |
Being revealed: A well-kept Upper Peninsula secret about white, “spirit” bears living in Michigan’s Northwoods has now become more widely known. Could there be more? One was spotted earlier this month and since those images were shared on social media and reported in the media, a few more tales subsequently surfaced about white, "spirit" bears in Michigan.
More in animal news: Check this out: A kitten became a real-life hero when it saved its family of four from deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Happy Friday! The weekend is finally in sight. As always, you can find the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. And here's the link to become an MLive subscriber. Have a good day and an even better weekend!
— Jamie Rewerts |
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