Plus: A look at Michigan's winter forecasts

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Morning Briefing

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024

In today's newsletter, a new state program offers free contraception, where houses are most unaffordable in Michigan, relative to income and the Titans likely won’t have starting QB vs. Lions for this weekend's game.

Have you heard of the "Winter Arc"?

As we near the end of October (that was fast), you might be thinking about lifestyle changes you plan on implementing next year. While scrolling for tips on how to actually stick with these resolutions, plenty of videos discussing the "Winter Arc" have popped up in my social media feeds.

 

If you’re unfamiliar with the trend, it’s about using the last three months of the year to jumpstart 2025 goals instead of waiting until January. That could look like getting into shape for next year's triathlon endurance race in Frankfort or learning a new language. 

 

For those aspiring to take their career in a different direction, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is looking for winter interns. Applications are also open for interpretive park rangers at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 

 

Curated by Cara Hackett

An aerial image of fall colors and vineyards on Old Mission Peninsula in Grand Traverse County

An aerial image of fall colors and vineyards on Old Mission Peninsula in Grand Traverse County on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. In the background is Power Island on the West Arm of the Grand Traverse Bay. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)

 

Where houses are most unaffordable in Michigan, relative to incomes

Affording a home: The gap between Michigan's housing prices and household incomes has grown over the past decade, but grew particularly fast post-pandemic. Measuring the home value-to-income gap is just one way of understanding the housing affordability problem across Michigan. Here are five statistics that tell the story.

 

The federal government says households should not pay more than 30% of their pre-tax income to housing costs. That includes rent or mortgage payments, utilities, insurance, property taxes and homeowner association fees. Yet in some places like Kalamazoo County, 30% of all households — and nearly half of renters — exceeded that 30% benchmark in 2023, Census data shows. That compares to 25%, four years earlier.

 

More housing: A historic auto factory that’s been vacant for more than 30 years in Detroit will be transformed into housing with state funding. The Michigan Strategic Fund awarded the Fisher Lofts 21 project an $8.5 million loan, a $1.5 million grant and an $8.7 million tax break on Tuesday.

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Free birth control, condoms available to Michigan residents under new state program

More access: Free birth control and emergency contraception will be available to Michigan residents beginning in November under a new program announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

 

The details: The new “Take Control of your Birth Control” program will provide free contraception including over-the-counter oral birth control pills, “morning after” pills and condoms to the general public, regardless of insurance, as long as supplies last starting Nov. 1, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

 

In Bay City: McLaren Health Care is closing a long-term acute care hospital to build what it calls an advanced ambulatory campus for outpatient care.

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Dueling winter forecasts: AccuWeather vs. NOAA

Winter is coming: The NOAA and AccuWeather'swinter forecasts are  based on a La Niña occurring this winter.  AccuWeather‘s winter forecast is slightly warmer than NOAA’s forecast for Michigan and the Great Lakes region. NOAA’s forecast is somewhat wetter than AccuWeather. 

 

From up above: Over the weekend, MLive launched a drone in Northern Michigan to get a different perspective of fall color coming into peak. The drone captured the recent burst of color in Grand Traverse and Benzie counties on Oct. 18 and 19. Take a look at a some of the best photos from the adventure.

 

Looking at the skies: Delta College will host an open house and its first public observation night at its new observatory, the Delta Dome, this Friday night, Oct. 25. Visitors will be able to view galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-space objects through its CDK700 telescope, according to Delta College officials. 

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Titans likely won’t have starting QB vs. Lions

The Titans will already be without their star wide receiver when they visit the Lions on Sunday, after trading DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs. Now, they’ll likely be without their starting quarterback, too. Titans starting quarterback Will Levis is considered a “long shot” to make his return from injury for the team’s Week 8 game against the Lions, according to ESPN.

 

"Panic time": FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt was a stanch supporter of Michigan throughout its 2023 national championship season and the sign-stealing saga that engulfed the program. But with the Wolverines currently in a tailspin under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore, Klatt’s outlook on the program isn’t as rosy.

 

In court: Michigan State University is seeking to dismiss a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by former football coach Mel Tucker. The motion, which was filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court, called the lawsuit “meritless” and an “$80 million conspiracy.”

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Rustic campgrounds along Lake Superior are covered in “golden carpet” as first leaves fall

Immersed in nature: With a late peak in fall colors the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is still welcoming leaf peepers. On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Porkies park rangers posted on social media that Presque Isle Campground is “in FULL fall mode” even with early leaves dropping. The campsite is covered in “a golden carpet."

 

One day only: The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena will become the Haunted Museum from 5-8 p.m. Friday. It’s a free, all-ages event. There will be fun for the whole family with trick-or-treating, games, coloring pages, a photo booth and the haunted ship walkthrough.

 

Enjoy a quiet autumn night under the stars, or horse around at a yurt in Jackson County. Laura Hauenstein owns Reality’s Chance Rescue Sanctuary, just north of Jackson. The ranch rescues senior and injured horses, and Hauenstein opened the yurt on the property in 2021 to help pay for supplies. The space is rented out through Airbnb for $95 a night and was even listed as the No. 1 new Airbnb Host in Michigan in 2021. 

Read more

 
 

You're all caught up.

Thanks for starting your morning with us. I'm glad you're here. 

 

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

 

We'll be back tomorrow! 

 

— Cara Hackett

 

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  • Fraternity pledge at MSU hospitalized after smoking ‘dangerous amount of marijuana,’ lawsuit says
 

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