Plus, Michigan considers harsher punishments for drivers who kill or injure pedestrians

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Morning Briefing

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2024

In today's newsletter, takeaways from Michigan’s fall 2024 hospital safety grades, Michigan considers harsher punishments for drivers who kill or injure pedestrians and the Department of Natural Resources reports 172K deer harvests so far in 2024.

Adventure awaits under the night sky

The sun is setting earlier this time of year, giving us plenty of opportunities to explore a few nighttime adventures. 

 

For the true night owls, the The Highlands at Harbor Springs is bringing back its Aonach Mor Moonlight Dinner series this winter. Guests can enjoy a three-course, fine-dining experience complete with a sleigh ride to the top of North Peak, candlelight and live dinner music. The dinner is available select holidays and weekends.

 

If you have been unsuccessful in catching the Northern Lights, Lake Superior boat captain Jason Swain moonlights as an Aurora chaser and he’s offering land tours in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The guided tours are aimed at people who are new to chasing the Aurora Borealis. Tours include a lesson on predicting the lights, the best camera settings to capture them, the best places to watch, and a chance to see them, he said.

Curated by Cara Hackett

Harbor Beach resident Derek Pfaff, center, sits with his mother and father.

Harbor Beach resident Derek Pfaff, center, received face transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in 2024. Here, he is shown with his father and mother, Jerry and Lisa Pfaff. (The Saginaw News/MLive.com) 

4 takeaways from Michigan’s fall 2024 hospital safety grades

Deeper dive: The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that grades U.S. hospitals bi-annually released its  fall 2024 hospital safety grades on Friday, Nov. 15. Michigan had 22 hospitals earn an “A” grade and two hospitals received failing grades. Here are four things to know about the report, including where the state's safest hospitals are and how they are graded.  

 

More than 40 people will be laid off when McLaren Health Care closes a long-term acute care hospital next month in Bay City to build what it calls an advanced ambulatory campus for outpatient care. However, some will be re-hired to other positions, hospital officials said. 

 

Additional resources: Trinity Health Michigan’s Northern Network has expanded to include obstetrics and gynecology services for rural patients in Shelby. The addition of OB/GYN services follows the addition of a sleep medicine program to the Shelby clinic as well. 

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Michigan considers harsher punishments for drivers who kill or injure pedestrians, cyclists

Safer roads: Drivers who kill or injure pedestrians, bicyclists, postal workers, equestrians and more would face longer prison sentences under a bill package moved forward last Tuesday by state lawmakers. Moving violations injuring a vulnerable roadway user would be a one-year misdemeanor, with serious injuries being a five-year felony and death being a 10-year felony under the bill package.

 

Feedback needed: A self-driving vehicle corridor on I-94 could connect Ann Arbor and Detroit, and the Michigan Department of Transportation wants feedback. The proposed project could come with lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, according to an environmental assessment.

 

In court: A former Michigan prosecutor has been charged with drunken driving a second time, years after a previous incident that happened while he was still in office.

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DNR reports 172K deer harvests so far in 2024, reminds hunters to report within 72 hours

Gone hunting: As of Tuesday afternoon, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports more than 172,000 deer have been harvested this year. Those numbers are expected to continue to climb as regular firearm season opened Friday and runs through Nov. 30, before archery season resumes on Dec. 1. 

 

Make an appointment: The opening days of Michigan’s firearm deer season saw three hunters die from apparent heart attacks. As a result, a medical examiner for Bay, Midland, Tuscola, Arenac, and Iosco counties is encouraging at-risk hunters to undergo a doctor’s evaluation before trudging into the wilds in search of game. 

 

Looking back: MLive analyzed Michigan’s deer hunting data to see where the most deer were harvested in 2023. The Thumb and mid-Michigan had some of the highest totals. Meanwhile, Michigan’s most-populated county (Wayne) and least-populated county (Keweenaw) had the lowest totals.

 

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Michigan man receives 60-hour face transplant operation at Mayo Clinic

Ten years after a suicide attempt nearly ended his life and left his face disfigured, a Thumb-area resident became the recipient of the Mayo Clinic’s second-ever face transplant operation, officials said. Derek Pfaff does not remember the 2014 suicide attempt that nearly ended his life, but the former Saginaw Valley State University student since then has used the opportunity to serve as a suicide prevention advocate along with his parents, Lisa and Jerry Pfaff.

 

A mental health center in Holland has joined organizations in Grand Rapids and Muskegon in creating a Patient Assistance Fund - a non-profit aimed at reducing financial barriers for clients seeking mental health care.  

 

In case you missed it: Michigan started offering free contraception resources at more than 300 locations throughout the state. The Take Control of Your Birth Control program, first announced in October, provides birth control pills, emergency contraception, condoms and family planning educational resources while supplies last. A map of participating locations is available at michigan.gov/takecontrol.

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Rescue tries to round up animals left at Flint area mobile home park targeted for demolition

Flint Township officials have said the living conditions at the defunct Myrtle Grove mobile home park aren’t fit for a dog. The founder and director of Ferals Frontliners Animal Rescue was at Myrtle Grove on Monday, Nov. 18, collecting 21 friendly cats and trying to make arrangements for a handful of dogs that run free at the park, which a Genesee Circuit Court judge found was unfit for human habitation in September.

 

Upcoming attractions: John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids has unveiled a “roadmap” of projects to come through 2035 under its 10 year master plan that includes new giraffe and sea lion exhibits, an underwater viewing area, expanded parking and a rooftop café. 

 

Winter fun: The Felt Estate in Holland is inviting families for a free Winterfest 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7. Families can pile in a horse-drawn wagon and be pulled around the property on a 15-minute loop before being dropped off at the 17,000-square-foot mansion.

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You're all caught up.

I hope that your Wednesday is going well! Let's keep the positive momentum going. 

 

Catch up on the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming a subscriber.

 

Have a great day!

 

— Cara Hackett

 

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