Plus, fresh blanket of up to half-foot of snow will cut across Northern Michigan

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Morning Briefing

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025

In today's newsletter, up to six inches of snow headed to Northern Michigan, some want to change the U.P.'s dark sky preserve ban and Michigan high school graduation rates peak after COVID-era dip.

Ranch lovers, this one is for you. 

From snickers salad to Coney dogs, the Midwest is home to several unique delicacies. Two national brands are taking its Midwestern inspired flavors up notch by rolling out ranch flavored pies. 

 

Digiornio and Hidden Valley Ranch are teaming up to create two-limited edition pizza flavors: DiGiorno Spicy Rancheroni Thin Crust Pizza and the reimagined classic DiGiorno Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Crust Pizza. If you didn't know, the Midwest has more ranch fans than any other part of the country. 

 

Speaking of favorite foods, Raising Cane's is planning to open 20 more Michigan locations over the next decade, according to a company spokesperson. 

Curated by Cara Hackett

A reddish-brown colored, snowy owl

This is a closeup photograph of a rufous, or reddish-brown colored, snowy owl spotted in Michigan's Huron County.

At State of the State, Whitmer says Michigan can ‘lead by example’ amid challenges

State of the State: Lowering costs, creating more jobs and making government work better for people are Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s top three priorities this year. Whitmer outlined those priorities aimed at making life better for Michiganders during her seventh State of the State address on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Michigan Capitol Building. Apart from the call to limit phone use in schools, no new initiatives or programs for K-12 education and housing were announced. 

 

Ex-House Speaker Lee Chatfield is undergoing a three-day preliminary examination on allegations he and others used fund-raising dollars for personal expenses. The hearing began Wednesday, Feb. 26, in East Lansing District Court where Judge Molly Hennessy Greenwalt will decide if Chatfield should stand trial in Ingham County Circuit Court on 13 felonies alleging financial crimes.

 

An estimated 3.2 million Americans who had their Social Security benefits restricted or eliminated altogether have some extra money coming their way. On Tuesday, the Social Security Administration announced it is set to increase benefits and issue back pay for those impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.

Read more

Fresh blanket of up to half-foot of snow will cut across Northern Michigan

Snow on the way: A storm system will bring snow to Michigan, but you’ll have to go far north to enjoy it. This storm system will spread precipitation across Michigan Friday into early Saturday. The storm center should move across the Mackinac Straits, making it a whole different weather pattern across the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Michigan versus southern Lower Michigan. Southern Lower Michigan will stay dry Friday, and have just a few rain or snow showers Saturday morning.

 

March winter storms are the most complicated storm systems we get here in Michigan. There is often a band of heavy rain, a swath of significant freezing rain and an area of heavy snow. The March snowstorm set-up is a very wet storm system coming from the southwest and a cold front/weaker storm system coming from the west-northwest. Here's a look at what it would take for a March snowstorm to happen. 

 

A total lunar eclipse—the first to grace our skies since 2022—will happen in March, and it will bring us a Blood Moon that will appear tinted a reddish-orange to our eyes. The total lunar eclipse will start late on the night of March 13 and will end in the early hours of March 14, according to NASA.

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Michigan bans state ‘dark sky’ preserves in the U.P. Some want that to change

Looking up: The Upper Peninsula harbors some of the state’s darkest areas, unencumbered from the kind of manmade light pollution that causes stargazers to squint downstate. But look at a map of Michigan’s state-designated “dark sky preserves” and all six appear in the Lower Peninsula’s mitten. In fact, state law says the protected public areas “shall not be established” in the U.P. A group of Yoopers is mobilizing to change that.

 

In the wild: It may or may not be coincidence it comes after a coyote incident in Ann Arbor, but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has some fresh advice for residents when it comes to the wild canines.

 

Creamsicle: Julie Maggart, an amateur wildlife photographer, covered hundreds of miles through the rural countryside in Michigan’s Thumb area, trying to catch a glimpse of snowy owl with the strange melanistic attribute she saw rumors about on social media. And then she found it in Huron County—dubbing the bird "Creamsicle." A Michigan State University researcher who studies bird colorations said the orange patterns on this snowy owl were likely caused by some type of genetic mutation prompted by an environmental stressor.

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Tigers announce 2025 broadcast team without some notable names

The Detroit Tigers have unveiled their lineup of broadcast talent for the 2025 season. Andy Dirks and Dan Petry are now listed as the primary analysts for television broadcasts. The two former Tigers players both took a heavier-than-expected workload in 2024 after lead analyst Craig Monroe was removed from broadcasts last June. The changes come as MLB and other professional sports leagues are navigating the collapse of the regional sports network model. 

 

High school sports: The MHSAA individual wrestling finals will be this weekend at Ford Field in Detroit. Wrestlers are converging from every corner of the state in hopes of being the one to stand atop the podium Saturday evening. Some of those wrestlers walk into Ford Field already having picked up 50 wins this season.

 

The Lions: Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes both took the stage at the NFL scouting combine to start the week. Here are five key takeaways from what the Detroit Lions head coach and general manager had to say.

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Michigan high school graduation rates peak after COVID-era dip: See your school’s rate

On the rise: Graduation rates at Michigan’s public high schools are on their way up, surpassing a COVID pandemic-era dip and setting the highest peak in more than a decade, according to the latest statewide data. The state’s Center for Educational Performance and Information updated graduation and dropout rates for the 2023-24 school year earlier this month.

 

In higher education: Western Michigan University isn’t changing its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, despite the Trump administration’s threat to pull funding from colleges that don’t end them, officials say. The college’s diversity practices are already in compliance with state and federal law, WMU officials said.

 

Making a change: Grand Haven Area Public Schools announced this week it will repurpose one of its elementary schools into a nature-based early learning center. The West Michigan district is the third in a month to announce a similar closure, after Rockford Public Schools and Holland Public Schools shared plans to consolidate elementary schools in favor of early education options.

Read more

 

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That's all for now. 

I hope that your Thursday is off to a great start! 

 

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

 

We will see you bright and early tomorrow morning. 

 

- Cara Hackett

 

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