In today's newsletter, Consumers and DTE push back on some findings of audit, Faster Horses cancels 2025 festival and should new voters provide proof of citizenship? |
If you take weather advice from a rodent, then prepare for some warmer weather as Michigan’s official groundhog has predicted an early spring. Woody the Woodchuck, the state’s official groundhog who resides at the Howell Nature Center, began forecasting the weather in 1999 and has since forecasted accurately 65% of the time. If you rather put your trust in a legitimate meteorologist, Mark Torregrossa says we may be done with a true Arctic air mass similar to what we experienced in January, but we certainly aren’t done with normal cold yet. Speaking of spring, will Michigan’s drought continue into spring gardening season? The forecast is definitive. |
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Home prices are increasing fastest in these Michigan communities |
Using Zillow home values from December 2024, Stacker, a New Jersey-based data media company, created a list of 50 Michigan cities with the fastest-growing home prices compared to values from 2023 and 2019. The Metro Detroit region had the most representation on the list, with 15 cities/townships in Oakland County and four in Macomb. Other highest-represented counties included Kent (7), Leelanau (5), Allegan (4), and Berrien (4). Throughout Michigan, the typical home value in December was $241,165, according to Zillow’s home value index. Home values were up 4.7% from the same time in 2023. Nearly 50% of houses were sold under list price, while about one in three sales were over the list price. Houses typically moved from “for sale” to “pending” status in three weeks. Here are 3 things to know about Michigan’s rising home values. On the road: Two new license plates are available in Michigan. |
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Consumers, DTE push back on some findings of major audit of their outage problems |
For more than a year, independent auditors looked under the hood of Michigan’s two largest utilities, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy. In an unprecedented report unveiled in September, they found a grid hampered by aging equipment and choked by vegetation – conditions that have sunk Michigan to the bottom for electric reliability nationwide in recent years. So, now what? It’s a question watchdog attorneys and utility lawyers have butted heads over as regulators address the laundry list of audit findings for the historically outage-prone power companies serving more than 80% of the state’s residents. While the utilities have already agreed to make changes, they’ve also pushed back on some major audit findings. More in environmental news: The federal government is supporting a controversial Northern Michigan potash and salt mine that’s been in the works for over a decade. |
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'Criminally insane' man killed woman after deputies failed to act, lawsuit says |
To know: Sheriff’s deputies showed indifference toward a “criminally insane” predator just hours before he bludgeoned a neighbor in her home and set her on fire, her family says. The family of Linda Henry, 72, filed a federal lawsuit against Benzie County and four sheriff’s deputies, alleging they enabled Jeffrey Stratton, 60, in Henry’s Feb. 4, 2022 killing. Also in crime: The ex-boyfriend of a Michigan woman who disappeared while running errands earlier this month is now charged with murder. National news hits close to home: An Upper Peninsula figure skating coach and former competitor died Wednesday, along with 66 others, in the crash between an American Airlines jetliner and a U.S. Army helicopter. |
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Should new Michigan voters provide proof of citizenship? House Republicans think so. |
A ballot proposal by Michigan House Republicans would both reject votes cast without photo ID and require new voter registrants to show proof of U.S. citizenship. A top House Republican, calling the measures a “no-brainer,” said they would enhance voter security. However, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson countered that they would “gut Michiganders’ voting rights in our state constitution.” Law banning conversion therapy for minors remains in effect: U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Michigan Jane Beckering issued an order Jan. 28 denying a request to block enforcement of Michigan’s prohibition on the practice of conversion therapy while a lawsuit proceeds in court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. Former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers plans to run again for U.S. Senate in 2026. The Associated Press reported Jan. 31, citing two sources familiar with Rogers' plans, that Rogers is readying to announce a bid for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. |
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Faster Horses cancels 2025 music festival |
| Faster Horses, the country music festival that draws major acts to Michigan each summer, has been canceled for 2025. Organizers announced the festival’s cancellation in a Facebook post Jan. 31, saying it was “taking the year to make plans for a bigger and better Faster Horses.” Crowned the winner: One by one Michigan state parks were knocked from the State Park Madness brackets until one champion prevailed - Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. That was quick: The annual lake sturgeon season is known to be the shortest of Michigan’s fishing seasons. On Saturday, it lasted just 17 minutes, ending when the bag limit was filled. |
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Thank you for joining me on today's edition of the Morning Briefing. As always, you can catch the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming a subscriber. Have a good day! — Jamie Rewerts |
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