Morning Briefing

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023

In today's newsletter, more than 20,000 vanity license plates are off limits in Michigan, Mackinac Island businesses are fighting for in-demand migrant labor and the tunnel at Michigan Stadium will be widened.

Let's chat about the night sky, from fireworks to astronomy.

A good look at the night sky can be therapeutic. It can also be a tool for education. And sometimes, it provides a backdrop for fireworks lighting up the night.

That last part can be controversial at times. Michigan's fireworks law was last updated in 2018. It allows for local municipalities to limit commercial-grade fireworks use on most days, but it does require some exceptions for holidays. Democrats are working to potentially cut back on the days when localities have to allow for fireworks.

If you prefer stars to fireworks, perhaps you'd like to check out these free summer astronomy programs offered by a dark sky park in Northern Michigan.

Curated by Jessica Shepherd

A woman dances in dark room with colorful lights shining on the woman and other dancers.

A woman dances during ‘Geezer Happy Hour’ at LIVE Nightclub on Friday, Jan. 20. Hundreds of ‘geezers’ gathered to dance to live music, a tradition that has been going on for decades. Read more about the Ann Arbor tradition here. (Photo by Sydney Verlinde | MLive.com)

Winter is roaring back with 3 snowstorms possible to end the month.

A snowy end to January: According to MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa, the storm track will be very active now through at least the end of January. It looks like Lower Michigan will be in line for at least three accumulating snows in the next nine days. Get the details here.

Location details on the first storm: The first of these storms is forecast to roll through tomorrow. But where will the snow go? It looks like Grand Rapids could get skipped, while southeast Michigan appears to get hit hardest. A winter storm watch has been issued for a handful of Michigan counties.

Want to fish? Snow problem! Ice fishing at certain Upper Peninsula sites is no longer hampered by snowfall thanks to the continuation of a Michigan Department of Natural Resources snowplowing program.

Read more

These vanity license plates have been deemed too crude for Michigan roadways.

Want these plates? Too bad: I get a kick out of seeing vanity license plates on the roadways and imagining what the messages mean for the drivers who pick them. But you might not be aware that there are some messages that are off-limits for license plates in Michigan. Of course, profanity is off limits, but that's not all.

21,000 plates: The Department told MLive after a public records request that its system cannot sort by when each plate was rejected, so it provided a full list of banned plates. (Viewer discretion advised.)

Speaking of the state of Michigan: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will give the first State of the State address of her second term tomorrow night. In some preview info reviewed by MLive, Whitmer is set to call for universal background checks during the speech.

Read more

Mackinac Island businesses are fighting for in-demand migrant labor.

'We're getting squeezed out:' Every January businesses on Mackinac Island cross their fingers and hope they got lucky. The fate of their workforce relies on a lottery system, and every year more businesses play the labor powerball.

This year's results: Mackinac businesses requested 1,183 visas for migrant workers, but only 30% are expected to be approved, according to a poll from the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau. Nearly a quarter of the island workforce is made up of workers who come to the U.S. on H-2B visas.

Previous coverage: In 2021, our Public Interest team looked into the use of migrant labor on Mackinac Island. They examined the costs associated with the visa program and spoke to some of the workers who were on the island.

Read more

The University of Michigan plans to remove seats and widen the tunnel inside the Big House.

A change at the Big House: The University of Michigan plans to permanently remove about 45 seats from its football stadium to help widen tunnel access to the field on game days, MLive has learned.

Why? The decision comes after athletic department officials conducted a “thorough safety review” following the 2022 season, one that saw multiple incidents occur in the stadium’s long, narrow tunnel connecting the locker rooms to the playing surface.

But since it's basketball season, we should probably discuss basketball. Michigan's women's team is up in the AP poll this week. That change came before the team's loss last night. And if you want to discuss MSU ball, the Spartan Confidential podcast has you covered with a new episode.

Read more

Michigan zoo owner says feds 'want to drag me through the mud and all we did was help people.'

Near Tawas City: For two decades, a northern Michigan couple ran a small zoo on their rural property. The days of taking visitors on tours among an exotic menagerie are now over, with federal authorities having seized one of the zoo’s bears, another bear being sent to a sanctuary out west, and a lion relocated to another Michigan zoo.

Owners speak up: As the federal government is alleging violations of the Animal Welfare Act, the now-defunct zoo’s owners are speaking out, asserting they loved their animals and devoted their lives to them, always putting their well-being first.

More animal-related news:A dog that was stolen from their family home in Potterville was reunited with his family after Michigan State Police recovered him several miles away.

Read more

You're all caught up.

You are now properly informed and ready to roll on with your day.

Freshen up your news knowledge any time of day by visiting MLive.com. And if you appreciate the work that goes into keeping you informed, consider becoming an MLive subscriber.

I'll see you back here in your inbox tomorrow morning.

— Jessica Shepherd

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