Morning Briefing

TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2023

In today's newsletter, police are issuing $100 tickets to distracted drivers as part of crackdown on Michigan roads, a couple of spring days are ahead, and spring is waterfall season in Michigan.

Jessica Heeringa’s disappearance a tragic mystery 10 years later

Jessica Heeringa was a 25-year-old gas station attendant who disappeared from her job in the city of Norton Shores on April 26, 2013.

Ten years later, the case haunts investigators who worked on it. And even though Jeffrey Willis is serving a life term for her murder, some members of Heeringa’s family all these years later don’t believe he’s guilty – and that Heeringa may still be alive since her body was never found.

Reporter Lynn Moore goes over everything you need to know about this case including the night Heeringa disappeared, the investigation and the trial.

Curated by Cara Hackett

Protesters stand next to a goat wearing a sign that says ''Goat Home Gotion''

Wagner Falls is a gorgeous waterfall in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. (Photo provided by Munising Visitors Bureau).

Police issuing $100 tickets to distracted drivers as part of crackdown on Michigan roads

Operation Ghost Rider: Motorists on roadways throughout Southeast Michigan will face fines starting at $100 and escalating to $200 as part of a police effort to crackdown on distracted driving.

"Smells like death": The process of drying inedible eggs at a powered egg plant in Adrian has unleashed odors on surrounding homes and businesses that have triggered around 400 complaints in roughly a year, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Still fighting: Nine years after the Flint water crisis was triggered, activists are still laying out an agenda of unfinished business that’s lingered ever since.

Read more

Free genetic screening program found risks in 1 in 5 Michigan patients

A handful of healthcare offices in southeast Michigan are offering free genetic screening to their existing patients to test for early indicators of treatable medical conditions like heart disease and cancer.

What are the results?: Since June 2022, participating offices have completed more than 500 genetic tests. Those tests have found actionable results in about 20% of patients, and close to 50% either have an actionable result or are found to be carriers of a genetic disorder.

While we're UP: Researchers at Michigan Technological University in Houghton are experimenting with Michigan’s hardwood trees to unlock new sustainable housing solutions.

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Weather this week: We will have a couple of spring days, see when.

Gray days won't last: We will have a couple of decent spring days after several gloomy, chilly days this week across Michigan. The weather will get markedly better Thursday and Friday, if you want a spring feel. All of Lower Michigan will warm into the 60s on Friday.

Not out of the woods yet: Every bit of data points to what MLive's meteorologist Mark Torregrossa calls a ‘cold storm’ forming over the Great Lakes region. The upper-air forecasts will shows May won’t start with a spring feel. A storm system like the one expected to form would have cold enough air aloft to produce snow showers, even on May 1 and May 2.

Michigan's climate haven: MLive and the nonprofit Council of the Great Lakes Region will co-host an upcoming free webinar about how in coming decades it’s expected millions of people will flee the worst effects of climate change and come to settle in the binational area around the Great Lakes.

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Jared Goff is a proven NFL QB. Should the Lions really toy with Anthony Richardson?

Why he makes sense: If the Lions want a successor to Jared Goff, there might not be a better fit available to them other than Anthony Richardson. He has the biggest arm of any quarterback in this class. He also happened to run the 40-yard dash faster than D’Andre Swift, and was clocked faster last season at Florida than any ball-carrier all season in the NFL.

Changes keep coming: The revolving door that is Michigan’s men’s basketball roster this spring saw another player exit on Monday. Gregg Glenn III, a freshman who appeared in just four games last season for a total of 11 minutes, entered the transfer portal, a program spokesperson confirmed to MLive.

In baseball news: Nick Maton broke a long hitless streak with a bunt single and then hit a three-run homer two innings later to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.

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Spring is waterfall season: Check out these 5 gorgeous falls near Pictured Rocks

Pictured perfect: With snowmelt and spring rain combining to get rivers running fast, spring is waterfall season across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here's a roundup of five gorgeous falls near Pictured Rocks.

Hitting a milestone: Willie Nelson is going on the road again. This time, to celebrate his 90th birthday. The living legend will bring his Outlaw Music Festival tour to Pine Knob Music Theatre on Friday, September 22.

Sing your heart out: 19-year old Grace West, who is from Canton in Metro Detroit, performed Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” for her Knockout round performance on The Voice. Singing in front of millions of television viewers, her performance was enough to advance the Michigan teen to the fourth round.

Read more

Welcome to a new week.

Thanks for joining me on this edition of the Morning Briefing.

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

Let's make today a great day!

— Cara Hackett

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