Michigan’s county road agencies are fixing less than half of the road miles they’d like to annually

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Morning Briefing

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

In today's newsletter, which Michigan counties are getting more diverse, Michigan will be affected by Hurricane Helene and Dan Campbell on slump vs. Seahawk.

The weekend is finally here

Looking for plans? Oktoberfest is coming to Grand Rapids and Jackson. Plus, here's what's happening in Washtenaw County.

 

MLive's meteorologist Mark Torregrossa has the weekend forecast for us. Hitting the road? Watch for these roads closures. 

 

No matter where you end up this weekend, be sure to have the Tigers game pulled up. Thanks to their recent series win, the magic number is now 2. Any combination of Detroit wins and Twins losses adding up to two will put the Tigers in the postseason. 

Curated by Jamie Rewerts

A crowd of people walk through the streets of downtown

Destination Stars Hollow brought 40,000 Gilmore Girls fans to the small town of Brighton, Michigan. (Photo Courtesy of Photography by Fred)

Which Michigan counties are getting more, less racially diverse?

The numbers: Michigan is more racially diverse than it was in 2020 — albeit only slightly — according to the latest U.S. Census vintage estimate report. From 2020-23, 76 of Michigan’s 83 counties saw its non-white population grow, as a proportion of the county’s population. The biggest percentage point jump was Macomb County, with its non-white population up 2.1 percentage points. It gained 17,320 non-white residents overall. 

 

In total, the Census estimates Michigan added almost 22,000 non-white residents to its population, while losing a little more than 55,000 white residents. MLive examined the data, looking at how the diversity of each county changed by number and by percentage.

 

Looking for feedback: Major changes are set to start next year in how Michigan restaurants pay their servers and bartenders, and some are warning it will hurt workers, businesses and customers. Will you tip less if servers earn more and menu prices rise?

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Local road agencies ‘treading water’ due to funding constraints

Michigan’s county road agencies are fixing less than half of the road miles they’d like to annually. The 6,080 miles of county roads improved in 2023 marked a 0.5% increase from the previous year and double what they could manage in 2016. Still, it came far short of the desired 13,500 mile annual goal set to reach a primarily good- and fair-rated county road network.

 

Residents weigh-in: An estimated 57% of residents are unsatisfied with the quality of Michigan roads, according to a recent road funding survey. However, only 27% are willing to pay more for better infrastructure, and residents are split on how to fund road improvements in the future as the state seeks a remedy for declining fuel tax revenue. Here are 5 takeaways from the resident survey on pay-per-mile vs gas tax road funding. 

 

In travel: The Irish Hills Historical Society is hosting a 100-year celebration at the Irish Hills Towers along U.S. 12 near Brooklyn this Saturday.

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Michigan will be affected by Hurricane Helene in 2 ways

Forecast: Hurricanes often influence Michigan’s weather. Hurricane Helene will do just that in one unexpected way and one totally expected way. The first effect will bring Michigan fantastic sunny and warm weather today. The second effect will bring the southern half of Michigan into occasional showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday.

 

An update: Thunderstorms this past Tuesday evening did produced some tornadoes in the Great Lakes region. One of those tornadoes was confirmed in far southern Lower Michigan. 

 

Frailty revealed: Independent auditors submitted their final marks for how well Michigan’s largest two utilities provide power to 4.1 million ratepayers and it’s unclear whether the companies even earned passing grades.

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Lions’ Dan Campbell on slump vs. Seahawks: ‘Tired of that after 1, no less 3′

Seahawks slump: The Detroit Lions have lost six straight, not beating the Seattle Seahawks since 2012. While Dan Campbell wasn’t here for a handful of those, nobody needs to remind the head coach that he’s 0-3 against that team heading into Week 4′s prime-time date.

 

Quote: “I wouldn’t say that (it gets in your head). I mean, I would be lying though if I told you that I don’t know we’ve lost to them three years in a row,” Campbell said Thursday. “I do know that. And so, you know, you get tired of that. You get tired of that after one loss, much less three."

 

Out: All-Pro center Frank Ragnow will not play on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks because of a partially torn pectoral muscle.

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Additional $125M greenlit for Michigan school mental health funding after summer cut

The latest: House Democrats have unveiled additional financing that could restore close to half the hundreds of millions of dollars in school mental health and safety funds initially axed this year from Michigan’s state budget.

 

New position: The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees on Thursday, Sept. 26, voted to elect its next president. Neil J. MacKinnon was elected the 16th president in CMU history and will take over effective Nov. 1.

 

In health news: About 58,000 people were notified by Michigan Medicine about potentially exposed patient health information after an employee’s email account was compromised in July, officials said.

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Into the weekend we go...

Thank you for joining me on today's edition of the Morning Briefing.

 

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We'll be back in your inbox on Monday!

 

— Jamie Rewerts

 

OTHER TOP STORIES

 

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  • Faygo’s new pop flavor tastes just like a green Jolly Rancher
 

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