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Morning Briefing

TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2025

In today's newsletter, Michigan food banks face $4.3M cut, Northern Michigan vacation town cracks down on short-term rentals and a Michigander advances on "The Voice".

Hello, April💐

Drivers, start your engines! It's time to dust off the ORV and hit the trails—Michigan's ORV season starts today, April 1.

Michigan has more than 4,000 miles of state-designated ORV trails, scramble areas, county, state forest and national forest roads, and frozen surfaces of public waters. But before hitting the trails, double check that you have the proper permits. 

Speaking of outdoor activities, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hosting two beginner beekeeping workshops this month at Mitchell State Park in Cadillac. 

Curated by Cara Hackett

A tree crashed through a mobile home on Sunday, March 30, at Milwood Estates in Kalamazoo. (Brad Devereaux | MLive.com)

Whitmer declares emergency in 10 Michigan counties impacted by brutal ice storm 

Aftermath: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Tuesday in 10 Northern Michigan counties impacted by a brutal ice storm over the weekend. The declaration will “get help out the door as fast as possible for Michiganders impacted by the ice storm” in Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Mackinac and Alpena counties, she said on Facebook.

Forecast: Another storm system is taking aim at Michigan, and this next go-round had a couple different parts. The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids says it will start out with freezing rain and snow developing Tuesday night, mostly in an area near and north of I-96. A build-up of ice and snow accumulation will continue into early Wednesday, then warming temps mean the precipitation will switch to rain.

Tornado touchdown: Survey teams from the National Weather Service fanned out across parts of Michigan on Monday and so far have confirmed four tornadoes that touched down in different parts of the state this weekend. All the tornadoes confirmed were either rated EF-0s or EF-1s, which are the weakest tornadoes in terms of strength and velocity on the five-level Fujita scale.

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Michigan food banks face $4.3M cut: How will they replace 2 million meals?

Food banks across Michigan are being squeezed after the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled $4.3 million worth of emergency food — roughly 2 million meals — for low-income households. Here’s a look at who would have received the food, how food banks are coping with the cut, and why the USDA says it canceled the deliveries.

In education: The Trump administration’s call to move up a deadline for K-12 schools to cash in on COVID-era funds could cost Michigan districts tens of millions of dollars in federal support, according to state education officials. The hardest him among them? Flint schools at $15.6 million.

House Republicans forced a vote on and defeated a proposed law to allow undocumented immigrants in Michigan to obtain driver’s licenses. Six Democrats joined with Republican representatives in the 39-64 vote against the bill on March 20, marking yet another failed bid for the long-sought protections.

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Northern Michigan vacation town cracks down on short-term rentals with fines up to $5,000

Repercussions: One of Northern Michigan’s most popular vacation spots is cracking down on short-term rentals with a new fine process. Peninsula Township, which encompasses Old Mission Peninsula, does not allow short-term rentals. In a March 26 meeting, the township amended its ordinance to include fines to enforce the ban, according to 9&10 News. Each day a renter violates the ordinance the fine escalates. The first violation is a $500 fine and climbs to $5,000 after a fourth violation.

Renovations: Construction has started at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park’s visitor center, which will receive a $1.6 million upgrade. During construction the visitor center’s parking lot will be closed to the public. This entrance includes access to the Dune Overlook trailhead. The beach area has also active work sites as a new bathhouse is constructed. 

If you’re planning to travel to the Upper Peninsula this year, you’ll want to plan for construction-related traffic delays. Michigan is rebuilding a stretch of I-75 in St. Ignace that will reduce traffic in both directions to one lane through early November. The work area is about 2 miles from the Mackinac Bridge. The two-year, $9 million project began Monday, March 31.

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Michigan’s lone center enters transfer portal for final season

In basketball: Yulia Grabovskaia is leaving Michigan after one season. The center who appeared in 33 games this past season recently entered the transfer portal for the second straight offseason. She arrived in Ann Arbor after a season Middle Tennessee, where she played in 34 games as a sophomore. The 6-foot-5 center was the only true center on the roster, two inches taller than any other Wolverine.

More lawsuits: Four more University of Michigan students with ties to the athletic department, both past and present, have filed class-action lawsuits against the school, Matt Weiss and the third-party vendor for alleged account hacks. Weiss is already facing a class-action lawsuit brought forth on March 21 by a pair of former Michigan student-athletes, claiming that the former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach accessed their private, personal, intimate photos.

Brad Holmes understands the fan frustration with the team’s continued conservative approach to free agency. But the Detroit Lions general manager sent a message to those fans, making sure everyone understands what the team is thinking. He’s focused on winning now but also protecting the team’s ability to sustain their status as a contender for the long haul.

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Michigan teen uses ‘unique, storyteller voice’ to advance on NBC’s ‘The Voice’

On stage: The number of singers is dwindling, but a small-town Michigan teen continues to impress as she has advanced into the fourth round of the hit NBC singing competition, “The Voice.” 19-year old Iris Herrera, from Newaygo, north of Grand Rapids, performed Ray LaMontagne’s “Jolene” in the third round, the Knockouts, airing on Monday, March 31.

Save the date: A popular bar, restaurant and music venue on Lake Michigan is set to open soon in Muskegon. The Deck, located at Pere Marquette Park on Lake Michigan, announced opening day for its 11th season will be Monday, May 19. It draws in thousands of summertime tourists each year. A lineup for the 2025 season includes bands playing live music every day of the week from May to September.

Coming soon: Rock fans will want to mark their calendars for a double concert taking place in Michigan this summer. Organizers of the National Cherry Festival announced Monday that rock legends Collective Soul and Cheap Trick will perform in Traverse City on June 29.

Read more

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Welcome to a new week 

Thank you for starting your Tuesday with the Morning Briefing. I'm glad you're here. 

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

See you tomorrow!

- Cara Hackett

OTHER TOP STORIES

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• Power could be out for days after weekend of ice, severe thunderstorms
  
  
• Short-term rental ban in Lakeshore town opposed by longtime rental owners at meeting

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