Latest news with #MichiganDepartment
CBS News
04-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Air quality alerts issued for much of Southeast Michigan on Fourth of July
Tracking heat and a few showers. NEXT Weather Forecast 7/4/2025 Tracking heat and a few showers. NEXT Weather Forecast 7/4/2025 Tracking heat and a few showers. NEXT Weather Forecast 7/4/2025 As wildfires return to Canada and smoke increases from area fireworks, air quality will be in the unhealthy category for anyone with respiratory issues. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has declared an air quality alert for Friday. There are elevated levels of fine particles because of wildfire smoke and firework displays. Air quality index levels are expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. The advisory is in effect for St. Clair, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne and Monroe counties. When possible, you should avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those heart disease and respiratory diseases. Make sure not to burn outdoors and keep windows closed throughout the day and night.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Glowing rocks in Michigan? What to know about 'Yooperlites'
Most people do their rock hunting during the day, but you can't find "Yooperlites" until the sun goes down. Yooperlites are rocks that fluoresce in the dark under ultraviolet light. They became known when an Upper Peninsula resident discovered them in 2017, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Spring is the best time to search for Yooperlites and other rocks, according to Pure Michigan, because winter ice moved beach sand and stones around, leaving newly unearthed stones along Lake Superior's shoreline to be discovered. Throughout the year, the best time to seek Yooperlites and other stones is after a storm, when waves have disrupted and uncovered new rocks. Here's what to know about the rock that is found in the Upper Peninsula along Lake Superior: Yooperlites are a variety of sodalite-rich syenite found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Syenite is a coarse-grained, plutonic (intrusive) igneous rock that primarily consists of the minerals feldspar, typically orthoclase feldspar, and often includes smaller amounts of other minerals such as hornblende, mica or amphibole. Unlike granite, which is another common intrusive igneous rock, syenite contains minimal to no quartz, Geology Science said. Sodalite is a deep blue to blue-violet mineral best known for its use in jewelry, sculpture, and decorative stonework. Sodalite forms in igneous rocks that crystallized from sodium-rich, silica-poor magmas. That's how it got its name — soda and lithos, or 'sodium stone," according to Rock Your World gem and art gallery. In normal light, a Yooperlite looks like granite. Sodalite replaces quartz, so the larger the mineral size, the brighter the shine, EGLE said. There are roughly five classes of Yooperlites: Gemmy (mostly sodalite or large sodalite crystal, the entire specimen glows orange) Snowflake or Flower (similar to snowflake obsidian, large blotches on the surface that look like snowflakes, but crystal glow does not penetrate into the interior) Striated (sodalite fills cracks in the rock matrix, so appears as orange lines or veins) Spray Paint (tiny crystal droplets scattered around the surface) Galaxy (larger crystals than spray paint that are dispersed in the rock that glow like the night sky, crystals penetrate the matrix) The rocks can be found in different areas throughout Michigan, but are most likely to be found in the Upper Peninsula along Lake Superior, often on beaches near Grand Marais and in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Yooperlites can be found as loose pebbles and cobbles along many Lake Superior beaches and even in some inland gravel pits. The stones are derived from igneous rocks near Marathon, Ontario, known as the Coldwell Alkaline Complex and were transported into Michigan by glaciers during periods of continental glaciation. How to search for them: Start with a beach that has stones. Get a good UV light (365 wavelength). Wear safety glasses with UV protection. Take along a garden tine rake to move the deposited gravel around or to reach out into the water. Yooperlites may not shine on all surfaces, so moving stones around will increase your chance of seeing them. Be strategic: Use a sweeping side-to-side motion for better coverage and light angle about 6 to 8 feet in front. Walk at a normal pace and shine the light with a sweeping motion. According to the EGLE, an individual cannot exceed 25 pounds per year on state-owned and public trust lands. These identification techniques, according to the EGLE, can help rock hunters determine the type of rocks they have: Color (also color of a "streak" if it can be made by swiping the specimen on a piece of porcelain, creating a powder) Luster (shiny, dull, glassy) Fluorescence (shines under UV light) Shape/structure (crystal form or amorphous?) Breakage (how does it break apart, cleavage or fracture?) Density/specific gravity (can get an idea by "hefting" to see if it's heavy for its size) Magnetism Smell Radioactivity Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What to know about 'Yooperlites.' How to find the glowing rocks
CBS News
16-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Air quality advisories issued for most of West Michigan for Tuesday
Most of West Michigan will be under an air quality advisory Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy reported Monday afternoon. The reason for the alert involves elevated ozone levels. The worst air will be in some West Michigan counties — Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa and Van Buren — where the air quality is expected to reach Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. The Michigan air quality forecast for June 17, 2025. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Air quality alerts are issued on occasion during the summer months in Michigan, usually for ozone levels. But sometimes, as was the case recently, air quality alerts are issued because of drifting wildfire smoke. "Although smoke advisories are no longer an issue for the meantime, we are getting into the peak season for ozone development. This will be the case for Tuesday, as all signs point towards the likely development of elevated ozone along several western lake shore counties," the announcement said. For the latest air quality reports, go to MiAir. The National Weather Service bureau websites, such as NWS Detroit, also show active air quality alerts and advisories on their maps.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Smoke from Canadian wildfires expected to move through Michigan Friday
Smoke from Canadian wildfires will continue to spread across the skies over much of the Great Lakes and may linger through the weekend. Officials declared a state of emergency for the entire province of Manitoba on Wednesday as out-of-control fires raged over 150,000 acres. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit The smoke may create air quality issues at times, mainly for sensitive groups. Individuals who are more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution include children, older adults, and individuals with pre-existing conditions like asthma, heart disease, or other respiratory or cardiovascular problems. Pregnant women and those who work outdoors for extended periods of time may also be more at risk. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit The CBS News Detroit NEXT Weather team is tracking the chance that the smoke could lower in the atmosphere, resulting in a stronger chance for reduced air quality, following guidance from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, and will keep you up to date on any changes in the forecast. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit EGLE is currently talking with counterparts in Minnesota and Wisconsin to coordinate any advisories and alerts. The plume is expected to hit the western Upper Peninsula first, then make its way towards the central Upper Peninsula, then southward into the Lower Peninsula, with a second plume possible on Saturday. NEXT Weather/CBS Detroit At the least, expect to see the smoke dim the sun, resulting in hazy sunshine, and create colorful sunrises and sunsets. Where smoke is the thickest and reaches the surface, reduced visibilities and a campfire smell may be evident at times.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan's unemployment rate continues to increase, exceeding national average
Michigan's unemployment rate rose for the third consecutive month, increasing to 5.5% in March, according to data released April 17 by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, up from 5.4% in February. The state's unemployment rate has increased by 1.3 percentage points since March 2024 when the jobless rate was 4.2%, the department said. Michigan's jobless rate in March was also 1.3 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2% last month. Payroll jobs declined in March, led by losses in the manufacturing and professional and business services sectors, the department said. Manufacturing declined by 5,000 jobs in March compared with the month prior, while the professional and business services sector lost 4,000 jobs in that time. While March's data reflects job cuts made by President Donald Trump ally Elon Musk through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to federal workers around the country, Michigan's government sector actually demonstrated the largest over-the-month employment increase, with jobs increasing by 2,000 in March. This sector includes local, state and federal government jobs. The gains in the government sector in March were shared between the state and local government subsectors, Wayne Rourke, labor market information director for Michigan's Center for Data and Analytics, said in an email. In March, federal employment in the state was unchanged and has only declined by a few hundred jobs since the beginning of the year, he said. Nearly 58,000 Michigan residents were working in the federal sector (with about 21,000 of those jobs attributed to the U.S. Postal Service) in December 2024, according to recent data from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. More on resources for federal workers: New state webpage offers resources for federal workers in Michigan who lost their jobs In April, Michigan workers are filing new claims for unemployment insurance at elevated levels compared with a year ago at this time. More than 6,500 new claims were filed in Michigan last week, a 38% increase from the same week a year ago, according to U.S. Department of Labor data released April 17. "We are projecting Michigan's economic growth to slow substantially over the next two years, but we are not projecting an outright downturn," said an economic forecast for the state that was released in February from the University of Michigan Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics. After Michigan's economy was near a complete recovery from the pandemic recession at the end of 2023, Michigan's economy had an up-and-down year in 2024, U-M economists Gabriel Ehrlich, George Fulton and Saul Hymans wrote. The economists wrote that 2024's "seesaw performance" doesn't provide much guidance on the economic outlook moving forward, "and the picture is further clouded by the uncertain path of federal economic policy." More on the impact to small businesses: Michigan small businesses pivot, rethink growth plans amid federal policy shifts They expect Michigan's unemployment rate to hover between 4.8-4.9% through the second half of 2025 and in 2026, as federal tax cuts help to stimulate economic activity. Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's unemployment rate rose for 3rd consecutive month in March
