If you’ve ever lost an entire afternoon yelling at “House Hunters,” you’re not alone—The ’Gander’s Sophie Boudreau gets it. The urge to binge-watch can be especially strong when a Michigan home pops up on screen.

Today, Sophie brings us a roundup of six local gems that got the HGTV spotlight.

MI Senate passes gun bills (MI Advance): The Michigan Senate passed several gun safety bills, including bans on bump stocks, ghost guns, and firearms in the Capitol and legislative offices. Most bills passed along party lines and now face an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled House.

Man sentenced to prison for conspiracy to traffic fentanyl (WILX): Tamarious Faulkner, leader of the Jackson-based gang “Thorough Bread Family,” was sentenced to nearly 18 years in federal prison for trafficking a uniquely colored form of fentanyl linked to fatal overdoses and violence. Authorities say Jackson saw a sharp drop in crime and overdoses after Faulkner’s arrest.

MI group ends decades-long search for plane wreckage (AP): After 20 years and 700 square miles of sonar scanning, the Michigan Shipwreck Association’s search for Northwest Orient Flight 2501—lost in Lake Michigan in 1950 with 58 people aboard—has officially ended. Experts believe the wreckage broke apart and sank too deeply into the lakebed to be found.

Viewers of “Rehab Addict” watched the Ransom Gillis house come back to life during a compelling series. (Matt Krejenke/CC Attribution-SA 4.0 International)

Need an excuse to watch more HGTV? Flip on the television and check out six HGTV programs that feature houses or properties in Michigan, including:

1. Ransom Gillis House: Featured on “Rehab Addict”

205 Alfred St., Detroit

If you’ve driven down Alfred Street in Detroit, you might have spotted the Venetian Gothic beauty of the Ransom Gillis House, which has stood since 1878. In 2015, it was the subject of an episode of HGTV’s “Rehab Addict,” which is exactly what it sounds like: a show dedicated to rehabbing defunct or abandoned properties. Host Nicole Curtis walked viewers through the renovation and restoration process of the Ransom Gillis House in an eight-part series, with breathtaking results.

Fixes included a brand-new turret roof, customized stained glass windows modeled after the originals, stunning tile details throughout, front porch detailing, and magnificently restored hardwood floors, just to name a few. Today, the house is occupied by tenants, but passersby can admire its exterior beauty.

2. Carpet Castle: Featured on “Ugliest House in America”

Jenison

Being featured on HGTV doesn’t automatically mean that a house is beautiful, and exploring Michigan’s more unique homes is just as enjoyable. Fan favorite “Ugliest House in America,” hosted by comedian Retta, takes viewers across the country in pursuit of (you guessed it) America’s ugliest home.

Season six highlights the so-called Carpet Castle in Jenison, a riverfront abode whose walls, floors, and even ceilings are covered in carpet. Despite its unassuming 1920s exterior, the house was deemed ugly enough to advance to the show’s next round of competition.

3. SS Huronia House: Featured on “Ugliest House in America”

Augres Avenue, Au Gres

Michigan’s maritime heritage is an undeniable point of pride here in the Great Lakes State (famous shipwrecks and all). Our region’s passion for boats made its way onto “Ugliest House in America,” though we think the home in question isn’t so much ugly as it is wildly unique.

The SS Huronia is a house designed to look like a boat, complete with five bedrooms (two of which look like crew quarters), four bathrooms, a smokestack, and—most delightfully—views of Point Lookout, the meeting point between Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. It’s hard to imagine a home more perfectly suited to a Michigan maritime fanatic.

A peregrine falcon is just one of the many birds you can see on the trail (Image via Getty Images Pro/Canva)

If you heard the words “Saginaw Bay Birding Trail” and pictured a small, wholesome path full of elderly people bird-watching with binoculars, you’re going to want to think again.

While the Saginaw Bay Birding Trail does certainly feature an array of bird-watching opportunities, this is not your grandmother’s birding trail—well, actually, it could be, but only if your grandma enjoys a 142-mile trail that stretches across Michigan and features dazzling shoreline views and public access, that is.

Our point is, this trail is a haven for bird enthusiasts, but it’s also a treasure for the state of Michigan and an opportunity for any outdoor enthusiast to experience all the sights and sounds our state has to offer.

From what to bring to the kinds of birds you’ll see along the way, we’ve put together this guide on making the most of the trail.

While we’re finally in the clear of our first big heatwave of the summer, it’s likely only a matter of time before we feel that scorching heat once again.

That’s why earlier this week, I asked ‘Ganders about their favorite way to cool off during Michigan’s summer heat.

Here’s some highlights of what you had to say:

“My favorite way to cool off is floating in the water while we anchor off shore in the back cove of our lake.  Often with an adult beverage in hand, laughing with friends and listening to great music. Nothing better.” — Terri Denhof

“Our coolest way to beat the heat is to not be in Fort Myers, Florida during the summer. We’re here in Mottville for as long as legal for homesteading purposes. These heat waves are typical Florida weather from June through September but without the humidity. I guess it’s all relative.” — David and Sandra R.

“I float in my pool or the 2 lakes I live by. Yes! I’m lucky.” — Terri MacKenzie

Have a question you want me to ask our community? Feel free to send it my way. I might feature it in a future newsletter.

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This email is written by Karel Vega, newsletter editor at The ’Gander. Have a question or comment? Reply back to this email!