Looking for a Michigan-themed gift for the reader on your list this holiday season? We’ve got you covered.

From Isle Royale moose to Mackinac Island history and even Michigan cougars, these selections are perfect for anyone who loves reading about the Mitten.

Plus: Speaking of moose, we’ve got details on how you can volunteer for next year’s Isle Royale Moosewatch.

Michigan city drops agreement with ICE (CBS News): Center Line has withdrawn from an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which gave local police officers the power to act as immigration agents, just weeks after signing on. The move follows public backlash and concerns from immigrant rights advocates who warned the partnership could lead to racial profiling and erode community trust. It’s the second Michigan agency to end its ICE collaboration in recent weeks.

Business groups back bills protecting property owners from slip-and-fall lawsuits (WCMU): Business groups are backing proposed Michigan legislation that would limit lawsuits over “open and obvious” hazards, like slip-and-fall injuries. Supporters say the bills would restore fairness and curb abuse of the legal system, while opponents argue they protect businesses at the expense of public safety and vulnerable residents.

Proposed bills would allow raw milk sales (FOX 2): Michigan lawmakers are considering bills to legalize direct-to-consumer sales of raw milk and dairy products. Supporters say it gives farmers more freedom, while health officials warn unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria. The proposal faces review in the House Committee on Government Operations.

(Graphic collage/Wayne State University Press, Mission Point Press, Michigan State University Press)

By Capital News Service

Looking for a holiday gift for a reader who loves the Great Lakes?

Here are five prospects to consider—and what our reporters learned from interviewing their authors this year:

When you think about the culture of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, pasties, fishing, hunting and deep, deep snow immediately come to mind.

But author Candice Goucher hones in on another cultural aspect—the picnic—in “Picnics and Porcupines: Eating in the Wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula” (Wayne State University Press).

The book covers topics from Indigenous people’s summer gatherings for the wild rice harvest that brought families together in outdoor camps to immigrant communities that brought their own picnic traditions which evolved in response to the local environment.

For example, Goucher told reporter Isabella Figueroa Nogueira how UP railroads opened their iron ore trains to passengers on Sundays. “These trains would stop and people would pay a small amount of money to get on them and be taken to a picnic ground where they could join others and enjoy the afternoon.”

A bull moose grazes in Sheep Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colo., on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021. (USA Today Network)

By USA Today Network via Reuters

A nonprofit group dedicated to studying moose-wolf interactions at Isle Royale National Park is looking for volunteers to hike the archipelago to find bones and study the large animals.

“Moosewatch Expeditions are an incredible opportunity for you to be a part of the wolf-moose research project,” the Wolf-Moose Project’s website says. “Each expedition involves a week-long trek though the boreal forests of Isle Royale.”

Each expedition team carefully searches as much area as possible for moose bones and records observations and other data, according to the Wolf-Moose Project, which receives support from Michigan Technological University, the National Park Service, and the National Science Foundation.

The group is currently seeking volunteers for four expeditions in 2026 that will take place from May to August.

“The Wolf-Moose Project of Isle Royale is the longest running study of any predator-prey system in the world. The project will celebrate its 68th anniversary in 2026,” the group said.

Data centers have been in the news a lot lately as more of them are being proposed around Michigan. While developers are promising jobs and tax revenue, there has also been pushback from locals sharing concerns ranging from noise and water use to how the centers will be powered at all.

Earlier this week, we shared news of DTE’s effort to fast-track approval of power lines for a new data center in Saline without public approval.

So, we asked:

Do you think utilities should be able to power data centers without public input?

Here are some highlights:

“I believe public input is ABSOLUTLY ESENTIAL, because from what I have seen so far with these data centers is that they absolutely destroy living conditions within a 10 or 20 mile radius.” — Bill Bradley

“DTE requires public scrutiny for their planning of a new Data Center. DTE is considered a monopoly in the southeastern Michigan area for electricity, rates higher than comparable providers in the Midwest,  and DTE employees and contractors are paid much more than average. Their planned data center in Saline is a huge facility and if history repeats itself, they will be asking for further increases to support once built.” — Kimberly Kimel

“Absolutely not. There needs to be public input on these data centers. Citizens should not continue to lose their voices on what happens in this country.” — Kathy M.

“I think the public should have input.  DTE has already started to say, I am using more energy than last year.  How?  I do not know.  I am one person on the budget, I might add.  They sent me an email in September telling me this.  In the summer, I only have my water heater and clothes dryer.  None of this makes sense, unless they are going to tack on a rate hike.” — Margaret Vande Bunte

“I believe every voting citizen should have a vote on where utility stations are put!” — Nancy Sundstrom

“Absolutely not.  Data centers have profound impacts on electricity costs, the environment and quality of life for neighbors.” — Sarah Redman

Do you have a question you’d like me to ask our community? Send it my way. I might feature it in a future newsletter.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Karel Vega with stories by USA Today Network via Reuters Connect and Capital News Service. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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