All Syndicated

A bill introduced Thursday by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-8) could require testing for more PFAS chemicals nationwide. Read the full story by The Livingston Daily.

In recent weeks, President Trump has begun honing his message on the environment for his 2020 reelection bid. It amounts to this: Make the Great Lakes great again. However, critics point out that Trump is promising to fund Great Lakes programs only after the White House threatened multiple times to cut money to them in its official budget requests to Congress. Read the full story by The Washington Post.

The U.S. Coast Guard at the Port of Rochester is feeling the effects of the rising levels of Lake Ontario, and it’s having an impact on their operations. Read full story by WWTI-TV – Watertown, NY.

The U.S. Senate has finally confirmed three new members of the International Joint Commission, which regulates water levels for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by The Spectrum News.

The Friends of the St. Clair River, Michigan, is offering the opportunity to get an up-close look at Michigan’s “Gentle Giant of the Great Lakes” at this year’s Blue Water Sturgeon Festival. Read the full story by The Voice News.

Thursday was the first day of 2019 with 0.0% ice on all the Great Lakes. That ends a string of 182 consecutive days going back to Nov. 15 with at least some ice on Lake Superior. Read the full story by the WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.

It may seem like a wasp’s only concern is getting at your can of pop, but a new study published out of the University of Michigan suggests that they may be smarter than we think. Elizabeth Tibbetts, the associate chair for research and ethics at the University of Michigan’s biology department and the lead researcher on the study, says paper wasps exhibit transitive inference.

Garlic mustard is an invasive plant brought to North America from Europe. Its aggressive growth in natural woodland areas, agricultural fields, and home gardens negatively impacts landowners and Ontario wildlife by forming dense stands that crowd out other plant species. It’s not impossible to get rid of, but you need to approach the job properly, or you’ll just help it spread even more.

Anyone heading to the campgrounds this Victoria Day weekend may occasionally have to seek shelter from the rain.

Environment Canada is forecasting a chance of showers throughout the weekend in Southwestern Ontario, which could turn into thunderstorms in some areas.  Meteorologist Ryan Rozinskis said it will be a bit of change from the cloudy but mostly dry weather from last year’s long weekend.

Huron County Public Health officials are warning residents to protect themselves from ticks and mosquitos.

Public Health Inspector Kaitlyn Kelly said the risk of becoming ill from a bug bite in Huron County is low, but it is still important to protect yourself against Lyme disease and West Nile virus.

Lyme disease is spread through the bite of an infected black-legged tick. A tick must be attached and feeding for at least 24-36 hours before the tick will start to transmit the bacteria, so early detection and removal is important.

A newly released video of an underwater inspection of the Line 5 oil and natural gas pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac shows damage to at least the outside of the pipes following a 2018 ship anchor strike. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.

As summer sets in and algae begins to form in the Great Lakes, the challenges of providing clean tap water increase. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.