3/17/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN- A long-running fight over the Line 5 pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac is now before the Michigan Supreme Court. Justices heard arguments over whether state regulators properly approved a plan to house the pipeline in a protective tunnel beneath the lakebed. Environmental groups argue the decision failed to properly apply the state’s public trust doctrine, which requires protection of waters held for public use. Riyaz Kanji, an attorney representing Flow Water Advocates, told the justices the record includes evidence the tunnel could harm critical fisheries in the Straits.

               0:09  "The construction of this tunnel could wipe out whitefish and lake trout spawning grounds in the Straits of Mackinac forever – permanently."

Enbridge, which operates Line 5, counters the tunnel would improve safety by enclosing the pipeline and reducing the risk of an oil spill in the Great Lakes. The Michigan Supreme Court has not indicated when it will issue a ruling.

3/17/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Free naloxone, funded by opioid settlement dollars, is now available at Upper Peninsula Michigan Department of Health and Human Services offices.

Michigan will receive over $1.8 billion by 2040 from these settlements. Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian noted that naloxone has contributed to a 35% decrease in overdose deaths since 2023. Residents can pick up free kits during business hours while supplies last; use is protected by the Good Samaritan Law. Since 2020, Michigan has distributed over 1.7 million kits and logged more than 34,000 reversals.

3/17/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Efforts to expand free pre-K in Michigan have led to struggles in finding and keeping enough child care workers and teachers. One tactic officials are using is to make the job attractive enough that paraprofessionals who are already in the classroom will become full-fledged teachers. The MiEarly Apprentice is a new program from the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative that aims to pay current childcare and pre-K workers to get a college degree, coaching and ultimately, higher wages. MEWI piloted the program last year in Marquette and Alger counties in the U.P.. Now, it is expanding to eight more counties and hopes to expand statewide with more funding.