4/06/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association's (MITA) Fix MI State campaign launches its second "Pothole Payback" contest to raise awareness and compensate Michigan residents for vehicle damage from poor roads.

 MITA Executive Vice President Rob Coppersmith notes that despite 2025's historic road funding, a significant gap remains. He emphasizes that the contest highlights the ongoing road crisis and aids families, reminding lawmakers that road maintenance and high repair costs persist. Experts agree that a long-term, sustainable funding plan is needed. Residents can submit stories and photos of pothole damage through June at fixmistate.org/potholepayback. Up to five winners monthly can receive up to $800 for repairs.

4/06/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Michigan lawmakers have advanced a new online child-safety package of bills, as a California jury last week found Meta and Google liable in a 6-million-dollar youth-harm case. The Michigan plan includes the Online Safety Act for Kids, the Kids Code, and SAFE for Kids Act – aimed at limiting addictive features, boosting privacy and giving parents more control of their kids' online access. John DeMay, a U.P. father and advocate, says his 17-year-old son Jordan died by suicide in 2022 after being targeted on Instagram, coerced into sending explicit images and then extorted.

                    0:13  "Jordan quickly realized that the young lady that reached out to him on Instagram was actually an adult male from Nigeria – that’s when the extortion happened. He ended up paying them $300 dollars one time, and tried paying them an additional $55, and drained his accounts."

DeMay’s case led to multiple arrests and federal convictions, but he says prevention is the real goal. Now, he believes the California court decision could mark a turning point by focusing on how the platforms are designed, not just what users post.

ICE STORM WARNING

ICE STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 PM CDT SATURDAY...for our entire listening area.  Significant icing expected. Total snow and sleet accumulations of one half to 3 inches and ice accumulations of two tenths up to a half of an inch.  Power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice.  The timeframe of heaviest ice accumulations will be tonight and overnight. The freezing rain threat should end by late tomorrow morning.