When we look at the storm track over the next week or so there are a lot of storm systems lined up across the U.S. and Pacific Ocean. Most of these storm systems are going to roll through the Great Lakes region and Michigan. Will they bring rain or snow? Let’s take a look.

Firstly you should know that when there are a lot of storms lined up closely together, they all can’t be big storm systems. The storm track this coming week will have batches of precipitation every two days. For storm systems to be big and strong there has to be a five to seven day spacing between the storms.

Here’s just a nice easy look at what I like to call a “parade of storm systems” stretched across the Pacific Ocean. It may seem like the farthest storm is a long ways off in time. The last storm on the screen will actually be here by next weekend.

Here’s the upper-air flow at 15,000 feet. This is the level we use to easily see the storm track. Every “U” shaped bend in the flow is a weather-maker. Look how many and how often the bends in the upper-air flow are coming through over the next 10 days.

When we look at the upper-air forecast out through next week it’s a somewhat warmer flow. This means it’s not an all-out winter pattern.

What does this mean here at the ground?

A precipitation event is likely Saturday night/Sunday, again Tuesday, Wednesday and the following weekend. Saturday night’s precipitation looks to be mostly rain for most of us, but with a mixture of snow and light freezing rain at the start. Tuesday looks like rain, not snow. There may be snow for some Wednesday. Next weekend’s weather system looks more like a winter system.

The point I want to make is the dry, no storm pattern that got us into drought this fall has probably ended. The active storm track is coming just in time for winter. This means you will have to follow the forecast closely if you are concerned about winter travels.

Lansing — The Michigan Senate voted late Thursday night in favor of new restrictions that supporters hope will combat gun violence: banning the possession of bump stocks and of firearms that don’t feature serial numbers.

Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, told reporters that Democrats wanted to use the final days of their control of the Legislature to protect Michigan residents. Republicans will hold power in the House, beginning in January.

“This is something that Republicans won’t do on their own, so I’ll stay here all night, all day until this gets done,” Polehanki said.

The bump stock prohibition focuses on devices that are designed to make the technique of bump firing easier to achieve, using the strength of a weapon’s recoil to rapidly move the trigger.

On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman in Las Vegas used semi-automatic rifles, with bump stock devices, to launch a barrage of shots that killed 58 people and wounded more than 850 others among 22,000 concertgoers attending an outdoor music festival. The gunman was able to fire off more than 1,000 bullets in 11 minutes.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal rule that prohibited bump stocks. The high court said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had exceeded its authority. Soon after, state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, introduced a bill in the Michigan Legislature to make it a felony to possess or sell a bump stock in Michigan.

The measure passed in a vote of 23-12 Thursday night with three Republicans crossing over to join majority Democrats in support. The GOP lawmakers who voted yes were Sens. Thomas Albert of Lowell, Mark Huizenga of Walker and Mike Webber of Rochester Hills.

More: Poll: Most Michigan voters support raising minimum age for buying an AR-15 rifle

State Rep. Jim DeSana, R-Carleton, previously spoke out against the bump stock ban.

“I have a strong core belief that the people’s constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms and the right of self defense is absolute and cannot be restricted, infringed or regulated to the point that a law abiding citizen would find themselves in violation of laws just for having certain types of guns,” DeSana said in June.

The Senate also approved separate bills that would make it a crime to manufacture, possess or sell guns that don’t feature serial numbers, frequently referred to as ghost guns.

Ghost guns can be built from separate pieces or a kit and are often made of 3D printed material and untraceable, according to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency.

The number of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement in the U.S. increased by 398% from 2016 to 2020 with nearly 24,000 ghost guns recovered across the country during that five-year period, according to the national organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said the country had seen a “proliferation of ghost guns.”

The main ghost gun proposal passed in a vote of 20-15 with Democrats in support and Republicans in opposition.

In a statement earlier this week, Attorney General Dana Nessel said ghost guns “severely undermine our state’s ability to effectively investigate and prevent gun violence.”

“By taking decisive action to ban them, we can prevent further tragedies in our communities and protect the lives of Michiganders,” Nessel, a Democrat, said. “This legislation is not about infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

“It’s about ensuring that our communities are safe from criminals using ghost guns to commit untraceable crimes.”

More: Police largely use Michigan’s new red flag law to confiscate guns in 25 counties

More: How Michigan’s red flag law works

Sen. Joe Bellino, R-Monroe, spoke out against the ghost gun bills, contending Democrats should insist “soft-on-crime prosecutors” enforce the gun laws already on the books.

“This bill is another attempt to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens who responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Bellino said.

The votes Thursday night came on one of the final nights of the 2023-2024 legislative term. To become law, the bills would have to be approved by the House and signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In 2023, after a shooting on the campus of Michigan State University, the Democrat-controlled Legislature enacted a series of new gun restrictions, expanding background check requirements for firearm purchases and imposing storage standards for guns kept in homes where children are present.

Republicans will take control of the state House in January.

cmauger@detroitnews.com

Class of 2025 H-back/tight end Eli Owens had been committed to Michigan since January and officially made his dream of playing college football come true by signing with he Wolverines last week during the early signing period.

Owens was the second player to commit to the Wolverines’ class and became a strong advocate for the program and a savvy recruiter himself, taking numerous visits to Ann Arbor even after being committed while trying to convince other prospects to become future Wolverines.

Growing up in Tennessee, Owens grew up a Vols fan and remembers attending numerous games at Neyland Stadium during his childhood.

However, even with an offer from his home state school and many other Power 4 schools that extended an offer to him, Owens always felt like Michigan was the right spot for him.

“Every time I visited Michigan, I felt like nothing could compare,” Owens said. “That held true. I went to go visit all of these different places and do all of these different things, and at the end of the visits I would tell my Mom, ‘it’s cool but it’s not Michigan.’ It’s not what felt right for me. Just the way I fit into the (Michigan’s) program, the people—we’re all in the same mindset. We’re all guys who love to ball. Hopefully, one day we can get back where we need to be to perform at our best.”

When describing his game and how he plays, Owens said Michigan is getting a player willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.

“Michigan is getting a hard-nosed football player who’s willing to do whatever it takes to win for his team and for his brothers,” Owens said. “I just like the game of football and whatever it entails, and I hope to be great one day.”

Owens said tight ends coach Steve Casula, head coach Sherrone Moore and the staff is expecting him to compete for the H-back role that has been held by Max Bredeson.

He will enroll early and take part in the team’s bowl practices and is ready for the challenge.

“They envision me—not necessarily as a Max Bredeson replacement, because I don’t know if you can ever replace Max Bredeson,” said Owens. “But, just kind of a guy who can step in to play any role, be very versatile and knock a couple heads loose if you need me to.”

When putting Owens’ film on, he shows great potential as a pass catcher, so fans shouldn’t be fooled into thinking he doesn’t have ability as a tight end.

But make no mistake about it—Owens loves to block and embraces being someone who can open up lanes for his teammates to run through.

“I like blocking more than I like catching it,” Owens said.

Through his recruiting process, Owens was able to create strong bonds with several of the other Michigan signees, but especially with Avery Gach and Bobby Kanka, who will be Owens’ roommates when they all get to campus in Ann Arbor.

“We’ve all visited Michigan like 45 times (between us),” Owens said. “They live right down the road, but we’ve created a bond, we’ve created a connection. We’re very similar personality wise. We come from similar backgrounds, and all three of us know we want to play early and do whatever we can. We’re going to work together, bond together and do whatever it takes to get each other on the field.”

Through those bonds made with other members of the class, Owens said he is excited for the future of the program with the guys they have coming in.

“I think we’re bringing guys in that know how to represent the program into the program,” Owens said. “In the coming years, we’re going to be the Michigan football of always. I think we have a great class coming in and I think we have great coaches that are going to make us even better players.”

From a personal standpoint, Owens said the decision to enroll early was “probably the easiest” decision he has ever made as he said the time he will get to spend around the team before next season really gets rolling will be valuable.

“Throughout this entire process, I knew I was going to graduate early and be on campus,” said Owens. “I just think it’s very important development wise to get an extra six months basically. Being able to adjust to the speed throughout the course of spring ball, get the offense learned and really try to find my place on the team before things really get rolling here right before camp starts.”

Owens has gotten to spend time with Bredeson and is eager to take in more information from the Michigan senior when he joins the team for bowl practices ahead of the Wolverines’ New Years Even matchup with Alabama.

“Max Bredeson is my favorite Michigan football player, just because he is someone I’ve gotten to spend time with and really developed a relationship with,” Owens said.

While Owens is ready for the next chapter of his football career, he had a historic one just recently close at Alcoa High School.

Owens helped lead his team to a state championship this past Friday. As a program, it was Alcoa’s 10th in a row and 23rd in school history.

Overall, Owens won six straight championships while in high school, including four in football and two in basketball.

More than the winning on the field, Owens said they always tried to make what they do about the community with Alcoa being a smaller town.

“We make everything we do about our community and about our people,” Owens said. “I think that’s what draws people in. It’s a family thing for me, my entire family graduated from Alcoa, even back to my grandparents. We’re people who love each other and love our football.”

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