Michigan
Michigan cougar cubs confirmed alive in century-first milestone
ONTONAGON COUNTY, MI — Two cougar cubs found this spring in the Upper Peninsula remain alive and traveling with their mother, a confirmation that Michigan wildlife officials say represents a historic milestone for natural reproduction.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Thursday, Dec. 18 that a trail camera photo taken this month shows an adult female cougar walking down a snowy trail in central Ontonagon County followed by two juvenile cougars estimated to be roughly a year old.
The same cubs were first documented in early March when motorists photographed two small kittens along a western U.P. road.
“This is a historic confirmation for Michigan since it is the first time in over 100 years that verified cougar reproduction has occurred east of the Mississippi River and possibly even east of the Missouri River,” said Brian Roell, DNR large carnivore specialist
Until this year, genetic testing and other evidence indicated that nearly all confirmed cougars in Michigan were transient adult males believed to have traveled east from established populations in the western states.
The presence of cubs confirms at least one breeding female is now on the landscape, though officials say that doesn’t mean Michigan has an established breeding population.
Cougars are native to Michigan but were essentially hunted out of the state by the early 1900s. The DNR has confirmed about 168 cougar sightings since 2008, although it says most of them are of the same animal being reported by multiple sources.
All confirmed sightings have been in the Upper Peninsula.
Cougar sightings have been increasing in recent years alongside the proliferation of trail cameras. This marked the third consecutive year of record-high cougar sightings in Michigan. As of late November, the DNR had confirmed 26 sightings statewide in 2025.
The state verified the first confirmed vehicle collision with a male cougar on Nov. 15 in northern Houghton County.
The DNR said it verified the new cubs sighting image after a private landowner submitted a trail camera photo taken Dec. 6. Biologists enhanced the nighttime image and confirmed the presence of three cougars. The sex of the cubs is unknown.
Cougar cubs typically stay with their mother for up to two years and Roell said their chances of survival are relatively high because female cougars invest heavily in raising their young. The absence of an adult cougar in March had raised concerns about their survival. He is surprised the kittens weren’t seen on any other trail cameras since this spring.
“These kittens will stay with their mom through this winter and possibly even into next winter,” Roell said.
State officials did not release the exact location of the latest sighting. Cougars are listed as endangered in Michigan. It is illegal to hunt or harass them or attempt to locate dens.
Anyone who encounters evidence of a cougar should keep their distance, avoid disturbing the area and report sightings to the DNR.
The DNR said other states, including Nebraska, have also reported increases in cougar sightings.
Cougars need large territories because they are solitary ambush predators that rely on deer and other large prey, which leads to low population densities. Even states with the largest cougar populations generally have just a few thousand of the animals.
“This isn’t an animal that is ever going to become very numerous,” Roell said. “They’re going to remain rare on the landscape regardless of whatever happens with them here in Michigan.”
Michigan
What to know about cyclosporiasis as Michigan health officials investigate 300+ cases in outbreak
Over 300 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported within a week in Southeast Michigan, and Michigan health officials are investigating.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) are actively investigating the potential source of the “large and growing outbreak” of cases confirmed in Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson and Livingston counties.
Health officials also reported 24 cases across 11 other Michigan counties, including in the city of Detroit. Typically, Michigan only gets around 50 cases per year.
On July 1, MDHHS reported there were at least 170 cases. On Thursday, the number of cases jumped to at least 300.
Read more –> Michigan health officials warn of ‘large and growing outbreak’ of cyclosporiasis
The age range of individuals who were diagnosed with the illness ranges from 8 years old to 84 years old, with a median age of 41, according to MDHHS.
Health officials are working to determine the common exposure of the outbreak in Michigan.
Here’s what to know about cyclosporiasis:
What is cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite and infects the small intestine.
Healthcare providers can diagnose the illness by testing a stool sample.
Signs and symptoms
If infected with cyclosporiasis, people may experience watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.
The illness can last from a few days to over a month if the illness is not treated. Symptoms could relapse.
The timeframe from becoming infected to becoming sick usually takes about one week but can range from two days to two weeks or more.
In the US, outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce. People can get infected with Cyclospora more than once.
Anyone who experiences symptoms of cyclosporiasis should see their healthcare provider.
How it spreads
The illness can spread when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces.
The CDC said it can take at least one or two weeks outside the body for Cyclospora to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement, making direct person-to-person transmission unlikely.
How to prevent cyclosporiasis
According to the CDC, people can prevent infection by avoiding food or water that may contain feces and by following food safety recommendations for safe preparation and storage.
The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables.
Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.
Read more on prevention here.
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A shooting altercation between two groups of young people at a shopping mall in Dearborn, Michigan, left two people dead and a third injured over what is typically the most violent weekend of the year in the US, police said.
The shooting occurred as the US began celebrating the Fourth of July, historically a holiday weekend that sees higher rates of gun violence across the country. In 2024, the Gun Violence Archive reported more than 500 shootings over Independence Day weekend.
The shooting at Fairlane Town Center on Friday sent mall patrons scrambling, including a person who was hit by a vehicle outside the mall while attempting to flee, said Issa Shahin, the Dearborn police chief.
People believed to be linked to the fight were being questioned at the police station, but no one was immediately taken into custody, he said.
Shahin said the altercation was not a random act: the two groups knew each other and after they came into contact at the mall a fight started that escalated into gunfire. Members of both groups had handguns, he said.
One of the victims died inside Fairlane Town Center and the other died at a nearby hospital. Details on the third person who was shot were not released.
The mall was evacuated after the shooting and police planned to keep it closed while they investigated.
A video posted to social media appeared to show people running from the shopping center after gunshots could be heard.
Fairlane Town Center has more than 125 stores and restaurants, according to its website.
Dearborn is a suburb of Detroit with a population of more than 100,000 people about nine miles west of Detroit.
Tyhrann Howard, Michigan state police specialist lieutenant, said the agency was assisting with the investigation and referred questions to the Dearborn police.
A person who answered the phone at the telephone number for mall security declined comment.
Associated Press contributed reporting
Lansing — Michigan lawmakers worked through the night into Friday morning on a new state budget that will use an array of spending cuts and funding maneuvers to close a $1 billion tax revenue gap.
The plan will increase the state’s investment in basic per-student support for Michigan schools and will feature $125 million for special projects sought by legislators. However, 10 state departments will get less money than they had the year before, and a variety of state initiatives, such as the arts and culture program, Pure Michigan and the Office of Global Michigan, will see cuts.
Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, described the new budget, which authorized somewhere around $84 billion in spending, as one “full of compromises.”
“This was a very challenging budget negotiation, mainly because of the $1 billion deficit that we had to ensure to address,” Anthony said. “But being able to do so without reducing any benefits for folks who are receiving Medicaid or food assistance is probably the proudest thing … that comes out of this process.”
The Legislature convened throughout the night Thursday into Friday morning, when the state Capitol would normally have been closed for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Under state law, the Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate are supposed to approve a new budget by July 1 each year. The first of the funding bills wasn’t unveiled this week until about 3:13 a.m. Friday morning, two days after the deadline.
Lawmakers would likely have a few hours to read the bills before the final votes, which were expected later Friday.
On Thursday afternoon, Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, said Senate Republicans had no information about what was in the budget blueprint. He labeled the process playing out in the Legislature “nonsense.”
Likewise, Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake Township, said lawmakers had about 30 to 40 minutes between being briefed on the budget and when they had to vote on it.
“We have no idea what’s in these bills,” Runestad said.
In February, Jen Flood, Whitmer’s budget director, said the state was facing a $1.8 billion financial gap. Health care costs had jumped, the Legislature had dedicated more tax dollars to roads, and the federal government, led by Republican President Donald Trump, had forced states to pay for a larger share of costs associated with food assistance for low-income families.
Whitmer initially proposed an $88.1 budget for next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. She sought a bevy of new taxes on smokers, gamblers and digital advertising. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, refused to go along with the tax hikes.
The new budget will be somewhat close to the current budget in overall amount of approximately $84 million.
Hall and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, had been working for weeks to create the new funding plan. Hall announced a final deal had been reached Thursday.
The ultimate agreement involved dozens of other bills that were tied to the budget’s approval, including a long-sought measure by some Democrats that would double the cap on the state’s transformational brownfield program, which allows businesses behind large developments to keep income tax and sales withholdings resulting from their projects, from $1.6 billion to $3.2 billion.
The incentive is expected to be used to spur the redevelopment of Detroit’s riverfront Renaissance Center. The Senate approved the brownfield bill in December. The House voted 82-26 in favor of it early Friday.
The Senate also took up early Friday a House-backed proposal to ban former lawmakers from being paid to lobby for two years after leaving office. The bill passed in a vote of 29-7.
How will schools be funded?
Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, acknowledged lawmakers were shifting a larger amount of School Aid Fund money, which would normally go to K-12 schools, toward higher education and community colleges.
The number appeared to rise from about $1.3 billion in the current year to about $2 billion in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, setting a new record. Whitmer had proposed using $1.7 billion from the School Aid Fund to support the operations of universities and community colleges.
The moves effectively free up money in the General Fund, where tax dollars are currently tight, for other needs.
“It’s too much,” Camilleri said of the shifts. “But we’re dealing with a divided Legislature with different priorities, and we all needed to fill the budget gap.”
Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, blasted the approach lawmakers took.
“Nothing in this budget justifies it once again being done late,” McCann said. “There is little in it focused on supporting Michigan’s schools, even as it raids nearly $2 billion from the School Aid Fund to pay for data centers and corporate tax handouts.”
The K-12 budget went down from $21.3 billion to $19.8 billion, a 7 percent drop in federal funds on paper.
But the plan appears to allow the federal funds not included in the tally to be spent, so it wasn’t clear how much total spending there would actually be under the legislation.
Lawmakers are increasing the base per-pupil foundation allowance for schools by about 2.5% from $10,050 to $10,300. They are also investing $50 million in high-impact tutoring and instituting a long-term plan for a so-called weighted funding formula, which would tie extra support to economically disadvantaged students and students who are learning English.
House Appropriations Chairwoman Ann Bollin, R-Brighton, touted the weighted funding formula, which will be phased in over the next 15 years.
“This is a transformational school budget, where we are making record investments,” Bollin said.
For Michigan’s public universities, overall funding increased by 12% from $2.3 billion to $2.6 billion, with more money for operations and scholarships.
What were the cuts and projects?
Lawmakers’ final plan also cut $8 million in funding for the Pure Michigan tourism campaign, which received $17 million in support in the current year. The Office of Global Michigan got $500,000 less, dropping its total to about $41.4 million. And the arts and culture program got $685,200 less, dropping its total to $8 million.
Among state departments, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy saw the largest percentage drop in funding of 31%, going from $967 million to $671 million. The decrease was largely due to the reduction of money for a federal sewage and stormwater program.
Lawmakers did provide $125 million for special projects around the state.
There was $3 million for the Schoenherr Road Bridge Reconstruction in Shelby Township, $1.4 million for the Rochester Community House expansion and renovation, $3.7 million for water main replacements in Utica and $2 million for a fire station project in Waterford Township, according to the spending plan.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
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