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Road salt is hurting Michigan’s environment, but what are the alternatives?

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Road salt is hurting Michigan’s environment, but what are the alternatives?


(WXYZ) — It is starting to look loads like winter in Michigan, and meaning, roads are about to get extra harmful as winter climate creates slippery situations.

There isn’t a query that highway salt saves lives. A research from Marquette Universit discovered salt reduces accidents by as much as 88% and accidents by as much as 85%.

However, salt additionally has penalties. It contaminates our surroundings, and we’re going in-depth on how environmentalists and the Michigan Division of Surroundings, Nice Lakes and Vitality plan to make use of it extra effectively.

Every year, greater than 19 million tons of highway salt is utilized in the USA, in response to the Nationwide Minerals Infomation Middle. Then, it washes off the roads.

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Oakland County Water Useful resource Commissioner Jim Nash mentioned subsequent to roads, on salty floor, invasive crops thrive attributable to salt. These invasive crops are principally ocean shore crops that thrive off the salt from oceans that results in the bottom.

“Salt working off into freshwater techniques can change the salinity of these downstream waterways,” Nash mentioned.

Megan Tinsely, the water coverage director on the Michigan Environmental Council, mentioned if we do not use much less salt over time, the influence will develop and will influence ingesting water.

The Michigan Environmental Council is internet hosting an occasion on this situation on Friday.

Craig Bryson, the senior communications supervisor for the Highway Fee of Oakland County, mentioned the fee has checked out options for salt. However, the underside line for them is motorist security.

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For instance, the fee has tried out beet juice however discovered it attracted animals to the highway.

To date, with regards to price and efficiency, nothing matches salt.

“We’re involved in regards to the setting and have in-house environmentalists who monitor all the things we do and we attempt to do issues as inexperienced as we will,” Bryson mentioned.

The gear has improved through the years. For instance, brine tanks and brine make the salt go additional.

“Within the previous days, the mattress of the truck was the salt spreader. You raised the mattress and gravity compelled it out on the identical price,” Bryson mentioned. “We’ve got computerized spreaders now which might be hooked to the speedometer on the car.”

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The highway fee says it will get extra calls from individuals who need to see extra salt than from individuals involved about salt.

“I can get a name at 3 within the morning that I’ve to be someplace. And if the roads aren’t nice, you may have an issue,” Artwork Weiss mentioned.

Weiss is an lawyer who is usually on name for police unions to handle points that come up day or evening, winter and summer season. He mentioned he’s grateful salt retains our roads secure, however he additionally cares in regards to the setting.

“That’s the most valuable factor we’ve got in Michigan. That is the water wonderland. The Nice Lakes state,” Weiss mentioned.





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Michigan

Michigan hoops revival triggered by three-point prowess

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Michigan hoops revival triggered by three-point prowess


Coach Dusty May came to Ann Arbor with some serious work to do, rebuilding a proud program that had just crawled across the finish line the year before with a measly three Big Ten Conference wins. Prior to May’s arrival, Michigan was a team that looked outmatched, often confused, and lacking identity every night they took the court.

This was a program that in the last 12 years was a perennial contender for the Big Ten title, winning the league title three times and the tournament title twice. They were also expected to make the NCAA Tournament and were a threat to make a deep run every year. This program had two runners up National Championship showings and seven Sweet 16 runs in the last 12 years. Mediocrity was not something the fan base was familiar with.

Although it’s still early, it certainly looks like Dusty May has turned that around, and he has utilized lethal shooting from 3-point range as a huge weapon in that turnaround.

Harkening back to the Beilein days when Michigan used the three-point shot as a means of shooting teams out of zones and opening up the middle for their big men, May has given his shooters the green light. The three-point shot has revolutionized the way basketball is played, thank you Steph Curry. Teams are shooting from downtown at a pace never before seen in the college or professional ranks.

With Michigan having five of their six leading scorers shooting 36.6% or better from three, they have become a serious problem for opposing defenses. Often, when big man Vlad Goldin or Danny Wolf are benched due to foul trouble, the shooters come out and the Wolverines do not lose any momentum. A team with serious advantages in the post that can quickly pivot to a guard oriented deep shooting team on the fly is one that can position itself to win a conference championship and make a deep run in March.

Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –

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BREAKING: Former Michigan Football QB Alex Orji commits to new school

Michigan Football lands second transfer portal WR

Michigan Football lands second transfer portal WR

For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:





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Bay Village native dies when hit by train near Michigan college

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Bay Village native dies when hit by train near Michigan college


HOLLAND, Michigan — A Bay Village woman who was a student at a small college in Michigan was killed Saturday when she was struck by a train near the school’s campus in Holland, Mich.

Hope College President Matthew Scogin confirmed the death of Jennifer Kasunick in a post on social media. Scogin described Kasunick, who was a junior at the college, as “a well-loved member of our community.”

“Almost everyone on campus knew Jennifer,” Scogin writes. “And to know her was to love her. Her joyful spirit was a constant source of warmth and light, especially in Phelps Hall, where she served as an RA alongside her service dog, Rowdy, who survived.”

Police have not released information on the incident. Scogin writes in his post that he also has no details.

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Cleveland.com news partner WKYC Channel 3 reports Kasunick was born blind. She was very involved in the music programs at Bay Village High School, WKYC reports. She was a member of the orchestra at Hope College, described as a talented violinist who learned all of her music by ear.

“Jennifer was fearless,” Bay Village High School Principal Jason Martin said in a statement to WKYC. “She was larger than life and touched so many members of our Bay Village community. Jennifer and her service dog, Rowdy, wowed audiences in high school musicals, orchestra concerts and walking at graduation in 2023.”

Kasunick was a nominee for the 2024 Accessibility Awareness Award, according to Hope College. The school is a small liberal arts college with just over 3,100 undergraduate students. Holland is located in the western portion of lower Michigan near Lake Michigan.





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Swimmers Brave The Cold Of Icy Lake Michigan – Videos from The Weather Channel

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Swimmers Brave The Cold Of Icy Lake Michigan – Videos from The Weather Channel




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