#mlive

Michigan’s cherry growers are facing an unusually abysmal harvest turnout, starting with their sweet varieties and now also extending into the tarts. Experts say extreme weather variability caused by climate change is entirely to blame for this season’s spoiled cherry crops.

“I’ve talked with farmers that have been around for many years, and they’ve never quite seen something to this extent,” said Emily Miezio of Suttons Bay, a Leelanau County farmer who sits on the Michigan Cherry Committee and leads the national Cherry Marketing Institute. Miezio was joined by state officials Thursday in Traverse City to discuss the cherry season.

Raise the drawbridge!

We Michiganders keep hearing the same message: The hordes are coming.

The latest drumbeat comes from MLive (a  Michigan-centric news site), published Tuesday under the headline, “Michigan is a climate haven in a warming world. Will everyone want to move here?”

Maybe not everyone, but the people who study these things say The Mitten is on the cusp of trendiness and likely will drag the U.P. along with it.

MLive reporters Sheri McWhirter and Lindsay Moore interviewed 16 scientists and academics; their consensus is that  the Great Lakes region - Michigan, in particular - will be the best place to live by 2050.

The attractions: ample fresh water (the big lakes hold 90 percent of North  America’s supply), large tracts of undeveloped land, fairly moderate temperatures and few incidents of violent weather (cloudiness never destroyed a building or killed anybody). Not to mention the sheer beauty of our state.

Michigan Cannabis Chefs create marijuana infused meals

Chefs Nigel Douglas and Lynette Roberts prepare a marijuana infused meal at a private residence in Muskegon, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. The Michigan Cannabis Chefs was founded in 2019.

Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka Hospitalized with Pneumonia

- “The last 24 hours have been arduous,” band says

Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka has been hospitalized with pneumonia, causing the band to postpone dates “due to the uncertainty of his time to recover.”

Singer Josh Kiszka was also sick but “has mostly recovered,” the band said.

“The last 24 hours have been arduous as doctors were unsure of the exact illness,” the group said in a statement. “Fortunately, after further evaluation, they are confident in their diagnosis of pneumonia and an optimal course of treatment has been determined.”

The illnesses are not COVID-related, MLive reported.

Postponed concerts in Michigan are now scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14; West Virginia’s makeup date is Aug. 10. Refunds are also available.

Greta Van Fleet are next scheduled to perform March 22 in Wisconsin.

“We are grateful for your kindness and appreciate your positive support during this difficult time,” the band said. “We promise to give you the most up-to-date information as the situation progresses.”

The lawsuit, filed by four voters in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, seeks to toss out ballots in three Democratic strongholds — Wayne, Ingham, and Washtenaw counties — over allegations of voter fraud, according to Michigan Live.

Those three counties are responsible for about 1.2 million votes, favoring Biden by more than 2:1. Eliminating ballots from those counties would give Trump a victory in Michigan.

Plaintiffs claim that "sufficient evidence" exists "to place in doubt the November 3 presidential-election results" in the three identified counties, citing "issues with transparency, fraudulent changing of dates, a software glitch, clerical errors, illegal votes, and many other issues and irregularities." . . .