WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the appointment of Kurt Thiede of Wisconsin to become regional administrator for Region 5, overseeing environmental protection efforts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Mr. Thiede will succeed Cathy Stepp, who is stepping down from her post in the Great Lakes region after several years of serv  more

DETROIT, Michigan, Jan. 9 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release on Jan. 8: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announces that water levels on each of the Great Lakes started 2020 higher than they started 2019, a year where many record high water levels were set across the lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urges those impacted by the high water levels of 2019 to prepare for similar levels again in 2020. The most recent six-month forecast of  more

EAST LANSING, Michigan, Jan. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service - Great Lakes Regional Field Office issued the following news release: Difficult planting and growing conditions led to a challenging 2019 for Michigan field crop producers, according to Marlo Johnson, Regional Director of the USDA NASS, Great Lakes Regional Office. Michigan's average corn yield was 149 bushels per acre, down 4 bushels from 2018. Production was 240 million bushels   more

EAST LANSING, Michigan, Jan. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service - Great Lakes Regional Field Office issued the following news release: On December 1, 2019, Michigan corn stocks totaled 202 million bushels, 15 percent lower than a year earlier, according to Marlo Johnson, Director, USDA NASS, Great Lakes Regional Office. About 74 percent of the corn was stored on farms. The first quarter disappearance was 79.0 million bushels, compared with 98.1 m  more

EAST LANSING, Michigan, Jan. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service - Great Lakes Regional Field Office issued the following news release: Michigan winter wheat seeded area for 2020 is estimated at 500,000 acres, a decrease of 7 percent from last year, according to Marlo Johnson, Director of the USDA NASS, Great Lakes Regional Office. Cool, wet fall weather slowed winter wheat planting and development. By November 24, the crop was 87 percent emerged  more

ALPENA, Michigan, Jan. 8 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: The flightline at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center is a busy place. As the year-round host for training events like Northern Strike - the Defense Department's largest joint reserve-component exercise - it's not uncommon to see more than 60 aircraft on Alpena's tarmac. During exercise Northern Strike 19, more than 450 flights launched from the airfield over two weeks. Adding to this high-intensity operations tempo  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced more than $7.5 million in grants to nine Marine Highway projects. The funding, provided by MARAD's America's Marine Highway Program, will go towards enhancing existing services in Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington "This $7.5 million   more