Update on Work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto

Update on Work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Transportation
MDOT header (SOM branding)Talking Michigan Transportation (TMT) banner with the Mackinac Bridge.

An update on MDOT’s work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto

Jan. 8, 2026

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Peter Anastor, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Rail, about where things stand for passenger rail service at Michigan Central in Detroit.

A rendering of the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District on a parcel just southwest of the station in Detroit.
MDOT Rail Peter AnastorAnastor also offers an update on plans to link passenger rail service in Michigan with service in Canada and create a link between Chicago and Toronto.

In October, MDOT, the City of Detroit and Michigan Central signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin preliminary assessments for a new multimodal transportation hub located within the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District on a parcel just southwest of the station.

Key provisions include:

  • The partners will utilize a $10 million grant awarded to MDOT through the Federal Transit Administration’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program (now known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program), plus an additional $30 million in state funds.
  • This proposed hub would include infrastructure for passenger rail and intercity bus service.
  • Decisions about final project designs, funding and timelines will be shared as the exploratory phase progresses.

Listen and subscribe

Listen now at buzzsprout.com/1374205.
Subscribe for Talking Michigan Transportation podcast updates.
Falling ice closures are possible for the Mackinac Bridge

Falling ice closures are possible for the Mackinac Bridge

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Transportation

 
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MDOT News
Jan. 8, 2026

Media contact: James Lake, LakeJ1@Michigan.gov, 906-250-0993

Winter is here, and falling ice closures are possible for the Mackinac Bridge

Fast facts:

  • When ice falls from the bridge’s towers and cables, the Mackinac Bridge Authority closes the bridge to traffic for safety.
  • Ice chunks, sheets and spears that fall hundreds of feet from the bridge’s towers and cables have damaged vehicles and have the potential to injure or kill vehicle occupants.
  • The Mackinac Bridge has closed due to falling ice 32 times since 1995, for an average duration of five hours and 54 minutes per closure.

ST. IGNACE, Mich. – Ice has formed on the upper cables and towers of the Mackinac Bridge, leading to the possibility of closing the bridge to traffic due to falling ice over the coming days or weeks.

When ice falls from the bridge’s towers and cables, the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) closes the bridge to traffic for safety. Ice chunks, sheets and spears that fall hundreds of feet from the bridge’s towers and cables have damaged vehicles and have the potential to injure or kill vehicle occupants.

“It’s impossible to say when this ice could begin falling from the bridge, resulting in a closure, or if it could gradually melt without incident,” said Bridge Director Kim Nowack. “We want our customers to be aware of the possibility of closures and know how to find more information if they occur.”

A video released by the MBA and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) includes video footage and still images of kitchen table-sized sheets and 20-foot-long spears of ice shattering on the bridge deck to help explain why the bridge must be closed when ice is falling.

Mackinac County 911, using its RAVE Alert System, will send updates and information from the MBA to users’ cell phones any time the bridge has a partial or full closure due to weather or other conditions. Messages also will be sent when a full closure is reduced to a partial closure or when the bridge reopens to all traffic. To sign up, text “MacBridge” to 67283.

Details and updates are also available around the clock at www.MackinacBridge.org/Fares-Traffic/Conditions/ and on X at @MackinacBridge. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) posts information on closures on X, BlueSky, Threads, Facebook and www.Michigan.gov/Drive, as well as on freeway dynamic message signs.

The MBA has compiled a list of frequently asked questions about falling ice and other topics on its website.

Since 1995, when the MBA began tracking closures of the bridge for any reason, the bridge has been closed 32 times for falling ice, an average of about one each year. The first noted closure for falling ice was on Jan. 30, 1998, when the bridge was closed for two hours and 50 minutes. The most recent was April 2-3, 2025.

The shortest closure for falling ice was 37 minutes on Nov. 29, 2001. The longest closure to date was the April 2-3, 2025, closure when the bridge was closed for 30 hours and four minutes. The average falling ice closure lasts about five hours and 54 minutes. Over the last 30 years (roughly 262,800 hours), the bridge has been closed 188 hours and four minutes for falling ice, less than 0.1 percent of the time.
MI licenses first dental therapist to help increase access to care

MI licenses first dental therapist to help increase access to care

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Health and Wellness

 

MDHHS banner with logo no names

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 8, 2026

CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, Sutfinl1@michigan.gov  

Michigan licenses first dental therapist to help
increase access to care; address workforce shortages
Ferris State University preparing to launch dental therapy program

LANSING, Mich. – As part of an effort by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to increase access to dental care for all Michigan residents, the state’s first dental therapist has been licensed and is practicing in the Upper Peninsula. Additionally, to increase the number of dental therapists in the state, MDHHS is assisting with the development of a dental therapy training program. 

Dental therapists are licensed providers trained to deliver routine dental care including exams, cleanings and fillings under a dentist’s supervision. Because they focus on a limited set of procedures, training is faster and more affordable than traditional dental school – three to six years compared to eight years. 

“Strengthening the state’s dental workforce is an important focus for the department,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “Licensing Michigan’s first dental therapist is an important step in expanding access to care in underserved areas where there are limited providers.”  

Dental therapists can practice in traditional private offices and non-traditional settings such as schools, mobile clinics and community health centers. The profession has existed globally for more than 100 years and is authorized in at least 14 states. 

“I am proud to be the first dental therapist in Michigan because I have the opportunity every single day to show others how rewarding this career can be and the powerful impact a dental therapist can have on improving access to oral health care in underserved communities,” said Dana Obey, licensed dental therapist. “I hope my journey inspires others to join this profession. Becoming Michigan’s first dental therapist is more than a career milestone – it’s an opportunity to go above and beyond to provide a safe space where patients feel respected and heard. I’ve seen firsthand how, with the right support, tools and education, lasting lifestyle changes are possible.”  

While Michigan has 59.1 dentists per 100,000 people, they are not equally distributed throughout the state or representative of the populations they serve. More than 1.5 million residents live in federally designated dental shortage areas with limited access to care. This includes children and seniors, low-income families, pregnant women, people with disabilities and rural residents.  

Dental therapists are uniquely trained to serve these populations, helping to: 

  • Reduce wait times. 
  • Expand access cost effectively. 
  • Ease pressure on existing providers. 
  • Improve cultural and linguistic representation in care. 

Michigan established a licensure pathway for dental therapists in 2021. However, as no dental therapy programs are offered in the state, Michigan students have had to pursue their education in other states with the intention of returning to serve in Michigan communities. Currently, only five dental therapy programs exist nationally 

This is set to change as Ferris State University is developing Michigan’s first program, targeted to launch in the next couple years. MDHHS is assisting Ferris State with program development through a federal Health Resources and Services Administration oral health workforce grant. This includes $85,000 in funding to help the university hire a consultant to assist with curriculum design and accreditation through the Commission on Dental Accreditation.  

“The development of a Michigan dental therapy program is another way our state is working to ensure Michigan families can easily access care as oral health plays a critical role in overall health and well-being,” said Hertel. 

Learn more about dental therapy at MI Dental Access. 
Fall fingerlings stocked in Michigan waters near you!

Fall fingerlings stocked in Michigan waters near you!

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Recreation

 
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DNR News
Jan. 8, 2026
Contact: Jeremiah Blaauw, 906-235-7679 or Aaron Switzer, 231-383-2565

Fall fingerlings stocked in Michigan waters near you!

More than 648,000 fish were added to 76 locations statewide

A fall walleye fingerling being stocked in Michigan waters.This past fall, the Department of Natural Resources worked hard to stock fish in waters across Michigan — fish that will provide angling opportunities in seasons to come. The fall 2025 effort saw DNR crews stock seven different species at 76 locations throughout the state: 648,557 fish, weighing in at a total of 8.6 tons.

“This was another exceptional fall fish stocking season, enhancing fishing opportunities throughout Michigan,” said DNR fish production manager Aaron Switzer. “Combined with successful spring and summer stocking efforts, the 2025 total reached nearly 19.5 million fish stocked in Michigan’s waters.”

The number and type of fish stocked vary by hatchery, as each facility’s ability to rear fish differs due to water supply and temperature. In Michigan, there are six state and three cooperative fish hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strains and sizes of fish needed by fisheries managers. These fish must then be delivered at specific times and locations for stocking to ensure that they thrive.

In general, fish are reared in Michigan’s state fish hatcheries anywhere from one month to 1.5 years before they are stocked. Most fish in Michigan are stocked in the spring, but some fish are stocked in the fall because they require less time and fewer resources to rear in hatcheries. Fall-stocked fish also may adjust better to new environments as they are younger and more adaptable to change.

Seven species were stocked this fall: Atlantic salmon, brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, rainbow trout (Eagle Lake and steelhead strains), walleye and muskellunge.

  • Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 27,915 fall fingerling and 250 adult brook trout that weighed a combined 3,022 pounds. These fish were stocked at a total of 27 locations in the Upper Peninsula.
  • Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 140,366 fall fingerling rainbow trout that combined weighed 7,508 pounds and were stocked at four locations in the Upper and Lower peninsulas.
  • Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) stocked 3,008 Great Lakes strain muskellunge that weighed 304 pounds in Lake Hudson and Thornapple Lake. Thompson also stocked 329,085 fall fingerling steelhead weighing 2,413 total pounds in six locations.
  • Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (west of Kalamazoo) stocked 64,532 fall fingerling steelhead weighing a combined 917 pounds in Crystal Lake.
  • Harrietta State Fish Hatchery (near Cadillac) stocked 17,548 fall fingerling brown trout and 24,520 fall fingerling rainbow trout. These fish were stocked in four locations with a combined weight of 1,573 pounds.

DNR fisheries management units also stocked fall fingerling walleye this year.

  • Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit stocked 33,580 Muskegon strain fall fingerlings weighing 1,373 total pounds in 20 locations.
  • Central Lake Michigan Management Unit stocked 2,507 Muskegon strain fall fingerlings weighing 160 pounds total in three locations.
  • Northern Lake Michigan Management Unit stocked Little Bay de Noc with 5,211 fall fingerlings (Little Bay de Noc strain) weighing a combined 88 pounds in five locations; 2,815 of these walleye fingerlings were raised in a co-op partner pond tended by the Bay De Noc Great Lakes Sportfishermen.

The DNR welcomes visitors to its state fish hatcheries and interpretive centers to see the fish rearing process and to learn about Michigan’s waters. For more information or to plan your trip, visit Michigan.gov/Hatcheries.

To find out if any fish were stocked in your favorite fishing spots, visit the DNR’s fish stocking database at michigandnr.com/fishstock/.

Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.

  • Walleye fingerling — Seven species were stocked this fall: Atlantic salmon, brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, rainbow trout, walleye and muskellunge.

 
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to Michigan.gov/DNR.
MDHHS expands On-the-Go food pantry to third location

MDHHS expands On-the-Go food pantry to third location

by | Jan 7, 2026 | Health and Wellness

 

 

MDHHS banner with logo no names

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 7, 2026

CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, Sutfinl1@michigan.gov  

MDHHS expands On-the-Go food pantry to third location
to help address food insecurity in southeast Michigan
Monthly distribution sites offered in Hamtramck, Madison Heights and now Taylor    

LANSING, Mich. –The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has again expanded its On-the-Go pop-up food distribution events in partnership with Forgotten Harvest by adding a third distribution site in Taylor.

“We are offering these mobile food pantries at our local offices to help Michigan residents put food on the table for their families,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “We appreciate the growing partnership with Forgotten Harvest as we work together to ensure access to healthy, nutritious food to those in need.”

On-the-Go pantries allow individuals to schedule appointments and select groceries from fresh produce to grains to proteins. Additionally, culturally appropriate food options are offered when available – such as halal and kosher-friendly items – when serving communities with specific dietary needs.

MDHHS plans to offer these mobile food pantries on a monthly basis at select MDHHS offices in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. To date, these events have served nearly 550 families and distributed more than 11 tons of groceries.

An event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13 at the MDHHS office at 25637 Ecorse Road in Taylor. Food pantries will be offered at this location on the second Tuesday of each month. Individuals in Southeast Michigan in need of food must make an appointment by emailing MDHHS-FH-WC-Taylor@michigan.gov to help minimize wait times and ensure adequate food supplies.   

Other events in January include: 

  • Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., MDHHS, 30755 Montpelier in Madison Heights. Food pantries will be offered at this location every third Tuesday of the month. Email MDHHS-FH-Oakland@michigan.gov for an appointment.   
  • Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., MDHHS, 12140 Joseph Campau St. in Hamtramck. Food pantries will be offered at this location every fourth Tuesday of each month. Email MDHHS-FH-WC-Hamtramck@michigan.gov for an appointment.  

Forgotten Harvest, Michigan’s largest food rescue organization, has more than 65 permanent mobile pantry partners throughout southeast Michigan in addition to the On-the-Go mobile pantries. To locate a food pantry, visit Forgotten Harvest’s website. Appointments to shop at Forgotten Harvest’s Community Choice Market in Oak Park can be made by calling 248-268-7756.

To find additional resources:   

  • Dial 211 or visit Michigan 211 for free, confidential assistance and referrals to local food programs and support services.   
  • Visit the Food Bank Council of Michigan to locate nearby food banks and learn about additional hunger relief efforts.   
  • Explore MI Bridges to learn more about SNAP, which offers temporary food assistance to eligible families.   

  Additionally, the Executive Office of the Governor and state departments have helped Michigan residents feed their families by:  

  • Providing $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan so they can continue feeding families in all 83 counties and deliver food to those who are unable to drive.  
  • Supporting Hunters Feeding Michigan, a program that helps Michiganders get venison or other fresh game to feed their families. 
  • Continuing to feed all 1.4 million public school students free breakfast and lunch.