The forum covered topics including funding, teacher recruit and retention, and improving services that could relieve pressure from educators such as mental health services and childcare.
Both Democrat candidates in attendance, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genessee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, have backgrounds in education.
Focus on funding
Jocelyn Benson is building her education platform on starting teachers’ salaries at $60,000 a year and removing what she calls a one size fits all funding model for schools.
“The goal is to make sure it’s equitable, that it’s designed to invest in the unique needs of what an Alpena student needs versus what a Muskegon student needs. And you’ve got to build it with educators at the center of the table in figuring out what that funding is,” Benson said.
She added providing services outside of schools such as daycare and affordable healthcare can help increase teacher recruitment and retention.
Chris Swanson agreed that raising salaries would build retention rates among teachers and attract the highest quality talent. He also suggested a 2-year budget for education instead of an annual to avoid starting the school year without funding, as the state did this school year when the state budget hung in limbo.
“You saw what happened last year where July 1 hit it wasn’t signed federally to July 4, and nothing kicked off until the fall,” Swanson said. “That is unfair for you trying to figure out how you’re going to build your curriculum and have the resources to do what you need to do.”
Curriculum first
Republican Candidate and former Attorney General Mike Cox stressed accountability among decision makers on what curriculum is important needed to be addressed before any more money is allocated.
“We had a third-grade reader law, right that every child had to be able to read by the end of third grade, and we threw that away. There are 26 states across the country that require that,” Cox said. “We were 31st in fourth grade reading. We’re now 48th you know, when you throw away accountability, you’re just throwing away money, and more importantly, you’re squandering children’s lives.”
Less government involvement
Independent candidate and former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is building his platform on returning $1.3 billion, he claimed was reallocated from schools by both parties over past three governor administrations. He also vowed to end what he calls “Yo-yo school standards,” where curriculum is often changed under a new administration. Duggan said educators should be the ones designing the curriculum, not politicians.
“I don’t think the average person realizes that most of these decisions they’ve changed the reading curriculum twice in the last four years. Legislature has is that the legislature is making decisions on curriculum, ” Duggan said.
Schools threatened by ICE
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence grows around the country, Michiganders are concerned about ICE targeting schools.
Cox believes that the conversation around ICE is a mere side show, asking the educators in the room “What does Donald Trump have to do with your salaries? What does Donald Trump have to do with student performance in your classrooms?”
Cox went on to claim that ICE has not targeted any Michigan school. In early January this year there have been reports of ICE agents targeting parents at school bus drop off sites.
Duggan took the stance that local police agencies are unable to interfere with federal enforcement. He said that by law, if ICE is looking for a person that the Detroit Police Department has in their custody, they honor the detainer and release the person into ICE custody. Duggan claims the alternative would be to release the person of interest in the street and risk ICE going in the neighborhoods and increasing fear among residents.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she’s not afraid to stand up to the President.
“The next Governor of Michigan must have and demonstrate that they will the moral courage, that I have as Secretary of State, to protect the young people, the educators, every resident of every community in this state, no matter what type of tactic the bully in the White House tries to bring to our communities,” Benson said.
Sheriff Swanson condemned the actions of ICE, calling it bad law enforcement. He said as governor he would demand that schools are off limits to ICE.
“When you talk about the most one of the most sacred places a kid could go to feel safe, That’s not a place to do that type of law enforcement. Not at all,” Swanson said.
The primary election for governor of Michigan is Aug. 4.
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In 2027 or 2028, the Sashabaw Road bridge over the Clinton River in Independence Township will be closed to vehicles so the bridge can be replaced. The project will cost an estimated $3 million and take 150 days, weather permitting.
An estimated 15,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. Boating will be paused for at least seven days during the bridge demolition and for another seven days to install the new bridge.
Michigan Department of Transportation and county road commission are co-hosting an open house so anyone can ask questions or express concerns to state or county officials.
Sashabaw Road bridge, built in 1928, is between Maybe and Williams Lake roads and between Woodhull Lake and Lake Oakland.
The new bridge will be longer and taller, to allow recreational boat passage. An 8-foot sidewalk will be included with the new bridge for pedestrian safety.
This is one of seven bridge replacements awarded to the contractor Aecom. The company will announce specific construction dates 30 days before the work begins.
The open house is 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, Independence Township Hall, 6483 Waldon Center Drive in Independence Township.
Anyone who can’t attend the meeting can share comments or questions with the contractor, Aecom, by calling Charlie Stein at (616) 318-0124 or emailing Charles.Stein@aecom.com. Any comments must be sent by April 1.
People who need large-print materials, auxiliary aids or interpreters, signers or readers should contact the road commission’s engineering department at (248) 645-2000 by Feb. 13. Accommodations cannot be guaranteed.
Sashabaw Road Bridge, built in built in 1928 between Maybe and Williams Lake roads and between Woodhull Lake and Lake Oakland, will be replace in 2027-28. (Courtesy, Michigan Dept. of Transportation)
A man was hospitalized in Monroe on Monday night after he was shot inside his vehicle, with his kids in the back seat at the time of the shooting, according to the Monroe Public Safety Department.
Officers responded to the shooting in the 600 block of Michigan Avenue just after 8 p.m. on Feb. 9, for a reports of a man who had been shot inside his vehicle.
Investigators say that the shooting stemmed from a confrontation between the victim and the driver of a silver SUV in the same area. The victim told police that when he tried to confront the driver in the silver SUV, two men approached his vehicles and one of the men shot him.
The suspects all fled the scene in the silver SUV.
The man was transported to a local hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery. His two kids, ages 14 and 11, were inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting, but were not injured.
All three suspects were taken into custody after officers in Adrian spotted the vehicle. Three handguns were found in the SUV when the men were arrested.
We're told that there is no threat to the public at this time. Anyone with more information about this shooting is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Aaron Oetjens at (734) 243-7516 or Detective Adam Zimmerman at (734) 243-7509.
A Howell man who fatally shot a teen he’d been hanging out with in Oakland County last year will spend at least seven years in prison, as sentenced recently by Judge Yasmine Poles.
Tylaj Clark-Spencer, 21, pleaded no contest last December to charges of manslaughter, receiving and concealing a stolen firearm, and two counts of felony firearm in connection with the May 22, 2025 death of Derek Ayden Scholl, 18, of Troy. Poles handed Clark-Spencer a sentence of 75 months to 15 years for the manslaughter, a concurrent sentence of 31 months to 10 years for the stolen firearms charge, and an additional two years for the two felony firearm charges. Jail credit of 256 days was applied to the felony firearm sentence, reducing it by one year.
Derek Scholl (photo from GoFundMe)
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also offer some liability protection in civil cases.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, the shooting happened when Clark-Spencer, Scholl and two others — Joshua Peel, 20, of Royal Oak, and a 17-year-old — were preparing to leave a Clawson apartment to attend a party. Clark-Spencer was carrying a gun and checking to see if it was loaded when the weapon fired, killing Scholl, the prosecutor’s office said. A few hours later, it’s alleged the 17-year-old hid the gun and other evidence for Clark-Spencer.
Officials said it appears the gun used in the shooting had been stolen from a safe belonging to the 17-year-old’s father.
Peel and the 17-year-old were charged with accessory after the fact to a felony. Peel pleaded guilty to the crime. No further information on those cases was available.
On Monday night, President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is being fully paid for by the Canadian government.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said in part that he would "not allow" the bridge to open "until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve."
Watch below: Trump threatens to block opening of Gordie Howe International Bridge
Trump threatens to block opening of Gordie Howe International Bridge
The bridge is the result of a decades-long process between the United States, the State of Michigan and the Government of Canada. On June 15, 2012, the Government of Canada and the State of Michigan signed the "Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement," which was pivotal in the process of building the bridge.
You can read the entire agreement in the document below.
That 2012 agreement had several stipulations. They were:
The International Authority will be comprised of equal representation by Canada and Michigan. All iron and steel for any bridge component in Canada and for any component of the project in the United States, will be sourced in either Canada or the United States The Government of Canada will pay all costs of the required land acquisition in Canada and Michigan and for the construction of an interchange to provide connections to I-75 Tolls for both Canada-bound and US-bound traffic will be collected on the Canadian side of the crossing and used to reimburse the Canadian government for the funds it advances related to the project The public-private partnership agreement must contain provisions for community benefit plan and for the involvement of the host communities in Canada and Michigan The crossing will be publicly-owned, jointly by Canada and Michigan The International Authority will be comprised of equal representation by Canada and Michigan.
Watch below: As the Gordie Howe International Bridge nears completion, we visited the site to see the progress
As the Gordie Howe International Bridge nears completion, we visited the site to see the progress
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the bridge is being built through a 36-year "design-build-finance-operate-maintain availability payment concession." That means that the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority pays the private sector concessionaire, Bridging North America, based on performance.
The total project cost of $5.7 billion CAD (4.415 billion USD) is being paid for by the Government of Canada. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority also said that separate from the contract with Bridging North America, Canada has invested $559 million CAD ($433 million USD) between 2005 and 2018 to get the project to the point where construction could begin.
Of that, $2.9 billion will be allocated for the design-build phase and $1.5 billion allocated for the operations-maintenance-rehabilitation phase, according to the USDOT. The Government of Canada funding is set to be recouped by future toll revenues over 36 years.
In the Truth Social post, Trump also wrote, "With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset."
Construction Progress Payments from WDBA - $2.12 billion Substantial Completion Payment from WDBA - $374.5 million Excluded Design-Build Costs - $26.7 million Capital Payments from WDBA - $29 million Short-term Bank Debt (repaid by construction progress payments, capital payments, and equity) - $454.8 million Medium-term Bonds - $121.7 million Long-term Bonds - $224.1 million Equity - $72.1 million Interest - $0.1 million
This is a similar plan to how the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron was built in the 1930s. According to the State of Michigan, the state legislature approved a law creating a state bridge commission in 1935. That plan was later approved by U.S. Congress and the commission was given permission to sell bonds that would be repaid by the revenue.
Then, the U.S. and Canadian governments agreed to operate the bridge toll free when the bonds were paid off in February 1962.
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s been a confusing time for people with student loans. Collections restarted, then were put on hold. At the same time, borrowers had to stay on top of changes to key forgiveness plans.
Last year, the long-contested SAVE plan introduced by the Biden administration ended with a settlement agreement. President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” introduced new borrowing limits for graduates and raised challenges to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. While several changes for student loan borrowers will take effect this summer, other key questions remain unresolved.
More than 5 million Americans were in default on their federal student loans as of September, according to the Education Department. Millions are behind on loan payments and at risk of default this year.
Borrowers “genuinely struggle to afford their loans and then to hear that the administration is making it more expensive and taking away some of the tools and resources that help folks afford their loans is really, it’s panic-inducing,” said Winston Berkman-Breen, legal director at Protect Borrowers.
Last month, the Education Department announced that it would delay involuntary collections for student loan borrowers in default until the department finalizes its new loan repayment plans. The date for this is still unclear.
If you’re a student loan borrower, here are some key things to know:
If you were enrolled in the SAVE plan
The SAVE plan was a repayment plan with some of the most lenient terms ever. Soon after its launch it was challenged in court, leaving millions of student loan borrowers in limbo. Last December, the Education Department announced a settlement agreement to end the SAVE plan. What is next for borrowers who were enrolled in this repayment plan is yet to be determined.
“Seven and a half million borrowers who are currently enrolled in SAVE need to be moved to another plan,” Berkman-Breen said.
As part of the agreement, the Education Department says it will not enroll new borrowers, deny pending applications, and will move all current SAVE borrowers into other repayment plans.
The Education Department is expected to develop a plan for borrowers to transition from the SAVE plan, yet borrowers should be proactive about enrolling in other repayment plans, said Kate Wood, a lending expert at NerdWallet.
If you are looking to enroll in an income-driven repayment plan
Borrowers can apply for the following income-driven plans: the Income-Based Repayment Plan, the Pay as You Earn plan, and the Income-Contingent Repayment plan.
“They all have similar criteria, and they function similarly. Your payment is set as a percentage of your income, not how much you owe, so it’s usually a lower payment,” Berkman-Breen said.
The payment amount under income-driven plans is a percentage of your discretionary income, and the percentage varies depending on the plan. Since many people are looking to switch plans, some applications to income-driven repayment plans might take longer to process, said Jill Desjean, director of policy analysis at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
You can find out which repayment plan might work best for you by logging on to the Education Department’s loan simulator.
If you’re working toward your Public Service Loan Forgiveness
There are no changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program yet. Last year, the Trump administration announced plans to change the eligibility requirements for participating nonprofits.
The policy seeks to disqualify nonprofit workers if their work is deemed to have “substantial illegal purpose.” The Trump administration said it’s necessary to block taxpayer money from lawbreakers, while critics say it turns the program into a tool of political retribution.
The proposal says illegal activity includes the trafficking or “chemical castration” of children, illegal immigration, and supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This move could cut off some teachers, doctors, and other public workers from federal loan cancellation.
“This is something that obviously is very stressful, very nerve-wracking for a lot of people, but given that we don’t know exactly how this is going to be enforced, how these terms are going to be defined, it’s not really something that you can try to plan ahead for now,” Wood said.
While this policy is currently being challenged by 20 Democrat-led states, it’s expected to take effect in July. In the meantime, Wood recommends that borrowers enrolled in the PSLF program continue making payments.
If your student loans are in default
Involuntary collections on federal student loans will remain on hold. The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it is delaying plans to withhold pay from student loan borrowers who default on their payments.
Federal student loan borrowers can have their wages garnished and their federal tax refunds withheld if they default on their loans. Borrowers are considered in default when they are at least 270 days behind on payments.
If your student loans are in default, you can contact your loan holder to apply for a loan rehabilitation program.
“They essentially come up with a payment plan where you’re making a reduced payment,” Woods. “After five successful payments on that rehabilitation plan, wage garnishment will cease.”
If you’re planning to attend graduate school
Trump’s “ Big Beautiful Bill ” has changed the amount graduate students can borrow from federal student loans. Graduate students could previously borrow loans up to the cost of their degree; the new rules cap the amount depending on whether the degree is considered a graduate or a professional program.
Wood said that if you’re starting a new program and taking out a loan after July 1, you will be subject to the new loan limits.
Under the new plan, students in professional programs would be able to borrow up to $50,000 per year and up to $200,000 in total. Other graduate students, such as those pursuing nursing and physical therapy, would be limited to $20,500 a year and up to $100,000 total.
The Education Department is defining the following fields as professional programs: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and theology.
If you want to consolidate your loan
The online application for loan consolidation is available at studentaid.gov/loan-consolidation. If you have multiple federal student loans, you can combine them into a single loan with a fixed interest rate and a single monthly payment.
The consolidation process typically takes around 60 days to complete. You can only consolidate your loans once.
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The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
FILE – In this May 5, 2018, file photo, graduates at the University of Toledo commencement ceremony in Toledo, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
Oakland County is not in danger of running out road salt used to treat roadways anytime soon.
Oakland County’s road commission spokesman, Craig Bryson, told The Oakland Press that even though they have used over 20 tons more salt this year than last year, their supply will be enough to get through the rest of the season.
“We contract for a worst-case scenario, so we are a ways from reaching our maximum salt order,” Bryson said. “We continue to get resupplied on a daily basis and we are not concerned about running out.”
As of Jan. 31, the road commission has used 63,836 tons, more than the 5-year average total for a full season: 63,000.
As of Jan. 31 over the last three years, the commission had used:
42,910 tons during 2024-25
39,874 during 2023-24
31,503 during 2022-23
Some school districts said salt has been in short supply and they have been taking precautions.
“(The) Oakland County Road Commission has a regional shortage of rock salt due to supply chain delays at the mines,” Royal Oak schools said in a statement last week. “As a result, Royal Oak Schools is not receiving our regular expected shipments, which are used to keep our schools safe.”
The district said they will prioritize high traffic areas, order alternative supplies if needed and put lighter coats of salt down on parking lots to stretch their supply.
“Our current supply will last us through approximately 6-8 more weather events,” the district said. “Please use extra caution when you move in and around our community, as this is impacting all of Royal Oak, not just our schools.”
Bryson said everyone is looking to replenish supplies at the same time and the main vendor, the Detroit Salt Mine, is having trouble meeting the demand because there are a finite number of trucks to make the deliveries and the company is limited by the amount of salt that can be mined at one time.
“I think the real challenge is for the smaller private contractors who ordered their quantities based on the last couple of years,” Bryson said. “Smaller contractors have likely used their complete annual supply and are competing with larger companies and government agencies like road commissions.”
The Oakland County Road Commission said that they have used more salt to treat roads this year than last year, but are not in danger of running out of their supply.
file photo
With Valentines Day this weekend, some people are preparing for romance but others may be feeling heartbreak or noticing a missing spark. That can be especially true for those dating after a traumatic breakup or life event.
Dr. Shahrzad Jalali, a licensed clinical psychologist, trauma expert and author of "The Fire That Makes Us: Unveiling the Transformative Power of Trauma," told Scripps News that people dont have to be fully healed to form a new, healthy relationship. She said awareness, self-trust and emotional safety can be built while healing in real time.
The book serves as a guide to help people heal through this trauma and learn to take back ownership of their lives, Jalali said.
Jalali said people often see pain as something to eliminate, but she encourages a different viewpoint: reframing emotional pain as fuel rather than something to avoid.
If we could get rid of pain, I would be the first one to make it happen, she said. Unfortunately, life doesnt operate that way. When we go through something it changes us, it becomes part of us, it takes away a lot of our power, but at the same time gives us power in a different way.
In order to move forward, we have to learn to embrace this, how to negotiate with it, how to sew it into the dynamic that is our life, she added. And the only way to do that is to build awareness around it, understand it, and then to look at it from a different perspective.
Watch Scripps News' full interview with Dr. Shahrzad Jalali in the video player above.
The ruling came after attorneys with the Michigan State University Housing Justice Clinic argued residents were unlawfully excluded from bankruptcy proceedings. The judge agreed that tenant rights included participation in the property’s future.
The Leland House closed in November after a utility disconnection of unknown origin prompted the Detroit Fire Department to issue an eviction order. All tenants were forced to leave the building and barred from returning.
Following the outage, the owner sought court approval to auction the property, prompting legal action from tenants’ rights advocates.
Donovan McCarty is the director of the Housing Justice Clinic and a member of the legal team representing displaced tenants.
“The Leland house is a very unique property. It’s…a place that folks who can’t otherwise afford to live [downtown]…a place that’s right by Rosa Parks transit center…that’s important too, for people of all different socioeconomic classes,” McCarty said.
“What we’re seeing here…is [the influence of] corporate interests and what this could mean for Mayor Sheffield’s tenure,” he explains.
“Is she going to choose the residents, you know, the people of the city of Detroit, or is she going to choose these corporate interests? The Leland house sits effectively on DTE’s campus…DTE has played a prominent role in this case,” according to McCarty.
The next court date in the case will be Feb. 24.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Under questioning from Democrats Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged that he had met with Jeffrey Epstein twice after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child, reversing Lutnick’s previous claim that he had cut ties with the late financier after 2005.
Lutnick once again downplayed his relationship with the disgraced financier who was once his neighbor in New York City as he was questioned by Democrats during a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He described their contact as a handful of emails and a pair of meetings that were years apart.
“I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with him,” Lutnick told lawmakers.
But Lutnick is facing calls from several lawmakers for his resignation after the release of case files on Epstein contradicted Lutnick’s claims on a podcast last year that he had decided to “never be in the room” with Epstein again after a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home that disturbed Lutnick and his wife.
The commerce secretary said Tuesday that he and his family actually had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 and he had another hour-long engagement at Epstein’s home in 2011. Lutnick, a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, is the highest-profile U.S. official to face bipartisan calls for his resignation amid revelations of his ties to Epstein. His acknowledgement comes as lawmakers are grasping for what accountability looks like amid the revelations contained in what’s known as the Epstein files.
In countries like the United Kingdom, the Epstein files have triggered resignations and the stripping of royal privileges, but so far, U.S. officials have not met the same level of retribution.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the Democrat who questioned Lutnick, told him, “There’s not an indication that you yourself engaged in any wrongdoing with Jeffrey Epstein. It’s the fact that you believe that you misled the country and the Congress based on your earlier statements.”
Meanwhile, House members who initiated the legislative effort to force the release of the files are calling for Lutnick to resign. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky called for that over the weekend after emails were released that alluded to the meetings between Lutnick and Epstein.
Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, joined Massie in pressuring Lutnick out of office on Monday.
“Based on the evidence, he should be out of the Cabinet,” Khanna said.
He added, “It’s not about any particular person. In this country, we have to make a decision. Are we going to allow the rich and powerful people who are friends and (had) no problem doing business and showing up with a pedophile who is raping underage girls, are we just going to allow them to skate?”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his wife Allison arrive for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s movie “Melania” at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Want an elegant dinner without the restaurant price tag?
These sirloin steak roll-ups are stuffed with pesto and fresh greens and served with roasted garlic leeks and golden potatoes. The flavors are bold, but the techniques are simple.
Scripps News food and wellness contributor Jessica DeLuise, PA-C, shows us how to bring it all together at home.
Sirloin steak roll-ups stuffed with pesto and greens with roasted garlic, leeks and golden potatoes
Makes about four servings
1- 1 lb sirloin steak 1 cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade) 1 cup balsamic vinegar 2 cups baby spinach or mixed greens 2 oz grated pecorino romano cheese 1 lb golden potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces 3 leeks, trimmed and cut into 1 inch rounds 3 tbsp avocado or olive oil, divided 1 tbsp honey 1 tsp granulated garlic tsp salt, divided tsp black pepper, divided Optional garnish: Grated Pecorino romano cheese
Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Wash and cut the potatoes and leeks and add them to the sheet pan. Drizzle the vegetables with 1 tbsp of avocado oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and half of the salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables to evenly coat with the oil and seasonings. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer. Roast vegetables for 2530 minutes, flipping halfway, until the potatoes are tender and the leeks are lightly caramelized. While the vegetables roast, lay the sirloin slices flat on a cutting board. Cover the meat with a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Gently pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet to an even thickness, about - inch thick. Season the steak lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Move the steak off to the side. Lay out long pieces of butcher twine across the cutting board about 2 inches apart, enough to run the length of your steak. They should be long enough to tie together once the steak is rolled. Lay the pounded steak over the twine. Spread a thin layer of pesto over one side of the steak. Add an even layer of the greens and pecorino romano cheese. Roll the steak tightly from one end to the other and secure with toothpicks if needed. Tie each piece of twine snuggly around the steak. Use a sharp knife to cut the steak between each piece of tied twine. In a small sauce pan, add the balsamic vinegar and honey. Turn on very low heat and let simmer as you cook the steak. It is done when it reduces by 25-50% and coats the back of a spoon like syrup. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak roll-ups and sear for 23 minutes per side, until browned and cooked to your desired doneness. Remove the steaks from the heat and place in a clean dish for rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. Plate the roasted vegetables, then steak, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Garnish with more grated cheese or fresh parsley if desired.
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI, STEVE PEOPLES and STEVEN SLOAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Governors Association will no longer hold a formal meeting with President Donald Trump when the group of state leaders meet in Washington later this month after the White House planned to invite only Republicans.
“NGA staff was informed that the White House intends to limit invitations to the annual business meeting, scheduled for February 20, to Republican governors only,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who is the chairman of the NGA, said in a Monday letter to fellow governors obtained by The Associated Press. “Because NGA’s mission is to represent all 55 governors, the Association is no longer serving as the facilitator for that event, and it is no longer included in our official program.”
The NGA is scheduled to meet in Washington from Feb. 19-21. Representatives for Stitt, the White House and the NGA didn’t immediately comment on the letter.
Brandon Tatum, the NGA’s CEO, said in a statement last week that the White House meeting is an “important tradition” and said the organization was “disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year.”
The governors group is one of the few remaining venues where political leaders from both major parties gather to discuss the top issues facing their communities. In his letter, Stitt encouraged governors to unite around common goals.
“We cannot allow one divisive action to achieve its goal of dividing us,” he wrote. “The solution is not to respond in kind, but to rise above and to remain focused on our shared duty to the people we serve. America’s governors have always been models of pragmatic leadership, and that example is most important when Washington grows distracted by politics.”
Signs of partisan tensions emerged at the White House meeting last year, when Trump and Maine’s then-Gov. Janet Mills traded barbs.
Trump singled out the Democratic governor over his push to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, threatening to withhold federal funding from the state if she did not comply. Mills responded, “We’ll see you in court.”
Trump then predicted that Mills’ political career would be over for opposing the order. She is now running for U.S. Senate.
The back and forth had a lasting impact on last year’s conference and some Democratic governors did not renew their dues last year to the bipartisan group.
Peoples reported from New York.
President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One, early Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after returning from a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The Detroit Tigers have released their 2026 promotional schedule, with marquee weekends, special giveaways and ticket packages at more than 50 games this season.
According to the Tigers, it all starts with Opening Day, presented by Rocket, on Friday, April 3, against the St. Louis Cardinals. This season is also the team's 125th anniversary.
Main celebrations that will return this year include Friday Night Party in the Park with live fireworks, music, food and drink specials. The team also said that 313 Value Tuesdays will be back with $3 hot dogs, $1 chips and $3 soft drinks.
For the second season, the team will also host Sounds of Summer postgame concerts, on select Fridays, welcoming in artists for free concerts after the game. Last year's performances included Ludacris and Jordan Davis.
Below are the details for the promotions during the season.
Marquee Weekends
April 3-5 vs. St. Louis Cardinals | Opening Weekend May 15-17 vs. Toronto Blue Jays | Strike Out Cancer June 19-21 vs. Chicago White Sox | Black in Baseball July 24-26 vs. Kansas City Royals | 125th Anniversary Celebration Sept. 12-13 vs. Colorado Rockies | Fiesta Tigres!
Gate Giveaways
These games will feature special giveaway items to the first 15,000 fans in attendance on several weekends in 2026. They'll include replica jerseys, bobbleheads, unique hats, mugs and more. The specific items will be announced at a date later. The games are:
Saturday, April 4 vs. St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, April 11 vs. Miami Marlins Saturday, May 2 vs. Texas Rangers Saturday, May 16 vs. Toronto Blue Jays Friday, June 5 vs. Seattle Mariners Saturday, June 20 vs. Chicago White Sox Friday, June 26 vs. Houston Astros Saturday, July 25 vs. Kansas City Royals Sunday, Aug. 16 vs. Chicago White Sox Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Colorado Rockies Saturday, Sept. 26 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Community Engagement Games
The Tigers are proud to engage with our community and celebrate several extraordinary groups and causes throughout each season. Each Community Engagement ticket package includes a special themed item (to be announced later).
Saturday, May 16 vs. Toronto Blue Jays | Pink Out the Park, presented by Karmanos Cancer Institute Wednesday, May 20 vs. Cleveland Guardians | Law Enforcement Tuesday, June 9 vs. Minnesota Twins | Military Appreciation, presented by Chevrolet Saturday, June 20 vs. Chicago White Sox | Black in Baseball, presented by Comerica Bank Sunday, June 21 vs. Chicago White Sox | Fathers Day Tuesday, June 23 vs. New York Yankees | Pride Thursday, June 25 vs. Houston Astros | Educator Appreciation Sunday, July 12 vs. Philadelphia Phillies | Boy Scouts Sunday, Aug. 16 vs. Chicago White Sox | Girl Scouts Friday, Sept. 11 vs. Colorado Rockies | First Responders, presented by BELFOR Property Restoration Saturday, Sept. 26 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates | Union Day
Pop Culture Games
Monday, May 4 vs. Boston Red Sox | Star Wars Tuesday, May 26 vs. Los Angeles Angels | Harry Potter Friday, June 5 vs. Seattle Mariners | Margaritaville Friday, June 26 vs. Houston Astros | Grateful Dead
Heritage Games
Sunday, April 12 vs. Miami Marlins | Jewish Heritage Tuesday, April 21 vs. Milwaukee Brewers | Macedonian Heritage Friday, May 1 vs. Texas Rangers | Polish Heritage Tuesday, May 5 vs. Boston Red Sox | Greek Heritage Sunday, May 17 vs. Toronto Blue Jays | Canadian Heritage Wednesday, June 10 vs. Minnesota Twins | Filipino Heritage Wednesday, Aug. 12 vs. Cleveland Guardians | Italian Heritage Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Colorado Rockies | Hispanic Heritage Tuesday, Sept. 22 vs. Washington Nationals | Irish HeritageCollege Games
Local college celebrations
Wednesday, April 22 vs. Milwaukee Brewers | Michigan State University Friday, June 19 vs. Chicago White Sox | Northern Michigan University Tuesday, June 23 vs. New York Yankees | Western Michigan University Thursday, July 23 vs. Kansas City Royals | Michigan Tech University Sunday, July 26 vs. Kansas City Royals | Saginaw Valley State University Tuesday, Aug. 11 vs. Cleveland Guardians | Eastern Michigan University Friday, Aug. 14 vs. Chicago White Sox | Central Michigan University Saturday, Aug. 15 vs. Chicago White Sox | Ferris State University Monday, Aug. 24 vs. Tampa Bay Rays | Lawrence Tech University Tuesday, Sept. 8 vs. Minnesota Twins | Wayne State University Friday, Sept. 11 vs. Colorado Rockies | Oakland University Friday, Sept. 25 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates | University of Michigan
Bark in the Park Games, presented by Strategic Staffing Solutions
Tuesday, April 21 vs. Milwaukee Brewers | Bark in the Park Tuesday, May 5 vs. Boston Red Sox | Bark in the Park Tuesday, Aug. 25 vs. Tampa Bay Rays | Bark in the Park Tuesday, Sept. 8 vs. Minnesota Twins | Bark in the Park Monday, Sept. 21 vs. Washington Nationals | Bark in the Park
By MARY CLARE JALONICK, KEVIN FREKING and SEUNG MIN KIM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is “incomplete and insufficient” as they are demanding new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and threatening a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement late Monday that a White House counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and does not address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” The White House proposal was not released publicly.
The Democrats’ statement comes as time is running short, with another partial government shutdown threatening to begin Saturday. Among the Democrats’ demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and a stop to racial profiling. They say such changes are necessary after two protesters were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.
Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had expressed optimism about the rare negotiations between Democrats and the White House, saying there was “forward progress.”
Thune said it was a good sign that the two sides were trading papers, and “hopefully they can find some common ground here.”
But coming to an agreement on the charged issue of immigration enforcement will be difficult, especially as rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties were skeptical about finding common ground.
Republicans have balked at the Democrats’ requests and some have demands of their own, including the addition of legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities that they say do not do enough to crack down on illegal immigration.
And many Democrats who are furious about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s aggressive crackdown have said they won’t vote for another penny of Homeland Security funding until enforcement is radically scaled back.
“Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill moves forward,” Jeffries said earlier Monday. “Period. Full stop.”
Democrats made the demands for new restrictions on ICE and other federal law enforcement after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans suggested that new restrictions were necessary. Renee Good was shot by ICE agents on Jan. 7.
While he agreed to separate the funding, Trump has not publicly responded to the Democrats’ specific demands.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said late last week that the Trump administration is willing to discuss some items on the Democrats’ list, but “others don’t seem like they are grounded in any common sense, and they are nonstarters for this administration.”
Democratic demands
Schumer and Jeffries have said they want immigration officers to remove their masks, to show identification and to better coordinate with local authorities. They have also demanded a stricter use-of-force policy for the federal officers, legal safeguards at detention centers and a prohibition on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.
Among other demands, Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” ensure the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and require that before a person can be detained, it’s verified that the person is not a U.S. citizen.
Republicans have said they support the requirement for DHS officers to have body-worn cameras — language that was in the original DHS bill — but have balked at many of the other Democratic asks.
“Taking the masks off ICE officers and agents, the reason we can’t do that is that it would subject them to great harm, their families at great risk because people are doxing them and targeting them,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Monday. “We’ve got to talk about things that are reasonable and achievable.”
Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty said on “Fox News Sunday” that Democrats are ”trying to motivate a radical left base.”
“The left has gone completely overboard, and they’re threatening the safety and security of our agents so they cannot do their job,” Hagerty said.
Consequences of a shutdown
In addition to ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the homeland security bill includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. If DHS shuts down, Thune said last week, “there’s a very good chance we could see more travel problems” similar to the 43-day government closure last year.
Lawmakers in both parties have suggested they could separate out funding for ICE and Border Patrol and pass the rest of it by Friday. But Thune has been cool to that idea, saying instead that Congress should pass another short-term extension for all of DHS while they negotiate the possible new restrictions.
“If there’s additional time that’s needed, then hopefully Democrats would be amenable to another extension,” Thune said.
Many Democrats are unlikely to vote for another extension. But Republicans could potentially win enough votes in both chambers from Democrats if they feel hopeful about negotiations.
“The ball is in the Republicans’ court,” Jeffries said Monday.
Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, speaks during a news conference as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. listens, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Discord users will soon see a major change aimed at protecting younger users.
The messaging platform is moving to a teen-by-default setting for all accounts. Under the change, which begins in March, users who want to access certain content will be required to verify their age.
"We design our products with teen safety principles at the core and will continue working with safety experts, policymakers, and Discord users to support meaningful, long term wellbeing for teens on the platform, said Savannah Badalich, the head of Product Policy at Discord.
Discord said users will be able to verify their age either through facial recognition or by submitting identification. The company said video selfies used for age verification do not leave a users device, and that identity documents are deleted shortly after age verification is completed.
Users can also appeal their assigned age group or retry the process from the My Account settings if they believe its incorrect.
Discord has grown into one of the worlds most popular communication platforms, with a reported more than 200 million users. The app allows users to interact in online communities known as servers, which are organized around shared interests.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced the U.S. Senate on Tuesday as senators questioned his connection to financier Jeffrey Epstein amid calls for his firing or resignation.
Recently released emails from Epstein suggest the two last met in 2012. Lutnick had previously claimed he had not seen Epstein since 2005, three years before Epsteins 2008 conviction on child prostitution charges.
A 2012 email from Epstein to Lutnick said, Nice seeing you, suggesting the two had met.
At a hearing of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, Lutnick confirmed he had been on a boat with Epstein in 2012. He said he was not sure why we did it, but insisted there was nothing untoward about the meeting. Lutnick has not been accused of any crimes.
The hearing was scheduled to discuss funding for White House broadband initiatives.
I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation, Lutnick said. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. I had another couple with their children. We had lunch on the island. That is true.
Lutnick said he first met Epstein after moving into a home next door. Over the next 14 years, he said, he could recall only two additional meetings.
I didnt have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person, okay? Lutnick said.
When asked whether he saw anything inappropriate during the visit to Epsteins private island, Lutnick said, The only thing I saw, with my wife and my children and the other couple and their children, was staff who worked for Mr. Epstein on that island.
While Democrats have called for Lutnick to step down, Rep. Thomas Massie has been among the few Republicans to openly call for his resignation. Massie was one of the first Republicans to push for the full release of the Epstein files, telling CNN, Hes got a lot to answer for.
A 58-year-old West Bloomfield Township man who worked as a nanny is facing multiple sex crime charges involving a child left in his care, and officials believe he may have assaulted other victims not yet identified.
Michael Alan Bank is charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct following an investigation which included analysis of items seized when police searched his home in the 6800 block of Aeroview Street last month.
According to West Bloomfield police, they learned of the case when the Northfield Police Department contacted them on Jan. 8 about criminal sexual assault allegations involving a young child with ties to West Bloomfield Township. The alleged victim’s mother had hired Bank as a nanny through sittercity.com, and it was subsequently alleged that he repeatedly engaged in criminal sexual conduct with the child, who was under 13 years old at the time, police said.
Bank was arrested at his home on Jan. 15. Forensic analysis conducted on several electronic devices taken that day from Bank’s home led to the charges, police said. Detectives have since discovered “a multitude of evidence of children including what appeared to be Michael Bank with some of those children in various compromised positions and acts,” as stated in a news release from the West Bloomfield Police Department.
With the possibility of more victims in the case, anyone who knows of someone who may have been victimized by Bank is asked to call Detective Cherry at 248-975-8981.
Bank is held in the Oakland County Jail, denied bond. His next scheduled court appearance is a preliminary exam on March 3 before 48th District Judge Diane D’Agostini.
A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation.
Scientists say snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they've seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have measured their warmest December through early February on record. Normal snow cover this time of year should be about 460,000 square miles about the size of California, Utah, Idaho and Montana but this year it's only California-sized, about 155,000 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
"I have not seen a winter like this before," said center director Mark Serreze, who has been in Colorado almost 40 years. "This pattern that we're in is so darned persistent."
The snowpack measured by how much water is trapped inside in Oregon is not only record low, but 30% lower than the previous record, said Jason Gerlich, regional drought early warning system coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Much of the U.S. east of the Rockies is snowbound and enduring more than two weeks of bone-chilling abnormal cold, but in West Jordan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Trevor Stephens went to the store last week in gym shorts and a T-shirt.
"Right now there's no snow on the ground," he said in a video interview, looking out his window and lamenting the lack of snowboarding opportunities. "I'd definitely rather have icy roads and snow than whatever is going on out here right now."
Concerns over water supply and wildfires
Ski resorts had already been struggling through a difficult season, but the lack of snow has been persistent enough that concerns are growing about wider effects.
Oregon, Colorado and Utah have reported their lowest statewide snowpack since the early 1980s, as far back as records go.
A dry January has meant most states have received half their average precipitation or even less. Along with sunny days and higher-than-average temperatures, that's meant little snow buildup in a month that historically gets a lot of snow accumulation across much of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. Because of heavy rains in December, California is in better shape than the other states, scientists said.
As of Monday, it had been 327 days since Salt Lake City International Airport got 1 inch of snow, making it the longest stretch since 1890-91, according to the National Weather Service.
The meager snow in Colorado and Utah has put the Upper Colorado River Basin at the heart of the snow drought, said Gerlich.
A robust mountain snowpack that slowly melts as winter warms to spring provides a steady flow of water into creeks and rivers. That helps ensure there's enough water later in the year for agriculture, cities, hydropower electric systems and more.
But lack of snow or a too-fast melt means less water will replenish rivers like the Colorado later in the season.
"This is a pretty big problem for the Colorado basin," said Daniel Swain of the University of California's Water Resources Institute.
Experts said the snow drought could also kick-start an early wildfire season. Snow disappearing earlier than average leaves the ground exposed to warmer weather in the spring and summer that dries soils and vegetation quicker, said Daniel McEvoy, researcher with the Western Regional Climate Center.
While it's been dry, the record-low snowpack is mostly due to how warm the West has been, which is connected to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, several scientists said. Since Dec. 1, there have been more than 8,500 daily high temperature records broken or tied in the West, according to NOAA data.
Much of the precipitation that would normally fall as snow and stay in the mountains for months is instead falling as rain, which runs off quicker, Swain and other scientists said. It's a problem scientists have warned about with climate change.
Going snowless happens from time to time, but it's the warmth that has been so extreme, which is easier to tie to climate change, said Russ Schumacher, professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University and Colorado State Climatologist.
"It was so warm, especially in December, that the snow was only falling at the highest parts of the mountains," McEvoy said. "And then we moved into January and it got really dry almost everywhere for the last three to four weeks and stayed warm."
Wetter, cooler weather is coming
Meteorologists expect wetter, cooler weather across the West this week with some snow so this may be the peak of the snow drought. But it'll still be warmer than usual in many areas, and scientists aren't optimistic the snow will be enough.
"I don't think there's any way we're going to go back up to, you know, average or anywhere close to that," said Schumacher. "But at least we can chip away at those deficits a little bit if it does get more active."
Despite a barren start to Colorado’s ski season, Winter Park Resort opened on Halloween and served up holiday powder.
The ski area’s secret is a contraption a few miles upwind of the chairlifts that looks like a meat smoker strapped to the top of a ladder. When weather conditions are just right, a Winter Park contractor fires up the machine, burning a fine dust of silver iodide into the sky — a process known as cloud seeding. Ideally, the particles disappear into a cloud that is cold enough and wet enough to produce snow, but may need a nudge. The silver iodide becomes the nuclei for water droplets, like iron filings to a magnet. Those droplets freeze and fall from the sky as snowflakes, freshening up the slopes of the resort as it tries to lure the Gore-Tex-clad masses between Denver and larger, showier ski destinations further west.
Doug Laraby, who has helped run Winter Park for nearly four decades, says the resort leaned heavily on its cloud seeding equipment over the Christmas holiday, sprinkling the skies as fresh powder fell days before the critical New Years weekend. At the moment, Winter Park has more snow than Breckenridge, Keystone and a host of bigger resorts nearby.
“For us,” Laraby explains, “that was a million-dollar storm.”
Resorts are increasingly seeking solutions to freshen up the brown slopes spanning the American West this winter, even as the East Coast grapples with back-to-back storms. Last month, Vail Resorts Inc. — which owns nearly 50 resorts across the U.S. and Canada — said it would miss revenue projections due to subpar snowfall this season. The dramatic lack of precipitation in the Rockies “limited our ability to open terrain” and, in turn, crimped spending by both locals and destination guests, Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz said in a statement.
In a battle to improve — or at least maintain — snowpack in the face of rising temperatures and drought, Winter Park, operated by Vail rival Alterra Mountain Co., is one of a growing number of groups in the American West doubling down on cloud seeding, from state governments and ski hills to utilities and watershed management agencies.
Desperate for water — ideally snow — they’re banking on the strategy to buoy the $6 billion U.S. ski industry, while keeping rivers and reservoirs at healthy levels come spring. Despite the promise, though, companies are still trying to amass data showing the technology can actually deliver appreciable amounts of powder. And scientists studying cloud seeding have cast doubt on just how effective it is.
Katja Friedrich, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Colorado, concedes that cloud seeding works in a lab. “But out there,” she says, gesturing to cirrus clouds sweeping over the Front Range outside of her office, “it’s a totally different business.”
Storms are volatile, complex and unforgiving places to gather data. “The application is so far ahead of what the science actually shows,” Friedrich explains. “Usually, it’s the other way around.”
The idea of cloud seeding dates back to the 19th century, and it got an unexpected boost thanks to research at General Electric in the wake of World War II. DRI, a nonprofit research institute in Nevada, started cloud seeding in the 1960s. Putting particles in clouds to create precipitation gained traction in recent years as waves of drought hit the U.S., tallying $14 billion in damages in 2023 alone.
DRI now runs cloud-seeding operations all over the West, including the program at Winter Park. In 2023, the Winter Park generators burned for the equivalent of five straight days, planting an estimated 24 inches of powder on the slopes that wouldn’t have been there otherwise, according to DRI. That equates to 13% of what would have fallen naturally.
“The main driver [for our clients] is water resources,” says Frank McDonough, a DRI research scientist. But, he notes, “we can help the entire mountain economy.”
Private companies are also playing a growing role, most notably Rainmaker Technology Corp., a startup that is now the lead cloud seeding contractor for Utah, which has built one of the most aggressive programs in the American West. From a warehouse in Salt Lake City, founder Augustus Doricko, a 25-year-old with a resplendent mullet that belies his Connecticut childhood, manages a crew of 120, mostly young people working to make it snow on mountains they might otherwise be climbing or skiing.
When the weather looks right, Rainmaker crews pile into 12 pickups, each loaded with two drones, and convoy up the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains. They send half of the drones whirring into the soup of clouds and spray silver iodide for about an hour. When the machines come down to recharge, the team launches the second wave. The cycle is repeated until the clouds move on or get too warm.
Doricko says his company is creating a fresh supply of water with no ecological impact; silver iodide is inorganic and even if ingested, won’t dissolve in the human body.
This year, the state of Utah will pay Rainmaker $7.5 million, part of a cloud seeding blitz that began three years ago. With the Great Salt Lake at historic low levels, Utah lawmakers approved a tenfold increase in funding, committing at least $5 million a year to operations and another $12 million to upgrade and expand a fleet of almost 200 cloud seeding machines on the ground.
Rainmaker is charged with generating enough snow to help partially refill the lake. The company also has a contract with Snowbird Resort, located to the east of Salt Lake City, and much of its seeding will happen near Powder Mountain and Snowbasin resorts, located further north, although neither ski area is a client.
“Anything we can do to increase water levels is going to be well worth the funding,” says Jonathan Jennings, a meteorologist with the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
The list of stakeholders clamoring for more water in the American West is long, ranging from ski resorts to wildfire fighters, reservoir managers to farmers.
“Every state in the West is either cloud seeding or thinking of cloud seeding,” says Friedrich, the University of Colorado researcher.
It’s also popular, in part, because it’s cheap. Jennings estimates that it costs about $30 to produce 325,000 gallons of water, or what experts call an acre-foot of water. Recycling or desalinating a similar amount would cost somewhere around $1,000. Snowmaking, meanwhile, is more expensive and uses more water than it produces.
When Doricko visits potential customers, be they utilities, ski resorts or state agencies, his sales script is simple: “It’s the only way you can bring new water supply to the Rocky Mountain West.”
More often than not these days, the pitch lands. Idaho has also hired Rainmaker this winter, eager to fill its reservoirs and keep farmers happy. All told, the company has about 100 drones flying across Western skies.
In Colorado, where arid conditions have exacerbated wildfires, officials are curious about the capabilities of Rainmaker’s drones while waiting to see this winter’s snow tallies from Utah. In the meantime, they’re working to replace decades-old, ground-based seeding machines with ones that can be switched on remotely. Without the need of a human to light the burner, the new units can be tucked into more remote places and at higher elevations that are colder for longer, improving the odds for snow.
“We feel comfortable saying we can get an additional eight to 12% of precipitation per storm,” says Andrew Rickert, a weather modification program manager with the Colorado Water Conservation Board. “And if we have a great winter in Colorado, there are 30 to 35 storms we can seed.”
Friedrich isn’t so sure about that estimate, despite being regarded as a bit of a rockstar in the cloud seeding field. In 2017, her research team zig-zagged a plane rigged with seed flares through a cloud in Wyoming that wasn’t producing snow. Sure enough, snow fell in the same pattern as the flight, results that fueled much of the recent seeding boom.
However, Friedrich points out, there wasn’t that much snow. And she notes that much remains unknown, like how wind affects the amount of silver iodide that gets into a cloud, and whether the particles trigger much precipitation beyond what would occur naturally.
“I understand why people are buying it, because they’re so desperate,” she says. “But if you ask me, there’s no scientific proof” that it produces a meaningful amount of water. Friedrich is working on a new study to try to figure out how effective ground-based cloud seeding can be and the best operating conditions.
Cloud seeding has also faced pushback from conspiracy theorists who say it works too well. Despite no evidence, Rainmaker was inaccurately implicated in last summer’s deadly Texas floods, and bills to ban weather modification have been filed in dozens of statehouses across the U.S., including those of Colorado and Utah. Former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also introduced a federal cloud-seeding ban in Congress in the wake of last July’s floods.
Doricko, at Rainmaker, has been working to convince lawmakers that cloud seeding does no harm and, on the other front, win over skeptical scientists like Freidrich. Rainmaker spent much of the spring and summer building its own radar system and deploying a layer of on-the-ground weather stations to measure results. It’s also working with independent researchers to provided peer-reviewed validation. As Friedrich did years ago, Rainmaker tries to spray silver-iodide in zig-zag patterns, so its results are more visible on radar — a so-called “seeding signature.”
Doricko acknowledges the challenge of teasing out the exact influence of manmade cloud seeding — which he jokingly refers to as “magic beans” — from natural precipitation. “Our fundamental research on now at Rainmaker is all about what kitchen sink of sensors can we throw at this problem to actually validate” our work, he says.
Vail abandoned its cloud seeding program in 2020, shifting its resources to invest heavily in machines that use water to spray artificial snow. The newest snow guns monitor weather in real time and can be programmed remotely.
“This technology means that Vail can make the most of every moment that conditions allow for snowmaking,” says spokeswoman Michelle Dallal. Still, the resort is feeling the pinch of an abnormally dry winter.
State officials are trying to get Vail back on board. Cloud seeding, they argue, can be cheaper than snowmaking, both in terms of cost and carbon, and it adds water to the ecosystem, rather than taking a share of it away. The state is also trying to get other ski areas to buy in: This year, Colorado positioned a ground system to seed clouds on the slopes of Aspen, in hopes that the resort will help fund future programs.
Meanwhile, Winter Park has emerged as one of the state’s biggest cloud seeding cheerleaders. Laraby says only 10% of the mountain is covered by snowmaking gear, and there are no plans to install more. And yet, when the storms rolled through the state Dec. 28, Winter Park says its cloud-seeding efforts conjured 12 inches of snow, triple what fell on Vail.
“If you ask me, it enhances the efficiency of these storms,” Laraby says. “I think it’s awesome.”
Justus Henkes of Team United States competes in the Aspen Snowmass Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Qualifiers during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix 2026 at Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort on Jan. 8, 2026, in Aspen, Colorado. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images North America/TNS)
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