Wildlife biologists with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have confirmed a trail camera image, taken in September, showing a cougar walking through a semi-open area in Dickinson County.

This latest confirmation brings the total number of confirmed cougar reports to 74 in Michigan since 2008. This figure does not necessarily translate to the same number of cougars, because a single animal may have been included in more than one confirmed report.

So far this year, 10 cougar reports have been confirmed in the U.P., including three from Dickinson County, two from Marquette County and one each from Baraga, Delta, Houghton, Luce and Schoolcraft counties.

For more information on cougars in Michigan, including a list of the confirmed reports and forms for reporting additional cougar evidence, visit Michigan.gov/Cougars.

Current law requires that schools have at least 75% of students attending school in person on an average daily basis in order to receive full state aid payments. This has created challenges for schools that are working hard to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and have students temporarily out of the classroom due to close contact with a positive COVID-19 case.

Senate Bill 664 would allow schools to count quarantined students toward the average daily attendance requirement. It also allows those students to be counted for the purposes of count day under certain conditions. Furthermore, quarantined students may learn online without specific requirements applying as long as there are daily two-way interactions.

SB 664 was passed unanimously by the Senate and will now go to the House for consideration.

The Michigan Senate recently passed the Let Kids Learn plan, designed to work side-by-side with our schools to rethink what it means to deliver effective learning tools, give parents control over their child’s education and refocus on students and outcomes.

The Let Kids Learn plan, created in Senate Bills 687 and 688, would establish scholarships for eligible K-12 students in Michigan to use for some educational expenses. Scholarships are prioritized for children receiving free and reduced lunch, children in foster care, and students with disabilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic created unique challenges for educators, parents and students — with students from across the state experiencing the pandemic differently. Students are still recovering from a wide range of issues, from learning loss to mental health issues, caused by the global pandemic, and parents need to be able to decide on the right school or education program for their child.

Funds available through these scholarships could be used by families for education or learning expenses — both inside and outside the classroom, including tuition and fees for public, nonpublic or online K-12 schools; career and technical education programs; Wi-Fi and laptops; textbooks and materials; transportation; occupational, behavioral and speech therapies; tutoring services; mental health services; and more.

The funds would be strictly for school-related expenses, and any refunds, returns or rebates would be credited back to a student’s scholarship account for future educational use. Annual reports would be required by the Department of Treasury to ensure proper use of scholarship funds by the scholarship granting organizations.

If enacted, Michigan would join several other states that offer, with great success, similar education savings accounts and tax-credit scholarships.

The bill has been approved by both the House and the Senate and have been sent to the governor for her signature.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking hunters to look around while in the field this fall and contact them if they find dead deer, especially near water. The animal may be infected with epizootic hemorrhagic disease. EHD is a viral disease, is sometimes fatal, and is found in wild ruminants such as white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk.

The Michigan DNR Wildlife Disease Laboratory and the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed this week that six free-ranging, white-tailed deer from four counties across Michigan have died from EHD.

EHD is transmitted by a type of biting fly called a midge. Signs of illness in an infected animal can vary greatly, ranging from none to extensive internal bleeding and fluid accumulation. There is no evidence that humans can contract the EHD virus.

Animals infected with EHD can become sick suddenly, or the disease may linger in them for weeks or months in a low-grade state. Very sick deer will lose their appetite and fear of humans, grow weak, salivate excessively and finally become unconscious. Due to a high fever and dehydration, infected deer often seek water to lower their body temperature and to rehydrate and are found sick or dead near or in bodies of water.

Anyone who discovers dead deer should report it through the DNR’s Eyes in the Field reporting form or call the closest DNR Customer Service Center.

Pathfinder, Michigan’s online career exploration tool, has received a major update to make it easier for residents to use.

Pathfinder is a free tool that provides information to students, their parents and guidance counselors, to help them make informed choices about educational and career options. This free tool uses current labor market information, wage data, and other data and metrics, to allow users to match skills and interests with career paths and jobs. The recent update allows users to choose and compare multiple paths and even print or email completed paths to use later. For more information or to try the Pathfinder tool, please visit MiTalent.org.