Low-flying helicopters over Michigan? Here's what's going on
The helicopter patrols aim to assess the status of high-voltage transmission structures operated by ITCTransmission and Michigan Electric Transmission Company, LLC (METC).
The aerial inspections will cover nearly all of the Lower Peninsula. The schedule for the inspections is as follows:
From May 27-30, areas including Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne will be inspected.
From June 2-11, the patrols will extend to counties such as Bay, Genesee, Gratiot, Huron, Ingham, and others.
The next phase from June 12-17 will include Allegan, Barry, Branch, Calhoun, and several more counties, including Monroe again.
The next inspection period from June 18-21 will cover counties including Allegan, Clinton, and Kent.
The last leg from June 24-30 will include Alcona, Alpena, and others.
These patrols are required by the North American Electrical Reliability Corporation as part of ITC's vegetation management program. They support proactive maintenance objectives and align with the company's operational standards.
Crews will check for damaged or worn equipment and vegetation hazards during these flights, which will be conducted at low altitudes for accurate visual inspections. Residents should not be alarmed if they see low-flying helicopters near transmission lines, as this is standard procedure.
Monroe News is bringing you more local news: Here's how you can submit your announcements
This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Helicopters will fly low across Michigan for power line checks
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Fast Company
18 minutes ago
- Fast Company
U.S. Steel plant explosion in Pennsylvania injures dozens and traps some people under rubble
NEWS The plant is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania with several thousand workers. The US Steel Clairton Plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, April 8, 2024. [Photo: Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images] BY Listen to this Article More info 0:00 / 5:41 An explosion at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh left dozens injured or trapped under the rubble Monday, with emergency workers on site trying to rescue them, officials said. There are no confirmed fatalities at the Clairton Coke Works, said Abigail Gardner, director of communications for Allegheny County. The explosion sent black smoke spiralling into the midday sky in the Monongahela Valley, a region synonymous with the state for more than a century. 'It felt like thunder,' Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene, told WTAE-TV. 'Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, and shook the building, and then when we saw the dark smoke coming up from the steel mill and put two and two together, and it's like something bad happened.' Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant started around 10:51 a.m. and that it has transported five people. The agency did not provide any more details on those people transported. An Allegheny County emergency services spokesperson, Kasey Reigner, said dozens were injured and the county was sending 15 ambulances, on top of the ambulances supplied by local emergency response agencies. Air quality concerns and health warnings The plant, a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania that employ several thousand workers. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who formerly served as the mayor of nearby Braddock, called the explosion 'absolutely tragic' and vowed to support steelworkers in the aftermath. 'I grieve for these families,' Fetterman said. 'I stand with the steelworkers.' The Allegheny County Health Department said it is monitoring the explosion and advised residents within 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of the plant to remain indoors, close all windows and doors, set air conditioning systems to recirculate, and avoid drawing in outside air, such as using exhaust fans. It said its monitors have not detected levels of soot or sulfur dioxide above federal standards. The plant converts coal to coke, a key component in the steel-making process. According to the company, it produces 4.3 million tons (3.9 million metric tons) of coke annually and has approximately 1,400 workers. The plant has a long history of pollution concerns In recent years, the Clairton plant has been dogged by concerns about pollution. In 2019, it agreed to settle a 2017 lawsuit for $8.5 million. Under the settlement, the company agreed to spend $6.5 million to reduce soot emissions and noxious odors from the Clairton coke-making facility. The company also faced other lawsuits over pollution from the Clairton facility, including ones accusing the company of violating clean air laws after a 2018 fire damaged the facility's sulfur pollution controls. In 2018, a Christmas Eve fire at the Clairton coke works plant caused $40 million in damage. The fire damaged pollution control equipment and led to repeated releases of sulfur dioxide, according to a lawsuit. Sulfur dioxide is a colorless, pungent byproduct of fossil fuel combustion that can make it hard to breathe. In the wake of the fire, Allegheny County warned residents to limit outdoor activities, with residents saying for weeks afterward that the air felt acidic, smelled like rotten eggs and was hard to breathe. In February, a problem with a battery at the plant led to a 'buildup of combustible material' that ignited, causing an audible 'boom,' the Allegheny County Health Department said. Two workers who got material in their eyes received first aid treatment at a local hospital but were not seriously injured. Last year, the company agreed to spend $19.5 million in equipment upgrades and $5 million on local clean air efforts and programs as part of settling a federal lawsuit filed by Clean Air Council and PennEnvironment and the Allegheny County Health Department. The fire at the Clairton plant knocked out pollution controls at its Mon Valley plants, but U.S. Steel continued to run them anyway, environmental groups said. The lawsuits accused the steel producer of more than 12,000 violations of its air pollution permits. Environmental group calls for an investigation David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, another environmental group that has sued U.S. Steel over pollution, said there needed to be 'a full, independent investigation into the causes of this latest catastrophe and a re-evaluation as to whether the Clairton plant is fit to keep operating.' In June, U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel announced they had finalized a 'historic partnership,' a deal that gives the U.S. government a say in some matters and comes a year and a half after the Japanese company first proposed its nearly $15 billion buyout of the iconic American steelmaker. The pursuit by Nippon Steel for the Pittsburgh-based company was buffeted by national security concerns and presidential politics in a premier battleground state, dragging out the transaction for more than a year after U.S. Steel shareholders approved it. Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi said his heart goes out to the victims of Monday explosion. 'The mill is such a big part of Clairton,' he said. 'It's just a sad day for Clairton.' —Marc Levy, Michael Casey, and Patrick Whittle, Associated Press
CNN
20 minutes ago
- CNN
Best cooling mats for dogs in 2025, tested by my dogs
The best cooling mat for dogs we tested Best cooling mat for dogs: Green Pet Cool Pet Pad If the summer heat is slowing your pet, consider using one of the best dog cooling mats or pads to help them regulate their temperature. Cooling mats are either filled with water or a unique gel that absorbs the heat of your furry friend and then dissipates it to keep your dog cool. To find out if these cooling mats truly do work, I called in five of the most popular and tested them over a few weeks. I sat on them myself, had my dogs lie on them and even ran a few controlled experiments to find which cooling mats are worth buying. One emerged as the best for most dog owners (and dogs). Green Pet Cool Pet Pad The Green Pet Cool Pet Pad didn't have the absolute best cooling power, but its straightforward, lightweight design makes it incredibly easy to use and portable. Its combination of simplicity and durability, and its wide range of sizes makes it the best dog cooling mat on the market. The best cooling mat I tested was the Green Pet Cool Pet Pad. It strikes the perfect balance of cooling power, portability and ease of use. While the water-based mats I tested performed better in my cooling tests, they're a pain to fill up, use and transport. That's why this mat from Green Pet, which utilizes a nontoxic gel to help absorb excess heat from your pup in the summer, easily won out over its competitors. While some might like the increased cooling power of a water mat, I don't think dealing with the intense prep of them is worth it, unless you're going to leave them in a semipermanent spot like a back porch that's next to a hose for easier filling. The Green Pet mat, on the other hand, couldn't be simpler to use. All you have to do is unfold it and place it on the ground. There's no need to fill it with water since the gel inside can immediately start lowering your pup's temperature, and moving it from your porch to your family room is a breeze, thanks to its lightweight design. Even though it didn't work as well as the mats filled with cold water, I thought that skipping the five- to 10-minute setup process was a huge perk. The Green Pet mat, like all the other mats, had a respectable cooling score. All the pads I tested scored about the same in one of my two temperature tests, where I stuck a bottle of hot water on the mats before measuring how much it cooled off after 15 minutes. I performed this test with both K&H mats filled with room-temperature water, and they had similar cooling scores as the gel-filled mats (although I'm sure if I filled them with cold water, they'd have performed better). In my other temperature test, I prepped each mat (this time using cold water for the fillable mats) and set them out in direct sunlight. The thinner gel mats quickly heated up after 15 minutes, which meant they wouldn't be much help for your dog. The water-filled ones, on the other hand, stayed cool much longer, thanks to the cold water inside. This is an extreme test since you likely won't always be using a cooling pad in direct sunlight. Despite the increased cooling capabilities of water-filled pads, I think most people will enjoy the simplicity of gel mats, which is why the Green Pet Cool Pet Pad is my winner. What you miss out on in cooling efficiency is more than made up for in its simplicity and portability. As long as you use the Green Pet pad inside or in a shaded area, it can help bring your dog's body temperature down to prevent them from overheating. If you have no choice but to put your dog's cooling pad in direct sunlight, you may want to consider a water pad, despite how difficult it can be to use. Beyond the Green Pet mat's ease of use, I also loved how durable the mat proved to be in my tests. Can it hold up against super chewers? Probably not. But it is strong enough to hold up to some digging and nibbling. And if your dog does get through the outer fabric, the gel inside is nontoxic. After all my tests, the Green Pet Cool Pet Pad stood out as the best option to buy. It's extremely easy to use, has enough cooling power for most situations, comes in five different sizes to fit whatever breed of dog you have and even has extra color options just in case you hate blue. If your dog needs help cooling down after their midday walks this summer, the Green Pet Cool Pet Pad is an easy pick. To find the best dog cooling mats, I got my hands on five of the most popular and put them through a series of real-world tests. I ran multiple cooling trials, weighed them and also let my dogs relax on each of them to find the best. Here's every test I ran. Performance Cooling power: I prepared each mat according to manufacturer instructions, then placed them outside on a sunny sidewalk for one hour. I measured the temperature of the mat with a temperature gun every 15 minutes. I also filled a water bottle with hot water, placed the bottle on each mat. After 15 minutes, I measured the temperature of the water itself using a meat thermometer to see how much the mat cooled the water. Portability: I folded each mat as small as I could, weighed it and packed it in a tote bag to see how easy each would be to carry around. Ease of use: I followed the instructions for each mat to see how easy or difficult it was to prepare and use. Durability: I rubbed each mat on concrete 10 times and took note of any damage or scratching. Design Cleaning and care: I researched any and all care instructions and cleaned each mat myself according to those instructions. Sizing: I researched how many sizes each mat came in and if the sizes were appropriate for all kinds of dogs. Warranty: I researched each brand's warranty and ranked them. Dog cooling mats and pads help cool down your dog with some simple science. 'There are different types of cooling mats based on how they accomplish the goal of heat transfer. Some mats contain a gel material that acts like a heat sink, trapping heat from the dog's body and then transferring it to the environment, creating a cool, refreshing surface to lie on,' said Dr. Brian Collins, a veterinarian with the Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center. From my product testing, I found that water-filled mats get colder, since you can fill them with ice-cold water from your faucets, but they're much harder to set up and use than their gel-filled counterparts. However, it's important to think about when and how you want to use your cooling mat before buying one. If you intend on leaving the pad in a semipermanent spot and have easy access to a hose, water-based mats might be the better pick. On the other hand, if you know you want to bring your cooling mat around town or on road trips, the superior portability of gel mats is hard to beat. 'You should try to find a style and model that your dog will use, is effective for your situation, is easily cleaned and [is] safe,' Collins said. 'Most cooling mats will not contain products that are toxic to your dog, but since some dogs love to chew or dig, it's important to confirm that whatever you choose doesn't contain anything harmful.' Collins also said that some dogs may like the feel of one type of pad over another, and in my testing, I found that to be true. The water-filled mats were not only harder to set up but they also felt like a water bed, which my dogs didn't find very comfortable. 'Cooling mats can be a great extra tool to help keep dogs comfortable in warm weather, but it is also important to consider other means of cooling as well, such as shade when outdoors, fans (inside or out), a cool house or air-conditioning,' Collins said. 'Be aware of the signs that dogs exhibit when they become too warm, undertake measures to cool them off and when to seek veterinary attention.' Arf Pets Cooling Gel Mat for Dogs Very similar to our winner, the Arf Pets cooling gel mat is a great alternative if it's on sale or if the Green Pet pad is sold out. The Arf Pets Cooling Mat is extremely similar to our winner, having similar performance and portability scores. And that makes sense because Arf Pets is an authorized licensee of the cooling technology patented by Green Pet. If our winning mat is ever sold out, or if this one is on sale, it's a great buy to help your pup stay cool in the heat. Green Pet Chillz Gel Mat This mat felt cooler to the touch than thinner mats, but its softer gel can be slippery. I liked the feel of this mat a lot, and while it performed similarly to the thinner gel mats in my temperature tests, to me, it felt slightly cooler because of the larger pockets of gel. However, those gel pockets were quite soft, which made them a slipping hazard in my house. I unsuspectingly stepped on the mat a couple of times while walking around and almost lost my balance. For this reason, this mat fell in my rankings, but it might be a good option if you use it in a low-traffic area. K&H Pet Products Cool Bed III I thought both of the water-filled mats were too much of a hassle to use, but if you want the extra cooling power, I'd go with this option. Both water-filled mats I tested were a pain to fill up. They need too much water to fill with a pitcher, but it's difficult and awkward to fill them up in the tub. However, if you can actually get them filled with cold water, they can cool your dog a lot faster than gel mats in general. I liked this one more than the K&H Pet Products Cooling Mat because it has an air valve that lets you squeeze all the air out before using it. K&H Pet Products Coolin Pet Pad The water mats were not only hard to fill but they felt like water beds, and my dogs didn't like the uneven sensation. This bed is similar to the Cool Bed III, except it doesn't have an air valve, which makes it harder to remove any excess air before use. When filled with cold water, it outperformed the gel mats, but it gets so heavy when it's full that it's a pain to move around. Plus, my dogs didn't like the unsteady feeling when lying on any of the water mats. The following FAQs have been answered by Dr. Brian Collins, a veterinarian with the Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center. How do cooling mats for dogs work? How do cooling mats for dogs work? 'Cooling mats typically work by transferring heat away from the dog's body,' Collins said. 'On warm days, we often find our dogs trying to do this on their own — by lying in dirt or on hard surfaces rather than on softer surfaces such as carpeting, furniture or their dog bed. Dogs control their body temperature primarily through the loss of excess heat during panting. Cooling mats can complement panting by allowing for the loss of body heat through the mat itself.' Is it safe for dogs to sleep overnight on a cooling mat? Is it safe for dogs to sleep overnight on a cooling mat? 'For most dogs, this will not be a problem,' Collins said. 'However, with smaller dogs, dogs with underlying medical problems or dogs with mobility issues, it might not be ideal for them to be on a cooling mat all night without periodic monitoring to prevent them from becoming too cold or reducing blood flow to one area for too long. However, most dogs will move around regularly or move off the mat when they no longer need it.' Where is the best place to store a cooling mat for dogs? Where is the best place to store a cooling mat for dogs? 'It's ideal to follow the manufacturer's instructions, but it's good to store the mat in a cooler location versus in direct sun or warm rooms so that it is cool when your dog needs it,' Collins said. For this article, we consulted the following experts to gain their professional insights. Dr. Brian Collins, veterinarian with the Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center CNN Underscored thoroughly tests the products in our testing guides and provides full transparency about how we test them. We have a skilled team of writers and editors who have many years of testing experience and ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when relevant to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. For this article, outdoors, sustainable living and pets editor Kai Burkhardt spoke to a veterinarian to get the lowdown on dog cooling mats and how they work. To test the mats, Burkhardt spent several days with each option and ran regimented tests alongside his two dogs to find the best one.
Fox News
22 minutes ago
- Fox News
Small aircraft plummets into Georgia neighborhood, leaves 3 injured
A late-night training flight ended in chaos when a small plane plummeted into the front yard of a suburban residence near Atlanta over the weekend. The incident in Brookhaven, Georgia, sent all three passengers onboard to the hospital shortly after midnight on Saturday, according to officials. Photos of the incident show the mangled wreckage lodged in a tree, with fragments dangling in branches and electrical cables. Power briefly went out in the neighborhood, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. However, no homes were damaged and no one on the ground was hurt, police told Fox News Digital on Sunday. "Officers quickly removed all three occupants from the aircraft and began providing first aid," Brookhaven police said. "There were no injuries to anyone on the ground." The conditions of the three passengers have not been released. Police told FOX 5 that they were conscious, alert and breathing when they were transported to a local trauma center. Officials said the plane, registered to a local flight school, departed from Peachtree-DeKalb Airport late Friday. It flew 70 miles and returned to perform several "touch-and-go" landings, a standard practice for flight training, the local station reported. The plane, however, struck several trees and electrical wiring before crashing onto a road, the National Transportation Safety Board told Fox News Digital on Sunday. DeKalb County Fire Department and the DeKalb American Medical Response team also responded to the scene, according to the police. The NTSB will be coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct an investigation into the crash. The plane and all the debris were removed from the yard by early Saturday afternoon, police said.
