News

The Huron-Manistee national forest covers nearly one million acres of land in northern Michigan - including the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness area, one of the most popular wilderness recreation sites in the region.

Nate Peeters, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Forest Service, says trails at the Nordhouse Dunes are really busy during the summer months; and while people are encouraged to use the wilderness as a resource, this presents unique problems. 

According to Peters, littering is one of the biggest human-based problems in the area.

There are some dramatic stories thundering through the August night sky every year, including desperate lovers bereft of one another, the miraculous feeding of the hungry multitude, and the great mystery of transfiguration.

Some of the Traverse City Film Festival's visiting documentary filmmakers share their stories from out in the field.

Michael Moore and special guests discuss the future of film in the age of streaming.

This week on Points North, as suicide rates rise in the United States, local crisis hotlines are shutting down and national ones are taking over. Plus, how northern Michigan schools help students cope with teen suicides.

Suicide rates are the highest they've been since World War II, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

In the last 20 years, suicides in the U.S. have gone up 30 percent. 

But across the country, local crisis hotlines are shutting down and national companies are taking over. 

Locals in crisis turn to Third Level 

According to the American Cancer Society, Michigan is in the bottom-half of states when it comes to policies that fight and prevent cancer.

This week there are three active meteor showers, a Black Moon, and the Summer Cross Quarter Day, which makes it really exciting for stargazing and story telling.

This week on Points North, how climate change is causing diseases to thrive in Michigan’s fruit crops. Plus, winemakers Up North pursue more disease-resistant grapes.