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Merit Professional Learning is offering two project management courses in November. Each course is ideal for those seeking a career in project management or wishing to brush up on their management skills.
Rediscovery of a long-forgotten mineral deposit located under two West Michigan counties is set to spark a new multibillion industry in Michigan that will quickly position the state as the nation's leading source for a critical agricultural tool that is in demand internationally. Potash -- potassium chloride -- is an essential plant nutrient and critical ingredient in fertilizer. Currently mined in only three locations in the nation, supplies are dwindling and prices skyrocketing. Now, one of the highest-quality potash ore deposits in the world has been identified below the surface of West Michigan. The discovery was made by using the treasure trove of geologic data that is housed at Western Michigan University's Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education. The result of the rediscovery, say geologists, will be the introduction of a new industry in Michigan worth as much as $65 billion, easily surpassing the state's historical oil and gas production revenues and triggering explosive job growth in Osceola and Mecosta counties. "This is conceivably one of Michigan's most valuable resources," said Theodore A. Pagano, a potash geologist, engineer and general manager of Michigan Potash Co. LLC. That firm now controls the rediscovered potassium ore reserve called the Borgen Bed that lies under more than 14,500 acres in the two counties. His company has worked quietly over the past three years to ensure the reserve could be technically, economically and logistically put into production and compete head to head with the New Mexico and western Canadian mines that are now the major North American sources of potash. "This is the United States' only shovel-ready potash project," Pagano said. "Michigan is New Mexico untapped. What we're looking at is the introduction of an industry that is critical to the economic health of the state. We'll be producing a Michigan product for Michigan farmers that would dramatically reduce the expensive transport costs on the more than 300,000 tons of potash consumed in our state annually." Verification of the quality and amount of the potash in the Borgen Bed was done by using core samples provided by WMU geologists under the direction of Dr. William B. Harrison III, professor emeritus of geosciences and director of his department's Geological Repository for Research and Education, which is also now the permanent home to the Michigan Geological Survey. In 2008, Harrison and his wife, Linda, an administrator with the repository, came into possession of geologic core samples collected in the early 1980s when a Canadian company was prospecting for potash in Michigan. That company established a mine and small processing plant in Michigan but pulled back from fully commercializing the deposit. Over the years, changing business plans and corporate mergers pushed the Michigan operation into the background, and mineral leases for the area lapsed. The sample cores came to WMU by chance and were added into the University's statewide collection of core samples. "Without Bill and Linda Harrison, Michigan and the United States would be without the rediscovery of a multi-billion dollar potash deposit," said Pagano, adding that he learned through industry sources that the Harrisons might be able to help him in his quest to define the scope and quality of the Borgen Bed. Potash is found in just a few areas once covered by inland seas. The seas evaporated and the potassium and sodium chloride deposits crystallized into potash ore and were covered by successive layers of rock and soil. The Michigan deposit, WMU's Harrison said, is the purest and highest-grade potash being produced globally -- 600 percent higher than that being produced in New Mexico's vast Permian Basin. It is also twice the grade of deposits found in Canada and Russia, the two nations that control more than 80 percent of the world's potash reserve. "One of the things that makes this so valuable is that it is an incredibly rich deposit that is in easy reach of the enormous demand from Midwest corn and soybean farmers who operate within a 500-mile radius of this deposit." Harrison said. "This is an opportunity for new wealth to come from the use of natural resources never tapped before." This Spotlight feature is sponsored by Western Michigan University. More at www.wmich.edu.
Big changes are coming to a heavily-traveled roadway in Southfield. It's part of what city officials are calling the Evergreen Road Improvement Project.
Detroit Police Officer Patrick Hill had been hospitalized since April 2nd, after he was wounded during the shootout with a murder suspect.
This year's Healthy Heart Check program will take place on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Oxford High School.
Some 27,000 people laced up their running shoes for the 36th Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon on Sunday.
The billboard in Flint that says "I'm Concerned About The Blueberries" isn't about blueberries after all.
Prosecutors have said the boy was left unattended while the couple fought.
Westbrook says that despite a rally just last month another is needed because Detroit city leaders haven't done anything to help the problem.
A man is facing charges after a police raid found a kilogram of cocaine, several thousand dollars in cash, two pit bulls, a python and a small alligator in a Detroit home.
The state has given $375,000 to help restore Windmill Island Gardens in Holland and its more than 250-year-old DeZwaan windmill.
A Michigan man arrested after authorities found about 17,000 prescription pills in his vehicle has been convicted on drug charges in southwest Ohio.
A lawyer has sued Michigan on behalf of seven boys who say they were sexually and physically abused while in Michigan's prison system.
Walmart has offered to re-hire a Michigan man who says he was fired after trying to help a woman who was being assaulted in the store's parking lot.
Brian Hooker exchanged Facebook messages with a friend, which CBS News exclusively reviewed, after his wife vanished in the Bahamas over the weekend.
A controversial decision by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners is now drawing mixed reactions across the community.
Mary Sheffield says she plans to announce a "summer strategy" on Friday to address some of the issues with the youth.
Dominic Weber and Haylie Reeves met at North Star Reach as campers in 2016.
A Chevrolet Trax driver was speeding on the Southfield Freeway at over 90 mph just before crashing into a Chrysler 300.
At a gas station in Detroit, owner Mohamad Mallah, known to customers as Big Moe, decided to give back in a big way.
On average, drivers in the state are paying $3.87 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared an energy emergency in eight Southeast Michigan counties amid rising gas prices across the state.
General Motors has announced that it's making another round of layoffs at its Factory Zero plant in Metro Detroit. The latest round, the second this year, impacts roughly 1,300 workers and is due to a readjustment of operations amid declining electric vehicle demand.
Cities in Michigan lose big tax revenue from pollution-control tax breaks, and many do not track what they give up.
Gene Simmons visited Detroit Rock City to celebrate the grand opening of a restaurant co-founded by him and his Kiss bandmate Paul Stanley.
The moon music tradition started more than 50 years ago, NASA said as it shared the Artemis II crew's playlist this week.
Restaurants are being considered for the new Michelin Guide American Great Lakes Edition, set to be revealed in 2027.
Kid Rock posted videos of the helicopters hovering by his Nashville home on social media over the weekend. The Army later confirmed the helicopters were on a training mission.
The bag, called the "Gold Standard Cassette Tape," features a bold, nostalgic design inspired by classic cassette tapes.
Brooks Lee hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning for the Minnesota Twins in a 3-1 victory to complete a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers.
Brian Hooker exchanged Facebook messages with a friend, which CBS News exclusively reviewed, after his wife vanished in the Bahamas over the weekend.
The NFL is being investigated for practices that allegedly harm consumers for licensing games to multiple platforms — paid streaming platforms, paid cable networks, and others, sources said.
The U.S. Postal Service, which lost $9 billion in 2025, recently warned that it could run out of money within 12 months.
Economic forecasts show that this week's March Consumer Price Index could show prices climbing at their fastest pace in nearly two years.
Dominic Weber and Haylie Reeves met at North Star Reach as campers in 2016.
The Detroit Health Department is hosting a Public Health Week through Saturday, April 11, to provide resources in neighborhoods.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging parents to consider moving up their children's vaccines against the measles in seven counties.
Many Michigan teens in severe mental health crises are sent far from home for treatment due to a lack of local resources.
According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the herds are located in Alpena and Presque counties. The department says the cases were detected during annual surveillance tests.
Brooks Lee hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning for the Minnesota Twins in a 3-1 victory to complete a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers.
The NFL is being investigated for practices that allegedly harm consumers for licensing games to multiple platforms — paid streaming platforms, paid cable networks, and others, sources said.
Cade Cunningham had 13 points and 10 assists in his return from injury as the Detroit Pistons beat the Milwaukee Bucks 137-111 in their home finale on Wednesday.
Michigan men's basketball returned to campus as national champions, and coach Dusty May told the fans who greeted them at the Crisler Center that "this trophy is yours."
Taj Bradley outdueled Tarik Skubal and Ryan Jeffers drove in two runs as the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2.
The roundtable discusses the dramatic impact AI is having in the classroom, at companies and inside homes.
There's a focus on Michigan's defense industry as a national convention comes to Detroit in a few weeks, with over 11,000 people expected at Huntington Place.
Dave Coulter updates Oakland County's move to its new offices in downtown Pontiac and when that might take place.
Gardner White opened doors in Detroit in 1912, and the retailer continues to expand with nine new stores planned this year.
Rose talks about a new TV series being filmed in Detroit called "South West High," which revolves around a fictional high school in the Motor City.
A Detroit nonprofit is expanding its impact, bringing a unique program into the city.
Dominic Weber and Haylie Reeves met at North Star Reach as campers in 2016. They were the first campers to attend the summer camp, which welcomes children with complex medical conditions.
Gene Simmons visited Detroit Rock City on Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of a restaurant co-founded by him and his Kiss bandmate, Paul Stanley.
For dozens of Leland House tenants in Detroit, the wait to get back their belongings is dragging on.
On Thursday, Pontiac's new mayor will deliver his first state of the city address.
