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Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness; opening statements and first witness in NY trial; SCOTUS hears Starbucks case, with implications for unions on the line; rural North Carolina town gets pathway to home ownership.

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The Supreme Court weighs cities ability to manage a growing homelessness crisis, anti-Israeli protests spread to college campuses nationwide, and more states consider legislation to ban firearms at voting sites and ballot drop boxes.

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Wyoming needs more educators who can teach kids trade skills, a proposal to open 40-thousand acres of an Ohio forest to fracking has environmental advocates alarmed and rural communities lure bicyclists with state-of-the-art bike trail systems.

Prevent Wildfires: Choose the Right Site for Fireworks

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Tuesday, July 3, 2018   

LANSING, Mich. – The risk of wildfire started by fireworks is higher than normal this Fourth of July because of the recent hot, dry weather. The heat is drying out vegetation, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The agency is asking people to take extra precautions, especially in the northern part of the state on the lake shores.

Paul Rogers, a fire prevention specialist with the DNR, says dune grass may look green and healthy - but looks can be deceiving.

"Dune grass will be very green, but the grass underneath will be very dry; and it'll be the grass left from last year that hasn't decayed away yet, that dries right away," he explains. "And when we reach these kinds of temperatures, even though the grass looks green, it will still burn."

Last year, a teenager in Oregon tossed fireworks into a canyon and started a 48,000-acre blaze. Last month, a Michigan resident using fireworks accidentally started a blaze at Tunnel Park in Holland, near the site of a 2015 incident that destroyed a set of stairs going to the beach.

Rogers says a few years ago, Michigan loosened up its fireworks rules. Now, all types are allowed - but must be handled with extreme care.

"If you have sparklers, anything handheld, make sure it's put into a bucket of water," he adds. "And then check the area, don't light them off into open fields or into woodlots - that could be very dangerous, because it could start a forest fire that way."

National statistics show fireworks killed eight people across the U.S. injured nearly 13,000 and sparked more than 18,000 fires last year.


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