Michigan’s Oldest Lighthouse to Open to the Public Saturday

(PORT HURON, Mich.) -- Michigan’s oldest lighthouse is slated to open to the public Saturday after four years and $700,000 in renovations.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the opening of the Ft. Gratiot Light, built in 1829, is expected to draw nearly 1,000 people to the mouth of the St. Clair River.

Tours of the second-oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes—behind Ohio’s Marblehead Light on Lake Erie—cost $5 per person.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

US Census: Michigan's Minority Population is Growing

(DETROIT, Mich.) -- U.S. Census Bureau statistics released on Thursday show that the percentage of young minorities is increasing, The Detroit Free Press reports.

On April 1, 2010, the percentage of minority children under the age of 5 was 27.6 percent. On July 1, 2011, that number increased to 28.1 percent.

Wayne represents Michigan's only county that is mostly minority, at 50.2 percent. Saginaw comes in as the second highest minority population in the state, with 29.5 percent, according to The Free Press.

Across the country, the percentage of non-white and non-Hispanic children was 49.7, an increase from the 49 percent of the population in 2010.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Michigan's Teacher of the Year Announced

(LANSING, Mich.) -- The 2012-2013 Michigan Teacher of the Year was revealed on Thursday, and the winner hails from Grand Rapids.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan announced that the latest recipient of the award is Bobbi Jo Kenyon, a science and math instructor at Ottawa Hills High School. Kenyon is the first Grand Rapids public educator to be named Michigan Teacher of the Year, according to a release from the state's Department of Education.

"We honor Bobbi Jo Kenyon as Michigan Teacher of the Year for her outstanding work in the fields of math and science areas that are critically important for the technological age of today and jobs of tomorrow," Governor Rick Snyder said in a statement. "This award also highlights the tireless dedication teachers have for their students and profession, which benefits all Michiganders."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

New Survey Finds Mich. Residents More Optimistic About Finances

(LANSING, Mich.) -- Michigan residents were reportedly more optimistc about their finances, according to a recent quarterly State of the State Survey from Michigan State University.

The Detroit Free Press reports that 54 percent of residents called their current financial situation excellent or good. The percentage is the highest recorded in the survey since 2005.

Fewer than 30 percent found their circumstances “just fair,” 10.1 percent said “not so good” and 6.6 percent said “poor.”

“The Michigan economy has added 150,000 jobs since the job market bottomed out at the end of 2009,” MSU economics professor and director of the survey, Charles Ballard, said. “The improvement in the economy is reflected in the brighter mood."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Michigan Teen Finds Piece of Finger in Arby's Sandwich

(JACKSON, Mich.) -- A 14-year-old Michigan teen found a piece of a finger in his Arby's sandwich last week, according to a report in the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Ryan Hart told the newspaper something in his sandwich tasted like rubber and was hard to chew.  He spit the piece, which appeared to be the back of a finger about a quarter inch thick and an inch long.

Earlier, police said an employee at the restaurant, which is located on N. West Avenue in Jackson, had cut her finger on a meat slicer.  The employee did not immediately report the incident, and Arby's kept serving food, according to the report.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio