Author: Bridge Michigan
White throated sparrow takes first place in fattest bird competition
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Clara Lincolnhol, Great Lakes Echo
A very round white throated sparrow is the heavyweight champion of the 2025 Wisconsin Fat Bird Week contest.
The bird, coined the “spherical white-throated sparrow,” won by a landslide, receiving 72% of the vote in the final round against its nearest competitor, a “rotund ruby-throated hummingbird.”
The winner made it through eight rounds in the single-elimination, March Madness-style bracket competition against seven other birds.
How much plastic is in the Great Lakes?
Microplastics are turning up everywhere, including our water, our food, and even our bodies. And the Great Lakes are no exception.
Ripples of Plastic is a documentary from Ohio filmmakers Chris Langer and Josh Heese that investigates how plastic pollution is making its way into the largest freshwater system in the world.
The smoke from Canada’s wildfires may be even more toxic than usual
By Matt Simon
This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.
More than 200 wildfires are blazing across central and western Canada, half of which are out of control because they’re so hard for crews to access, forcing 27,000 people to evacuate.
Case Western Reserve University alumni roll out microplastic filtration system for washing machines
By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media
This story was originally published by Ideastream.
Case Western Reserve University is set to install filters to washing machines across campus to reduce microplastic pollution during the laundry cycle.
Microplastics can be found virtually anywhere, and studies have found that wastewater from washing machines is a primary source.
Near westside residents have higher rates of lung disease, study says
By Enrique Saenz, Mirror Indy
Mirror Indy is a part of Free Press Indiana, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to ensuring all Hoosiers have access to the news and information they need.
Sandy Leeds remembers the glory days of West Indianapolis.