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Morning Buzz: 5 things to know for February 17

Posted at 11:29 AM, Feb 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-17 11:28:29-05

1. There isn’t much snow here in Michigan, but conditions are perfect in Alaska for a major dog sledding race!

A girl from the east side of Michigan is Alaska-bound to compete in the Junior Iditarod Race.

Hannah Mahoney is a high school senior living in Bloomfield Hills. She said she decided to compete in the race after seeing the movie “Balto” so many times.

In fact, her bio on the race website says that she used to tie ribbons to her dogs and have them pull her around the house in a laundry basket.

She’s the only musher from Michigan competing this year.

The junior race starts on February 25, and will cover about 150 miles in two days. This is the 40th year for the Junior Iditarod.

2. The DNR is hosting their Winter Free Fishing Weekend, which means on Saturday and Sunday you can fish without a license.

All other fishing regulations will still be in place. This free weekend is held each year to promote the state’s “angling opportunities.”

Other events include the Wild About Winter Activity Day in Van Buren County.

For a full list of events, head to michigan.gov/freefishing.

3. The DNR needs help with their annual frog and toad survey.

All you have to do is go to certain wetlands during the spring breeding season, and listen for toad and frog calls.

From there, you estimate the species and number of frogs and toads in the area.

The populations of the animals have been dropping since the 1980s, so this will help biologists monitor how they’re doing.

For more information, go to mi.gov/wildlife.

4. When most people apply for jobs, they know their resume might not even make it past the Human Resources Department. However a 7-year-old managed to make it straight to the CEO of one of the world’s most powerful companies.

Chloe Bridgewater knew Google was the company for her when she saw pictures of their office.

She sent the tech giant a letter explaining that she wanted to sit on bean bags and go down slides.

Like any good candidate, she didn’t focus only on benefits, Chloe also highlighted her qualifications, like playing games on her tablet and excelling at math.

Her father was surprised when the CEO wrote back. He didn’t offer her a job, but he did tell her to keep working hard and to follow her dreams.

Chloe’s father posted the response online and thanked the executive for writing to his daughter

5. A daily cup of coffee could give you a longer life span.

A Stanford University School of Medicine Study found properties in caffeine may beat back an “inflammatory process” linked to cardiovascular disease and aging.

The study’s lead author said 90 percent of noncommunicable diseases which aren’t infectious or transmissible are tied to chronic inflammation.