Three Great Lakes Now specials will be among the 60 films screened at the Thunder Bay International Film Festival in late January.

You know those “Pure Michigan” ads? With the soft guitar strumming overlaid by actor Tim Allen’s blue-collar voice? Some Michigan residents make fun of them and say they’re cheesy. But it turns out they might be doing their job of drawing more people to enjoy Michigan as well as other Great Lakes States.

Legacy cyanobacteria cells (also called bluegreen algae), which can produce the strain of microcystis responsible for microcystin toxins during late-summer as well as harmful algal blooms (HABS) in autumn on Lake Erie, may be helping jump-start the blooms or otherwise contribute to rapid development of blooms, without respect to current rain events or nutrient run-off from agricultural fields, according to a recently released study.

Tension between Great Lakes governors, Canadian premiers and a bi-national group of mayors escalated last week when representatives of the governors and premiers rejected a proposal from the mayors to modify a proposed process on how the region addresses water diversion requests.

GOP leaders and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder are trying to finalize the Line 5 Tunnel agreement before Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer, takes office in January.

By Michael Kransz mkransz@mlive.com LANSING, MI — State regulators are allowing 48 more anchor supports…