Michigan

‘Banished’ words of 2024 released by Michigan university, continuing tradition

Published

2 years ago

January 2, 2024

Press Room

‘Banished’ words of 2024 released by Michigan university, continuing tradition

Earlier this week, Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie continued its decades-long tradition of banishing a list of popular words from the previous year.

LSSU says it received more than 2,000 suggestions from 20 different countries.

Landing at the top of the list this year is ‘hack.’

SAULTE STE. MARIE, Mich. (WJMN) – Certain words or phrases make their way into the modern vernacular. When used with high frequency, as iconic as some of the lingo may be, it can make your vocabulary seem a bit limited.

Regardless of how obsessed you are with today’s language, at the end of the day, one Michigan university would like you to stop using the cringe-worthy words and phrases on its latest annual list.

Earlier this week, Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie continued its decades-long tradition of banishing a list of popular words from the previous year.

To determine the words to be cut, nominations pour in. For the newest list, LSSU says it received more than 2,000 suggestions from 20 different countries. That is at least 500 more submissions than the previous year.

School officials previously explained the process to Nexstar’s WJMN. Anyone can submit a word or term they’d like to see banned. Then, the school’s English department decides which words will be banished.

Since 1976, more than 1,000 everyday terms have been banished – some more than once.

Last year, ‘GOAT’ topped the list. Before that, it was ‘Wait, what?’ To no real surprise, ‘COVID-19’ was banished in 2021. Kicking off 2020, ‘jelly’ was the top banished word — not the fruit spread, but the abbreviation of ‘jealous.’

Landing at the top of the list this year is ‘hack,’ which has become common-place to describe easy money-making methods (like side hustles, another word on the list this year), ways to order off ‘secret’ fast food menus, and, unfortunately, scammers. LSSU warns overusing hack in 2024 “could make it lose its magic.”

Here is LSSU’s full list of banished words for 2024. If you have to look up what any of them mean, you likely haven’t been using them too much.

Hack
Impact
At the end of the day
Rizz
Slay
Iconic
Cringe-worthy
Obsessed
Side hustle
Wait for it

The list of words and phrases, along with their explanations for banishment are available here.

‘At the end of the day’ was previously banished in 2022, as was ‘iconic’ in 2009.

Not everyone hates these words, though. Oxford University Press declared ‘rizz’ as its word of the year for 2023.

Source link

Michigan

List of active weather alerts as severe weather moves through Southeast Michigan

Published

10 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

List of active weather alerts as severe weather moves through Southeast Michigan

Severe storms bring risk of tornadoes, hail, flooding

4Warn Weather – The severe thunderstorm warnings in Monroe and Lenawee counties have expired.

A ground stoppage has also been deployed.

Click here for the latest forecast from our 4Warn Weather team.

Here’s a list of the alerts by county.

Wayne County

No active weather alerts.

Oakland County

No active weather alerts.

Macomb County

No active weather alerts.

Washtenaw County

No active weather alerts.

Monroe County

Severe thunderstorm warning expired at 8 p.m.

Livingston County

No active weather alerts.

Lenawee County

Severe thunderstorm warning expired at 7:45 p.m.

Lapeer County

No active weather alerts.

Genesee County

No active weather alerts.

St. Clair County

No active weather alerts.

Sanilac County

No active weather alerts.

Source link

Michigan

Michigan football emphasizes return of discipline under new regime

Published

22 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Michigan football emphasizes return of discipline under new regime

The buzzword continued to come up in Schembechler Hall, from each one of the captains.

From Bryce Underwood to Jordan Marshall, Rod Moore to Trey Pierce − Michigan football players around for the previous regime and in the case of the latter two, the one before that too − each said Wednesday, March 25, that there’s a noticeable difference within the program under new coach Kyle Whittingham.

For Moore, a sixth-year player who will likely become a third-time captain when the official leaders are voted on later this summer, he recognized the vibe.

“I would say it’s kind of a similarity to coach Harbaugh’s regimen,” he said. “It’s a lot more strict than the past two years, and the weight room has kind of been a night-and-day difference than the past two years. We feel a lot stronger, a lot more progress.”

The Wolverines finished winter conditioning and Whittingham graded it with an “A+.” Hope is often the dominant mode at this time of year and adding a new coaching staff to what’s generally a positive time creates little surprise that the Wolverines are raving about the new system.

But beyond the platitudes and clichés, there are tangible examples. Take Pierce: The projected starting defensive tackle has trimmed his weight to 300 pounds while adding muscle mass to his overall frame.

“Something new that we have now is that whenever we start meetings, there’s like a loud air horn that goes off throughout the whole building,” Moore said. “The past two years, we would start the meeting at 2:30, but now we start the meeting at 2:25, even though it’s a 2:30 meeting. Just everyone being five minutes early. The coaches are holding everyone accountable in the meetings, going to class.

“Just the little things that makes a team great, not just the big, broad things that everyone sees.”

There was an implication from everyone, though nothing said explicitly, that the past two seasons featured little enforcement. Most players would show up on time for lifts, but there were those who didn’t, with few repercussions.

“It’s the little things,” Pierce said. “Guys being late for lifts, guys not being where they’re supposed to be, whether it’s [missing] class. Just enforcing that a little bit heavier, that type of thing. … A lot of coaches say that when you’re being recruited in front of your parents. But for [Whittingham] to say that in front of the huddle after practice and say, ‘That’s why I’m here,’ I would say, ‘OK, he cares. He gets it.’”

Throughout the offseason, some who’ve spent time inside the facility said the weightlifting sessions had notably more juice. The past two years felt like a carryover of the previous years in terms of style, but accountability and discipline wavered.

Now, with Doug Elisaia leading the strength and conditioning room, there are different philosophies.

Practices are a bit shorter these days – two hours – but as Marshall said, “I don’t stop moving at practice, like, we’re always doing something that’s not only going to help with us competing with teams, but our conditioning.”

Marshall believes it can take the Wolverines to the next level, he said.

Just more than a week into spring ball, players are oozing confidence. Not just in their skills − the running back room is deep, the wide receiver room has as much raw talent as at any point the past decade, the offensive line returned multiple key pieces, the secondary added depth and the defensive tackles feel underrated − but in mindset.

U-M had early, demanding lifting sessions during winter conditioning, with a clear organization.

“It introduces that factor of toughness, like we’ve been through this at 6:30 a.m., 6:15 a.m., all these days in the grind together,” Pierce said. “It improves team bonding, and puts you in the headspace of, we’ve done harder stuff than this, and nothing can break us.”

The difference between winning and losing can often be razor-thin. Will this pay off when it counts during the season?

“If I can trust you to do things maybe you don’t want to do,” Marshall said, “then I can trust you on the field when it’s the fourth quarter and we have one minute left.”

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

Source link

Michigan

Michigan school bus driver wins national hero award

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Michigan school bus driver wins national hero award

LANSING, Mich. (InvestigateTV) — A Lansing school bus driver has won a national award for going above and beyond behind the wheel.

Jackie Wilkerson-Brown, known as Miss Jackie by students, transports children to and from Lansing’s Gardner and Lewton schools. She recently became the first recipient of the 2025 School Bus Driver Hero Award.

“I was like, seriously, seriously, seriously, and I just started crying,” Wilkerson-Brown said.

The award was presented by School Bus Fleet Magazine. Teachers and parents nominated Wilkerson-Brown for the honor.

Known for being fun and firm

Wilkerson-Brown is known for being fun and firm with students. She hands out candy and leads students in games like the name game on rides home.

“Being a mirror bus driver is just sitting in your bus and, ‘Sit down, stop doing that, stop jumping over the seat,’” Wilkerson-Brown said. “You have to sometimes get up out of your seat and face-to-face with your children.”

Posters of positivity line the inside of her bus.

“I keep it on my bus, and I just try to remind the kids that, you know, smile,” she said. “Kind vibes, happy lives.”

‘Unbelievable honor’

Patrick Dean, president of Dean Transportation, said the recognition is significant.

“This is an unbelievable honor for Jackie,” Dean said. “Jackie exemplifies everything it means to be a superhero bus driver.”

Todd Sharp, operations manager for Dean Transportation, said Wilkerson-Brown treats students as her own.

“When those students step up on her bus, she treats them as her own. They’re her children while they’re in her care,” Sharp said.

Wilkerson-Brown said she loves her job.

“I’m trying not to get emotional, because I love my job, I love what I do,” she said. “If you call my phone right now, the message is going to say, ‘Hey I’m busy being awesome.’ So, because I am awesome, I am awesome, and then to receive this award, and then it came and I’m employed by Dean Transportation, oh, my God, it doesn’t get any better than that.”