Michigan
EXCLUSIVE: Why Latest Jonathan Smith, MSU Football Commit Charles Taplin Chose the Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans added their eighth commit of the 2025 class on Friday when three-star wide receiver Charles Taplin announced his decision. Taplin, a Red Oak, Texas native, is the 155th-ranked player in the state and the 141st wide receiver in the 2025 class.
Taplin made his decision soon after he returned home from his visit, he told me. Taplin needed to consult his family and mentors. That was when he decided Michigan State was “the place to be.”
“Knowing that, again like trusting Coach [Courtney] Hawkins to develop me as a man, as a receiver, on and off the field,” Taplin said. “And also how [the Spartans] are family-oriented, you know. I’m gonna be a long way from home, so I gotta be taken care of.”
Hawkins’ track record of NFL receivers, including Jayden Reed and Keon Coleman, played a big part in Taplin’s trust of Hawkins. Hawkins congratulated Taplin upon his commitment announcement, and Taplin said he has already been given instructions from the coach on how to prepare for the college level.
“Him and Coach [Cordale] Grundy sent me some releases to work on,” Taplin said. “Just hitting the field after my summer workouts, to make sure I get some releases in. I go to a sandpit, I can do some releases in the sandpit. … [The releases] are nothing too difficult, but it’s what the pros do.”
Taplin said that next on his agenda is working out and being the best he can be, and he is looking forward to having a great senior season. Taplin told me the team’s goal is to win the Texas 5A state championship, something it failed to do last year when it lost to Aledo.
Taplin is part of an elite wide receiver trio that could be the best in the state of Texas. He is joined by four-star Taz Williams, rated the 51st receiver in the 2025 class, and four-star Brayden Robinson, the 28th receiver in the 2026 receiver class, per 247Sports.
Taplin told me he plans on enrolling to the Spartans early. He said he was most excited for “practicing against the best, playing against the best, [and] learning from the best.”
Taplin is the second receiver the Spartans have secured from the 2025 class. The first was three-star Ohio receiver Braylon Collier.
Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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DETROIT – A major banking merger is reshaping the financial landscape in Michigan — and customers need to take action before the changes take effect.
Fifth Third Bank completed its acquisition of Comerica, and beginning Sept. 8, Comerica customers will transition onto Fifth Third’s systems. The switch affects everything from mobile banking to direct deposits.
What Comerica customers need to do
Steve Davis, regional market president for Michigan, said the transition is designed to be straightforward for most customers.
“For the most part, what our customers are going to need to do is on September 8th, they’re going to log in to the Fifth Third app or their website, create a new user ID, a new password, and they’re good to go,” Davis said. “Their debit card, their ATM, their direct deposit information, all their ACHs — that’s all going to transfer over for them.”
To help customers prepare, welcome packets will be mailed in August walking through every step of the process. The bank says it is also staffing up to handle an expected surge in questions.
“It’s an all hands on deck to make sure that we can exceed customer expectations,” Davis said.
Customers looking for additional information can visit Fifth Third’s Better Together page.
Branch closures, but more options overall
The $10.9 billion all-stock deal — finalized in October — comes with significant changes to the branch network. More than 70 locations are slated to close as part of the merger.
The bank says it is working to relocate affected employees or help them find other opportunities. And while the closures mark a loss for some communities, Davis says the combined network ultimately gives customers more options.
“If you’re in the tri-county of Southeast Michigan — like Livingston, Macomb, Wayne, etc., we’re going to be number one in terms of branches there,” Davis said. “In the City of Detroit, we’re going to be number one in terms of branches there, so for our customers on average it’s a much better thing than a worse thing.”
Will Comerica Park be renamed?
Perhaps no question has captured more public attention than the fate of Comerica Park — the downtown Detroit ballpark that is home to the Detroit Tigers.
Could it become Fifth Third Park? That answer isn’t ready yet.
“We’re evaluating everything — we’ll decide something in the offseason,” Davis said. “It’s really cool that people care so much about Comerica Park and what it’s meant to them.”
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Lansing — Republican candidates for governor and Democratic contenders for the U.S. Senate will square off in a series of televised debates this week, giving voters across Michigan their best chances yet to compare the political hopefuls.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Grand Rapids NBC affiliate WOOD-TV will host a televised statewide debate featuring the three Democrats running for the U.S. Senate: former Wayne County health official Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham.
Then, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, WJBK-TV (Fox 2 Detroit) will host a debate for the three Republican candidates for governor: former Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia, U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township and businessman Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills. The next night, WOOD-TV, which has been using the phrase “debate week” to promote the upcoming events, will host another debate with the three GOP gubernatorial hopefuls at 7 p.m. Thursday.
The string of forums will provide voters a chance to hear from people who want to be the state’s future leaders, said David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University.
“Any opportunity that voters have to hear directly from candidates in an unfiltered, uncontrolled, uncurated environment is good,” Dulio said.
The debates will come about four weeks before the Aug. 4 primary election, and many Michigan residents have absentee ballots available to them.
Michigan’s governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, can’t run again because of term limits. Meanwhile, the state has an open U.S. Senate seat because Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, decided against seeking reelection.
Many Democrats said they believe the race for their party’s nomination to replace Peters could be tight. If that’s the case, the televised debate on Tuesday could be important, said Adrian Hemond, CEO of the Lansing-based political consulting firm Grassroots Midwest.
“A marginal difference is a big difference in a close race,” Hemond said of the potential impact of the debate.
Who’s running to be Michigan’s governor?
The three remaining GOP candidates for governor, Cox, James and Johnson, are all expected to participate in the debates this week.
James has avoided most of the primary forums that have been organized. James ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020 before winning in 2022 his U.S. House seat that represents a portion of Macomb County as well as Rochester and Rochester Hills.
President Donald Trump endorsed James to be Michigan’s next governor on June 22.
Johnson has dominated the TV airwaves this year, shelling out millions of dollars of his own money to promote his bid. He made his fortune developing quality controls for the auto industry. He is running on eliminating the state’s 4.25% personal income tax, which currently generates more than $13 billion in revenue annually.
Cox, who was Michigan’s attorney general from 2003 through 2010, has worked as a lawyer with The Mike Cox Law Firm.
The Democratic side has two candidates for governor: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Detroit, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson of Fenton.
Benson is viewed as the favorite to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in part because of her slew of endorsements, including that of the United Auto Workers union. She didn’t participate in a June 4 primary debate organized by Fox 2.
Who’s running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan?
Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary has gained the national spotlight as a test of how the party’s voters might be leaning after the 2024 presidential election.
El-Sayed, a progressive candidate who ran unsuccessfully for governor eight years ago, has said he wants to build an economy that works for working people, provide guaranteed health care coverage and protect clean air and water.
He’s often clashed with Stevens, who’s been a member of the U.S. House since 2018. Stevens has said she wants to focus on combating rising costs and protecting personal freedoms and entitlement programs like Social Security.
McMorrow was first elected to the state Senate in 2018. Her campaign website vows that she will root out corruption, protect rights and keep tax dollars working at home instead of funding wars.
The Republican nominee will be former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2024.
How to watch the debates
The WOOD-TV debates on Tuesday and Thursday will be carried by CBS Detroit in the Detroit area, WBSF in the Flint area, WLAJ in the Lansing television market, WWTV in the Traverse City area, WJMN in the Marquette area and WBKB in the Alpena area.
The Wednesday night Fox 2 Detroit debate will be streamed on its website. The first 30 minutes of it will be televised on Fox 2 during The Pulse’s regular time slot, hosted by anchor Roop Raj, who is moderating the debate.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
Michigan
3 dead after vehicle collides with semitruck on Interstate 94 in Wayne County, Michigan State Police say
Three people are dead after a vehicle hit the back of a semitruck on Interstate 94 in Southeast Michigan late Friday, state officials said.
The Michigan State Police responded to the crash on eastbound I-94 near Michigan Avenue in Wayne County around 11:44 p.m. Investigators said the semitruck was stopped in traffic due to flooding when it was struck by the vehicle.
Three passengers in the vehicle that crashed into the semi died at the scene, according to the state law enforcement agency, and the driver was taken into custody.
The ages of the individuals involved in the collision have not yet been disclosed by officials.
As of Saturday afternoon, the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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