Michigan
FEMA denies disaster relief for Southwest Michigan after May 7 tornadoes
PORTAGE, MI – Federal officials have rejected Michigan’s request for federal assistance to help local communities recover from damaging tornadoes and storms that tore through Southwest Michigan on May 7.
In a July 23 letter, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s request for a major disaster declaration for Branch, Cass, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties, according to a copy of the letter provided to MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette by state Sen. Sean McCann’s office.
Whitmer sent a letter to President Joe Biden on June 6 requesting a major disaster declaration and activation of the federal individual assistance programs for the four Southwest Michigan counties that were hit by severe storms and multiple tornadoes in May.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in her response to Whitmer that the four affected counties did not meet the need for federal assistance.
“Based on our review of all of the information available, it has been determined that the damage from this event was not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state, affected local governments, and voluntary agencies,” Criswell wrote. “Accordingly, we have determined that supplemental federal assistance is not necessary. Therefore, I must inform you that your request for a major disaster declaration is denied.”
Whitmer can appeal FEMA’s denial within 30 days, Criswell said.
McCann, D-Kalamazoo, said he was “dismayed” to learn that FEMA had denied the request for disaster assistance following the devastating tornado. He said he has asked the governor to appeal the decision.
“It is a disappointing determination that impacts real people,” McCann said in a statement.
McCann said even without FEMA’s assistance, there is some state funding on the way.
“In the upcoming state budget, I was proud to have helped secure more than $3 million in funding to provide relief to the affected communities and the impacted people in my district,” he said. “The budget, recently passed by the Legislature, will also put the maximum amount into the State Disaster Emergency Contingency Fund so that there will be money already available for future disasters.”
Will Portage tornado be a ‘federal disaster’? Damage isn’t the only factor
Earlier this month, the U.S. Small Business Administration issued a rapid disaster declaration allowing businesses, renters and homeowners in Kalamazoo County to request low-interest loans to repair or replace real estate, personal property and business assets damaged or destroyed in the May 7 storms.
The declaration also included Allegan, Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.
An EF2 tornado touched down in Kalamazoo County on May 7, leaving hundreds of buildings damaged, many in the city of Portage.
The tornado was one of the strongest to hit the county in the past 40 years. With wind speeds of 135 mph, the May 7 tornado was only 5 mph shy of a 1980 F3 tornado that had 140 mph wind speeds.
Three other tornadoes touched down on May 7: An EF2 tornado in St. Joseph and Branch Counties, an EF1 tornado in Branch County and an EF1 tornado in Cass County.
FEMA officials arrived in Southwest Michigan a week after the tornadoes to assess the damage. The assessment found that in Kalamazoo County, 60 structures had been destroyed, 129 structures had major damage and 159 sustained minor damage in the storms.
Portage tornado assessment: 60 buildings destroyed, 129 with major damage
FEMA assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and programs to help people and businesses recover from the disaster.
Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive offers free email news alerts. Click here to sign up for alerts or for the daily “3@3 Kalamazoo” news roundup. Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page here.
In a game Michigan had to have by any means, it found a way. The Wolverines trailed for over 36 minutes at home on Tuesday night, gave up 50 points in the first half, and made just one of their final 15 3-point attempts. Somehow, Michigan won anyway, knocking off No. 5 Nebraska to keep its Big Ten title hopes healthy.
The Wolverines survived the barrage of early threes and outlasted the undermanned Huskers, recording stops on eight of the final nine possessions of the game to pull away with a game-winning 6-0 run down the stretch.
Writing this recap, I can’t help but feel like I’m on the other side of a script that I’ve written routinely on this site over the years. We’ve all seen this story before: a five-out team spreads out a bigger, more talented team and makes them look like they’ve never played basketball before with a barrage of threes and cutting layups.
In the end, the threes go cold, and the bigger team wins the game by overwhelming its opponent in areas that are impossible to outscheme: offensive rebounds, defense, and free throws.
When John Beilein’s teams lost, this is usually what it looked like. Tonight, Michigan wore the other shoe.
Nebraska played the better game, but Michigan was the bigger, deeper, and more talented team. The Wolverines went to the free-throw line 23 times, knocking down 14 of 17 in the second half, and scored 14 of their 27 second-half points on second-chance opportunities to escape with the crucial home win.
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Michigan
Michigan football releases 2026 schedule for first season under head coach Kyle Whittingham
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan Athletic Department and the Big Ten Conference announced the 2026 football schedule for the first season under new head coach Kyle Whittingham and his Michigan Wolverines.
The schedule, which features eight home games, including all four in September, was announced on Tuesday (Jan. 27).
Michigan will kick off its 147th football season with three non-conference home games: Western Michigan on Sept. 5, Oklahoma on Sept. 12, and UTEP on Sept. 19.
Following these, the Wolverines will begin their nine-game Big Ten schedule.
The conference opener will be at home against Iowa on Sept. 26, marking Michigan’s 120th Big Ten conference opener at Michigan Stadium.
Michigan’s first road game of the season will be Oct. 3 at Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium.
The Wolverines and Golden Gophers will compete for the Little Brown Jug, college football’s oldest trophy, in the 100th meeting of this historic rivalry.
Michigan holds a commanding 74-23-2 record in the previous 99 contests.
After a bye week, Michigan returns home for back-to-back games against Penn State on Oct. 17 and defending national champion Indiana on Oct. 24.
The Wolverines will then travel to Rutgers for an Oct. 31 game.
The annual rivalry game against Michigan State has been pushed back a week and will take place Nov. 7 at Michigan Stadium.
The two teams will battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy in the 74th meeting of this series.
Michigan leads the series 42-29-2 and holds a 75-38-5 advantage overall in the rivalry, which dates back to 1898.
The Wolverines will then travel to Eugene, Oregon, for their first matchup against the Ducks as conference opponents on Nov. 14 at Autzen Stadium.
A week later, the Wolverines will host new Big Ten opponent UCLA at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 21.
The regular season will conclude with the 122nd meeting of “The Game” against Ohio State on Nov. 28 at Ohio Stadium.
Michigan has won its last two trips to Columbus, 45-23 in 2022 and 13-10 in 2024, and holds a 62-53-6 advantage in the all-time series.
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | Western Michigan |
| Sept. 12 | Oklahoma Sooners |
| Sept. 19 | UTEP |
| Sept 26 | Iowa Hawkeyes |
| Oct. 3 | at Minnesota Golden Gophers |
| Oct. 10 | BYE |
| Oct. 17 | Penn State Nitanny Lions |
| Oct. 24 | Indiana Hoosiers |
| Oct. 31 | at Rutgers Scarlett Knights |
| Nov. 7 | Michigan State |
| Nov. 14 | at Oregon Ducks |
| Nov. 21 | UCLA Bruins |
| Nov. 28 | at Ohio State Buckeyes |
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Michigan
Michigan student who left frat party in just T-shirt and jeans found dead in ‘extreme cold’
A missing University of Michigan student has been found dead more than a day after he was last seen leaving a fraternity party in just a T-shirt and jeans in bone-chilling storm temperatures, according to police.
Engineering student Lucas Mattson, 19, was last seen walking without a jacket at around 1 a.m. Friday, as temperatures plummeted as low as 0 degrees, WILX reported.
His body was found Saturday night following a 20-hour search in “extreme cold conditions,” police said.
Mattson is one of at least 34 to die from Winter Storm Fern, which impacted more than two-thirds of all Americans.
“At this time, we can share that prior to disappearing, Lucas was attending a party at a fraternity house as a guest; he was neither a member nor a pledge,” University of Michigan interim president Domenico Grasso said in a statement, warning against “misinformation” spreading about his death around the school community.
“We must let the investigators complete their work and refrain from speculation until the facts are known.”
Mattson was reported missing at 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to the Ann Arbor Police Department. Officers spent the whole night searching but were unable to find him.
His body was later located Saturday night on Cambridge Road, cops said.
“The nearly 20-hour search effort to locate him took place in extreme cold conditions and included officers from AAPD and University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security, as well as the University of Michigan Police Department Drone Unit,” police said in a press release.
There were no signs of trauma and foul play is not suspected at this time, cops said.
The Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death, police said.
Grasso said he’s asked school officials to retrace the events of the night Mattson disappeared “to better understand what transpired and identify possible steps to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.”
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support from so many people worried about Lucas’s welfare, including those who searched for him in extremely difficult weather conditions,” the university president said.
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