DETROIT – Today on Flashpoint we’re taking a look at a possible UAW strike, the Michigan accent, and the latest regarding Novi’s Paul Whelan.
The UAW contract deadline is still weeks away, but you have to wonder if more industry watchers would be surprised if there isn’t a strike than if there is. Economists are sharpening their pencils to figure out what a strike would mean to the overall Michigan economy, and as diversified as we’ve become, it would still register on the Richter scale.
We’ll also talk about a Detroit Free Press story from last week that caught my attention. It takes a look at the Michigan accent. There are people who study the way we talk, and it turns out, our accent is changing.
Michigan State University is looking for people to sign up for a study that documents the changes in the lives and language of people living in Michigan during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. You can sign up online, click here.
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Then we’ll share the latest on a story we have been following from the beginning, the continued imprisonment of Novi’s Paul Whelan. He has been held in Russia since 2018 and he and his family just keept waiting and waiting for an indication that his release is coming. This past week he had a long phone call with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, does that move the needle at all? We’ll talk to Paul’s brother, David Whelan.
You can watch the Aug. 20, 2023, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.
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It’s clear that Michigan is placing a large emphasis on recruiting the South in the first full cycle of the Sherrone Moore era. Of the Wolverines’ 13 verbal commitments in the class of 2025, eight have come from players located south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
One of those pledges came from three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) linebacker Chase Taylor, who committed to Michigan on June 24 among a final grouping which included South Carolina, Georgia Tech and USC.
Taylor has been a productive player each of the last two years in high school. Per MaxPreps, Taylor totaled 66 tackles with three sacks during his sophomore season in 2022. That was followed up by a junior season in which Taylor tallied 73 tackles, with six tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles. His junior season highlight reels can be watched here.
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While listed as a three-star recruit, Taylor’s offer sheet suggests he’s underrated as a prospect. The 6-foot-3, 201-pounder has drawn 27 scholarship offers from FBS-level programs, with the likes of Tennessee, Florida State, Clemson and LSU showing interest in addition to his final grouping. Taylor is considered the No. 588 overall prospect, No. 63 linebacker and No. 65 player from the state of Georgia in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale did an excellent job in the battle for Taylor’s commitment, which was wrapped up when the Peach State native took an official visit to Ann Arbor back on June 21. That was the fourth official visit for Taylor, who also took trips to USC (May 31), South Carolina (June 7) and Georgia Tech (June 14) this summer.
The Wolverines’ missed on four-star Trenton (N.J.) Hun linebacker target Kamar Archie earlier this week, but remain in a fierce battle with Notre Dame and others for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy’s Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (No. 70 overall) at the position.
In addition to Archie, the Wolverines have seen four other high-profile prospects commit to other programs in four-star Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph defensive lineman Maxwell Roy (Ohio State), four-star Brooklin (Mass.) Dexter interior offensive lineman Hardy Watts (Wisconsin), four-star Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley edge rusher Marco Jones (Texas A&M) and four-star Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman interior offensive lineman Seuseu Alofaituli.
Good news could be on the way next week for Michigan however, as the Wolverines are the current favorites to land four-star Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh (No. 121) and three-star Destrehan (La.) wide receiver Phillip Wright (No. 533). Olesh — who is also considering Alabama and Penn State — is set to announce his commitment on July 8, while Wright will make his announcement on July 13 between Michigan and Georgia Tech.
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Michigan’s 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 22 in the country and No. 7 in the Big Ten, through the Wolverines average player ranking of 91.03 is the third-best mark in the conference.
– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –
More Michigan News:
Michigan Football Makes Top Group For 4-Star, Top 100 Prospect
Massive Michigan Football Target Set To Make Decision Next Week
Lou Esposito Is Bringing The Heat On The Recruiting Trail For Michigan Football
For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:
First responders are looking for two men who went off a boat on Lake Michigan near Hammond on Friday afternoon. Three people are believed to have gotten in the water, but one was rescued. The other two have not yet been found. Others who had been on the boat at the time made it back to shore safely.
The two men had been on a boat with ten other people, including adults and juveniles, about two and a half miles off Whiting on Lake Michigan at around 2:30 p.m. when one of the men jumped off the boat to swim. a third man in a life-jacket tried to help the first and he was later found by rescuers in a boat.
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One of the missing men is from Elk Grove Village, and the other is from Mount Prospect.
A suburban beach is back open as the search continues for a man who went under on Sunday.
EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) — Crews pulled a body from Lake Michigan on Saturday, nearly one week after a swimmer went missing near Lighthouse Beach, the city of Evanston said.
A fishing charter found the body about 2 miles off Dempster Street Beach early Saturday, the city said.
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The fishing charter crew notified the Coast Guard, and the Evanston Fire Department was dispatched to investigate at about 6:40 a.m. EFD crews then removed the body from the water.
The Evanston Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office are working to identify the body, which potentially matches the description of the 41-year-old man who went missing in Lake Michigan on Sunday afternoon, the city said.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
