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Susan J. Demas: Has Michigan bounced back? • Michigan Advance

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Susan J. Demas: Has Michigan bounced back? • Michigan Advance


There’s something happening in Michigan right now and it feels kind of like … optimism?

You could see the energy pulsing through the Motor City as the Detroit Lions stole everyone’s hearts in this year’s playoffs (and then broke them, but we don’t talk about that). And since Thursday, there’s been a sea of Honolulu Blue in the streets for the NFL draft, with the city shattering the all-time attendance record.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (who had once aspired to be a sports reporter) appeared to be having the time of her life, talking up Michigan to the media, posting earnest and slightly goofy videos and even donning buffs.

It’s a made-for-TV comeback story for a city that went through the largest municipal bankruptcy a little more than a decade ago. And as we all know, as Detroit goes, so goes Michigan.

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But I don’t think it’s just hype — or the fact that everyone loves football (except Donald Trump, as the Biden campaign claims in a snarky ad coinciding with the draft in a key swing state).

When I moved to Michigan 20 years ago in the middle of the decade-long recession (because my timing is impeccable), I got the usual racist warnings not to go to Detroit. There was no sugarcoating that the entire state was hurting — we were bleeding auto industry jobs and beloved institutions like the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit were shuttered.

In one of my first columns, I compared the dismal state of public transit there to that of my hometown of Chicago — which has its own shortcomings, to be sure. But I recall an editor asking me to cut some of my copy lauding the Windy City because Michiganders would be “jealous.”

Over the years, I’ve also seen a lot of knee-jerk boosterism of Detroit, like a parade of economic development projects and the 2006 Super Bowl that were supposed to save the city … until they didn’t.

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It goes without saying that things aren’t perfect today. The Renaissance Center faces an uncertain future with GM set to move out, residents want more attention focused on rebuilding neighborhoods and little progress has been made to link transit in Southeast Michigan. Detroit is still losing population and Michigan is treading water (hence Whitmer appointing a commission last year to tackle the issue).

But the bottom line is that a lot more people want to be in Detroit now. The city has always had world-class museums, like the Detroit Institute of Arts and the best bookstore in America, John K. King Books, where you can easily spend an entire day wandering about (and you definitely should). But there’s a new crop of local businesses, restaurants and venues that draw in people even when the NFL draft isn’t in town.

And it’s not just our largest city. Michigan’s economy is thriving, like the nation’s, having defied all expectations since it was ravaged by sky-high unemployment at the start of the COVID pandemic. The state unemployment rate is below 4% and economists say we’re on track for continued economic growth without a recession.

Gone are the days of big budget deficits, followed by rounds of cuts to schools, state parks and local governments. When Michigan’s surplus hit an unheard-of $9.2 billion last year, I tried to explain to some newer reporters how jaw-dropping that was after covering two partial government shutdowns in 2007 and 2009. (I probably just sounded like their great-grandma spinning a yarn about the Great Depression).

Much has been made about the “vibecession,” where it just “feels” like the economy is doing far worse than it is. And I’m sure that for Republicans, it feels pretty depressing to have Democrats in charge of every branch of state government.

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Indeed, under former Chair Kristina Karamo, the Michigan Republican Party website used to greet visitors with this cheery message: “On this current path, Michigan will become the global headquarters for communist influence and power, and drive Michigan into a deeper depression.”

But facts, as they say, don’t care about your feelings. And it sure is interesting that Michigan’s economy is doing better with Whitmer than it did under her predecessor, Republican Rick Snyder, a former CEO who dubbed himself “One Tough Nerd” and was supposed to turn the state around.

But it is an election year and Republicans are itching to take back the Michigan House so they can have some veto power over Whitmer’s agenda (the state Senate and executive offices aren’t on the ballot until 2026). Most of the GOP messaging has just been mirroring Trump’s diatribes on immigration, but a couple weeks ago, leaders did release an economic plan.

So what was in it? Republicans want to bring back Right to Work, roll back regulations and slightly cut the income tax. In other words, it’s just a return to Snyder-era policies which were meh at best.

Look, unless you’re the type of person who convulses with rage every time a leather-jacket-clad Whitmer posts on Tiktok, it’s hard to deny that Michigan feels a little bit brighter and lighter these days. Why would we want to go backward?

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The Spirit of Detroit is adorned with a jersey for the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, Mich. on April 25, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)



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Michigan

Another chance for Northern Lights in Michigan tonight: What to know

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Another chance for Northern Lights in Michigan tonight: What to know


Many people in Michigan got a chance to see the Northern Lights on Friday and Saturday night, and if the weather cooperates, we might get another chance Sunday night.

When is the best time to look for Northern Lights in Michigan?

According to the NOAA, the best time to view the aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight. So, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Northern Lights forecast map

Here’s a look at the projected forecast: The red line shows how far south the aurora could stretch.

Aurora forecast for May 12, 2024. (SPWC)

Northern Lights viewing tips:

  • Look north! The aurora will likely be on the horizon but higher in the sky the further north you are.

  • Dim the lights: Find an area with less light pollution for your best chance.

What are the Northern Lights?

The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres.

They are known as ‘Aurora borealis’ in the north and ‘Aurora Australis’ in the south.. Auroral displays appear in many colors although pale green and pink are the most common. Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported.

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The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.

What are coronal mass ejections?

CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s corona. They cause geomagnetic storms when they are directed at Earth.

Geomagnetic storms have been known to impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface. This could potentially disrupt communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations.

According to SWPC, only three severe geomagnetic storms have been observed during this solar cycle, which began in December 2019. The last G4 (severe) was spotted on March 23, 2024, this triggered a geomagnetic storm alert.

Extreme (G5) geomagnetic storm conditions were observed on Earth at 6:54 p.m. on Friday. The geomagnetic storm is likely to continue through the weekend and will continue to lessen in severity until it comes to an end on May 13.

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The last G5 (extreme) caused the Halloween storms in October 2003. That G5 caused power outages in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa.

—> Read more on geomagnetic storms


About the Authors
Kayla Clarke

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

Ken Haddad

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He’s a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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Michigan Panthers vs. D.C. Defenders: What time, TV channel is Week 7 of the UFL on?

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Michigan Panthers vs. D.C. Defenders: What time, TV channel is Week 7 of the UFL on?


Michigan Panthers (4-2) vs. D.C. Defenders (3-3)

Kickoff: Noon Sunday.

Where: Audi Field in Washington.

TV: ESPN.

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Streaming: Check out the Michigan Panthers on Fubo (free trial).

THE JAKE BATES SHOW: Bates hits another game-winning field goal in Michigan Panthers’ 28-27 win

BOX SCORE

Game notes: The Michigan Panthers can virtually clinch a United Football League playoff berth — and the franchise’s first .500-or-better record in three seasons — with a victory today. Memphis’ loss Saturday afternoon eliminated the 1-6 Showboats, and 1-5 Houston faces 4-2 San Antonio this afternoon at 3 p.m.. D.C.’s playoff hopes are on the edge, as they enter the day trailing St. Louis (which won Saturday) by 2½ games and San Antonio by a game with three weeks to play after today.

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This should be a good matchup for the Panthers, who entered the weekend with the No. 2 rushing offense in the league, averaging 108.2 yards a game on the ground. The Defenders, meanwhile, are doing anything but; D.C., led by notorious ex-NFL defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, is next-to-last in stopping the run, at 112.5 yards a game, and stopping the pass, at 200.7 yards a game.

The Panthers have won two straight with backup QB Danny Etling under center; the former Purdue and LSU standout is completing 63.1% of his passes for 482 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Etling might not get the start vs. the Defenders however, with reports suggesting former Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke is now atop the Michigan depth chart. The Panthers’ top target has been the do-everything Marcus Simms, who has 19 catches for 385 yards — No. 2 in the league — and three touchdowns while also delivering seven kickoff returns for 201 yards; he’s fifth in all-purpose yards.

There’s also likely to be a shuffle among the Panthers defenders, with star linebacker Frank Ginda — last season’s USFL Defensive Player of the Year — potentially out for the season. Ginda was tied (with Kai Nacua) for the team lead in tackles with 35 (21 solo).

D.C., meanwhile, features former Lions practice squadder — they’re all over the place — Jordan Ta’amu at quarterback. The former Ole Miss star — and the XFL’s Offensive Player of the Year last season — is completing just 53.6% of his passes, but is third in yards (1,067) and second in TDs (eight). He’ll be looking for Kelvin Harmon, who has 338 receiving yard on 25 catches — more than twice as many as any other Defenders option.

After today, the Panthers return home for their Ford Field finale against the Showboats at 4 p.m. Saturday. (They wrap up the season with a visit to Houston on May 26 and a stop in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 1.) The Defenders, meanwhile, hit the road for two weeks — first at St. Louisin May 19 and Memphis on May 26 — before closing things out at home against Arlington.

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Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford.





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Michigan attorney general probing death of Black man hit by unmarked police car

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Michigan attorney general probing death of Black man hit by unmarked police car


The family of a Black man who was killed after he was hit by an unmarked police car in Michigan spoke out on Saturday after body camera footage of the incident was released by investigators.

Michigan State Police said it handed over its investigative report and all evidence to the state attorney general’s office concerning the April 17 death of Samuel Sterling, who was being pursued by officers in Kentwood for outstanding warrants.

Sterling, 25, allegedly fled when officers approached him at a gas station and was hit by an unmarked Michigan State Police car after officers converged on him at a parking lot of a nearby Burger King, police claim. He died later in the day at the hospital.

Samuel Sterling is shown in this photo released by the Sterling family.

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Sterling Family

The body camera footage released Friday showed officers rushing to Sterling on the ground after he was hit moaning in pain and claiming he did not have a gun. The unmarked police vehicle is seen up on a curb next to the restaurant in front of Sterling.

Attorney Ven Johnson, an attorney representing Sterling’s family, said in a statement to ABC News that they were “stunned and appalled to see the MSP trooper deliberately drive over a curb – onto a sidewalk – and violently take Samuel’s life by striking him with an unmarked police car.”

“No one person should be able to appoint themselves as judge, jury and executioner, yet deaths from police brutality and excessive force continue to occur too often,” Johnson added.

Officers are seen putting handcuffs on Sterling and telling firefighters who responded to the scene to keep the cuffs on.

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The footage released Friday came from three agencies who were part of the fugitive task force — Michigan State Police, Grand Rapids Police Department and Wyoming Police Department — and included footage from four sources, three officers’ body camera footage and one dash camera from a police vehicle, Michigan State Police said.

“I assure the Sterling and Cage families and the communities we serve that we will continue to be transparent in this investigation and will fully cooperate with the Michigan Department of Attorney General as they begin their review,” MSP director Col. James F. Grady II, who met with the family Friday, said in a statement.

PHOTO: Samuel Sterling is shown in this photo released by the Sterling family.

Samuel Sterling is shown in this photo released by the Sterling family.

Sterling Family

The state police trooper who was driving the vehicle that hit Sterling was not wearing a body camera and his vehicle did not have a dash camera “due to his assignment on a federal task force,” Michigan State Police said in a statement.

The state police launched an investigation into the incident and suspended the trooper — whose identity has not been revealed because of the probe — without pay.

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Marc E. Curtis, the attorney representing the trooper, told ABC News in a statement that his client is cooperating with the investigation.

“We would like to express to the family and community that we know you are grieving the death of Mr. Sterling. The Trooper involved is heartbroken at the loss of Mr. Sterling’s life and wants the family to know that he had no intention of purposely harming Mr. Sterling,” Curtis said in a statement.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will review the police report and evidence and decide if any charges are warranted.

“My public integrity unit has investigated dozens of police-involved incidents and is dedicated to providing a thorough and just review and resolution in each one,” Nessel said in a statement last month.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement Friday that Sterling’s death was “unacceptable” and called for the termination of the officer if charges are issued.

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“I have full faith that her office will work quickly to arrive at a fair and just decision as to whether criminal charges are appropriate,” the governor said of Nessel.

ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.



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