As official visits commence this upcoming weekend, let’s take a look at the five most important recruits officially visiting Michigan this summer.
Michigan
These are the storylines to watch in Michigan in 2025
This year could be a year of achieved resolutions. A Lions Super Bowl? Possible. A completed Gordie Howe bridge? That’s the plan. Increased minimum wage? Set for Feb. 21. Detroit’s next mayor? We’ll know after polls close on Nov. 4.
But there are also many unknowns we’ll be covering, from the impact of the Trump administration as it takes control in January to whether a divided government in Lansing can work together closer to home.
Those and others are among the 10 storylines we’re watching in 2025.
Super season?
The Detroit Lions have a lot to look forward to in 2025, starting with trying to finish what they started in 2024. After coming oh-so-close to their first Super Bowl appearance a season ago, the Lions have the goods to finish the job this time. Staff and roster turnover awaits on the other side of this season — with general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell at the helm, it’s not crazy to think this team keeps getting better — but right now, there’s a ton of excitement in store for a fanbase dying to see their team lift the Lombardi Trophy for the first time.
Duggan’s successor
A new mayor is set to be elected in 2025 after Mayor Mike Duggan decided to run for governor in 2026, creating a wide-open race that political analysts said will attract a large number of candidates.
City Council President Mary Sheffield has already declared her candidacy, while former City Council President Saunteel Jenkins’ campaign said she is expected to announce her candidacy in mid-January. Michigan state Rep. Joe Tate, City Council member Fred Durhal III and businessman Joel Haashiim have formed exploratory committees. Businessman Dennis Archer Jr., the son of former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig have expressed their consideration for running for mayor.
“This is a new day for future political leaders in Detroit,” political analyst Mario Morrow Sr. told The Detroit News. The August primary will narrow the field to the two top vote-getters.
Future of the RenCen up in the air
Big changes are coming to the Renaissance Center in 2025, as General Motors Co. plans to move its headquarters to Hudson’s Detroit by January 2026. Along with that shift, the iconic complex is in line for a major makeover.
GM, partnering with Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Detroit, has proposed a $1.6 billion renovation plan that includes tearing down two of the towers — 300 and 400 — and repurposing underutilized spaces. Part of the plan is to create new public spaces, including outdoor entertainment areas along the riverfront. The central tower, which houses a Marriott hotel, will also get a makeover. The number of hotel rooms will drop from 1,200 to 850, with the top floors being turned into luxury condos. The office spaces at the RenCen will also be updated for modern office space and for residential use.
Requests for public funding for the project are expected in 2025. GM and Bedrock have said they’re looking for $350 million in public support, with $250 million from the state and $100 million from the Downtown Development Authority.
Howdy, Gordie
A second span between Detroit and Windsor is finally set to debut in September when the mile-and-a-half-long Gordie Howe International Bridge opens to commercial and other traffic. The six-lane structure across the Detroit River, which will include a path for pedestrians and cyclists, will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America at 2,798 feet, bridge officials said. The expected opening will close a long, contentious history after the owners of the private Ambassador Bridge tried to scuttle the Gordie Howe project through lawsuits and other venues. The border crossing between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is the busiest commercial point on the U.S.-Canada border.
Divided government in Michigan
Michigan will enter a period of divided government for the first time since 2010 in the new year, with a 58-52 Republican majority in the House, a 20-18 Democratic majority in the Senate and a Democratic governor.
Any legislation that moves through the chambers and onto Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk will first need to be negotiated between the governor, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids and Republican House Speaker-elect Matt Hall of Richland Township. Hall has voiced a willingness to negotiate with his Democratic counterparts on a permanent road funding solution and immediate fixes to the paid sick leave and tipped wage laws set to take effect Feb. 21. Beyond those priorities and the annual state budget, it is unlikely Hall and Democratic leaders will find common ground on the more progressive issues Democrats struggled to pass in their waning days of power at the end of 2024.
Immigration impact on Michigan
Michigan agencies and nonprofits that work with immigrants and the state’s law enforcement agencies are among the groups in 2025 that will be bracing for President-elect Donald Trump’s promised plan to deport thousands of people who are in the United States illegally. Among the concerns expressed by law enforcement included one from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who said she feared the deportation effort would pull federal agents from joint task forces, leaving local agencies shorthanded on other crime-fighting efforts. Nonprofits and other agencies that work with immigrants have been preparing for the deportations by hosting events to educate the public about their rights.
Major court cases
Two murder trials on opposite sides of Michigan are expected to be among the highest-profile cases decided by juries in the New Year.
Former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr, who is accused of killing a Black man as he laid face down on the ground in April 2022 after fleeing a traffic stop, is set to stand trial April 21 in Kent County Circuit Court for second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, 26. Body camera video appears to show Lyoya trying to take Schurr’s Taser while the two were wrestling on the ground. Schurr is heard shouting, “Let go of the Taser,” before shooting and killing Lyoya. Matt Borgula, Schurr’s attorney, has said his client was protected by the Fleeing Felon Rule, which permits police to use deadly force on someone believed to have committed a felony and is fleeing.
Marshella Chidester, 67, who is accused of drunken driving and crashing into a child’s birthday party in April at a local boat club, killing two children and injuring 13 other children and adults, has a trial date set for March 3 in Monroe County. Chidester allegedly had a blood alcohol content of double the legal limit when she crashed into the Swan Boat Club, killing siblings Alanah Phillips, 8, and Zayn Phillips, 4. Her attorney, Bill Colovos, has said Chidester believes she had a seizure at the wheel and does not remember entering the boat club’s parking lot or anything that happened leading up to the crash. Chidester has asked that her trial be moved to another county.
Changes in how autos are governed?
Donald Trump’s second term as president portends enormous potential changes for an auto industry that prefers stability. Trump said he’ll put 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, which could be devastating in cost for Detroit’s automakers. Renegotiations for the United Sates-Mexico-Canada trade agreement — officially set for 2026 but already brewing with social media posts and visits to Mar-a-Lago —– could bring about transformational policies. Trump has also vowed to be tough on China. If his previous administration is any indication, tariffs will be his tool of choice. There will be cascading impacts like increases in materials costs, reshuffling of supply chains and retaliatory measures that could impact U.S. exports.
Trump also has criticized government incentives for electric vehicle purchases and called emissions and fuel economy regulations an “EV mandate.” Some EV buyers already have moved up their purchases in anticipation that Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress will revoke an up to $7,500 federal tax credit on electric models. There are expectations Trump will ease emissions and fuel economy standards, too. All of that will likely cause slower EV adoption in the U.S. auto market, backsliding on pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, and more room for China to grow its global EV dominance. Hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicles are more profitable in the U.S. for now, but industry experts widely agree that EVs are the future.
There is also, of course, Trump’s close relationship with Elon Musk. The influence of the Tesla Inc. CEO could stretch into regulations and safety investigations around self-driving vehicles just as the Texas-based EV maker is looking to get into the robotaxi business. Meanwhile, competitors like General Motors Co.’s Cruise LLC are taking a step back in favor of autonomous applications on personal vehicles over the cost of investing in the technology.
Detroit’s new skyscraper
Hudson’s Detroit is likely to open in 2025, as at least one tenant, General Motors Co., is expected to move in by January 2026, occupying the top four floors of the 12-story mixed-use office, retail and event space building next to the 685.4-foot-tall skyscraper. Bedrock has not provided an updated timeline for the project’s completion.
The highly anticipated project at 1208 Woodward Ave. led by billionaire Dan Gilbert and his real estate firm is set to transform the city’s skyline and redefine the downtown area. In addition to office space, plans include ground-floor retail shops, restaurants, an Edition hotel, event spaces and pedestrian-friendly areas. Hudson’s Detroit will also include luxury condos in the 45-story skyscraper.
Tipped wage, sick leave laws set to take effect
An increase in Michigan’s minimum wage, the elimination of the tipped wage for restaurant workers and new rules requiring at least 72 hours of paid sick leave for employees are set to take effect Feb. 21 if the Legislature doesn’t intervene to curb them.
Businesses and wait staff have been urging lawmakers to mitigate the changes to the statute — which were ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court in July — and have warned that the laws would drive up diners’ costs, result in less takeaway pay for wait staff and create a tangled web of administrative duties for small businesses seeking to comply with the sick leave policy. But unions and labor advocates have pushed for the changes, saying they will improve economic conditions for workers.
Republicans pushed for changes during lame duck, and some Democrats were willing to pitch in their votes, but the issue was never put on the vote board in the House or Senate. The unwillingness to take a vote on the matter prompted House Republicans to boycott the final days of session. When lawmakers return, they’ll have a short window to make changes or allow the new law to take effect.
As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.
HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.
“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”
It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.
Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.
“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.
Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.
For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Beach season is here, and Lake Michigan is the most popular of the Great Lakes for swimming. However, it can also be the most dangerous.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 81 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2025. 36 of those drownings, or almost half, happened in Lake Michigan.
“Even an Olympic swimmer is not going to swim against the rip current,” Pat Whelan, Plainwell district supervisor for the Michigan DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said.
What makes a rip current so dangerous is the natural instinct to try and swim back to shore. However, it is not the way to escape.
“It’s a term called ‘flip, float, and follow,’ where you flip on your back so you can breathe,” Whelan said. “Follow that, float on the top of that current and follow it out into the lake until you can feel it release you. Then you’re going to swim parallel to the shore, and then the waves themselves will help push you back into the shore.”
It’s been more than 20 years since Andy Fox, 17, drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park, but the pain is still fresh for his mother, Vicki Cech, who rarely goes to the beach.
“When I have company in, sometimes I’ll walk out on the pier, but as a rule I just don’t go there anymore,” Cech said. “Not that beach, because that one does have a lot of sad memories for me.”
Pictured is Andy Fox, 17, in this undated photo. Fox drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park in 2006. (Cech/WWMT)
Compared to other Lake Michigan beaches, Grand Haven State Park has added safety features as conditions are known to change rapidly.
Grand Haven uses the color warning system, but at other beaches, they have flags.
At Grand Haven State Park, however, there is an electronic lighting system on an orange tower. When the life ring on that tower is pulled, Ottawa County dispatch is alerted right away.
Blue towers on the beach are equipped with cameras, providing a video feed of what is happening where the life ring was pulled.
Electric lights instead of flags are used to alert people of swimming conditions at Grand Haven State Park.
“They can push the bottom and actually talk back and forth with central dispatch,” Whelan said.
Alongside these additions, Cech would like to see lifeguards on Grand Haven’s beaches.
“I know there’s all kinds of different things we have down there. Life rings closer to the water and everything like that,” Cech said. “But I’d say the only thing which I see South Haven has finally gotten lifeguards, the ultimate would be lifeguards.”
Michigan got rid of lifeguards at state parks in the 1990’s. The DNR said it was a combination of cost and liability concerns.
South Haven, however, welcomed lifeguards back to the city’s beaches for the first time in 25 years on Monday.
Those lifeguards do not yet have chairs and towers yet, but they will be posted between each flag section, with green, yellow and red colors marking that day’s swimming conditions.
More information about the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project can be found online.
Five-star CB Joshua Dobson, June 12
247Sports “only” has Dobson ranked 43rd nationally. Meanwhile, their composite says he is the 11th-best player in the entire class. Regardless of what the analysts think of the versatile Dobson, he would be a fantastic get for the Wolverines.
Four-stars Tavares Harrington and Darius Johnson, along with three-star Charles Woodson Jr. and three-star Maxwell Miles form an excellent foundation for the class’s secondary. Dobson would not only be the cherry on top, but the hot fudge, sprinkles and peanuts, too.
Here is what he said about Michigan, according to Rivals’ Keegan Pope ($):
“Man, they’re definitely up there. Not a lot of people talk about them in my recruitment, which I don’t know why, but Michigan is strong.”
Four-star WR Dakota Guerrant, June 19
We all know about Guerrant and the Wolverines’ interest in the Harper Woods, Michigan, product. Landing four-star Quentin Burrell does ease some of the pressure of adding a potentially elite playmaker on the perimeter, especially with Oregon playing a significant role in Guerrant’s recruitment, too.
Those Ducks appear to be a serious obstacle. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong recently talked about Guerrant’s potential pairing with Oregon on “The Wiltfong Whiparound” and how he loves their offense.
Perhaps that marriage is set in stone and Michigan is simply entertaining him on the visit. Perhaps Whittingham and Ron Bellamy can sway the in-stater to stay home.
Three-star edge rusher Ifeanyi Emedobi, June 19
The Wolverines are trending up for the Fort Wayne, Indiana edge rusher. Emedobi may seem a bit redundant with Recarder Kitchen and Jayce Brewer already preparing to don the maize and blue. However, perhaps there are plans for either of the 6-foot-6 Kitchen or 6-foot-5 Brewer to play a more complete defensive lineman role, rather than pure edge work, which feels more likely for someone of Emedobi’s stature (6-foot-1.5, 215 pounds).
Emedobi also only recently started playing football, so who knows where he ends up at the collegiate level. Considering his final four includes Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota, let’s hope Michigan — not the conference foes — gets to solve that question.
Three-star WR Charles Britton III, June 19
Another in-state wide receiver, Britton III, aka “Tre,” hails from Belleville but is drawing heavy interest from Missouri, according to Rivals.
Here is what he had to say about Michigan, via Rivals’ Allen Trieu ($):
“Really, just like being so close to home,” Britton said. “I get to visit them whenever I want really, so I can just get to see how things are going with them. They could take up with me whenever they want too. They’re in my face more, I’d say, because they’re right down the street, so I get to go to them, they get to go to me as many times as possible. So I’m just putting in new relationships and building them fast. It really is — they’re Michigan.”
The official visit should help determine if this is simply love for the hometown school or a legitimate interest in being a Wolverine.
Four-star IOL Lincoln Mageo, June 5
Mageo, from Oceanside, California, may not be regarded as a blue chip prospect, but this is a program that does not necessarily need the most highly touted trenchmen to develop stars. Mageo recently talked to Maize n Brew and praised offensive line coach Jim Harding.
“I loved watching coach Harding break down technique during indy period so that everyone could understand,” Mageo said. “That is the type of coaching that I’m looking for. A coach who takes time to break down technique and focuses on development.
Four-star Jakari Lipsey, and three-stars Sidney Rouleau and Louis Esposito make up the offensive line group in this cycle so far.
-
Lifestyle17 minutes agoTrump’s name must come off of the Kennedy Center, judge rules
-
Technology29 minutes agoAcer’s launching a Linux handheld for streaming your PC games
-
World35 minutes agoPentagon hosts first-ever Israeli–Lebanese military talks aimed at curbing Hezbollah
-
Politics41 minutes agoFederal judge orders Trump’s name removed from Kennedy Center, says only Congress can rename it
-
Health47 minutes agoSingle infusion of controversial drug changed severe depression symptoms within hours, study finds
-
Sports53 minutes ago2026 World Cup Odds: Spain Narrowly Favored Over France
-
Technology59 minutes agoFake grant email promises $4.5 Million but could steal your identity
-
Business1 hour agoAnother tech company says it will cut hundreds of jobs amid pivot to AI
