Michigan

Warren mayor says running Michigan’s 3rd-largest city full of ‘challenges and surprises’

Published

3 months ago

October 22, 2025

Warren mayor says running Michigan’s 3rd-largest city full of ‘challenges and surprises’

Warren ― Warren Mayor Lori Stone touted the city’s new defense alliance with Sterling Heights, infrastructure improvements and progress in constructing affordable housing, among other achievements, in her annual State of the City address Tuesday evening.

Stone mentioned the Arsenal Alliance, a regional economic development partnership that is focused on supporting and expanding the multi-billion-dollar defense industry in the two Macomb County cities. The Sterling Heights and Warren city councils approved the partnership in April.

“We are stronger together in growing military and defense assets, providing opportunities for manufacturing to adapt to a changing mobility landscape,” she said.

Stone, who was elected mayor in November 2023, gave her second State of the City address on Tuesday to a crowd of over 100 people at the Warren Community Center Auditorium. She shared the city’s achievements from the past year in economic development, infrastructure, parks and recreation, and other areas.

“Leading the third largest city in Michigan has brought me many joyful and jubilant experiences,” she said, “and it has also brought challenges and surprises.”

In the area of housing, Stone said Baker & Associates Realty Group LLC has broken ground on a project to construct modular housing west of Van Dyke Avenue and north of Toepfer Road. The city is also working with developers on more than 700 workforce housing units, the mayor said.

Stone also said that the city has 31 boards and commissions, such as the Animal Welfare Commission and Senior Health Care Commission. She noted that the city has filled 15 of these bodies completely and still has openings on 16 of them. She asked members of the public to serve on these boards and commissions.

Councilman Jonathan Lafferty was perplexed by the mayor’s decision to highlight vacancies on city boards two years into her first term, arguing that it is “not a success.”

“You don’t highlight the failure to appoint your boards and commissions and your appointees in your administration. You’re two years in,” he said. “This should have been done in the first 90 days. This is not a success.”

Lafferty also said the speech was Stone’s second opportunity to “provide a bold and decisive vision for the city.” He said a State of the City should laud the city’s successes and “chart the vision ahead.”

“Where are we going as a city? How are we going to compete … in the next generation? How are we going to attract businesses for an economically diverse future?” he said. “The speech completely lacked all of those essential elements.”

In an interview after her speech, Stone said one of her goals for the year ahead is the start of the city’s parks and recreation master plan. The plan will look at how the city manages its parks and recreation centers, what programming is available and what is needed, she said.

Defense sector

Warren has the Detroit Arsenal, which is home to U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM). Stone said after the speech that there are communities that are “prepared to compete to attract the Detroit Arsenal away from Warren.”

Warren and Sterling Heights are each contributing $250,000 annually to the Arsenal Alliance initiative.

“By paying attention, by advocating, by fighting for and expanding on the ability to draw down federal funds, it grows our economy, and it lets people know, ‘Back off,” Stone said. “‘Detroit Arsenal, it belongs here in Metro Detroit.’”

Infrastructure

Stone touted the city’s new Stephens Road Detention Basin during her address. The city held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and plaque dedication in February for the $37.5 million basin, which city officials say will reduce basement flooding and result in fewer sewage discharges into the Red Run Drain.

After playing a video showing the basin being built, Stone said, “Warren, we did that. We did that,” leading to applause from the audience.

She also praised the fact that the city secured a $100 million low-interest loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for a project to replace the city’s aging sludge incinerator.

asnabes@detroitnews.com

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Michigan

Butler WR transfer Braydon Alford commits to Michigan football

Published

43 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Butler WR transfer Braydon Alford commits to Michigan football

Butler wide receiver transfer Braydon Alford, the son of Michigan offensive run game coordinator and running backs coach Tony Alford, has committed to U-M under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, he announced on social media Friday evening.

The 5-foot-8, 175-pound Dublin, Ohio, native didn’t appear in any games in his two seasons at Butler and has three years of eligibility remaining.

From Alford’s bio while at Butler: “Set his school’s single-season receptions record with 90 catches during his senior year… Had 1,487 all-purpose yards that year and scored 10 touchdowns… Named First Team All-Conference, First Team All-District and Third-Team All-State as a senior… Team captain… Had an outstanding game against Hilliard Bradley in Week 5 which included 14 catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns.”
Alford entered the transfer portal earlier this week and quickly became a Michigan commit.
Whittingham took the Michigan job Dec. 26 and quickly built his staff. One of three holdovers on the group of assistant coaches was Tony Alford, who’s entering his third season in Ann Arbor. Whittingham had a previous connection with Tony Alford’s family.
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“Tremendous football coach. I was blessed to have at Utah, his brother, Aaron Alford, before he passed away, worked for us for several years,” Whittingham said at his introductory press conference. “So I know the Alford family. Great family. Tony, I got a ton of respect for him and we’ll see how things work out in that direction.”
Alford was an unranked recruit out of Dublin (Ohio) Jerome.

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Michigan

Applications for spring turkey season in Michigan is open through Feb. 1. What to know

Published

13 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Applications for spring turkey season in Michigan is open through Feb. 1. What to know

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources opened applications through Feb. 1 for Michigan’s spring turkey season.

Officials say there are some changes to the 2026 season, such as the number of turkey management units, which are designated areas open to hunters.

“These regulation changes uphold the goals for the spring turkey hunting season: maximizing hunter opportunity while also maintaining satisfactory hunting experiences across the state,” said Adam Bump, DNR upland game bird specialist.

Here’s what to know about licenses for the upcoming turkey season. For more information on other regulations, visit the DNR’s website.

How much do the applications cost?

Turkey season applications cost $5 each and are available online on the DNR’s website, at any license agent or through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

A map of license agents is available online.

Who is eligible to apply?

Hunters aged 17 and older during the hunting period are eligible to apply for a license as long as they have a hunter education certificate or an apprentice license.

Anyone between the ages of 10 and 16 can purchase a turkey youth license. Anyone age 9 and under can participate through a mentored hunting program to receive a license. Youth turkey licenses are valid for all three management units and season dates.

Where and when can I hunt?

In 2026, the DNR announced that it had reduced the turkey management unit from 14 to three — Upper Peninsula, northern Lower Peninsula and southern Lower Peninsula. The units also determine the type of license hunters can obtain and when they can hunt.

View a map of the turkey management units below:

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

A Hunt 0110 license is for the Upper Peninsula, with an April 18-May 31 hunting season. Hunt 0134 license is valid for the northern Lower Peninsula and is available from April 18 to May 1. The Hunt 0302 license is available for the southern Lower Peninsula from April 18 to May 1. A Hunt 0303 license is also available for the Southern Lower Peninsula (May 2-31).

These licenses have a limited number available.

Other licenses include Hunt 0234, which is for statewide (April 25-May 31), and Hunt 0301, which is for private land (April 18-May 31). Hunt 0234 is valid on private and public lands in the Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula, but private only in the southern Lower Peninsula, as well as Fort Custer military lands, with permission.

How can I get a license?

Hunters who apply for a license are entered into a random drawing system. The drawing results are available on March 2.

The Hunt 0234 license (statewide) and Hunt 0301 license (private land) do not require people to enter a drawing. These licenses can be purchased beginning at 10 a.m. on March 16. Hunters can check their drawing results online or on the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

“These changes will give hunters longer seasons and bigger units to hunt in,” said Bump.

Anyone who is not selected in the drawing can purchase a leftover license beginning at 10 a.m. on March 9. Anyone who did not enter the drawing can purchase a leftover license on March 16.

How many licenses are available?

There is a 6,000-license quota for Hunt 0110 (Upper Peninsula), an 18,000-license quota for Hunt 0134 (northern Lower Peninsula), a 6,000-license quota for Hunt 0302 (southern Lower Peninsula April season) and an 8,000-license quota for Hunt 0303 (southern Lower Peninsula May season).

Hunt 0234 (statewide) and Hunt 0301 (private land) licenses are unlimited.

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Michigan

Michigan football signs former No. 1-ranked running back

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Michigan football signs former No. 1-ranked running back

Michigan football moved quickly to help fill its running back room on Thursday, adding the No. 1-ranked rusher in the 2024 recruiting class to the roster.

Taylor Tatum, who spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma, signed with the Wolverines for the 2026 season, The Ann Arbor News/MLive confirmed.

Tatum, listed at 5-foot-10 and 212 pounds, has three seasons of college eligibility remaining.

He appeared in 12 games for the Sooners, most of it during his true-freshman season in 2024. That first season, Tatum rushed for 278 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a five-carry, 69-yard game in Oklahoma’s season opener against Temple.

Tatum was hampered by injuries in 2025, appearing in just one game against South Carolina, where he rushed once for negative-1 yard.

A former four-star recruit, Tatum was considered the nation’s No. 1 running back in 2024 out of Longview High School in Texas, where he set the school record for career rushing touchdowns (53). He picked Oklahoma over Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, USC, among others.

Tatum was also a member of the Oklahoma baseball team, though he didn’t appear in a game in 2025.

The signing comes just a day after Michigan’s leading rusher in 2025, Jordan Marshall, announced his return to the Wolverines. Since the transfer portal opened last Friday, reserve running backs Bryson Kuzdzal and Jasper Parker have entered. Parker has since signed to play at Arkansas next season.

Meanwhile, Michigan awaits a decision from its other star back, Justice Haynes, who’s left the door open to a return to college. A pair of freshmen backs, Savion Hiter and Jonathan Brown, also joined the team this week.

Tony Alford, Michigan’s running backs coach, was one of three assistants retained by new head coach Kyle Whittingham.

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