The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has told the University of Michigan to stop all athletic activities in all sports for possibly up to two weeks.

That includes all games, team and individual training sessions, and closing U-of-M athletic facilities.
The mandate follows positive test results for the new COVID B.1.1.7 variant from several people associated with the Athletic Department.

A lottery ticket purchased in Novi is the winner of Friday’s $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot.

The top prize drawn on Friday is the third-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.

According to the Michigan Lottery, the winning ticket was bought at the Kroger store, located at 47650 Grand River Avenue in Novi.   The holder of the winning ticket has not yet come forward.

Michigan Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon announced his resignation on Friday via Twitter, without offering explanation. 

“Today, I am resigning from the Whitmer Administration,” Gordon said in a tweet Friday around 3pm. “It's been an honor to serve alongside wonderful colleagues. I look forward to the next chapter.”

Gordon’s resignation came just hours after signing a revised public health order allowing restaurants to resume indoor dining on February 1. Then Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office released a lengthy press release announcing Gordon’s appointed successor: Elizabeth Hertel, who until now was the Senior Chief Deputy Director for Administration for MDHHS.

Health organizations in Grand Rapids are setting up a vaccine clinic that they hope will eventually be able to vaccinate 20,000 people per day. The clinic will be at the DeVos Place convention center in downtown Grand Rapids.

The Kent County Health Department, Spectrum Health and Mercy Health are working together to create the clinic.

One man has decided to plead “guilty” for his role in the alleged plot to kidnap the governor.

A total of 14 men have been charged for the alleged plot – eight in state court, six in federal.

Ty Garbin, a 25-year old from Livingston County, is charged in federal court. Prosecutors alleged he hosted the other men at his property in northern Michigan, and went along with surveillance of the governor’s vacation home.

Beginning February 1, indoor dining can resume in Michigan, but can only reopen at 25% capacity with up to 100 people, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced in a press conference Friday. Concessions at casinos, movie theaters and stadiums, as well as personal services requiring mask removal will be able to resume as well.

In addition to capacity restrictions, restaurants and bars must close by 10 p.m. Restaurants must also collect contact information from diners for contact tracing purposes.

Starting at noon Friday, legal online sports wagering and casino gaming goes live in Michigan.

Nearly a dozen casinos have partnered with online firms to offer apps that will allow gamblers across the state to place bets, without having to set foot in a casino. 

A lot of readers may be confused and not recognize much about a cartoon referencing the merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the PSA Group that finalized this week. But that's kind of the point.

It's remarkable that such a big, big story in the automotive world would seem to have so little resonance with Michiganders. That certainly wasn't the case when Chrysler acquired American Motors, or when Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler, or when they divorced later. Those were top headlines. Especially in Michigan.