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President Joe Biden's long-time reliance on Amtrak to get between his home and work in Washington, D.C is well-known.

And Pete Buttigieg, the man Biden has nominated for U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, says he hopes to carve out $1.5 billion for public transit across the U.S.

The Michigan Supreme Court is likely to be the last stop for a group that's trying to put a fracking ban on the ballot.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a controversial process involving pumping large amounts of water, sand and chemicals into deep into the ground to break up shale deposits releasing oil or natural gas.   

Fracking has boosted oil and natural gas production. But critics say it damages the environment.

The Great Lakes have been slow to freeze this year, compared to years past. Currently, around 2.4% of the Great Lakes are covered by ice, concentrated in the Green Bay region off Lake Michigan and Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. That's lower than 11% cover at this time last year.

Jia Wang is an ice climatologist for NOAA. He says it's been a warm winter in the Great Lakes region.

"[Ice cover] is very very low, unusually low this year, compared to other years and compared to the average. This year, air temperatures are so warm. Air temperature has a negative correlation with ice cover. Of course, if it's warmer, there's less ice cover," he says.

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.

COVID-19 tests, rent payment and food were the top three pandemic-related issues for state residents who reached out to Michigan 211, a subsidiary of the Michigan Association of United Ways that connects people to resources for free through text, chat or calling 211.

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.

Two more people in Michigan are confirmed to be infected with a more contagious variant of COVID-19.

The state health department says the two women who tested positive are close contacts of the first Michigan resident to be diagnosed with the variant on Saturday. The first person known to have contracted the variant, B.1.1.7, had traveled to the U.K. All three women live in Washtenaw County and are associated with the University of Michigan.

McLaren Health Care Corporation has agreed to pay a record $7,750,000 civil penalty to the U.S. government to resolve alleged violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act.

The civil settlement was announced earlier this week by the U.S. Attorneys for the Western and Eastern Districts of Michigan.

President Joe Biden will name replacements for a judge and a federal prosecutor after their resignations following the presidential inauguration.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider was appointed three years ago by then-President Donald Trump.

Schneider will join a private law firm after leading multiple corruption prosecutions as metro-Detroit’s federal prosecutor, including convictions of UAW officials and Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith.

The FBI says a Michigan man with a hockey stick struck police officers during the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot. Michael Foy of Wixom is charged with five crimes, including assault and obstruction of law enforcement.

A federal judge is granting preliminary approval of a $641 million settlement of many of the civil lawsuits tied to the Flint Water Crisis.

The settlement involves lawsuits brought by Flint residents seeking damages related to their exposure to lead and other contaminates released when the city’s drinking water source was switched in 2014. Property owners and businesses are also seeking damages.

An Upper Peninsula man has been accused of participating in the January 6 storming of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. 

Karl Dresch of Calumet appeared by video before a U.S. magistrate Wednesday, one day following his arrest.

A federal criminal complaint, with a supporting statement of facts, alleges that Dresch was part of an effort to keep lawmakers from certifying President Joe Biden's win.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s newest budget request includes $5 million to pay for enforcing a gun ban at the state Capitol.

That’s after the Michigan State Capitol Commission voted last week to ban the open carry of guns in the building by people who don’t have a license to carry a concealed firearm.

But the commission said it does not have the money or the authority to go further.

Michigan’s COVID-19 cases continue to plateau, hospitalizations continue to decline, and the seven-day average percentage of tests coming back positive fell to 7.6% over the week ending January 16.

Those are three takeaways from an epidemiology update hosted Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

As Joe Biden took the oath of office to become the 46th president of the United States, a group of more than 40 people watched on through an online viewing party organized by the progressive organization Michigan People’s Campaign.

Some cheered at the end of his first speech as President of the United States, but for many others, the occasion felt heavy after a divisive election, a violent insurrection, and an ongoing public health crisis.

Five bowling alley owners are suing the state of Michigan over money lost from being closed by state orders concerning COVID-19.

Michigan bowling alleys were closed for most of the past year. Because of that, attorney David Kallman says his clients deserve to be compensated.

Cheers to Mardi Gras!
Virtual Craft Cocktail Evening
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - 7:00 PM

You may not be heading to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this February but you can still celebrate Fat Tuesday with your friends at Michigan Radio. Join the hosts of Michigan Radio’s popular Cheers! segment, Lester Graham and Tammy Coxen, for an evening of Mardi Gras craft cocktails.

The Detroit Lions have a new head coach. The team announced Wednesday it has agreed on contract terms with Dan Campbell.

Campbell comes to the Lions from New Orleans where he was the Saints' assistant head coach and tight ends coach. He has 11 years of NFL coaching experience.

Campbell is also a former Lions player. He was a tight end for Detroit from 2006 to 2008.