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In today's newsletter, top watchdog slammed by Democratic party chair, Calvin University student builds app for yard work help and a NFL mock draft roundup. |
The day has finally arrived |
After months of eclipse fever, today the historic Great American Eclipse — the last total solar eclipse to cross a significant portion of the U.S. for more than two decades — will be here. Most of Michigan is not in the solar eclipse totality path, here's what the eclipse will look like for us. This NASA tool lets you know just how much coverage you can expect based on your ZIP code. Plus, our meteorologist has provided us with the latest forecast data for cloud cover during the eclipse. It’s becoming apparent there are places for good viewing of the eclipse and not-so-good places. |
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A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” aircraft from the 107th Fighter Squadron perform a flyover as the Detroit Tigers host the Oakland Athletics for opening day at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, April 5, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com) |
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| Michigan gets $194M for public transit improvements |
Announced Friday: Transportation agencies in Michigan are getting $194 million to expand and improve services in 2024. The funds can be used to support economic growth and improve equity through improvements to subways, light rail, buses, ferry systems and other public transit options. More in transportation: Americans flying domestically in 2023 reported more than 2.8 million pieces of checked luggage as lost, damaged, delayed or stolen. See which airlines mishandled the most luggage in 2023. In economy: Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula businesses are struggling after record warmth hollowed out the normally busy winter tourism season. Because of that, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is urging the federal government to create a “well-tailored tool” to aid businesses impacted by unseasonably warm winters. |
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Michigan’s top watchdog slammed as ‘partisan hack’ by Democratic party chair |
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget proposed cutting more than a quarter of the office’s funding and Michigan Democratic Party chair Lavora Barnes called Doug Ringler — a legislature-appointed role with a mandate for independent oversight of state government’s inner workings — “a partisan hack doing the bidding of MAGA extremists” in a recent press release. Barnes’ comment came in response to a report from the publication Michigan Advance, which suggested Ringler had facilitated Republican legislators’ efforts to attack the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. The Advance obtained emails that showed Ringler had, after the 2020 election, assisted legislative Republicans in crafting a request, sent to his own office, to examine the state’s election procedures. A sneak peek: Check out these must-see photos of the Michigan Capitol dome interior restoration project. |
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Need help with yard work this spring? This Michigan student built an app for that |
Find local laborers: Outdoor work can be tedious and time-consuming, which is why a Michigan college student built an app that assists people in hiring help to get their tasks done. Kickback is an app where you can hire local laborers to complete jobs outside your home. The app was created by 21-year-old Cameron Lockrey, a senior at Calvin University studying marketing and entrepreneurship. Remembering the wreckage: There have been several significant tornado situations here in Michigan in the first few weeks of past Aprils, including the Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974. Let’s look at some of these. More recently: It hasn’t been much of a winter in Michigan if we talk about snow amounts. All locations in Michigan are below average for snowfall, with many places at nearly half the normal snow. |
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NFL mock draft roundup: Defenders and OL continue to lead the way for Lions |
We’re less than three weeks from the NFL draft kicking off in Detroit, so let’s head to the mocks for another temperature check on options for the Lions. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that defenders such as cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, edge defender Laiatu Latu, defensive back Cooper DeJean, and pass rushers Darius Robinson and Chop Robinson are leading the way. Relishing her role: As a University of Iowa women’s basketball athletic trainer, West Michigan native Andrea Chilcote personally knows the aura and awe that shadow college basketball phenom Cailtlin Clark. College hockey: There are no NCAA D1 women’s hockey teams in Michigan. The Wolverines may change that. Behind the scenes: MLive cannabis writer Gus Burns tried to interview wrestling legend Ric Flair about marijuana. It didn’t go well. |
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Ann Arbor is the 9th best city to live in America, Niche.com ranking says |
It’s official: Ann Arbor is one of the best cities to live in America, according to a new ranking released by Niche.com. Tree Town recently secured ninth place on Niche’s list for best cities to live in the United States. This is one spot lower than its 2023 ranking. The city has been falling down the list ever since taking the No.1 spot in 2018. While we're in town: Ann Arbor musician Laith Al-Saadi kicked off the 53rd annual Hash Bash on Saturday, April 6, with a musical tribute to the late John Sinclair. Performing on guitar for a crowd of thousands on the University of Michigan Diag, he played the song John Lennon wrote in the early 1970s for Sinclair, the Ann Arbor poet who served two and a half years of a 10-year prison sentence for two marijuana joints. In West Michigan: The early signs of spring are sprouting in Holland, and no we’re not talking about the tulips yet. Windmill Island announced it will reopen the park and ‘welkom’ visitors on Saturday, April 13. |
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I hope you had a refreshing weekend. Remember, you can catch the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming a subscriber. Thank you for joining me today! — Jamie Rewerts |
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