Morning Briefing

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2024

In today's newsletter, a Michigan car wash company is rapidly growing, Dan Campbell explains late third-and-goal run and a new aerospace exhibit opens in Southeast Michigan.

Get ready for slightly warmer weather and the Manitoba Mauler

A storm named the Manitoba Mauler could certainly raise eyebrows, but don't worry, it won't impact Michigan too hard. Temperatures aren’t cold enough for the blowing snow usually brought with these types of storms.

Michigan's current warmup is quite odd since this week is usually the coldest week of the season. Most days all of Lower Michigan will warm above freezing, with several days in the 40s. Here are the high temperature forecasts for the next 10 days.

This winter's mild weather has blocked another popular event. The Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau announced Monday that its Michigan Snowmobile Festival scheduled for Feb. 2 and Feb. 3 has been canceled due to poor trail conditions.

Curated by Cara Hackett

Student sit next to and pet a Golden Retriever lab mix named Jersey

Students from the Forest Hills Public School District pet Jersey at Ada Vista Elementary School on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. The 10-month-old Golden Retriever lab mix is the new school support animal. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)

Michigan making progress on child welfare system reform

Moving forward: Michigan is progressing toward managing its child welfare system without the oversight of a federal judge. It’s been more than 15 years since Michigan ceded control of its child welfare system to the federal court, following a 2006 lawsuit that accused the state of failing to protect foster kids from abuse.

In case you missed it: The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan has received a $15,000 grant to support its BackPack program that sends food home with students over the weekend. The program hopes to eliminate "meal gaps" for children facing food insecurity.

Furry face: Forest Hills Public Schools in the Grand Rapids area is welcoming its first-ever “PRIDE Pup,” a school support puppy, to the Ada Vista Elementary community.

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Michigan car wash company building red-tunneled empire across the country

Squeaky clean: Tommy's Express, a family-owned Michigan car wash company has grown to be a top player in a $15 billion industry as it competes against other national brands and big money. After Tommy’s Express franchised, it went from 11 to 183 locations in six years. Another 92 are slated to open.

Also in business: Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park generates an estimated economic impact of $138 million annually, according to a study by Grand Valley State University.

On the market: Fat Boy, a classic American diner that opened in 1952 in Grand Rapids’ Creston Neighborhood but has struggled in recent years, has been put up for sale by owner Matt Urbane.

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Michigan universities struggle with FOIA requests. It may be by design, experts say

Requesters of all kinds, from watchdog citizens to journalists, frequently face prolonged waits for public records from Michigan’s largest public universities. The issue, experts say, is too few staffers handling thousands of complex Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

On the road: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced a new plan on Jan. 29 to reduce the costs of driver’s training at Kearsley High School, which is one of few Michigan school districts that still offer training.

Also in education: Central Michigan University is launching a new four-year nursing degree that starts in January 2025.

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Dan Campbell explains late third-and-goal run that forced Detroit to burn timeout

What happened: While much of the conversation around Dan Campbell has been the failed fourth downs, the late third-and-goal run cost Detroit the opportunity to have one last shot at coming back against the San Francisco 49ers.

Being supportive: After Detroit’s 34-31 loss to San Francisco, Eminem tried to give some closure to one of the best season’s in the Lions' history and first trip to the NFC Championship game since 1991.

In hockey: The Detroit Red Wings’ final game on Wednesday before an extended break is about maintaining momentum and building on good habits they’ve displayed this month. It’s not about retribution against the Ottawa Senators.

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‘Top Gun’ and ‘Star Wars’ fans will love new aerospace exhibit launched in Michigan

In the air: A new 6,000-square-foot "Above and Beyond" exhibition featuring interactive demonstrations of advances in aviation and aerospace opens Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Michigan Science Center in Detroit.

The newest exhibit at the Flint Institute of Arts features work from three different projects by Detroit-based artist Mario Moore chronicling hard work, liberation and ingenuity of Black people throughout “revolutionary times” in history.

Silver screen: The Kazoo 48 film festival is offering filmmaking teams around Kalamazoo the opportunity to create a film within 48 hours during the first weekend of April. Select films will be shown at Kalamazoo 10 Cinema later in the month.

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That's all for now.

Let's get ready to start the day.

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Have a great Tuesday!

— Cara Hackett

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