Morning Briefing

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023

In today's newsletter, we have seven highlights from Gov. Whitmer's budget, a Michigan agency is behind a Super Bowl ad focused on Jesus and preventing LGBTQ discrimination in Michigan is one step closer to reality.

Pop quiz! Let's have some fun with the news.

I would make a bet that our loyal readers of the Morning Briefing are some of the most informed in the state when it comes to Michigan news. Now it's time to prove me right! Let's take a news quiz!

MLive's Vice President of Content John Hiner put together such a quiz for his weekly Letter From the Editor newsletter (subscribe here!), which can also be found every Thursday as a post on our site. You can find the quiz here and take it. Keep your guesses handy! The answers will appear right here in the Monday Morning Briefing. Or, if you are eager, you can find them in the Sunday print edition of our newspapers.

I even played along, jotting down what I think is a perfect score. But I do have a slight advantage, since I read the majority of our thousands of stories each month to find the essential content to share here with you. Good luck, fellow news enthusiasts!

Curated by Jessica Shepherd

Assorted chocolates in a glass display case

The Mackinac Bridge towers over ice build up in the Straits of Mackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan on Friday, Feb. 3. Click here to see more images of the beauty of the Mighty Mac during winter. (Drone Image by Joel Bissell | MLive.com)

A perfect feels-like-early-April weekend is coming for Michigan.

Serious spring-like stretch: MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa says, "I am not kidding when I call it a perfect early April weekend weather pattern." What does he mean by that? We'll see warm temperatures and an abundance of sunshine. Read more here.

Thinking of spring leads to thoughts of summer: As I stand outside to soak in the sunshine this weekend, I will be dreaming about summer (as you regular readers know I do frequently). This summer, you could be an intern at one of the state's most beloved outdoor spaces — Sleeping Bear Dunes.

What to do with this wonderful weekend? We have options! There is a beer fest in Saginaw, the West Michigan Golf Show in Grand Rapids and Dinosaur Discovery Day in Ann Arbor. Oh, and if you like cars, you have to check out the Chrome & Ice show in Flint.

Read more

Didn't read Whitmer's budget? Here are 7 things you might have missed.

Budgets are long and complicated:Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unveiled her proposed budget for the 2024 fiscal year Wednesday with an abundance of slideshows, charts and numbers. Budgets are important and set the state’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. But not everyone wants to dive into hundreds of pages of state spreadsheets on detailed fiscal policy.

We can help: Instead of spending hours reading the budget, you can just read this summary of seven key takeaways you might have missed, including funding proposals for public safety, infrastructure and more.

More from the budget: Whitmer’s proposed state budget puts billion-dollar priorities on climate action and clean water measures.

Read more

What is 'He Gets Us?' A Michigan agency is behind a $20M Super Bowl ad for Jesus.

Not your typical Super Bowl ad: You might see an ad for Jesus Christ during the Super Bowl. A Michigan creative agency is behind the multi-million dollar “He Gets Us” campaign that is airing two ads Sunday. But instead of advertising a product, the short black and white videos carry a Christian message.

Bill McKendry, founder of Haven said: "It’s not a back to church campaign. But we do believe we are heightening the interest in Jesus, and obviously one of the outlets where people can go is a church."

More on Super Bowl ads: Iowans watching the Super Bowl will be introduced to a new face from Michigan: businessman Perry Johnson. The former Republican gubernatorial candidate announced in a press release Thursday that he’s considering a run for U.S. president.

Read more

These are 5 unanswered questions about the 'suspicious' death of a Michigan deputy.

Questions remain: Bryan Lee Wickham’s life ended Dec. 29, 2021, after four days in the hospital being treated for a severe head injury. Where that injury came from is a question that has haunted his friends, family and former colleagues at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for the past year. Here are five unanswered questions about the case.

Read the original story: If you didn't read the original story about Wickham's death, MLive reporters Mitchell Kukulka and Gus Burns collaborated to tell the story earlier this week. Read it here.

Speaking of public safety officers: A Saginaw Township police officer recalls crashing a vehicle into Nouvel Catholic Central High School amid an active shooter report.

Read more

Preventing LGBTQ discrimination in Michigan just moved a step closer to reality.

Out of committee: Legislation to cement protections for LGBTQ people under Michigan’s civil rights law just took its first step toward becoming a reality after moving out of committee Thursday.

A 5-to-1 vote: The decision to move Senate Bill 4— which would expand the 1976 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include gender identity and sexual orientation— to a floor vote received roaring applause from a packed room of LGBTQ community members and their allies as they celebrated.

Online personality sparks threats against LGBTQ+ center: A Kalamazoo-based LGBTQ+ resource center has been under attack following a viral video that has led to hundreds of threatening and homophobic calls, emails and voice messages.

Read more

It's almost time for the weekend.

And what a weekend it will be! Spring-like weather and Super Bowl Sunday!

In between preparing snacks and soaking up sunshine, you can check in with the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming an MLive subscriber.

Jamie will be back here Monday with the results of the news quiz.

— Jessica Shepherd

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