Tornado Confirmed in Detroit, Storms Return

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down on Detroit’s east side Thursday, the city’s first in nearly 30 years, Mayor Mary Sheffield said Friday.

The twister carved through the area between East Vernor and East Jefferson, collapsing buildings and knocking out stoplights at roughly 100 intersections citywide. One man was injured. The weather service hasn’t yet released a rating or path length.

Thursday’s storms left more than 350,000 customers without power across Southeast and Mid-Michigan. On the west side, a tree crushed a home where a father shielded his newborn daughter; both are expected to recover.

A second round of storms swept the state Friday with 60 mph winds, hail, and flooding concerns, especially where ground was already saturated. Drier, less humid air arrives this weekend, with Sunday shaping up as the best day of the holiday.

Citizenship Voting Proposal off Ballot

A proposal requiring proof of citizenship to vote won’t appear on Michigan’s Nov. 3 ballot after both the U.S. and Michigan Supreme Courts rejected emergency appeals Thursday.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the injunction request without explanation, one day before the state finalized the ballot. Hours later, the state Supreme Court refused what it called an “extraordinary” attempt to revive the measure.

The Board of State Canvassers deadlocked last month after the Bureau of Elections found a large share of the roughly 710,000 submitted signatures invalid. Americans for Citizen Voting-Michigan argued the bureau took too long to review petitions, leaving little time to rebut the findings.

Spokesperson Kristin Combs said the group is “deeply disappointed.” Two measures remain on November’s ballot: a constitutional convention question and a “money out of politics” initiative limiting spending by utilities and large state contractors.

Michigan Programs Start New Chapters

Michigan’s Saturday night spotlight shines on Ann Arbor, where Western Michigan visits the 16th-ranked Wolverines in a matchup between the MAC’s preseason favorite and a Michigan program beginning a new coaching era.

Longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham takes over in Ann Arbor with sophomore Bryce Underwood back at quarterback as the Wolverines seek their first College Football Playoff berth since 2023.

Michigan State opened the Pat Fitzgerald era last night with a 30-20 victory over Toledo, pulling ahead for good in the fourth quarter.

Western Michigan enters as the MAC favorite after winning the 2025 conference title, while Central Michigan was picked fifth and Eastern Michigan seventh.

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➤ Statewide: MLive Media Group will stop printing its eight Michigan newspapers after Dec. 6, citing that 99% of readers are already online. Coverage continues digitally. (See Details)

➤ Also Statewide: Four Michigan beaches are closed and two others are under swimming advisories heading into Labor Day weekend, according to the MI Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. (Check Conditions)

➤ Oceana County: Kirt VanDevusse, 57, died Thursday after a Bobcat skid-steer he was operating at his Otto Township home backed into a log and threw him into its hydraulic arms. (More)

➤ Bay & Genesee Counties: Consumers Energy’s new 20-year plan includes two fast-starting natural gas plants in Hampton and Thetford townships, totaling 1.4 gigawatts and targeted for 2031. (See Details)

➤ Munising: The National Park Service awarded a $2.8 million contract to rebuild a section of the Munising Falls Trail destroyed in April 2025, with completion expected by late 2027. (See Details)

➤ Reese: A 59-year-old man won a $1 million Lotto 47 jackpot with a ticket bought on a whim at Richville Gas. He took a $693,000 lump sum and plans to pay off his mortgage. (More)

➤ Michigan basketball will be without five-star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. for the 2026-27 season after he tore his ACL Aug. 27 during an exhibition in Europe. Coach Mike Boynton Jr. said injuries to Moustapha Thiam and Ricky Liburd are minor. (More)

➤ High school football teams across Michigan played Week 2 on Thursday night. Cass Tech beat Grandville 48-21, East Kentwood topped Byron Center 42-14, and Mason upset DeWitt 30-17. (See Scores)

➤ The Tigers reportedly agreed to a $4 million signing bonus for 12-year-old Dominican prospect Kevin Sosa. He can’t officially sign until age 16, and the deal isn’t binding until then. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB | NCAAF | Soccer

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➤ The Mackinac Bridge Walk returns Monday, a Labor Day tradition since 1959. Attendance peaked near 82,000 in 1992, when President George H.W. Bush joined; about 33,000 walked last year. (Read Story)

➤ Hamtramck’s Labor Day Festival runs Saturday through Monday with a lineup of mostly Detroit-area acts, plus a carnival, craft vendors, and the annual yacht race. (See Lineup)

➤ A documentary about the people who play Santa and Mrs. Claus makes its Midwest debut Sept. 13 at the Grand Rapids Film Festival. Behind the Beard: Making Santa Real screens at 1:30 p.m. (See Details)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. 

➤ A simple blood test is rewriting how early Alzheimer’s can be caught and treated. (Listen Now)

➤ Social Security overpaid a retiree $35,000 and gave her just 30 days to pay it back. (Hear Details)

➤ AAA predicts drivers will face the highest Labor Day gas prices on record this holiday weekend. (Podcast Available)

Are you watching college football this weekend?

1. Every game I can
2. Just Michigan or MI State
3. Only if I’m at a party
4. Not a football fan

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you play the lottery?

1. Not for me: 48%
2. When jackpot’s big: 28%
3. The scratch-off: 18%
4. Every week: 7%

In 1898, two brothers working at a health spa in Battle Creek, Michigan, helped create a new breakfast food after a batch of wheat dough was accidentally left out and produced flakes when rolled. What breakfast staple grew out of their experiments?

Show me the answer