Court Limits Michigan Sex Offender Registry

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot apply its current sex offender registry law to people whose registrable offenses occurred before July 1, 2011.

The unanimous decision found that imposing the 2021 version of the Sex Offenders Registration Act on those earlier offenders amounts to unconstitutional punishment applied after the fact. It builds on a December 2025 ruling that deemed the registry a form of punishment rather than a civil safeguard.

The Michigan State Police, which maintains the database, has begun removing affected registrants to comply. Roughly 43,000 people were registered or required to be registered when the order came down, and more than 20,000 had been removed as of Sept. 11.

Col. James F. Grady II, the MSP director, said the department did not make the change to the law and is required to comply with the court’s order. “Any concerns about or efforts to change the law should be directed to the state Legislature,” he said.

Bills Would Raise Utility Outage Credits

Utility customers would collect hourly credits during long blackouts, rising to $25 an hour after 72 hours without power, under six bills now before the state Senate.

The package follows storms that cut power to more than 300,000 customers, including tornadoes that struck the Detroit area Sept. 3. It would also credit customers who lose power four or more times a year, provide lost-food reimbursements to local governments and some renters, and require utilities to report more outage data. The bills have been referred to the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.

During the storms, DTE Energy said it expected to restore about 90% of affected customers within roughly two days, with the rest by that weekend. An initial round of storms with 70 mph winds had knocked out power to about 90,000 customers before later waves pushed outages far higher.

Career Tech Push Stirs Michigan Debate

Skilled trades and career-tech programs are surging in Michigan schools, but educators and experts are debating how much emphasis to put on career training versus a four-year degree.

Nearly 115,000 students, about a fourth of the state’s high schoolers, took a career and technical education course last year, in programs spanning welding and plumbing to health care and law enforcement. The courses ran in 390 high school buildings statewide.

Most openings on the state’s latest list of “hot” high-demand, high-wage jobs still require a degree: two-thirds of the 67,000 openings call for a bachelor’s degree or higher. Well-paid trades such as electricians and plumbers can instead be reached through apprenticeships and licensing.

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➤ Isle Royale: Craig Berg of Royal Oak was found alive Saturday, 11 days after losing his way on a solo hike in the Lake Superior park and wandering into a marsh, where he lost his phone and wallet. Kayakers found him after searchers scoured the island for days. (More)

➤ Kalamazoo County: The Comstock Township board named three new trustees, Joe VanBruggen, Kirk Hart, and John Paver, restoring a full seven-member board nearly a month after four officials resigned. The turnover followed several years of township controversy, including hostile-workplace allegations. (More)

➤ Van Buren County: The sheriff’s office is warning residents about a jury-duty scam after more than 10 reports this week, with callers posing as law enforcement or court representatives, claiming a missed jury summons and demanding a “bond” paid through Venmo or similar apps. (More)

➤ Lansing: Researchers have identified a new tick-borne virus, Asian longhorned tick nairovirus, linked to the invasive Asian longhorned tick, which has spread to more than two dozen states, including Michigan, since 2017. The virus can cause flu-like illness. (More)

➤ Ottawa County: The Coast Guard rescued two people from a boat that caught fire near the entrance of the Grand Haven Channel on Friday, extinguishing the blaze with a pump and fire extinguisher and towing the vessel to North Shore Marina with no pollution reported. (More)

➤ Metro Detroit: A Sacramento man, Ranjeet Singh, 30, was charged after allegedly posing as an FTC agent and scamming a 70-year-old Hazel Park woman out of more than $270,000 by claiming fake warrants tied her to drug crimes and directing her to cash out pensions and buy gold. (More)

➤ The Detroit Lions beat the New Orleans Saints 31-30 in overtime after New Orleans’ two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete. The Saints had rallied from a 21-0 deficit to force overtime. (More)

➤ Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the club hopes Justin Verlander will be healthy enough to pitch Sept. 26 at Comerica Park, the second day of a weekend honoring his career. (More)

➤ Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Bear fired 10 shots on net in a shootout win over the Dallas Stars’ prospects on the opening day of the annual prospect tournament. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | NFL | MLB | NASCAR | F1 | Soccer | FIBA

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➤ DTE customers face a $74.5 million gas rate hike approved by state regulators on Sept. 10, about half of what the utility sought, adding roughly $2.87 to the typical monthly bill starting Oct. 1. Within hours, DTE signaled it will seek another increase this fall. (More)

➤ Comerica customers reported login problems and long hold times after this week’s transition to Fifth Third Bank, which blamed technical issues as hundreds of thousands moved online at once. (More)

➤ Portland bakery Nuvrei has opened a cafe in Detroit’s Core City serving coffee, matcha, and pastries, with a full bakery planned for November and sourdough Detroit-style pizza coming in early 2027. (More)

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[ACT FAST] This Robotics Stock’s Price Changes Thursday

Fresh off two major product acquisitions, including from a once-SoftBank-backed robotics pioneer, Miso Robotics’ share price will change Thursday. 

From those acquisitions alone, Miso added new customers like Jersey Mike’s, Cinnabon, and Auntie Anne’s and grew its patent portfolio 10X overnight. 

And that’s not all Miso’s done this year. In addition to major restaurant chains, Miso’s robots are now being deployed on college campuses and even an NBA arena.

Everyday people like you who don’t want to miss the robot boom have already invested more than 44,000 times to date. Industry powerhouse Ecolab even invested too. 

Hurry to join them before Miso’s price changes from $5.48/share Thursday night.

➤ Law enforcement agencies across Michigan are taking part in Flame of Hope Week torch runs for Special Olympics Michigan, blowing past a $75,000 fundraising goal with more than $137,700 raised by the first day to support the state’s 23,000-plus athletes. (More)

➤ Kentwood mother Shannon Sample gathered more than 350 dresses, along with suits, shoes, and jewelry, so local high schoolers can pick out a free homecoming outfit, sparing families the steep cost of formal wear. (Read Story)

➤ Henry Ford launched Fordlandia on a 2.5 million-acre tract in the Brazilian Amazon in 1928 to break Britain’s grip on the rubber supply, but worker unrest, poor planning, and crop-devastating pests doomed the ambitious venture before Ford Motor Co. sold it back to Brazil in 1945. (Read Story)

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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. 

➤ Two best friends of 30 years took DNA tests, and what came back explains why everyone said they had the same laugh. (Hear Story)

➤ A New York honors student was suspended on the first day of school over a cup of coffee. (Hear More)

➤ MIT scientists found a simple sound, played while you sleep, that may help your brain wash itself clean. (Listen Now)

If a Michigan teenager asked your advice today, which path would you point them toward?

1. A four-year college degree
2. A skilled trade
3. An apprenticeship or certificate
4. Whatever best fits their skills/interests
5. Whatever offers the best pay
6. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

Were you in your high school marching band?

1. Never crossed my mind: 71%
2. Yes, all four years: 18%
3. For a year or two: 7%
4. No, but I wanted to: 4%

By an act of Congress in 1998, which Michigan city became the first to be federally designated a “Coast Guard City, USA”?

Show me the answer