Rogers Skips Debate, Cites Moderator

Republican Mike Rogers declined to participate in Tuesday’s FOX 2 Senate debate in Detroit, leaving Democrat Abdul El-Sayed to participate with an empty podium left for Rogers.

Rogers’ campaign said the morning of the debate that he would not appear because of moderator Roop Raj, whom it accused of favoring El-Sayed. Raj said the station does not take sides and called it rare to cite a moderator as a reason to skip.

Rogers had agreed to two other debates, on Oct. 8 in Grand Rapids and Oct. 21 in Detroit. El-Sayed had pushed for five debates.

The winner replaces retiring Democrat Gary Peters after the Nov. 3 election, in a race rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report that could help decide which party controls the Senate.

DOJ Threatens Ann Arbor School Funding

The U.S. Justice Department has given Ann Arbor Public Schools 14 days to rescind or rewrite its transgender-student policy or risk losing federal funding.

Federal officials say the district directs school employees to withhold a student’s transgender status from parents and to keep gender-identity records in a separate filing system, which they allege violates the parental-rights protections in FERPA.

Separately, a December 2025 Title IX complaint over a transgender Ann Arbor student who was assigned male at birth competing on a girls’ volleyball team was followed by a federal investigation in June into Ann Arbor and two other Michigan school districts over transgender students’ participation in school sports.

Ann Arbor amended the policy Aug. 26, with the board president calling it a matter of “clarifying things” rather than substance. The DOJ said the change didn’t go far enough.

Senate Revives Nine Whitmer-Vetoed Bills

The Michigan Senate has passed new versions of nine bills that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed this summer.

The bills, first passed in 2023-24, when Democrats controlled the House, Senate, and governor’s office, would let corrections officers and other law enforcement personnel opt into the State Police pension system, shield public assistance from garnishment, and allow local millage votes for history museums.

Republican House Speaker Matt Hall has questioned sending old bills to the governor and says the new measures will not advance without concessions from Democrats on lowering property taxes, health care costs, and energy bills.

Whitmer, who cited outdated implementation dates and other concerns in her veto, has said she would sign new versions before her term ends. The bills now head to the Republican-led House.

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➤ Statewide: The Michigan Department of Civil Rights filed a discrimination charge against the state prison system, alleging an inmate was drug-tested during a religious fast and placed in segregation for about 10 days when he couldn’t provide a sample within an hour, even though a later test that day came back negative. (More)

➤ Ann Arbor: Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, a Democrat, and Republican Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini will meet Oct. 8 at the University of Michigan for the only confirmed major-party debate in the race to succeed term-limited Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. (More)

➤ Bloomfield Township approved a six-month ban on e-bikes and e-scooters for riders 16 and under on sidewalks, buying time to write permanent rules. The move follows a crash last week involving two 13-year-olds riding similar electric motorcycles. (More)

➤ Lansing: The United Auto Workers gathered hundreds of members in Lansing this week for its first Michigan political conference since 2018, developing campaign strategies for the midterms, including Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. (More)

➤ West Michigan: Counties across West Michigan are receiving their first payments from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new Neighborhood Roads Fund, part of a nearly $2 billion annual investment to rebuild local roads. St. Joseph County alone is set to get about $822,000. (See Details)

➤ Hastings: Second- and third-floor residents of Tyden Lofts were cleared to return Monday after ricin was found in the building last week. First-floor residents remain displaced while testing and cleanup continue, and the FBI is leading the investigation. (More)

➤ Redford Township: A new township ordinance gives Adam Pierson until New Year’s Day to take down the year-round skeleton display outside his “Skelly House,” where the decorations have been a fixture for about a decade. The rule limits holiday decorations to 60 days before and after a holiday. (Read Story)

➤ Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco underwent back surgery and will miss significant time, with a potential return in December. Pacheco began the season on injured reserve, leaving Detroit short on proven depth behind Jahmyr Gibbs. (More)

➤ Pistons center Jalen Duren reportedly feels “disrespected” in his contract standoff with Detroit and is eyeing the Sacramento Kings as a potential landing spot. Duren reportedly likes the Kings and has a relationship with Sacramento GM Scott Perry. (More)

➤ Unrivaled, a women’s three-on-three basketball league, will bring its first-ever Detroit games to Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 11 as part of an eight-city winter tour. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer

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➤ Abbott Laboratories will pay roughly $385 million to settle federal and state claims tied to contamination concerns at its Sturgis baby-formula plant. The 2022 recall and shutdown helped fuel a nationwide formula shortage. Abbott says the settlement includes no finding of fault or liability. (See Details)

➤ Plainwell’s paper mill, built in 1887 and long vacant, is being transformed into a multimillion-dollar community destination anchored by a classic-auto restoration business. The southwest Michigan landmark, once a major employer, will hold its grand opening Oct. 3. (Read Story)

➤ C.F. Burger Creamery, Detroit’s last remaining dairy plant, marked its 100th year, tracing back to founder Charles F. Burger in 1926. The Greenfield Road operation employs about 60 people and has supplied McDonald’s and Dairy Queen locations since the 1960s. (Read Story)

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➤ Michigan ranks fourth in the nation for vacation homes, with about 254,000, trailing only Florida, California, and New York, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. (See List)

➤ Jason Vanderwal, a Metro Detroit magnet fisherman, hauled a World War II-era Browning machine gun from the Clinton River in Mount Clemens. It’s the 116th firearm he’s recovered in five years of casting a nearly 10-pound magnet into area waterways. He turned the weapon over to local law enforcement. (Watch)

➤ Drivers crossing the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge will pay a throwback toll of $1.50 on Oct. 31, marking 64 years since the bridge opened on Halloween 1962. The rate echoes what motorists paid in the mid-1960s. (More)

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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. 

➤ Doctors say prediabetes can show warning signs years before a diagnosis, and most people miss them completely. (Five Findings)

➤ The Anthropic and Nvidia CEOs took the same stage hours apart and collided over whether AI is moving too fast. (Hear Story)

➤ Prosecutors have shifted course in the case against Rob Reiner’s son, Nick, accused of murdering his parents. (Hear Details)

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

1. Vanilla
2. Chocolate
3. Butter pecan
4. Mint chocolate chip
5. Cookie dough
6. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you ever gone up in a hot air balloon?

1. Keep my feet on the ground: 51%
2. No, but it’s on my list: 24%
3. Yes, and I loved it: 20%
4. Yes, once was plenty: 5%

In classic Motor City fashion, a Detroit dish invented in 1946 owes its shape and crispy edges to heavy steel pans repurposed from the auto industry. What is it?

Show me the answer