Top Stories

Amway to Pay $225M in FTC Settlement

Ada-based Amway and two affiliates will pay $225 million to settle federal allegations that they misled recruits about earnings and pressured them to buy products they couldn’t sell.

The Federal Trade Commission and Washington state say the affiliates told prospects they could earn $40,000 or more a year. In 2023, fewer than 1,600 of 241,000 distributors hit that mark in bonuses, and most who joined after 2020 spent more than they made.

It’s the largest sum the FTC has ever recovered from a multilevel marketing company. Nearly all of it goes back to distributors who lost money.

Under the order, distributors must resell at least 70% of what they buy each month, and Amway must terminate anyone who fakes sales. Amway disputed the allegations but agreed to the terms.

Kalamazoo Told to Boil Its Water

Nearly every water customer in Kalamazoo, plus parts of northern Portage, is under a boil-water advisory after a sample collected Friday tested positive for E. coli.

The city said three follow-up samples came back negative for E. coli, though one showed total coliform bacteria, a broader indicator that doesn’t by itself mean the water is unsafe. Crews are collecting more samples to find the source.

Customers should boil tap water for at least two minutes before drinking, cooking, making ice, or brushing teeth, or use bottled water. Bathing and showering are fine.

The advisory covers the city’s high- and low-pressure districts, stretching roughly from U.S. 131 to the Galesburg rest area. Officials hope to lift it by Tuesday, pending test results.

Wolverines Roll, Spartans Fall

Michigan’s two Big Ten programs wrapped up nonconference play Saturday with very different results: No. 19 Michigan routed UTEP 52-17 at the Big House, while Michigan State fell 27-10 at No. 3 Notre Dame.

The Wolverines trailed 14-7 early before erupting for 28 third-quarter points, improving to 3-0. Bryce Underwood had his most efficient outing of the season, and freshman Savion Hiter scored twice.

The Spartans were a four-touchdown underdog in the first meeting with the Irish since 2017, and 11 of the last 16 games in the series have been decided by one score or less, but Notre Dame pulled away in the second half to stay unbeaten at 3-0.

Michigan opens Big Ten play Saturday against Iowa. Michigan State hosts Nebraska the same day.

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The Flyover

Keep Your SSN Off The Dark Web

Every day, data brokers profit from your sensitive info—phone number, DOB, SSN—selling it to the highest bidder. 

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Around Michigan

Hastings: Joseph Jay Sheppard, 24, was arraigned Friday on a felony count of possessing or using a harmful device in the Tyden Lofts ricin case, which forced 145 people from their homes. Bond is $1 million. (More)

Detroit: A family says a funeral home mistakenly cremated their mother before her viewing, leaving a stranger’s body in the casket. They’ve hired an attorney and want answers. (More)

Statewide: Five Below agreed to fix pricing practices after Attorney General Dana Nessel alleged the chain overcharged Michigan customers through unclear shelf pricing. (More)

Marquette Township: A Green Bay developer plans to buy the shuttered Westwood Mall, demolish it by year’s end, and invest $5 million in new commercial space. The mall has been closed since its roof collapsed in February. (More)

Big Rapids: Ferris State’s Jim Crow Museum is moving its 30,000 artifacts from a library basement into a 26,000-square-foot building of its own, with a 7,500-square-foot main gallery, opening this fall. (More)

Romulus: Customs agents at Detroit Metro Airport intercepted a species of giant scale insect never before seen at a U.S. port of entry, found on pine bark in a traveler’s luggage from Cameroon. (More)

Michigan Sports

The Pistons agreed to a five-year, $155 million extension with Ausar Thompson, who led the NBA in steals and made first-team All-Defense last season. (More)

Michigan State landed five-star point guard Antonio Pemberton on Friday, its highest-ranked basketball commit since Max Christie. The Massachusetts native chose the Spartans over Tennessee, Kansas, and Ohio State to open the 2027 class. (More)

Central Michigan hosted Wyoming in Mount Pleasant on Saturday, while Western Michigan traveled to Rice and Eastern Michigan visited Wisconsin in the MAC’s final nonconference weekend. (See Scores)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | MLB | WNBA | Soccer | Golf | NASCAR

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That scam call wasn’t random 

Scammers don’t just guess your number. They buy personal information from data brokers—companies selling your phone number, home address, relatives’ info, and more online.

That’s how a random scam call can turn into phishing, impersonation, identity theft—or someone knowing more about you than they should.

That’s why I recommend Incogni. It removes your personal information from these databases and keeps removing it automatically.

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Et Cetera

Professional pickleball arrives in Michigan for the first time this weekend as the Meijer Sports Complex in Rockford hosts a PPA Challenger Series stop with more than 300 players. (See Details)

Cinderella’s Closet is outfitting Livingston County teens for homecoming at $25 a dress or suit, with proceeds funding LACASA Center’s youth programs. (See Details)

Iron Belle Trail gained 1 1/2 miles of improved path at Saginaw’s Wickes Park, an $872,000 project on the statewide route that will eventually run from Belle Isle to Ironwood. (More)

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The Flyover Podcast

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. 

➤ The world’s most valuable company wants the AI race to move even faster. (Hear More)

➤ SpaceX scored another massive NASA deal to keep astronauts flying through 2030. (Listen Now)

➤  Two mighty whacks opened the taps at the world’s biggest beer celebration. (Podcast Available)

  

Michigan Check This Out
Explore Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains, from the Escarpment Trail and Lake of the Clouds to Summit Peak, with sweeping overlooks, scenic hikes, and a look at summer versus fall.

The Poll

Have you ever been pitched a multilevel marketing business like Amway?

  1. Yes, and I said no thanks
  2. Yes, and I joined for a while
  3. Yes, and I’m still in one
  4. I’ve done the pitching
  5. Never been asked

Yesterday’s Results:

Did you skip school as a kid?

  1. Never: 40%
  2. Once or twice: 33%
  3. Only with a good excuse: 12%
  4. All the time: 10%
  5. Depends who’s asking: 5%
Michigan Trivia

In 1959, Kalamazoo built something downtown that no other American city had. What was it?

Show me the answer

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