Bills Would Rein in Flock Cameras

State Rep. Alicia St. Germaine, R-Harrison Township, introduced bills that would require Michigan police to delete Flock camera data after 30 days and set criminal penalties for misuse.

The package, from St. Germaine and fellow Republican Reps. Ron Robinson and Mike Mueller, would bar officers from searching the cameras for anyone not tied to an active investigation and block sharing the data with unauthorized people or using it for commercial or personal purposes.

Police call the readers a valuable tool for tracking stolen cars, suspects, and missing people. The Police Officers Association of Michigan said any law carrying criminal penalties must set clear rules so officers acting in good faith aren’t left exposed to liability.

Critics counter that the cameras form a warrantless surveillance network, and several Metro Detroit communities, including Eastpointe, have paused or dropped Flock contracts. Republican state Sen. Jim Runestad has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.

Schools Lag on Safe-Storage Notices

Half of Michigan’s school districts were not complying with a state requirement to provide parents with safe firearm storage information as of Sept. 1, weeks before the annual Oct. 1 deadline, a gun violence prevention group’s review found.

The Safe Homes, Safe Schools law, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in January 2025, requires Michigan public and private schools to give parents state-approved storage information each year and post it online. It builds on a separate law requiring unattended guns to be unloaded and locked or otherwise secured when children are present or reasonably expected to be present.

Advocates tied the push to two recent cases: a 3-year-old Pontiac boy fatally shot by an unsecured gun this month, and a handgun that was brought to school in a third-grader’s backpack and discharged in a hallway at a Battle Creek school, hurting no one.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says approximately 110,600 free gun locks have been distributed since 2024.

Michigan’s Water Systems Need $85 Billion

A new Great Lakes Water Authority report warns that Michigan could need up to $85 billion over the next 20 years to keep its drinking water, sewer, and stormwater systems running.

Much of GLWA’s infrastructure dates to the 1920s and 1960s, and the authority says routine water bills were never meant to cover wholesale pipe replacement. Rates have already risen about 24% statewide over five years.

The report follows a string of damaging water main breaks in communities including Novi, Farmington Hills, and Detroit. Much of the system’s condition is hidden because the lines run underground.

The authority is pressing lawmakers for a dedicated funding source, noting the 2027 state budget earmarks $200 million for water and sewer work against $5 billion for transportation. GLWA officials said above-inflation increases in water charges will still be needed.

A Note from Cole, CEO of The Flyover

Dear Reader,

Buried in the official editorial guidelines of one of the world’s largest news organizations—on the books for decades, published for anyone to read—is a remarkable sentence. It says the word terrorist “can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding.”

The written policy is that the plainest true word for an act of terror gets in the way of understanding it.

That’s not one outlet’s quirk. It’s mainstream media doctrine. And last month, you got to see where doctrine like that leads. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of September 11, reporters at another major news organization, a national public broadcaster, received a memo from the standards office: “Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.”

The approved language for the deadliest terrorist attack in American history, in which nearly 3,000 people were murdered, was “hijackings that led to plane crashes.”

The memo leaked. Two days of daylight later, the broadcaster backed down. Sort of. They carved out an exception for 9/11, and only 9/11. The rule stands.

And their defense was telling. They didn’t argue that the rule is right. They argued that it’s the industry standard and that newsrooms everywhere follow the same practice.

The worst part is, they’re right. It is the standard. That’s the problem.

You know why we exist. The truth isn’t a barrier to understanding. It’s the only road there. The facts arrive the way we found them, in plain words, and you decide what they mean. That’s your job, and we’d never dream of doing it for you.

We call things what they are.

We keep the spin out and trust you with the facts.

And The Michigan Flyover stays free.

A terrorist attack is a terrorist attack. We’d print that sentence any day of the week. No memo required.

So today I’m asking: if news that calls things what they are is something you want to see thrive, will you stand behind it?

Support the news in plain words. Free, every morning.

Make a generous donation to support The Michigan Flyover.

Give $25
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Our promise: we answer to you.

Help us keep it.

— Cole
 CEO, The Flyover

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➤ Grand Blanc Township: One year after a gunman killed four people and burned a Genesee County church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broke ground Monday on a new meetinghouse. Police killed the gunman at the scene. (See Details)

➤ Leelanau County: Sugar Loaf reopens Oct. 9 as a public scenic area, 26 years after the ski resort closed. The $8 million project has transformed the 285-acre site for hiking, mountain biking, and Lake Michigan views. (Read Story)

➤ Statewide: Michigan’s bottle-return rate fell to 69.4% in 2025, its lowest in decades. Retailers want bottles and cans out of grocery stores and the 50-year-old deposit law phased out, while shoppers say the 10-cent deposit encourages recycling. (See Details)

➤ South Haven: Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy will oversee cleanup after last week’s East Jordan Plastics fire. Federal air tests found no elevated pollutants, while firefighting runoff is being contained and a creek boom is catching potential plastic debris. (See Details)

➤ Berrien County: The county health department will receive $35,000 from the state to help cover staff and supply costs from this year’s cyclosporiasis outbreak. County commissioners accepted the grant this week. (More)

➤ Kent County: Northland Drive is closed in both directions between West River and Belding Road for about a week while crews install a 60-foot pedestrian tunnel. The $10 million project is part of the Grand River Greenway and the road should reopen by Oct. 5. (See Details)

➤ Michigan hockey opens at No. 2 in the first USCHO men’s poll of the season, with Michigan State right behind at No. 3. Western Michigan also starts in the national top 20. (More)

➤ Michigan State’s second-ranked women’s soccer team blanked No. 18 Washington 3-0 Sunday in East Lansing for its first-ever win over the Huskies, avenging last year’s Big Ten title-game loss. (More)

➤ Spartans volleyball knocked off No. 14 Penn State in four sets Sunday at the Breslin Center for their first top-15 win in three seasons. Hayley Ogden and Madi Andrews each posted 13 kills as Michigan State improved to 11-1. (More)

➤ PWHL Detroit, the city’s new professional women’s hockey team, will play its first home game Dec. 12 against the New York Sirens at Little Caesars Arena, with tickets now on sale through Ticketmaster. The expansion club, still unnamed, opens on the road Dec. 6 at PWHL Las Vegas. (See Details)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | Soccer

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➤ The Livingston Arts Council hopes to revive the upper level of Howell’s 1881 Opera House, restoring the historic space and adding modern touches so it can host shows, classes, and weddings. (See Details)

➤ Niowave is investing more than $85 million in a new Clinton County facility to boost production of a medical radioisotope used in cancer treatments. The expansion is expected to create at least 73 jobs paying more than $30 an hour. (See Details)

➤ Gas prices in Michigan fell 24 cents over the past week to a statewide average of $4.69 a gallon, easing off last week’s 2026 high. AAA notes drivers are still paying about 43 cents more than a month ago and $1.65 more than a year ago. (See Details)

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➤ Marquette Senior High School became the first U.S. high school to install an advanced NASA-linked radio antenna, part of the University of Michigan’s SunRISE Ground Radio Lab. Students help operate it, tracking space weather that can disrupt power grids and communications. (Read Story)

➤ The Iron Ore Heritage Trail’s new 4.3-mile extension from Kawbawgam Road to Lakenenland Sculpture Park along M-28 near Marquette is essentially done, with only parking touches left. Trail officials say it’s a prime spot to catch the U.P.’s emerging fall colors along the old rail grade. (Read Story)

➤ Detroit ranked 32nd among 107 U.S. cities for dog walking in a new Redfin and Rover analysis, with a Walk Score of 51.1. German Shepherds were the city’s most popular breed, while German Shorthaired Pointers were the fastest-trending. (See Report)

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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. 

➤ Scientists ranked the seven pets linked to longer lives, and No. 1 isn’t a golden retriever. (Hear List)

➤ Every household in a Pennsylvania town was offered $10,000 by a data center developer, but residents are pushing back. (Hear Details)

➤ Experts say Spirit Halloween’s real estate strategy quietly signals something about the shopping centers it moves into. (Listen Now)

Are you a dog person or cat person?

1. Dog
2. Cat
3. Both
4. Neither

Yesterday’s Results:

What was your first job?

1. Farm or outdoor work: 26%
2. Babysitting: 26%
3. Fast food or retail: 25%
4. Other: 17%
5. A family business: 6%

The Petoskey stone and the city of Petoskey both take their name from a 19th-century Odawa chief, Petosegay. His name translates to a phrase you can spot in the stone’s own pattern. What is it?

Show me the answer