Rogers, El-Sayed Clash in First Debate

Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed traded sharp personal attacks in a combative first debate Thursday night in Grand Rapids, their first head-to-head meeting in Michigan’s open U.S. Senate race.

They clashed over the economy, with El-Sayed tying high costs to President Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war, and Rogers saying he had called the White House this week to help end the tariff fight with Canada. Rogers also argued El-Sayed’s Medicare for All plan would force people off private insurance and raise taxes.

El-Sayed, a former health official, won the August primary over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. Rogers, a former congressman, narrowly lost Michigan’s other Senate seat to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in 2024.

The open seat is one of the nation’s most closely watched races and could help determine control of the Senate. A second debate is planned.

Restroom Drop Unravels Prison Smuggling Plot

A woman turned away from an Upper Peninsula prison in January allegedly left behind a package of suspected drugs in the lobby restroom, touching off a months-long smuggling investigation.

The woman claimed she had a scheduled visit with an inmate at Baraga Correctional Facility, but staff had no record of it. After she left, officers found a package containing K2, high-potency THC wax, and Suboxone strips in the restroom. They replaced the drugs with a decoy package and caught a prisoner porter trying to hide it the next morning.

State police joined the case, and officials say the suspected operation involved more than the visitor and prisoner porter. Several people are allegedly tied to the plot, including a Muskegon woman and other inmates.

No names have been released while the investigation continues. Corrections officials say the case is part of a broader Safe Prisons Initiative that uses body and package scanners, enhanced searches, and mail verification to keep drugs out of Michigan’s prisons.

Holland Doctor Swims Five Great Lakes

Dr. Bryan Huffman, a Holland eye doctor, has become the first man to swim across all five Great Lakes.

Three women had crossed all five before him, including Canada’s Vicki Keith in 1988. Huffman completed the set this year, swimming Lake Ontario in July, Lake Huron in August, and Lake Michigan in September.

Huffman is also the first Michigander to finish open-water swimming’s Triple Crown, having conquered the English Channel in 2022, California’s Catalina Channel, and a 28-mile swim around Manhattan.

He swims to fund swim lessons for kids at the Holland Aquatic Center, a cause rooted in witnessing a family’s grief after their son drowned while he was volunteering in a hospital emergency room during college. His swimming efforts have raised about $80,000 so far.

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➤ Statewide: A year after northern Michigan tribes began reintroducing Arctic grayling, absent for nearly a century, none have been recaptured in the wild. The Grand Traverse Band released about 8,000 fish this year, while tracking signals offer hope some survived. (More)

➤ Northville: Michigan celebrated the completion of a $383 million, 264-bed psychiatric hospital, the state’s only publicly run facility offering inpatient care to children. It adds 54 beds statewide, with patients transferring from Reuther Hospital in Westland later this month. (More)

➤ Livingston County: The Michigan National Guard could gain a training site in Green Oak Township after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a law clearing the transfer of 93 acres from the state prison system. The Livingston County parcel north of Ann Arbor once housed a state boys’ training school. (See Details)

➤ Muskegon Heights: No candidates filed for five open seats on the school board, raising concerns about vacancies after November’s election. One write-in candidate has stepped forward, with others having until Oct. 23 to file. (More)

➤ Upper Peninsula: The iconic entrance sign at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Ontonagon County was stolen sometime between Oct. 3 and 4. Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials are asking anyone with information, suspicious activity reports or camera footage to help locate the missing landmark. (More)

➤ Kalamazoo County: A family may lose its longtime Gourdneck Lake cottage after a court ruled the county can acquire the property through eminent domain. The family rejected a $320,000 offer, while the county wants the land to complete Prairie View County Park. (See Details)

➤ Flint: Donald Bair, one of the founders of the Back to the Bricks car show, died Monday at 87. A lifelong car enthusiast and award-winning vintage restorer, Bair helped launch the event in 2005 along Saginaw Street. It now draws roughly 500,000 people to Genesee County each year. (Read Story)

➤ Detroit Lions Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since tearing his Achilles last December, opening a three-week window to activate him. (More)

➤ Top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central visits Orchard Lake St. Mary’s tonight with the Catholic League Central Division likely at stake. (See Preview)

➤ Western Michigan opened its final season at Lawson Arena, home of Broncos hockey since 1974-75, by hosting Ferris State last night. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | NCAAF | MLB | NHL | Soccer | NBA | Golf

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➤ Xcel Energy is selling its western Upper Peninsula utilities, with SEMCO set to take over natural gas service for about 6,000 customers and UPPCO absorbing roughly 9,000 electric customers in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties. Pending regulatory approval, the deal is expected to close in 2027. (More)

➤ Gas prices across Michigan fell about 22 cents in the past week to roughly $4.47 a gallon, AAA reported. Drivers are still paying above last year’s prices, with the cheapest fuel around Flint ($4.28) and the priciest in Ann Arbor ($4.54). (More)

➤ Bay Plastics is investing in a new training, technology, and manufacturing center in Bay City, aiming to boost production and offer customer training and youth workforce programs. The company will mark the expansion with an open house and ribbon cutting on Oct. 21. (More)

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➤ A melanistic gray fox, an all-black version of the usually grizzled species, turned up in Hastings, and the Michigan DNR’s photos of the sighting have gone viral. Wildlife officials called it incredibly rare. (See Photos)

➤ The Michigan History Museum in Lansing spotlights Michigan’s role in shaping the nation, from the auto industry to the Great Lakes, with five floors of exhibits spanning centuries of state history. (More)

➤ Niles Scream Park is back for its 53rd year of fear, with six haunted attractions spread across 44 acres in southwest Michigan. The nonprofit is run by hundreds of volunteers and has funneled more than $2.8 million to local community groups since 1996. (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. 

➤ More than 60 million children have been automatically enrolled in Trump Accounts, no parental sign-up required. (Hear Details)

➤ The USS Abraham Lincoln is home after a 321-day deployment that raised alarms over shortages and sailor mental health. (Podcast Available)

➤ One of New York’s best-known nightclubs is threatening permanent bans for anyone caught carrying smart glasses inside. (Listen Now)

Spooky season is here. Do you like the scary side of Halloween?

1. Love it, the scarier the better
2. Only mildly spooky fun
3. Scary movies, not real-life frights
4. Hard pass, just here for the candy

Yesterday’s Results:

Waymo’s driverless cars are now cruising downtown Detroit. Would you ride in one with nobody at the wheel?

1. Hard pass: 40%
2. I’ll wait and see: 34%
3. Only if I had to: 14%
4. Sign me up: 12%

Niles, in southwest Michigan, is known as the “City of Four Flags.” Which four nations’ flags once flew over the fort at its site?

Show me the answer