Scholten Office Receives Powder Letter

Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said her district office received a threatening letter containing an unidentified white powder, prompting a response from Grand Rapids police and the FBI.

The letter purported to come from the Democratic Socialists of America and referenced an impending “civil war” after the election. Scholten called on the group to condemn the threats made in its name or deny any involvement. The group subsequently denied sending the letters, noting they listed an address it had not occupied since 2013.

Scholten said her first concern was for the staff who opened the mail and the first responders on scene, and that the substance had not been identified. “Regardless of party or origin, extremism must be rejected, condemned, and removed from our political discourse,” she said.

The incident came amid a wave of suspicious mailings to congressional and election offices across the country ahead of Election Day, which the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating.

DTE Appeals $100 Million Pollution Fine

DTE Energy asked a federal appeals court to throw out a $100 million fine over sulfur dioxide pollution from its Zug Island coke plant near Detroit.

A federal judge ruled in February that DTE and three subsidiaries were liable for Clean Air Act violations at the EES Coke Battery, which emitted far more sulfur dioxide than permitted baseline levels. The court found DTE saved about $70 million by not complying.

The judge ordered the company to seek new pollution permits and found that emissions caused health harms, including asthma attacks, heart attacks, and strokes.

DTE argues it does not operate the plant and that the fine, which it calls the largest stationary-source penalty in Clean Air Act history, is unwarranted. It also objects to a related $20 million community-funding order. The Sierra Club and River Rouge, which joined the case, say residents were personally harmed and the relief is justified.

Recount Flips Hamtramck Mayor’s Race

The counting of 37 previously uncounted ballots flipped the unofficial results of Hamtramck’s 2025 mayoral race in favor of challenger Muhith Mahmood, nearly a year after Mayor Adam Alharbi was declared the winner.

Alharbi had been declared the winner by just 11 votes, but 37 ballots were found in the city clerk’s office the day after the election. A Wayne County Circuit Court judge ordered them counted, and Friday’s tally put Mahmood ahead.

Mahmood had pushed for the ballots to be counted, calling that his position all along. Alharbi is challenging Mahmood’s residency and has questioned how the ballots were handled, and his attorney said the count may not settle the race.

The new total is unofficial and still must be certified, while a pending residency lawsuit means the count will not automatically make Mahmood mayor.

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➤ Metro Detroit: A federal jury ordered media executive Kevin Adell and The Word Network to pay former host Bishop George Bloomer $62.2 million for racial discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment. Adell declined to comment but previously claimed Bloomer left over an airtime dispute. (See Details)

➤ St. Clair County: President Trump is set to rally Oct. 25, the same weekend former President Obama campaigns for Democrats in Detroit, as national figures converge on Michigan’s competitive midterm races. (More)

➤ Statewide: U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, D, raised $30.7 million last quarter, the largest quarterly haul in Michigan history and roughly triple the $9.7 million of Mike Rogers, R. Rogers still holds a cash-on-hand edge in the most expensive Senate race in state history. (See Report)

➤ Also Statewide: Parents and advocates are urging Michigan lawmakers to pass the “Kids Over Clicks” bills, which would restrict addictive social media feeds, strengthen online privacy, and limit children’s access to AI chatbots. The bills passed the Senate in April and await a House vote. (More)

➤ Oakland County: Former oncologist Farid Fata, serving 45 years for giving patients unnecessary cancer treatments, is again seeking compassionate release. Prosecutors and victims oppose his release. Victims have until Oct. 23 to submit statements. (More)

➤ Grand Rapids: A NASA uniform and patches from hometown astronaut Christina Koch are on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Koch made history as part of the Artemis II team, the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. (Read Story)

➤ Baraga County: Work is underway to restore the historic Alberta sawmill, designed by Henry Ford and opened in 1936. Part of what local historians call the world’s last intact utopian village, the landmark is being restored by Michigan Tech and the Baraga County Historical Society for future public access. (Read Story)

➤ No. 2 Michigan hockey improved to 6-0 with a 4-3 win over No. 1 Denver on Saturday, completing its first road sweep of the Pioneers since 1976. Jack Ivankovic made 33 saves, and Michael Hage reached 100 career points. (More)

➤ Ferndale’s Andy Bowman won the Detroit Free Press Marathon for a third straight year Sunday, setting an event record of 2:12:11. He broke the previous mark of 2:13:07, which had stood since 1980. (More)

➤ Former Detroit Lions punter Kasey Redfern died Oct. 13 at age 35 after a battle with central nervous system lymphoma. Redfern played for Detroit in 2017 and remained in the NFL through 2019. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | NHL | Soccer | NASCAR | Tennis

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In case you missed it, last week’s Flyover Focus counted down 10 things you should stop paying for. How many are still quietly draining your bank account every month? (Watch Now)

➤ Michigan’s agriculture department has awarded nearly $1.4 million in grants to address a rural veterinarian shortage, funding training, financial incentives, and student career programs through Michigan State University and a statewide agricultural education foundation. (See Details)

➤ Ford Airport in Iron Mountain is seeing a surge in hangar construction and aircraft activity, reflecting growing aviation demand and broader economic expansion in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula. (More)

➤ Roman Village, a Dearborn institution since 1964, still serves Spaghetti Carbonara alla Bocelli, a cream-free dish inspired by a recipe the Rugiero family says the famed Italian tenor prepared in its kitchen during a Detroit visit years ago. (Read Story)

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➤ A recent study claims Mount Curwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s Huron Mountains, stands 4.7 inches taller than Mount Arvon, recognized as Michigan’s highest point since a 1982 survey. No government agency has officially recognized the finding. (See Report)

➤ While cleaning out a basement in Michigan’s Paw Paw Township on Saturday, a family discovered a grenade dating back to 1945. A bomb squad examined the device and confirmed it had been decommissioned. (See Details)

➤ Michigan ranks 12th among America’s spookiest states in a new study of haunted locations, ghost tours and paranormal interest. Traverse City ranked first statewide, followed by Mackinac Island, with Grand Rapids and Detroit tied for third. (See List)

➤ Winsor McCay, the Ottawa County native who pioneered American animation with Gertie the Dinosaur and the comic strip Little Nemo, inspired generations of animators, including Walt Disney. (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. 

➤ An Air Force officer died after falling from the Alamodome rafters while rappelling onto the field before Saturday’s UTSA-Navy game. (Hear More)

➤ A truck drove through a crowd at a youth soccer game in Wichita, killing a 6-year-old boy and a man. The driver was released without charges. (Listen Now)

➤ Modern reruns of the infamous 1961 Yale shock experiment found even more people obey than before, and researchers now know why disobeying is so hard. (Tune In)

Which pasta dish wins your heart?

1. Spaghetti and meatballs
2. Carbonara
3. Fettuccine Alfredo
4. Lasagna
5. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

When’s the earliest it’s OK to put up Christmas decorations?

1. The day after Thanksgiving: 66%
2. Not until December: 16%
3. Whenever I feel like it: 10%
4. After Veterans Day: 4%
5. The day after Halloween: 3%
6. Other: 1%

Astronaut Christina Koch, whose NASA uniform is now on display in Grand Rapids, holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. How many days did she spend aboard the International Space Station?

Show me the answer