Monday, October 5, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1835, Michigan voters elected 23-year-old Stevens T. Mason as the state’s first governor. The “Boy Governor” remains the youngest person ever to lead a U.S. state.

A yearlong diary of everything one Michigan artist ate just won $100,000, and now a copy is headed to space. We have the deliciously unusual details below.

Speaking of memorable meals, if you had to keep a diary of everything you ate for an entire year, what dish would show up the most? Hit reply and let us know.

Remember the traditions you used to keep and somehow just stopped? Maybe not since you were a kid. A lot of the ones we grew up with are quietly slipping away, and the numbers on how far each has fallen are steeper than you’d expect. Which Sunday tradition did families once build the whole week around? And why are so few grooms asking their bride’s father for permission anymore? In the latest episode of Flyover Focus, we count down 10 American traditions that are fading, ending with the one you could still bring back before the month is out. Tune in here!

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Benson, James Hit Trail before Debate

U.S. Rep. John James, a Republican, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, were out on the campaign trail in the days before tomorrow’s debate in the race for Michigan governor.

James campaigned near “The Barn,” a Saline Township data center, and called for restoring local control so communities can reject such projects. Benson spent time with a home health nurse in Flint and pledged a $5,000 caregiver tax credit to help families cover care costs.

James said he is focused on solving Michigan’s problems rather than assigning blame. Benson framed the race as a contrast between her record and James’s time in Washington.

The two meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday on WOOD TV8 and partner stations statewide, with a livestream on woodtv.com.

Bills Would Limit Solitary Confinement

Two bills introduced in the Michigan Senate would limit when state prisons can place inmates in solitary confinement and for how long they can be held there.

Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, sponsored the measures, which would also steer the Michigan Department of Corrections toward therapeutic de-escalation spaces. Chang argues that prolonged isolation tends to worsen physical and mental health problems rather than resolve them.

An estimated 3,200 Michigan inmates were held in solitary confinement in 2020. The department says its use of restrictive housing is tightly regulated and necessary in some circumstances to keep staff and inmates safe, maintain secure operations, and support investigations, and that it has spent years working to reduce the number held in segregation.

The bills were referred to the Senate’s Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee.

ArtPrize-Winning Piece Bound for Space

Kristin Pennock’s yearlong drawn diary of everything she ate won the public-vote grand prize at ArtPrize 2026, and the piece is bound for space.

The East Lansing artist earned $100,000 for Sketchdiet, nine 24-foot accordion sketchbooks filled with drawings of what she ate over the course of a year while working around food allergies. Organizers plan to digitize the work and send it into low-Earth orbit aboard a satellite called Earendil-1.

The juried grand prize, also $100,000, went to first-time ArtPrize entrant Robert Horvath for Room for Lost Paradise, a room-filling scene of endangered plants and animals rendered in an 18th-century Rococo style.

Now in its 16th year, ArtPrize drew more than 1,300 artists to over 150 venues across Grand Rapids, with winners decided by a 15-day public vote and a jury of experts.

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➤ Statewide: Michigan’s U.S. Senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is on track to be the most expensive in state history, with more than $205 million in disclosed spending already and another $65 million in ads reserved through Election Day. (See Details)

➤ Also Statewide: Just 25.3% of Michigan high school juniors scored “college ready” on the SAT this year, down from about 35% a decade ago, with only 11.5% of economically disadvantaged students meeting the bar versus 36% of their peers. (See Report)

➤ Metro Detroit: As e-bike injuries climb, especially among teens, communities are enacting a patchwork of sidewalk bans and age limits, while two bills in Lansing would add statewide restrictions for minors. (See Details)

➤ Mid-Michigan: The region could see its first widespread frost of the season tonight as temperatures fall into the 30s, with the Saginaw Valley and Thumb facing the greatest frost potential. (More)

➤ Hamtramck: A judge ordered 37 disputed absentee ballots counted in the city’s 2025 mayoral race, which Mayor Adam Alharbi won by just 11 votes over challenger Muhith Mahmood. The ballots are expected to be counted by Oct. 16. (See Details)

➤ Flint: The city is billing itself as the nation’s first Early Detection City, announcing a partnership with the National Minority Quality Forum that aims to cut local cancer deaths by 50% over 10 years using technology designed to detect 52 cancer types. (See Details)

➤ Oscoda County: Fire gutted the Farmer’s Creamery of Michigan in Mio on Saturday. A viewer reported the Oscoda County facility was a total loss, while officials had not yet released details about the cause. (See Photos)

➤ The Detroit Lions fell 32-26 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, dropping to 2-2 despite Jared Goff throwing for 412 yards. Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while Tetairoa McMillan had 192 receiving yards and two scores. (More)

➤ Michigan remained outside the AP Top 25 for a second consecutive week, leaving the state without a ranked team for the second straight poll. (See Full Rankings)

➤ The Detroit Lions and Sam LaPorta have broken off contract extension talks, according to NFL Network. LaPorta is in the final year of his rookie deal and could become a free agent in 2027, though talks could resume and Detroit could use the franchise tag to retain him. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | NHL | WNBA | NBA | Soccer | Golf | NASCAR | F1

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➤ Ten American traditions are quietly disappearing, and you’ve probably let a few of them go without ever noticing. (Tune in here)

In the latest episode of Flyover Focus, we run through 10 American traditions on their way out and just how far gone they are. From the midnight movie premieres people used to line up for to the paper that showed up on your porch every morning. And you can still bring back the one in our No. 1 spot.

In case you missed it, last week on Flyover Focus, we broke down the 10 things to buy before you retire, so tune in here.

➤ West Michigan’s Fruit Ridge, a stretch northwest of Grand Rapids, grows about 60% of the state’s apples, thanks to its elevated terrain, nutrient-rich loamy soil, and Lake Michigan’s moderating influence. (Read Story)

➤ Kroger bought an entire South Westnedge Avenue shopping plaza in Portage for $10.35 million, signaling the Cincinnati-based grocery chain’s planned return to Southwest Michigan. (See Details)

➤ GoGo squeeZ completed an $11 million expansion of its applesauce-pouch plant near Traverse City, adding space and equipment that uses 22% less water at a facility that turns mostly Michigan apples into up to 1.7 million pouches a day. (See Details)

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➤ Four students jumped in when their Athens Area Schools bus driver showed signs of a stroke on the way home, calling dispatchers and keeping classmates calm until help arrived. The district says the driver is recovering with no lasting effects. (Read Story)

➤ Ray and Julie Watkoski, 88 and 86, played polka music at their 54th straight Pulaski Days in Grand Rapids over the weekend, having performed at every edition of the Polish-heritage festival since it began. (Read Story)

➤ Sterling Heights police premiered The Real Miss Daisy, an Eminem parody made with Henry Ford II High School students, to mark School Bus Safety Month and remind drivers to always stop for school buses. (Watch)

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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.

➤ Canada’s prime minister admitted his government has war-gamed an American invasion, and the military’s own model says how long the country would last. (Hear Plan)

➤ Some college freshmen are packing up and heading home just weeks into their first semester, and they say they still want the degree. (Hear Why)

➤ An Iowa substitute teacher offered her students extra credit for donating to her personal GoFundMe. (Listen Now)