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Tag: Michigan

  • Sherrone Moore jailed as police investigate situation that led to the fired Michigan coach’s arrest

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    ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Sherrone Moore was being held in jail Thursday while police investigate the situation that led to his arrest hours after the once-promising coach was fired at Michigan for what the school said was an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

    Authorities have yet to release details on Moore’s arrest, other than to say he has been held since Wednesday night in the Washtenaw County Jail and remains under investigation.

    Pittsfield Township police had issued a statement that said officers were called to investigate an alleged assault and took a person into custody, without mentioning anyone by name. The statement, however, was released in response to media inquiries about Moore.

    The police department updated its statement in the morning to say the suspect is scheduled for arraignment on Friday.

    Moore, 39, was fired by Michigan, college football’s winningest program that has been mired in scandal, after the school verified evidence of his relationship with the staffer.

    Athletic director Warde Manuel said the behavior “constitutes a clear violation of university policy.”

    The announcement did not include details of the alleged relationship. Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

    His departure ends an up-and-down, two-year tenure that saw the Wolverines take a step back on the field after winning the national championship in January 2024 and getting punished by the NCAA for a sign-stealing scandal.

    Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore celebrates with kicker Dominic Zvada (96) after an extra-point kick during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

    He led the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.

    Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.

    His firing leaves Michigan suddenly looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.

    Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to lead the Wolverines after they won the national title. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.

    Michigan is set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to the Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach. Moore was suspended for two games as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to the scandal.

    The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.

    Moore previously deleted an entire 52-message text thread with former staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the center of the team’s sign-stealing operation. The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA.

    Just a few years ago, Moore was Harbaugh’s top assistant and regarded as a rising star.

    Moore, who is from Derby, Kansas, didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. He played for Butler County Community College in Kansas and as an offensive lineman for coach Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

    His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Louisville before moving on to Central Michigan, where he caught Harbaugh’s attention. Harbaugh hired him in 2018 as tight ends coach.

    Moore was promoted to offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021, when the Wolverines bounced back from a 2-4, pandemic-shortened season and began a three-year run of excellence that culminated in the school’s first national title in 26 years.

    He worked his way up within the Wolverines’ staff and filled in as interim coach for four games during the 2023 championship season while Harbaugh served two suspensions for potential NCAA rules violations.

    Moore also served a one-game suspension during that year related to a recruiting infractions NCAA case.

    Earlier in the 2023 season, Michigan State fired coach Mel Tucker for cause after he engaged in what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor. In 2012, Arkansas fired coach Bobby Petrino due to a sordid scandal that involved a motorcycle crash, an affair with a woman who worked for him and being untruthful to his bosses.

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    Associated Press Writer Ed White contributed.

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  • AP Breakthrough Entertainer: Chase Sui Wonders’ Harvard astrophysics detour led her to Hollywood

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    NEW YORK (AP) — You don’t need to major in astrophysics at Harvard to become an actor — but it doesn’t necessarily hurt, either.

    “I thought that’s what you go there to do. It’s like why are you paying all this money to go to this fancy school if you’re not going to study a hard science to try to save the world? … But I was quickly humbled,” chuckled Chase Sui Wonders, who began failing classes within her first few weeks. Her college application essay had been about making movies, so she decided she “might as well just pivot back to what I know best.”

    That calculated redirection paid off for the magna cum laude graduate who’s now a standout cast member of the Emmy-winning comedy “The Studio,” a cynical and satirical take on the film industry.

    Chase Sui Wonders always thought she was “kind of funny,” but it was confirmed when she booked “The Studio” after just one audition. It’s been an eventful year for the AP Breakthrough Entertainer who plays the ambitious assistant-turned-creative executive Quinn Hackett on the Emmy-winning comedy. (Dec. 10)

    Wonders, who also starred in the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” reboot earlier this year, is one of The Associated Press’ Breakthrough Entertainers of 2025.

    “The attention’s definitely weird, but can feel good,” said the 29-year-old, flashing her warm smile throughout the interview. “The most energizing thing about the whole thing is when you get recognition, the phone starts ringing more, and these other avenues are opening up that I always kind of dreamed about.”

    “The Studio” amassed an astounding 23 Emmy nominations in its debut season, taking home a record-breaking 13 wins. But Wonders may not have seemed like an obvious choice for comedy with her past roles, including the 2022 film “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and her breakout role, the teen-themed series “Genera+ion,” which was canceled by HBO Max after one season. But all it took was one virtual video audition to land the role of Quinn Hackett, the hyper-ambitious, cutthroat assistant-turned-creative executive under studio head Matt Remick, played by the show’s co-creator and co-executive producer Seth Rogen.

    “I had always … felt like, ‘I think I’m kind of funny,’” she laughed, acknowledging feeling she had to prove herself working alongside comedic heavyweights like Rogen, Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn and Ike Barinholtz. “That pressure felt really daunting and scary. But I think, hopefully, I rose to the occasion.”

    This image released by Apple TV shows Chase Sui Wonders in a scene from "The Studio." (Apple TV via AP)

    This image released by Apple TV shows Chase Sui Wonders in a scene from “The Studio.” (Apple TV via AP)

    Despite mere degrees of separation from Hollywood as the niece of fashion designer Anna Sui, an acting career seemed unattainable growing up in Bloomfield Township, a Detroit suburb. Born to a father of Chinese descent and a white mother, Wonders and her siblings were primarily raised by their mom after their parents divorced.

    GET TO KNOW CHASE SUI WONDERS

    AGE: 29

    HOMETOWN: Detroit suburbs

    FIRST ROLE: Technically, 2009’s “A Trivial Exclusion,” a feature-length film made with her family. Otherwise, let’s go with the 2019 horror film “Daniel Isn’t Real.”

    YOU MIGHT KNOW HER FROM: “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “Genera+ion” and her character’s climactic love of quesaritos in “The Studio”

    2025 IN REVIEW: The “I Know What You Did Last Summer” reboot and “The Studio”

    WHAT’S NEXT: The films “I Want Your Sex” and “October,” as well as a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot series

    HER HARVARD MAJOR: Film studies and production. In the end, she did graduate magna cum laude.

    Want to know more about Chase and our other Breakthrough Entertainers of 2025? Read our survey.

    An extremely shy child and self-described tomboy, she developed a love for sports — she won high school state championships in both ice hockey and golf — and spent much of her childhood making videos with her siblings. Thanks to her mother encouraging her to take performance arts classes, she was able to break out of her shell. But coming from an achievement-driven family, all signs pointed to a career in business.

    A corporate track nearly began after struggling to break into the industry, and she even considered taking a job in Beijing to begin her adult life in the business world. But with only a week to decide on the job offer, she decided to give Hollywood one more shot. Three months later, she booked “Genera+ion.”

    Chase Sui Wonders poses for a portrait in New York on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

    Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP

    “There have been different moments in my life where I’ve been seriously humbled,” said Wonders, who has aspirations of directing. “It just has taught me just not to take it all too seriously. … I do feel absurdly lucky that I get to be on set with all my friends and telling a bunch of jokes and being a weirdo on screen.”

    Next up for Wonders is the Gregg Araki-directed “I Want Your Sex,” starring Olivia Wilde, and she’ll star in A24’s horror thriller “October.” She’ll also appear in the upcoming “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao directing the pilot. And of course, a second season for “The Studio” is in the works.

    Gary Gerard Hamilton’s previous Breakthrough Entertainer profiles include Megan Thee Stallion, Sadie Sink, Simu Liu, Tobe Nwigwe and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. His own media breakthrough came in third grade, after recording a PSA about endangered animals for a Houston TV station.

    Red carpets and magazine covers couldn’t be a more antithetical life for the girl who assumed she’d climb the executive ranks at one of the major car companies headquartered in Detroit. Instead, she’s climbing the Hollywood ladder — and she wouldn’t tell her younger self to speed up the process.

    “It’s so fun how life surprises you,” said Wonders. “I wouldn’t tell her anything. I would tell her it’s all going to make sense in the rearview mirror — but no spoilers.”

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    For more on AP’s 2025 class of Breakthrough Entertainers, visit https://apnews.com/hub/ap-breakthrough-entertainers.

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  • The earliest sunset isn’t on the winter solstice

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    The winter solstice will occur at 10:03 a.m. ET on Dec. 21 this year, and even though the day of the winter solstice is the shortest of the year, the latest sunrise and earliest sunset do not occur on this day.

    What You Need To Know

    • The solar day impacts sunrises and sunsets

    • A solar day is longer near the winter solstice

    • The sun rises later in the winter and sets later



    Understanding a solar day

    Solar noon is when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. The time from one solar noon to the next solar noon is called a solar day.

    The length of a solar day changes throughout the year because of the tilt and position of the Earth. Because of this, a solar day can be more than or less than 24 hours depending on the time of the year.

    The problem is that we count our days as exactly 24 hours. So, with the solar day being more than 24 hours near the winter solstice, this means solar noon will occur at a later time each day. The sun will also rise later and set later.

    If the sun is setting later each day before the solstice, that means the earliest sunset has already happened.

    Since the sun also rises later each day, this means the latest sunrise has yet to occur. The latest sunrise will happen a few weeks after the official start of winter.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

     

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  • ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ Rarities Are in Lawrence Kasdan’s University Archive

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    ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Researchers, documentary filmmakers and others will soon be able to get their hands on screenwriter and director Lawrence Kasdan’s papers at his alma mater, the University of Michigan.

    Archivists are about a quarter of the way through cataloging the 150-plus boxes of material that document the 76-year-old filmmaker’s role in bringing to life iconic characters like Indiana Jones and Yoda, and directing actors ranging from Geena Davis and Glenn Close to Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner.

    “All I wanted to ever do was be a movie director. And so, all the details meant something to me,” Kasdan said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I couldn’t be happier to have this mass of stuff available to anybody who is interested.”

    The archive includes scripts, call sheets and still photos — including a few rarities.

    Before Costner became an Oscar winner and Hollywood icon, he worked various studio jobs while taking nighttime drama lessons. His break — or so he thought — came when Kasdan cast him in 1983’s “The Big Chill.”

    Costner played Alex, whose death brings his fellow Michigan alums together. Unfortunately his big flashback scene ended up on the cutting-room floor.

    What are believed to be among the only existing photographs of the famously deleted scene are part of the Kasdan collection, now housed in Ann Arbor.

    “Different people will be interested in different things,” Kasdan said, pointing to his work writing the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” screenplay as one possible destination for researchers. The archive features audio cassette recordings of Kasdan discussing the film with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. It also includes Polaroids taken of cast and crew members on the sets of his movies.

    There are props, too, including a cowboy hat from the 1985 Western “Silverado,” worn by none other than Costner. Kasdan and the kid from California would work together again on “Wyatt Earp” in the ’90s. Costner also starred in “The Bodyguard,” which Kasdan wrote.

    A number of unproduced scripts also are part of the collection.

    “I’ve always considered myself a director and a writer. And if you are really interested in any particular movie, you can follow the evolution of that movie in the archive,” Kasdan said.

    Library staff members are working chronologically through Kasdan’s material, meaning the papers for Kasdan’s earliest work — including “Body Heat” and “The Big Chill,” as well as the scripts for two “Star Wars” classics, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” — can be accessed first.

    The remaining material should be completely processed by late 2026, said Phil Hallman, the curator of the collection. Hallman hopes to have Kasdan visit, perhaps next fall, to see the archive and take part in a symposium.

    Kasdan’s papers are part of the University of Michigan Library’s Screen Arts Mavericks and Makers Collection, which includes Orson Welles, Robert Altman, Jonathan Demme, Nancy Savoca and John Sayles. Kasdan, who grew up in West Virginia and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1970 and a master’s two years later, is the lone Michigan alum among the group.

    “To be there, held in the same place as those wonderful directors, is really a great honor,” Kasdan said.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • AP Breakthrough Entertainer: Chase Sui Wonders’ Harvard Astrophysics Detour Led Her to Hollywood

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    NEW YORK (AP) — You don’t need to major in astrophysics at Harvard to become an actor — but it doesn’t necessarily hurt, either.

    “I thought that’s what you go there to do. It’s like why are you paying all this money to go to this fancy school if you’re not going to study a hard science to try to save the world? … But I was quickly humbled,” chuckled Chase Sui Wonders, who began failing classes within her first few weeks. Her college application essay had been about making movies, so she decided she “might as well just pivot back to what I know best.”

    “The attention’s definitely weird, but can feel good,” said the 29-year-old, flashing her warm smile throughout the interview. “The most energizing thing about the whole thing is when you get recognition, the phone starts ringing more, and these other avenues are opening up that I always kind of dreamed about.”

    “The Studio” amassed an astounding 23 Emmy nominations in its debut season, taking home a record-breaking 13 wins. But Wonders may not have seemed like an obvious choice for comedy with her past roles, including the 2022 film “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and her breakout role, the teen-themed series “Genera+ion,” which was canceled by HBO Max after one season. But all it took was one virtual video audition to land the role of Quinn Hackett, the hyper-ambitious, cutthroat assistant-turned-creative executive under studio head Matt Remick, played by the show’s co-creator and co-executive producer Seth Rogen.

    “I had always … felt like, ‘I think I’m kind of funny,’” she laughed, acknowledging feeling she had to prove herself working alongside comedic heavyweights like Rogen, Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn and Ike Barinholtz. “That pressure felt really daunting and scary. But I think, hopefully, I rose to the occasion.”

    Despite mere degrees of separation from Hollywood as the niece of fashion designer Anna Sui, an acting career seemed unattainable growing up in Bloomfield Township, a Detroit suburb. Born to a father of Chinese descent and a white mother, Wonders and her siblings were primarily raised by their mom after their parents divorced.

    An extremely shy child and self-described tomboy, she developed a love for sports — she won high school state championships in both ice hockey and golf — and spent much of her childhood making videos with her siblings. Thanks to her mother encouraging her to take performance arts classes, she was able to break out of her shell. But coming from an achievement-driven family, all signs pointed to a career in business.

    A corporate track nearly began after struggling to break into the industry, and she even considered taking a job in Beijing to begin her adult life in the business world. But with only a week to decide on the job offer, she decided to give Hollywood one more shot. Three months later, she booked “Genera+ion.”

    “There have been different moments in my life where I’ve been seriously humbled,” said Wonders, who has aspirations of directing. “It just has taught me just not to take it all too seriously. … I do feel absurdly lucky that I get to be on set with all my friends and telling a bunch of jokes and being a weirdo on screen.”

    Next up for Wonders is the Gregg Araki-directed “I Want Your Sex,” starring Olivia Wilde, and she’ll star in A24’s horror thriller “October.” She’ll also appear in the upcoming “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao directing the pilot. And of course, a second season for “The Studio” is in the works.

    Red carpets and magazine covers couldn’t be a more antithetical life for the girl who assumed she’d climb the executive ranks at one of the major car companies headquartered in Detroit. Instead, she’s climbing the Hollywood ladder — and she wouldn’t tell her younger self to speed up the process.

    “It’s so fun how life surprises you,” said Wonders. “I wouldn’t tell her anything. I would tell her it’s all going to make sense in the rearview mirror — but no spoilers.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • FACT FOCUS: Trump said weaker gas mileage rules will mean cheaper cars. Experts say don’t bet on it

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    DETROIT (AP) — President Donald Trump this week announced plans to weaken rules for how far automakers’ new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline, set under former President Joe Biden.

    The Trump administration said the rules, known formally as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards, are why new vehicles are too expensive, and that cutting them will drive down costs and make driving safer for Americans.

    The new standards would drop the industry fleetwide average for light-duty vehicles to roughly 34.5 mpg (55.5 kpg) in the 2031 model year, down from the goal of about 50.4 mpg (81.1 kpg) that year under the Biden-era rule.

    Here are the facts.

    Affordability

    TRUMP: EV-friendly policies “forced automakers to build cars using expensive technologies that drove up costs, drove up prices and made the car much worse.”

    THE FACTS: It’s true that gas mileage standards have played a role in rising vehicle prices in recent years, but experts say plenty of other factors have contributed, and some much more.

    Pandemic-era inventory shortages, supply chain challenges, tariffs and other trade dynamics, and even automakers’ growing investments in their businesses have also sent prices soaring. Average prices have also skewed higher as automakers have leaned into the costly big pickups and SUVs that many American consumers love.

    President Donald Trump speaks during an event on fuel economy standards in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    The average transaction price of a new vehicle hit $49,105 in October, according to car shopping guide Edmunds.

    A Consumer Reports analysis of vehicles for model years 2003 to 2021 — a period in which average fuel economy improved 30% — found no significant increase in inflation-adjusted vehicle prices caused by the requirements. At the same time, it found an average of $7,000 in lifetime fuel savings per vehicle for 2021 model year vehicles compared with 2003. That analysis, done primarily before the coronavirus pandemic, attributed much of the average sticker price increase to the shift toward bigger and more expensive vehicles.

    Cutting the fuel economy standards is unlikely to provide any fast relief on sticker prices, said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ head of insights. And while looser standards may eventually mean lower car prices, their lower efficiency means that those savings could be eaten up by higher fuel costs, she said.

    Ending the gas car?

    TRUMP: Biden’s policies were “a quest to end the gasoline-powered car.”

    THE FACTS: The Biden administration did enact several policies to increase electric vehicle adoption, including setting a target for half of new vehicle sales in the U.S. to be electric by 2030.

    The Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act included tax incentives that gave car buyers up to $7,500 off the price of an EV and dedicated billions of dollars to nationwide charging — funding that Trump tried to stop. The Biden administration increased fuel economy requirements and set stricter tailpipe emissions limits.

    While those moves sought to help build the EV market, there was no requirement that automakers sell EVs or consumers buy them. And gasoline cars still make up the vast majority of the U.S. market.

    EV charging

    TRUMP: “We had to have an electric car within a very short period of time, even though there was no way of charging them.”

    THE FACTS: While many potential EV buyers still worry about charging them, the availability of public charging has significantly improved in recent years.

    Biden-era funding and private investment have increased charging across the nation. There are now more than 232,000 individual Level 2 and fast charging ports in the U.S. As of this year, enough fast charging ports have been installed to average one for every mile (1.6 kilometers) of National Highway System roads in the U.S., according to an AP analysis of data from the Department of Energy.

    However, those fast charging stations aren’t evenly dispersed. Many are concentrated in the far West and the Northeast, where sales of EVs are highest.

    Experts note that most EV charging can be done at home.

    Safety

    TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY: The reduced requirements will make drivers “safer on the roads because of all the great new technology we have that save lives.”

    THE FACTS: Newer vehicles — gas and electric — are full of advanced safety features, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping, collision warnings and more.

    Duffy suggested that consumers will be more likely to buy new vehicles if they are more affordable — meaning fewer old cars on the streets without the safety technology. This assumes vehicle prices will actually go down with eased requirements, which experts say might not be the case. Besides, high tech adds to a vehicle’s cost.

    “If Americans purchased more new vehicles equipped with the latest safety technologies, we would expect overall on-road safety to improve,” Edmunds’ Caldwell said. “However, it’s unclear whether easing fuel-economy standards will meaningfully increase new-vehicle sales.”

    The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an independent automotive research nonprofit, also says electric or hybrid vehicles are as safe as or safer than gasoline-powered cars.

    Another part of safety is public health. Efficiency requirements put into place to address the 1970s oil crisis were also a way to reduce pollution that is harmful to humans and the environment.

    “This rollback would move the auto industry backwards, keeping polluting cars on our roads for years to come and threatening the health of millions of Americans,” said Katherine García, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign. “This dangerous proposal adds to the long list of ways the Trump administration is dismantling our clean air and public health protections.”

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    Associated Press data journalist M.K. Wildeman contributed from Hartford, Connecticut.

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    Follow Alexa St. John on X: @alexa_stjohn and reach her at [email protected]. Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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  • Ex-Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore jailed hours after firing, authorities say

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    Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was booked into jail on Wednesday in a town outside Ann Arbor, according to authorities, hours after he was fired from his position. 

    Moore was booked into the Washtenaw County Jail, both the jail and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to CBS News Detroit on Wednesday night. 

    In a separate news release, Pittsfield Township police did not name Moore, but said officers had responded to a location in the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road just after 4 p.m. local time for an alleged assault.

    The incident did not appear to be random in nature, police said.

    “The suspect was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending review of charges by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor. At this time, the investigation is ongoing,” police said in the release. “Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details.”

    The university announced earlier Wednesday that Moore was fired after a university investigation found “credible evidence” that he had been engaged in an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”

    In a statement, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said Moore had been “terminated with cause, effective immediately.” 

    “This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,” Manuel said. 

    Moore served as head coach for the past two seasons, leading the No. 18 Wolverines to a combined 16-8 record and a victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl last year.   

    The university has appointed Biff Poggi as the interim coach. Poggi previously served as associate coach from 2021 to 2022 before going on to serve as head coach at Charlotte until November 2024. He returned to the Michigan staff in 2025.

    Michigan is now gearing up for the Citrus Bowl against No. 13 Texas on New Year’s Eve. 

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  • List of school closings for Thursday as winter snowstorms hit

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    Numerous school districts have opted to close classrooms on December 11 as winter storms slam multiple regions across the United States.

    The ongoing winter storms sweeping across the Midwest and Eastern United States have triggered widespread school closures this week, disrupting education and daily routines for families across several states.

    Safety concerns remain paramount as road conditions could be hazardous due to snow accumulation along with frigid temperatures.

    The storms are active and regions around the Great Lakes have seen a decent amount of storm activity, Scott Kleebauer, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist for the agency’s Weather Prediction Center, told Newsweek on Wednesday. “Portions of Virginia and West Virginia have already seen their yearly snow fall or close to it,” he added.

    Below is a list of school closures on Thursday, according to numerous local media outlets as of 10:20 p.m. ET Wednesday.

    Virginia

    • Grayson County Public Schools

    Michigan

    • Our Lady of Sorrows, Archdiocese of Detroit
    • Pontiac School District
    • Anchor Bay School District
    • Richmond Community Schools
    • Memphis Community Schools and Adventures Daycare
    • Walton Charter Academy, National Heritage Academies
    • Bad Axe Public Schools
    • Caseville Schools
    • Cass City Schools (Daycare open)
    • Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Laker Schools
    • Harbor Beach Community Schools
    • North Huron Schools (Early Learning Center closed)
    • Owendale-Gagetown Schools
    • Ubly Community Schools
    • Unionville-Sebewaing Area Schools
    • Huron Technical Center
    • Akron-Fairgrove Schools
    • Caro Schools
    • Kingston Schools (Daycare closed)
    • Mayville Community Schools
    • Millington Public Schools
    • Reese Public Schools
    • Tuscola Technology Center
    • Vassar Schools
    • Verona Mills School

    Numerous states are under winter weather advisories and warnings, spanning from parts of Indiana up to Maine. Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa are also facing weather alerts, the NWS says.

    NWS Blacksburg posted to X on Wednesday: “Along with the snow in the mountains this evening and tonight, there will be strong wind gusts, reaching 35-50 MPH at times. This will cause blowing snow, significantly reducing visibility. Use extreme caution if you must be on the roads tonight or Thursday morning!”

    Additional localized closings and delays may be reported by school districts or through media partners as the storms evolve. Officials recommend checking district websites, local news and emergency alert systems for the most current information.

    With storm warnings extending into Thursday and the weekend, forecasters predict continued cold and the possibility of snow into Friday. Public safety officials and school administrators will likely continue monitoring road conditions and weather forecasts, issuing further closure or delay guidance as necessary.

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  • Arizona takes No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll, Iowa State up to No. 4, Gonzaga into top 10

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    Arizona took over the top spot in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday, a reward for a perfect start to the season that includes a quartet of wins against ranked foes, including a lopsided victory over Auburn last weekend.

    Purdue, which had spent the past three weeks at No. 1, slid to sixth following its 81-58 home loss to Iowa State and the entire poll got a shakeup as only two teams remained in the same spots from last week.

    The Wildcats received 33 of 60 first-place votes from a national media panel to claim No. 1 for the first time since Dec. 11, 2023, and only the third time since the 2013-14 season. They edged No. 2 Michigan, which earned 19 first-place votes, thanks in part to wins over Florida, UConn and UCLA, along with their 97-68 romp over the then-No. 20 Tigers on Saturday night.

    “Obviously it’s nothing you shy away from,” Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said of being No. 1. “You know, you’re at Arizona. The big stage. It’s part of being at a program like this. But we have bigger things on our mind.”

    The Wolverines also moved up one spot for their best ranking since March 2021. Duke claimed six first-place votes and moved up to No. 3. And the Cyclones parlayed their big win in West Lafayette, Indiana, into a six-spot climb to No. 4 and a first-place vote. Iowa State has never been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll era, which began with the 1948-49 season.

    “They stole our spirit,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose team tied a record for largest margin of defeat at home as the nation’s No. 1 team. “Our reason for having a high frustration level was them. They’re damn good. They took us to the woodshed.”

    UConn remained ahead of Purdue at No. 5 after beating Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse last week.

    Houston was seventh, Gonzaga climbed three spots to eighth, Michigan State was ninth and BYU rounded the top 10 following a week of high-profile matchups across college basketball.

    Louisville dropped five spots to No. 11 after losing to Arkansas. Alabama remained at No. 12, followed by Illinois, North Carolina and Vanderbilt, the only unbeaten team left in the SEC and one of just eight left in Division I men’s basketball.

    Texas Tech was next, followed by the Razorbacks, who jumped eight spots after also beating Fresno State last week. Florida fell to No. 18 following its 67-66 loss to the Blue Devils, while Kansas moved up to No. 19 and Tennessee finished out the top 20.

    The last five in the poll were Auburn, St. John’s, Nebraska, Virginia and UCLA.

    The No. 23 Huskers are 9-0 for only the third time in school history, and they have won 13 straight dating to last season, the third-longest run in school history. The ranking is their best since they were 21st the second week of the 2014-15 season.

    Rising and falling

    Arkansas was No. 14 in the preseason poll, nearly dropped out entirely, but made a big jump this week back to No. 17 following its two wins. Iowa State’s climb to No. 4 has been a steady one since it was ranked 16th in the preseason poll.

    Tennessee tumbled seven spots to No. 20 this week following losses to Syracuse and Illinois. Purdue and Louisville each fell five spots.

    In and out

    Nebraska and Virginia both made their poll debuts, replacing Indiana and USC. The Cavaliers did not receive a single vote last week but earned enough to join the rankings at No. 24. UCLA also returned to the rankings while Kentucky dropped out.

    Conference watch

    The Big 12, Big Ten and SEC lead the way with six ranked teams apiece, but the Big 12 has the nation’s No. 1 team. It also has four in the top 10, while the Big Ten has three and the SEC none. The ACC has four ranked teams, the Big East two and the West Coast one.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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  • The Geminid meteor shower peaks this weekend

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    The Geminid meteor shower peaks heading into this weekend.

    What You Need To Know

    • Geminid meteor shower peaks the night of Dec. 13

    • Up to 150 meteors per hour

    • Known as one of the best meteor showers of the year



    Every year in December, the night sky treats us to one of the best and brightest displays known as the Geminid meteor shower. 

    When to watch

    The Geminids can be viewed in the night sky as early as 9 p.m. The best time to view the Geminid meteor shower will be in the pre-dawn hours between 1 and 3 a.m.

    Tips for viewing

    To see up to 150 meteors in one hour, you will need to be far away from city lights and tall buildings. Ideally, there will be clear skies for viewing on the night of the 13th. 

    After you arrive, avoid bright lights, such as phone screens, for 15–20 minutes so your eyes can adapt to the darkness.

    A waning crescent moon will make viewing conditions even better because there will not be much moonlight to wash out the meteors, which are often bright and vivid.

    Here is the cloud forecast through the weekend across the country. 


    Even though the peak is this weekend, you can still view the Geminid meteor shower through December 21st. 

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Ramel Carpenter

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  • Rural Michigan Broadband Access to Jump With $920M in Fed Funding

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    Efforts to expand high-speed internet across rural northern Michigan will get a $920 million boost from a federal grant, which over the next four years is expected to make broadband available to an additional 200,000 homes and businesses.

    Combined with $550 million in matching funds from providers, the almost $1.5 billion investment is a potential game-changer for rural counties, said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

    The federal grant was announced in 2023, but it’s taken two years to get projects in local communities lined up for disbursement of those funds. In four years, the investment is expected to add 31,000 miles of fiber-optic lines across the state.

    “When we expand access to affordable, high-speed internet, we open doors to jobs, healthcare, education, opportunity and so much more,” Whitmer said in a statement. “We’re making historic investments across the state to ensure that no matter where someone lives or works, they have the connectivity they need to thrive and reach their full potential.”

    “We know that access to reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury,” said Eric Frederick, chief connectivity officer for the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office. “This funding … helps Michiganders get access to education, visit doctors, apply for jobs and so much more.”

    Currently, about 9 of 10 Michigan homes have access to internet service of at least 100 megabits per second, the minimum rate the Federal Communications Commission sets for high-speed internet, also called broadband. That puts Michigan in the middle of the pack among states.

    Yet there are 23 counties — mostly in northern Michigan or the Upper Peninsula — where under 60% of homes have broadband access, according to data from Connect Nation, a nonprofit working to close the digital divide.

    In Lake County, just 22% of homes have high-speed internet available; In Osceola County, it’s 28%.

    By comparison, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties all have broadband access surpassing 99%.

    Katy Xenakis-Makowski, superintendent of Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools in Otsego County, told Bridge Michigan that many of her students and half her teachers don’t have high-speed internet at home.

    “They just started to put broadband in my neighborhood this summer,” Xenakis-Makowski. “We had an ice storm and were out (of school) for eight days. “People say, ‘Oh, you should just make them up by going online,’ and we can’t.”

    Government support is needed to expand high-speed internet infrastructure to rural regions where there aren’t enough potential consumers to make the expansion financially viable. The UP’s Luce County, for example, has a population of about six people per square mile.

    Michigan has made notable progress in increasing access, as well as the speed of the internet available. In 2018, just 4.3% of households had access to 1 gigabit-per-second service, compared to 45.2% in 2025.

    After the announced expansions are complete, “Michigan will be closer to universal availability than ever before,” said Frederick. “There will still likely be extremely remote and rural locations that may still need to be connected, but nearly all Michigan households and businesses will be able to access high-speed internet after these investments are made.”

    Even when internet lines are laid, there’s the problem of service cost in areas that have a high poverty rate. Nationally, between 3% and 8% of households where broadband is available do not have internet in their homes, either because of cost or choice.

    As of 2023, more than 492,000 Michigan households had either no internet access or no availability of broadband, according to the Michigan Digital Equity Plan, published by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Another 730,000 households faced barriers related to affordability, device access or digital literacy.

    This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • December’s ‘Cold Moon’ will be the final supermoon of the year

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    December’s full moon will appear in the sky this week. It’s the final full moon and third supermoon of the year, also known as the ‘Cold Moon.’ The Cold Moon gets its name from being closest to the winter solstice. It is also known as the ‘Moon Before Yule’ and the ‘Long Night Moon.’

    It reached its peak illumination at 6:14 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 4, but it will be visible and appear full to the naked eye during the next couple nights.

    What You Need To Know

    • December’s full moon peaks Thursday evening

    • It’s the final full moon and third supermoon of 2025

    • The next full moon will be the ‘Wolf Moon’ on Jan. 3, 2026


    The Cold Moon will notably be the highest full moon of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun will be at its lowest point in the sky, which means that the moon will be at the opposite. That means that you will be able to see the bright Cold Moon for a longer period in the night sky.

    What is a supermoon?

    A supermoon is when the full moon happens at the same time the moon’s orbit is at its closest to Earth. The moon will appear brighter and larger than normal. This year’s Cold Moon will be the third supermoon of 2025, joining October’s ‘Harvest Moon’ and November’s ‘Beaver Moon’.

    Moon phases

    There are eight different phases of the moon. What phase follows a full moon?

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Reid Lybarger

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  • December’s ‘Cold Moon’ will be the final supermoon of the year

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    December’s full moon will appear in the sky this week. It’s the final full moon and third supermoon of the year, also known as the ‘Cold Moon.’ The Cold Moon gets its name from being closest to the winter solstice. It is also known as the ‘Moon Before Yule’ and the ‘Long Night Moon.’

    It reached its peak illumination at 6:14 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 4, but it will be visible and appear full to the naked eye during the next couple nights.

    What You Need To Know

    • December’s full moon peaks Thursday evening

    • It’s the final full moon and third supermoon of 2025

    • The next full moon will be the ‘Wolf Moon’ on Jan. 3, 2026


    The Cold Moon will notably be the highest full moon of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun will be at its lowest point in the sky, which means that the moon will be at the opposite. That means that you will be able to see the bright Cold Moon for a longer period in the night sky.

    What is a supermoon?

    A supermoon is when the full moon happens at the same time the moon’s orbit is at its closest to Earth. The moon will appear brighter and larger than normal. This year’s Cold Moon will be the third supermoon of 2025, joining October’s ‘Harvest Moon’ and November’s ‘Beaver Moon’.

    Moon phases

    There are eight different phases of the moon. What phase follows a full moon?

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Reid Lybarger

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  • College football rankings start juggling act at 6-7, while top 5 remain the same

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    The College Football Playoff rankings placed the spotlight on, where else this year, “6-7″ — flip-flopping Oregon and Ole Miss in those spots while keeping their top five teams the same in Tuesday night’s reveal.

    Oregon’s impressive victory over Southern California in one of last week’s few games between ranked teams accounted for the biggest change, moving the Ducks ahead of Mississippi, which didn’t play.

    The other meaningful shift was Miami’s move to No. 12, in a switch with Utah after the Utes gave up 472 yards rushing in a tight win over Kansas State.

    There are two more rankings to be revealed — next Tuesday, then Dec. 7 when the final top 25 will set the bracket for the 12-team playoff to start Dec. 19,

    Pitt’s return to the rankings — at No. 22 — after falling out for a week impacts the meaning of its key Atlantic Coast Conference game this week against the Hurricanes, who need a win and some help to make the conference title game but still have hopes of grabbing one of the playoff’s seven at-large berths.

    “Miami is a team that it really appears is starting to look like the Miami team that started 5-0,” said Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee.

    Following the Buckeyes for the fourth time in four rankings were fellow undefeated teams Indiana and Texas A&M. Georgia stayed at No. 4, followed by Texas Tech. After Oregon and Mississippi came Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama and BYU at No. 11 and first team out on this week’s proverbial bubble.

    Ohio State and Indiana will play in what should be a 1 vs. 2 Big Ten title game if both win rivalry showdowns on the road over Thanksgiving weekend. Ohio State’s task is more difficult — against Michigan, which moved up three spots to No. 15. Indiana plays Purdue.

    No. 10 Alabama plays at Auburn with a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game on the line. The Tide’s opponent would be Texas A&M if the Aggies win at No. 16 Texas.

    Notre Dame and Miami were compared this week

    After some confusion last week about the weight given to Miami’s opening-week win over Notre Dame, Yurachek said those teams were, indeed, close enough in the rankings this week to be compared head-to-head. But still, that victory was not enough to push the Hurricanes past Notre Dame.

    “We compare a number of things when looking at teams closely ranked together,” Yurachek said. “We’ve got some teams ranked between Miami and Notre Dame, such as Alabama and BYU, who we’re also comparing Miami to.”

    Could Kiffin’s job status impact Ole Miss?

    Among the factors the committee can consider is the availability of players and coaches, which has potential to bring Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s job status into play.

    Word from Oxford is that a decision will come on Kiffin’s potential move to LSU or Florida after this week’s game against Mississippi State. An Ole Miss team without one of the most sought-after coaches in the game wouldn’t seem as good as one with him.

    Still, Yurachek wouldn’t tip his hand on how that evaluation might go.

    “We’ll take care of that when it happens,” Yurachek said. “We don’t look ahead. The loss of player, loss of a key coach, is in the principles of how we rank teams, but we don’t have a data point for how we look at Ole Miss without their coach.”

    Ducks move to ‘where they need to be’

    After Oregon’s 42-27 win over USC, coach Dan Lanning said his team deserves credit for the schedule it plays — which included a tough conference game during a week in which many in the SEC were going against non-ranked, double-digit underdogs.

    The committee agreed.

    “We’ve been waiting for them to have that signature win to really put them where they need to be,” Yurachek said.

    Conference watch

    ACC — No. 18 Virginia and No. 21 SMU are the favorites to reach the title game, which means one of them has an inside edge to be in the playoff. The Hurricanes are likely in an at-large showdown with the likes of BYU, Vanderbilt and maybe Alabama.

    Big 12 — BYU is angling for another crack at Texas Tech in the title game. Hard to see the Cougars getting there, losing to the Red Raiders again and still making the playoff.

    Big Ten — Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon are locks. Michigan’s move up three to No. 15 gives the Wolverines a chance at an at-large bid (or maybe the conference title) with a win this week over the Buckeyes.

    SEC — Texas A&M, Georgia, Mississippi and Oklahoma should all be in. Alabama can’t really afford a third loss, but what if that loss comes in the SEC title game? The Tide makes it by beating Auburn. Vanderbilt would strengthen its case with a win at No. 19 Tennessee this week.

    Group of 5 — No. 24 Tulane of the American is still the only team from a non-power conference in the rankings. One problem. BetMGM Sportsbook has North Texas as the favorite to win the league title. That, in turn, could bring someone like James Madison back into the conversation.

    Projected first-round playoff matchups

    No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech: Could the Red Raiders, a deep-pocketed disruptor in the college football space, also turn into one of the sport’s powerhouses?

    No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Oregon: The Mario Cristobal Bowl — Hurricanes coach left Ducks suddenly in 2021 to return home.

    No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Mississippi: Kiffin, the old offensive coordinator at Alabama, is 0-4 vs. Tide with Ole Miss.

    No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma: Notre Dame’s first televised game was a 27-21 win over OU in 1952.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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  • Campbell’s fires executive who was recorded saying company’s products are for ‘poor people’

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    The Campbell’s Co. said Wednesday it has fired an executive who was recorded making racist comments and mocking the company’s products and customers.

    Martin Bally, a vice president in Campbell’s information security department, was named in a lawsuit filed last week by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee who said he was fired Jan. 30 after he reported Bally’s comments to a supervisor.

    The lawsuit was filed in Michigan, where both Garza and Bally live. Campbell’s is based in Camden, New Jersey.

    In the lawsuit, Garza claimed he met with Bally in November 2024 to discuss his salary. During the meeting, which Garza allegedly recorded, Bally described Campbell’s as “highly process(ed) food” and said it was for “poor people.”

    Garza claimed in the lawsuit that Bally made racist remarks about Indian workers, whom he called “idiots.” Garza said Bally also told him that he often went to work high after consuming marijuana edibles.

    Campbell’s said Wednesday it first learned of Garza’s lawsuit last week. After listening to portions of the recording, Campbell’s said it believed the voice was Bally’s. Bally was fired Tuesday.

    “The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” the company said in a statement. “This behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”

    Garza’s attorney didn’t respond when The Associated Press asked for a copy of the audio recording.

    But according to Local 4 news in Detroit, which interviewed Garza and played a portion of the recording on air, Bally said Campbell’s products were unhealthy during his expletive-filled rant.

    “Bioengineered meat. I don’t want to eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer,” Bally said.

    Campbell’s defended its chicken Wednesday, saying it comes from long-trusted U.S. suppliers, is raised without antibiotics and meets high quality standards.

    “The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate, they are patently absurd,” Campbell’s said.

    Larry Kopp, the chairman and founder of The TASC Group, a strategic communications and public relations company, said Campbell’s should have fired Bally and reached a settlement with Garza as soon as it learned of the incident.

    “If they had settled they would not be in this mess,” Kopp said. “Recordings like these are devastating and should never see the light of day.”

    Garza is seeking monetary damages from Campbell’s, Bally and from his former manager, J.D. Aupperle. Garza said he told Aupperle about the conversation with Bally shortly before he was fired.

    Campbell’s said Wednesday that Aupperle remains employed by the company.

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  • Michigan’s Most Popular Christmas Song of the Season

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    It’s the holiday season, and that means it’s time to crank the Christmas music. Musicians release Christmas songs as early as October, but the season doesn’t really get cooking until around Thanksgiving, because that’s when holiday music goes into overdrive, and Mariah Carey’s forever hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” goes to No. 1. But, when it comes to holiday tunes, what’s popular in this state?

    When it comes to popular holiday songs, tracks such as “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells” and “O Holy Night” are among the most treasured and recognized. According to History.com, when it comes to “Jingle Bells,” that song was “originally released in 1857 under the title ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’” and actually “wasn’t written to be a Christmas song.” They add that “Silent Night,” was originally “composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber, based on a poem by Joseph Mohr, says Scot Hanna-Weir, a music professor at Santa Clara University.” American Magazine notes that “‘O Holy Night’ started out as a French poem written in 1843 called ‘Minuit, Chrétiens’ by Placide Cappeau.”

    Now, let’s get to this state. The crew at Finance Buzz has put together a feature with the most popular Christmas songs in each state. Mariah Carey’s aforementioned “All I Want For Christmas Is You” tops this tally, with the most states opting for this festive tune. “Two different Christmas songs were most popular in seven different states, tied for second place overall,” they add, those songs being “Santa Baby” and “Jingle Bells.”

    Speaking of “Jingle Bells,” Finance Buzz notes that the song has “been a staple of the Christmas season for more than 150 years since it was written in 1850, and dozens of artists, including Michael Bublé, Dolly Parton, and William Shatner, have recorded versions of the tune.”

    So, what’s the top holiday tune in this state? According to their research, it’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” So, that gives you an extra reason to crank it this season.

    Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.

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    Anne Erickson

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  • Campbell’s IT chief on leave after lawsuit claims he said company’s food is for ‘poor people’

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    The Campbell’s Co. said Tuesday it has placed one of its executives on leave while it investigates claims that he made racist comments and mocked the company’s products and customers in an audio recording.

    Martin Bally, Campbell’s vice president of information technology, was named in a lawsuit filed last week by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee. The lawsuit was filed in Michigan, where both men live. Campbell’s is headquartered in New Jersey.

    In the lawsuit, Garza claimed he met with Bally in November 2024 to discuss his salary. During the meeting, which Garza allegedly recorded, Bally described Campbell’s as “highly process(ed) food” and said it was for “poor people.”

    Garza claimed that Bally made racist remarks about Indian workers, whom he called “idiots,” according to the lawsuit. Garza said Bally also told him that he often went to work high after consuming marijuana edibles.

    Garza said he told his manager, J.D. Aupperle, on Jan. 10 that he wanted to report Bally’s comments to Campbell’s human resources department. Garza said Aupperle didn’t encourage him to report the comments but also gave him no advice on how to proceed.

    On Jan. 30, Garza was terminated from Campbell’s. He is seeking monetary damages from Campbell’s. He also names Bally and Aupperle in the lawsuit, saying they were responsible for his termination.

    In its statement Tuesday, Campbell’s said that if the comments on the audio recording were in fact made by Bally, they are unacceptable.

    “Such language does not reflect our values and the culture of our company,” the company said. “We do not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”

    Campbell’s added that the comments were allegedly made by someone in IT “who has nothing to do with how we make our food.”

    “We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use to provide consumers with good food at a good value,” Campbell’s said. “The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”

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  • Josh Pate delivers surprising pick ahead of Ohio State‑Michigan clash

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    Ohio State enters “The Game” unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the nation, with an 11-0 overall ledger and an 8-0 Big Ten mark.

    The Buckeyes lead the nation in scoring defense (allowing just 7.6 points per game) and score at a high clip (37.9 points per game, 11th in the country).

    In Ryan Day’s eighth season, the Buckeyes’ balance and depth have been consistent themes all year, and public models generally peg them as the stronger team on paper.

    Yet, college football analyst Josh Pate delivered a contrarian pick on Tuesday, boldly predicting that Michigan will win and cover, despite models and books heavily favoring the Buckeyes.

    “I think Ohio State’s the better team,” Pate said. “The model thinks Ohio State wins and wins comfortably. Everything about my breakdown of the game leans me towards Ohio State. I couldn’t care less until further notice. Michigan will win this game. Michigan covers. Michigan money line.”

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    Read More: Paul Finebaum Warns Lane Kiffin Is About to Make Wrong Career Move

    Michigan is 9-2 (7-1 Big Ten) and ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25, just on the edge of the College Football Playoff.

    After finishing 8-5 a year ago, this season reflects steady progress under third-year head coach Sherrone Moore.

    Freshman QB Bryce Underwood has thrown for 2,166 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and five picks, along with 322 rushing yards and five rushing scores, while RBs Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes each have over 850 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs.

    Read More: Tulane, Jon Sumrall Dealt Major Recruiting Blow Amid Florida Rumors

    Early market consensus opened Ohio State as a near two‑touchdown favorite; FanDuel showed Ohio State around -10.5 on Tuesday, while other books listed similar spreads and moneyline gaps.

    As a result, almost everybody has leaned in favor of the Buckeyes to win, and many have chosen them to cover as well.

    Pate acknowledged his model favors Ohio State but said he’s taking Michigan because of the rivalry’s history of “void of reason” outcomes and his own track record of being burned by Michigan surprises.

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  • The Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry now includes who handles their trash better

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    When you’re part of one of the greatest rivalries in sports, Michigan vs. Ohio State, you’ll talk trash about anything, including actual game day trash — and who cleans it up better. 

    Lately, that’s been Ohio State, where Mary Leciejewski is associate director of environmental sustainability.

    “I mean, it just comes with the territory,” Leciejewski said.

    In this competition, armies of volunteers collect and sort through mountains of trash, separating what’s recyclable from what’s compostable, like food scraps and cups, forks and plates that are made to decompose over time. 

    The annual challenge is organized by the Campus Race to Zero Waste program. Campuses nationwide compete each season to see who can recycle and compost the most waste generated at home football games.

    Last season, Ohio State claimed two national titles: one in football and one in trash. The Buckeyes diverted 94% of game day waste away from the landfill, topping the Wolverines’ 79%.

    Paul Dunlop, Michigan’s associate athletic director for facilities, is still proud of the message that stadium sustainability sends to fans.

    “I think if we can do it for over 100,000 people, you can do it at your house,” Dunlop said.

    At both schools, students play an important role. 

    Buckeye Meredith Butt studies ecology, but on the weekends, she’s at the stadium educating fans and making sure all the trash is properly sorted.

    “So much of what we throw away doesn’t need to be thrown away, and it just feels really rewarding to be a part of that,” Butt said.

    At Michigan’s campus farm, game day compost is turned back into soil that helps grow some of the produce served at the stadium.

    “For me, waste is a very tangible part of sustainability. You don’t really see emissions, but you see waste, you see litter on the floor,” said Mia Terek, a Michigan graduate student studying sustainability.

    Leciejewski said she is proud of what fans have accomplished.

    “It’s nice to be champions on the field, but for us, it’s all about the diversion rate,” she said.

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  • Duggan won’t say if Trump’s execution threats go too far – Detroit Metro Times

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    Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan had an opportunity this weekend to say whether he thinks President Donald Trump’s threats of jailing and executing political opponents has gone too far. 

    He passed.

    Appearing on WXYZ’s Spotlight on the News over the weekend, Duggan, who is running for governor as an independent, was asked about Trump accusing Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, of “seditious behavior.” Trump suggested their actions could be “punishable by DEATH” after they released a video reminding military members they can refuse illegal orders.

    Instead of answering, Duggan dodged the question, as he often has when asked about Trump’s dangerous behavior and policies. 

    “I’ve stayed out of these national debates,” Duggan said. “I’m not going to get involved in the national debate.”

    Host Chuck Stokes quickly moved on, promising to come back with “some more positive things.” 

    The exchange has become all too common in the local media. Rather than press Duggan on his position, Stokes let the mayor dodge a question that is important for many voters as they continue to ask: Who is Mike Duggan now and where does he stand on many issues? The former Democrat is trying to appeal to independents and Trump supporters, and he has refused to touch controversial issues. 

    Asked why Duggan wouldn’t respond to Stokes, campaign spokesperson Andrea Bitley tells Metro Times that the mayor “answered the question clearly.”

    “He is running for state office, not federal office, and has made it his practice in this campaign to stick to state issues,” Bitley says.

    But Trump’s rhetoric and policies have become state issues. Trump has ordered federal immigration raids that rely on state cooperation, pushed to deploy U.S. troops into American cities, and threatened to withhold funding to some states. His administration’s policies deal with everything from health care access and public safety to immigration enforcement.

    Last week, Trump’s dangerous rhetoric drew widespread condemnation, even from members of his own party. Slotkin reportedly received a bomb threat last week. 

    So far, Duggan isn’t willing to talk about it. 

    In posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Slotkin and five other Democratic lawmakers “traitors” and wrote that their video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders amounted to “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also reposted a supporter’s call to “HANG THEM,” prompting a wave of threats against the lawmakers and forcing some to adopt 24/7 security. 

    On Tuesday, Slotkin said the FBI has signaled it has opened what appears to be an investigation into her and others who released the video.

    Slotkin, appearing on ABC’s This Week, called Trump’s language “a tool of fear” and said the goal was to intimidate critics and distract from other damaging news.

    Even some Republicans denounced Trump. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, said calling opponents “traitors” and threatening the death penalty was “reckless, inappropriate, irresponsible” and warned it could inspire unstable people to commit violence. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Trump ally and Republican from South Carolina, called the president’s comments “over the top.”

    Republican Rep. Michael McCaul told ABC he didn’t “speak for the president in terms of hanging members of Congress” and urged everyone to “tone down the rhetoric.”

    While some Republicans who support Trump were willing to say his threats crossed a line, Duggan has chosen to remain silent.

    Instead, he touts his ability to “bring Democrats and Republicans together.”

    Here’s the exchange on WXYZ:

    Stokes: “We now have a controversy with the president now about sedition and making charges against Democratic politicians, one of our own Senator Slotkin … that it could lead to sedition and could lead to hangings and shooting politicians.”

    Duggan: “Yeah, so the reason that we have been successful is, I’m the mayor of Detroit, and I am dealing with issues that relate to Detroiters. I’ve stayed out of these national debates, and I think Detroit has done extremely well by paying attention to what we’re doing in the city, and so I’m not going to get involved in the national debate.”

    Stokes didn’t press him. There was no follow-up or questions about whether Duggan thought threatening lawmakers with death was wrong. 

    That has become a pattern in Duggan’s 2026 governor’s race. He casts himself as a post-partisan problem-solver while dodging questions about Trump’s most extreme actions and rhetoric, even when the target is a fellow Michigan officeholder.

    Duggan’s silence stands in stark contrast to the mayor that Detroiters have seen for most of the last decade.

    For nearly 40 years in public life, Duggan said he was a proud Democrat. He campaigned for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, he mocked Trump’s many bankruptcies and called him “the most phony party nominee” he’d ever seen. When Trump falsely claimed voter fraud in Detroit in 2020, Duggan called the allegations “utter nonsense” and “a real threat to everything we believe in … that everybody’s vote counts the same.”

    He praised Biden and Harris as “real partners” who helped Detroit recover and said “the best thing that happened in Detroit was when Donald Trump left office.”

    Now, Duggan insists he hasn’t changed his views “on any issue,” just his party label.

    “I haven’t changed any positions, other than that I think the toxic relationship between the two parties is badly damaging the state and we need a different approach to get Republicans and Democrats to work together,” Duggan told conservative Detroit News columnist Nolan Finley this summer.

    But his public posture has shifted. He’s far more likely these days to attack Democrats than Trump or Republicans, accusing his former party of caring only about hating the GOP and Trump and claiming “people are fed up with this Democratic Party in Michigan.” On social media and in TV interviews, he repeatedly says both parties are broken, and he is above partisan bickering.

    “I don’t answer to party bosses. I answer to you,” Duggan’s campaign page tweeted last week. 

    Duggan’s statements come as his campaign relies heavily on a coalition of Republican donors and Trump supporters. As Metro Times previously reported, Duggan is raising millions of dollars from the Republican establishment and Trump megadonors, such as billionaire Roger Penske, former Michigan GOP chair Ron Weiser, charter school mogul J.C. Huizenga, and other heavyweights who have poured money into Trump, the GOP, and conservative causes for years. Many have given Duggan the maximum contribution, and family members and business associates have also donated. 

    In October, a Duggan fundraiser was co-hosted by controversial millionaire Anthony Soave, who donated $100,000 to a Donald Trump political action committee and has been linked to multiple corruption scandals involving city contracts.

    Duggan’s team openly boasts that he’s “pulling unprecedented support from Democrats and Republicans,” citing polling that shows him closing in on Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James in a three-way race. If the election were held today, a recent internal survey from Duggan’s campaign suggested he would garner 26%, while Benson would get 30%, and James 29%. 

    Duggan’s refusal to condemn Trump for threatening the lives of Slotkin and others is a sharp departure from his past criticism of the president. Either Duggan has changed his position on Trump, or he’s willing to tolerate the threats and bigotry of the administration. 

    One of them is political theater. 

    In ordinary times, dodging a question on a popular TV news show might not be a big deal. But the sitting president is telling the country that a Michigan senator and her colleagues are “traitors” whose actions are “punishable by DEATH,” while they report an alarming increase in threats.

    Duggan says he wants to leave the “us vs. them” politics behind him, but many voters also want to know whether a would-be governor believes it’s acceptable for a president to suggest that his critics are “traitors” who deserve death.

    Duggan chose to duck on live TV when given the chance to condemn Trump’s dangerous rhetoric.

    The real question in this campaign may not be whether he’s a Democrat, Republican, or independent. It’s whether Michigan voters will accept a governor who won’t say where he stands when it really matters.


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    Steve Neavling

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