Friday, January 30th, 2026
Good Morning! On this day in 1933, one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century, “The Lone Ranger,” debuted on WXYZ Detroit.
A miraculous goal bounced off the camera hole and into the net for the Red Wings to tie the game with less than a minute to go in last night’s contest. See the unbelievable goal here and read more below in Sports!
Bloomscape is Michigan’s homegrown plant company, and they've cracked the code on delivering gorgeous, fully-grown plants straight from their Muskegon greenhouse to your door—read more on today’s featured brand below!
Detroit -2/14° ☁️ | Grand Rapids -2/13° ☁️ | Ann Arbor -5/10° ☁️ | Lansing -7/13° ☁️ | Flint -8/13° ☁️ | Saginaw -10/13° ☁️ | Kalamazoo -3/14° ☁️ | Muskegon -1/12° ☁️ | Traverse City -6/12° 🌨️ | Marquette -12/10° 🌨️ | Escanaba -7/11° ☁️ | Sault Ste. Marie -14/8° 🌨️ | Alpena -10/11° ☁️
Today’s edition includes our new feature, “This Day in Michigan History,” at the very top of the newsletter! Happy Friday! 😀
Supreme Court Hears Isabella County Property Tax Case
An Isabella County couple who lost their family home to the county over a $1,600 property tax dispute will now be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The couple fought the county after they were stripped of an exemption that led to a higher bill. County officials proceeded to file for foreclosure, took ownership of the house, and sold the house at an auction for $73,000, while the house was valued at $200,000.
The county did not pay the couple any of the equity from the sale of the house, which is what the couple is challenging, now at the U.S. Supreme Court.
You can see a video from the couple telling their story here.
Bitter Cold Returns Before Weekend Relief
Freezing wind chill figures as low as 38 degrees below zero are set to hit the Great Lakes State this morning, with Northern Michigan getting the brunt of the bitter cold.
The majority of Mid & South Michigan will see wind chills between 15 and 20 below zero, with the Northern Half of the Mitten and U.P. seeing wind chills between 20 and 40 below.
This morning’s frigid cold will be the coldest day of the week, with most of the state expected to see highs reach into the mid-20’s starting on Saturday.
You can see a statewide map of wind chill figures expected this morning here.
University of Michigan Ranked No. 1 Public University in America
TIME Magazine ranked the University of Michigan the No. 1 public university in the country, and No. 9 globally in their new top 100 colleges list.
Academic capacity and performance, innovation and economic impact, and global engagement were the three categories used to rank the universities on the list.
Also making the top 100 was Michigan State at No. 84 globally, and No. 14 in the U.S.
You can see TIME’s full list of ranked schools here.
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Around the Mitten
Grand Rapids: Leo’s Restaurant was named in OpenTable’s list of the top 100 romantic restaurants in the U.S. (See List)
Detroit: Detroit Red Wings right winger Patrick Kane tallied the 1,375th point of his career, breaking the NHL record for points scored by an American-born player. (See Video)
Macomb County: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s investigation into illegal votes in the county revealed fifteen illegal noncitizens cast votes in the 2024 presidential election. (See Video)
Kalamazoo: A resident filmed gusty winds propelling snow rollers across their yard. (See Video)
Statewide: A new list revealed the Great Lakes State buys the third-most Mountain Dew in the country. (See List)
Midland: Dow Chemical Company announced 4,500 jobs would be cut in a release Thursday. (More)
Bay City: The new Chick-fil-A located on Wilder Road announced a grand opening of next Thursday, February 5th. (More)
Sports
The blockbuster showdown between No. 3 Michigan basketball and No. 7 Michigan State takes place tonight at 8 p.m. at the Breslin Center. (See Tickets)
The Suns took down the Pistons 114-96 thanks to forward Dillon Brooks’ 40 point effort. (See Box Score)
Alex DeBrincat scored a miraculous goal that bounced off a camera hole in the glass to tie the game with less than a minute left in the Wings’ 4-3 shootout loss. (See Goal)
Lions right tackle Penei Sewell was nominated for the NFL Protector of the Year Award. (More)
Weekend Picks!
Saginaw County’s Zehnder’s Snowfest continues through this weekend, showcasing dozens of beautiful ice sculptures and offering live music, treats, and children’s activities. (More)
Grand Rapids-based Brush Studio is hosting Let it Glow, a Friday night canvas paint & sip outing with a variety of drinks and artists to guide your hand. (More Details)
The Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race takes place Saturday and Sunday in Engadine, coinciding with the Hiawatha Sportsman's Club’s Winter Carnival, featuring food vendors and other activities. (More)
Previous Results
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Vanilla - 28%
Chocolate - 36% ✅
Strawberry - 13%
Other - 23%
I was delighted to see a fellow chocohaulic reply to yesterday’s poll! “Any flavor as long as it’s chocolate!! My Mom always said.”
That’s right 🍫
A few more nuanced takes from our ice cream connoisseurs here at The Mitten…
Answer: Other, “Like vanilla as the base for additives like Heath bar, m&ms etc”
Answer: Chocolate, “Actually, my favorite is Maple Nut, but that wasn’t one of the choices! lol”
Thank you for reading Friday’s edition of The Mitten! We hope you enjoyed today’s stories. We always welcome any reader feedback by simply responding to this email.