Best Winter Trails, Romulus ICE Facility, and Eddie Bauer Closing

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1862, Thomas Edison began selling a one-page newspaper, the Weekly Herald, on a train that ran between Port Huron and Detroit.

Stunning video captured in Muskegon showed ice that crawled 40 feet up the South Breakwater Light Beacon Station after last week’s weather. See the video here and read more in Around the Mitten!

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14 Winter Trails to Explore in Northern Michigan

A new list ranked fourteen trails in Northern Michigan that you’ll want to check out before this winter’s conclusion.

The No. 1 trail on the list was the South Long Lake Forest Natural Area in Traverse City, featuring a 1.3-mile loop full of hardwoods, pines, and wetlands, open for hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.

Following closely behind at No. 2 is the Kehl Lake Natural Area on the Northern tip of Leelanau County, with old growth hemlocks, white pines, and an area great for birdwatching with regular visits from migratory birds.

You can see the full list of winter trails here.

Eddie Bauer To Close Nine Michigan Stores

Premium outdoor clothing retailer Eddie Bauer is reportedly planning the closure of all Northern American stores, including nine stores in Michigan.

The move comes as Eddie Bauer’s parent company, Authentic Brands Group, announced plans to move all operations online. Eddie Bauer is also reported to be planning to file chapter 11 bankruptcy according to sources close to the company.

The company has not yet confirmed a decision or timeline for store closures.

You can see a full list of Michigan locations that would close here.

Michigan Sees Sharp Drop in Cable Subscribers in 2025

A new report from the Michigan Public Service Commission revealed a sharp drop in the number of Michiganders who still subscribe to cable television services.

According to the report, Michigan saw a decrease in total cable subscribers from 1,100,636 to 980,543 in 2025.

The Great Lakes State also lost one cable provider, bringing the statewide number of cable providers to 28.

Michigan’s decline in cable subscribers follows a nationwide trend of consumers switching to online streaming services. You can see the full report here

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Around the Mitten

Saginaw County: Voters will cast ballots in the primary for the 35th district’s senate seat is today. (More)
Traverse City: Right Brain Brewery will host the Michigan Pinball State Championship next weekend. (See Details)
Kalamazoo: After 20 years of doing business in Arizona, a former resident is bringing his business, 5th Street Burger, home to Kalamazoo. (More)
Romulus: The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly considering the city for building a 500-bed Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. (See Map)
Howell: Woody the Woodchuck predicted 6 more weeks of winter on Monday. (See Video)
Muskegon: Stunning video shows ice that reached 40 feet up the South Breakwater Light Beacon Station. (See Video)
Statewide: SiriusXM agreed to a $28 million settlement for making unauthorized spam calls. (See Settlement)

Sports

Goalie John Gibson shut out the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche in the Red Wings’ impressive 2-0 win on the road last night. (See Highlights)
Michigan basketball moved up to No. 2 in the latest AP poll, while Michigan State fell to No. 9. (See Rankings)
The Tigers will head to arbitration talks Wednesday with their ace and Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal over a $13 million dispute. (More)

Michigan Enterprise

Michigan was ranked the second-worst state in a survey that measured inflation-adjusted increases in household income since 1970. (See Map)
Fifth Third Bancorp’s merger with comerica bank finalized, with the company confirming the Tigers’ field will remain Comerica Park through the 2026 season. (See Release)
The State of Michigan will incur an additional $95 million in SNAP-related costs following federal cuts to the program. (More)

What winter activites do you enjoy? ❄️

Previous Results

Should foreign companies/citizens be able to purchase Michigan land?

Yes - 7%
No - 93%

One of our most skewed results yet.. and we didn’t receive any comments on Yes votes:

Answer: No, “Allow them to lease land for a set number of years, but not own.”

Answer: No, “Absolutely not!!!! Keep businesses and do business within the US!!!”

Answer: No, “I’m so incredibly ANGRY to hear this news!! I had no idea!!”

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Thank you for reading Tuesday’s edition of The Mitten! We hope you enjoyed today’s stories. We always welcome any reader feedback by simply responding to this email.

Founder & Editor of The Mitten — Joe S.