Most Dangerous Intersections, State Official Goes Viral, and Up North Hockey Palooza

Tuesday, November 18th, 2025

Good morning! Welcome to The Mitten, where we provide you a 5-minute rundown of all things Michigan every morning at 5 a.m., directly in your inbox!

A new, adults-only restaurant is coming to Greenfield Village’s Holiday Lights this year. You can see the menu for the new spot and make a reservation here, and read more in Around the Mitten!

Ditch the cheap stuff. The Dr. Squatch 3-Pack delivers natural, heavy-hitting bars built for guys who want to smell legendary—featuring Wood Barrel Bourbon, Fresh Falls, and Birchwood Breeze to keep you dialed in day after day.

Study Ranks Michigan’s Most Dangerous Intersections

A new study from Michigan Auto Law ranked the state’s most dangerous intersections based on car accident data from 2024.

Leading the list was the 11 Mile and I-696 intersection at Van Dyke Avenue in Warren with 185 total crashes and 26 injuries. In second place was the 18 1/2 Mile Rd. roundabout at Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights, with 162 total crashes and 12 injuries.

The list includes a more detailed breakdown of the five most dangerous intersections. You can see the full list here.

Grand Rapids Man Sentenced for Threatening President Trump

Grand Rapids native James Donald Vance Jr. was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday for making threats to the lives of President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Elon Musk earlier this year.

Vance was charged with one count of threatening to kill and injure the President and Vice President of the United States and two counts of interstate threatening communication after posting online the two would “leave in a body bag” if they came to Grand Rapids.

Vance was sentenced to 24 months and three years of supervised release on each charge. You can read Vance’s full online post here.

State Education Official Goes Viral for Gender Answer

Michigan Chief Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sue Carnell went viral on Monday after video of her answering a question on gender from a Republican state representative was posted by multiple large political influencers.

Representative Jay DeBoyer pressed Carnell twice in a committee hearing on how many genders exist, with Carnell stating, “Different people have different beliefs on that.”

The popular conservative X account, LibsofTikTok, shared the video with multiple influencers on both sides of the aisle commenting on the exchange.

You can see the video of the full video here.

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Thanks to your feedback, we’re excited to announce the addition of Michigan Business, a new section at the bottom of The Mitten featuring the biggest business news in the state on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Check it out below 😎

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Around the Mitten

Statewide: Michigan hunters reported over 40,000 deer hunted across the state on opening weekend. (More)
Kalamazoo: Panda Express is giving the first 88 customers free T-shirts at its grand opening tomorrow. (See Location)
Dearborn: A new adults-only restaurant, Mummers’ Dinner at Stand 44, will open at Greenfield Village’s Holiday Nights this year. (More)
Cheboygan: The city will host a 3-day hockey palooza this weekend including games, events and activities, food, and live entertainment. (See Info)
Detroit: A portion of the Detroit riverwalk from Atwater Street to the Detroit River will be closed through the spring. (More)
Grand Rapids: “Weird Al” Yankovic announced a stop at the Acrisure Ampitheater as part of his “Bigger and Weirder” tour next summer. (More)
Ann Arbor: The city plans to relocate the home of World War II hero Raoul Wallenberg to Central Campus. (See Photos)

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Sports

No. 17 Michigan State basketball looks to improve to 4-0 tonight, taking on the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats at 6:30 on ESPN. (See Preview)
Michigan Football Head Coach Sherrone Moore confirmed running back Justice Haynes is “probably” out for the rest of the regular season on Monday. (More)
The Pistons beat the Pacers 127-112, extended their winning streak to ten games for the first time since the 2007-2008 season. (See Box Score)

Michigan Business

The $300 million tax deal that would allow for the advancement of “Arbor South”, a major development in Ann Arbor, was pulled from the City Council’s agenda again on Monday. (More)
Central Michigan University is now accepting applications for a small business accelerator program for Bay City, Midland, Mt. Pleasant or Saginaw-based companies. (More)
Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo was named the best-rated casino in Michigan in a survey from TripAdvisor. (More)

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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 of The Mitten — Joe S.