Special Election Results, Human Skull at Goodwill, and Voter ID Clears Hurdle

Wednesday, February 4th, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1902, Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, was born in Detroit.

A Central Michigan student recorded a roll of toilet paper suspended by itself, frozen in mid-air after the frigid cold this week. Check out the video here and read more in The Goodie Bag!

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Voter ID Effort Reaches Signature Requirement

The Americans for Citizen Voting announced it has “more than enough” signatures to meet the 446,196 threshold needed for Michiganders to vote on proof-of-citizenship and Voter ID measures this fall.

The group’s proposals would require Michiganders to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote, show photo ID, and require the secretary of state to purge the voter rolls of every person whose citizenship cannot be verified.

If the secretary of state validates the signatures collected by the group, Michiganders would vote on the proposals as “Proposal 2” this November.

You can read the full ballot language here.

Woman “Donates” Human Skull to Chelsea Goodwill

Police in Chelsea are searching for a woman who “donated” a human skull to the Goodwill on South Main Street last week.

The thrift store contacted police after the skull was reportedly wrapped in a t-shirt and left in a drop box by a woman wearing sunglasses.

Police have yet to successfully contact the woman in question. You can see a photo of the woman who donated the skull here.

Boys and Girls Club Opens Michigan Central Suite

The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Detroit announced the grand opening of a new, 15,000-square-foot space at Michigan Central Station on Tuesday.

The new club will offer a suite of immersive, industry-aligned spaces designed to prepare youth ages 14–24 for high-growth careers across the creative economy, technology, and mobility sectors.

Popular musicians Big Sean and Usher donated $1 million toward the center, and were present for the opening.

You can see photos from the grand opening here.

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Around the Mitten

Saginaw: Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney won the state’s 35th Senate District’s primary last night, with the pair now set to face off on May 5th. (See Results)
Midland: The local legend of the “dogman” will be honored with an alternate logo by the Great Lakes Loons minor league baseball team. (See Logo)
Grand Rapids: Images were published inside the city’s new, $19.7 million fitness and event center that will open on February 21st. (See Photos)
Traverse City: Plans for a $55 million renovation to Central Grade School were presented to the education board. (See Video)
Statewide: Michigan recorded its 44th workplace fatality for 2025, an increase of ten fatalities over the previous year. (More)
Benton Harbor: A federal court gave preliminary approval for a $25 million settlement for residents affected by lead-contaminated water. (See Video)
Statewide: A new map showed January to be a historically-cold month for the Great Lakes State. (See Map)

Sports

The Red Wings are rumored to be interested in acquiring New York Rangers’ star Artemi Panarin before the trade deadline. (More)
The Pistons traded guard Jaden Ivey as part of a three-team trade, receiving a 2026 first-round protected pick swap and two players. (More)
CBS Sports named Michigan Football as a way-too-early College Football Playoff team for the 2026 season. (See Bracket)
Lions fan Ryan Kennedy is suing NFL wide receiver D.K. Metcalf for $100 million after Metcalf struck Kennedy at a Lions Game last fall. (More)

The Goodie Bag

A Central Michigan student shared video of a roll of toilet paper frozen in mid-air due to frigid temperatures this week. (See Video)
South Higgins Lake State Park was crowned the winner of this year’s favorite state park bracket from the department of natural resources. (More)
The Motor City was named the City of the Year by design magazine and website Wallpaper* (More)

Should Michiganders be required to show I.D. before voting?

Previous Results

What winter activites do you enjoy? ❄️

Hiking 🚶 - 10%
Skiing ⛷️ - 4%
Snowboarding 🏂 - 0%
Ice Fishing 🐟 - 4%
Being Cozy Inside ♨️ - 76% ✅
Other - 6%

It seems many of you are ready for Spring! Some responses we received:

Answer: Other, “Armchair quarterback!”

Answer: Being Cozy Inside ♨️, “As I age, I find I enjoy the winter less.”

Answer: Other, “Snowshoeing!”

❝

Thank you for reading Wednesday 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.