10+ hour, 33+ min ago (203+ words) A blowout win against a ranked team in a national showcase helped Michigan State men's basketball shoot up the national rankings. Michigan State is 5-0 for the first time in five years and will put its unbeaten record to the test in a Thanksgiving tournament this week. The Spartans open the Fort Myers Tip-Off against East Carolina (2-3) on Tuesday (1 p.m., FS2) before facing No. 16 North Carolina (5-0) on Thursday (4:30 p.m., FOX). It will be the second straight year Michigan State plays the Tar Heels in a November tournament, following a 94-91 overtime win in the Maui Invitational to take third place. Following the trip to Florida, Michigan State will open Big Ten play by hosting Iowa on Dec. 2 before a visit from No. 4 Duke on Dec. 6. Michigan State is one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25, with the others being No....

13+ hour, 31+ min ago (369+ words) The holiday traditions and memories that stick with us are the one that have a good story behind them. Why is that ornament so special? Where did you find this recipe? And, how did you choose your Christmas tree? Add some adventure to that last answer and regale your holiday guests with the tales of searching through the forest for just the right tree. The U.S. Forest Service allows you to cut your own Christmas tree with purchase of a $5 permit. Permits are available now through Dec. 31. Michigan is home to three national forests totaling more than 3 million acres across both peninsulas. Make a pitstop: Michigan general store tucked into a national forest has a surprisingly big bourbon collection Each tree is a story and a conservation effort. The permit program helps thin densely populated stands of small-diameter trees, according to…...

15+ hour, 54+ min ago (272+ words) A powerful storm system is set to impact Michigan over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the timeline for heavy snow starting in one area by Tuesday. Ahead of the storm, the first Winter Storm Watches have been issued for part of Michigan. While all of Michigan could see some snow with this incoming system, parts of Michigan are expected to get socked. This includes the Upper Peninsula. The National Weather Services says 12 inches or more of heavy and blowing snow is possible between Tuesday night and Thursday morning. This area is now under a Winter Storm Watch. It includes the western U.P. counties of Keweenaw, Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga and Gogebic. Winds gusting to 45 mph in this area are going to be the big issue when paired with the heavy snowfall. "Travel could be very difficult to impossible," the NWS said in the…...

17+ hour, 29+ min ago (767+ words) LAS VEGAS " The Wolverines are in town for the next few days, where they'll spend most of their time inside a hotel and casino at the south end of the Las Vegas strip. Unlike other tourists, they're guaranteed to make big money. Michigan is participating in the second annual Players Era Championship, an 18-team event designed to be the premier early-season showcase on the men's college basketball calendar while providing millions of dollars in NIL money to players. Michigan opens against San Diego State on Monday (10 p.m. ET, 7:30 local, TruTV) and will face Auburn on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT) in a rematch from last year's Sweet 16. The opponent for a third game, likely Wednesday but potentially Thursday, will be based on the results of the first two days. The action on the court should be entertaining. The mechanisms in play behind the…...

21+ hour, 4+ min ago (668+ words) ANN ARBOR " Michigan senior tight end Marlin Klein grew up in Germany and attended high school in Georgia, but even he knows how Matt Patricia is widely viewed in Michigan. Patricia had a rocky three-year stint as the Detroit Lions" head coach, posting a 13-29-1 record before getting fired after Week 12 of the 2020 season. But despite his shortcomings as a head coach, the 51-year-old three-time Super Bowl champion has a lengthy track record of overseeing elite defenses. He returned to the college level this offseason for the first time since 2003 and has Ohio State"s defense producing at levels rarely seen in the NCAA. The top-ranked Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) haven"t experienced any type of national championship hangover, winning 10 straight games by at least 18 points since their 14-7 season-opening victory over then-No. 1 Texas. The defense, despite losing eight NFL draft picks from…...

21+ hour, 28+ min ago (835+ words) Michigan wildlife officials are expanding their work with tribal nations to help restore more wild rice to the state's lakes and streams. Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) experts and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) spent the last decade working together to sow thousands of pounds of manoomin " the Anishinaabe word for wild rice. It's an important cultural food long foraged by Native communities and is also known to provide critical habitat for migratory waterfowl. Today the effort has grown into new partnerships with more tribal nations to help restore the keystone aquatic plant to more places in Michigan's natural environment. "It's an ongoing effort and every year our partnerships and collaborations grow," said Erin Johnston, KBIC wildlife and habitat manager. The DNR took the lead in 2025 on spreading about 2,200 pounds of wild rice seed in the western U.P. In…...

21+ hour, 56+ min ago (1406+ words) KENT COUNTY, MI - "Is that legal?" The question buzzed around Beryl Bartkus when she began telling the Lowell community about her campaign for city council. Her husband of 37 years, Eric Bartkus, already had a council seat. If voters elected Beryl Bartkus on Nov. 4, the pair would serve together for at least two years. While not illegal, the situation is relatively rare in Michigan. At first when she heard the question repeatedly, Bartkus said she came home feeling tired, even joking about coming up with funny answers like, "no, it's not legal. It's a felony." But it also got her thinking. Why was she running? Bartkus said her answer quickly became about acknowledging that her husband is on city council, "and I think he's doing a really good job, but we are two totally different people." "Yes, we're married. Yes, I…...

1+ day, 4+ hour ago (301+ words) If Michigan's going to pull off another win over Ohio State, it will have to do it as an underdog. The Wolverines were 11-point underdogs when the market opened this morning in Las Vegas for Saturday's game in Ann Arbor (12 p.m., FOX), with the spread still hovering around double digits Sunday evening. As of this writing, BetMGM and FanDuel both listed No. 1-ranked Ohio State as 10.5-point favorites and a total of 44.5 points, while DraftKings was offering the Buckeyes as 11.5-point favorites and 44.5 as the total. Last year, Michigan scored an improbable 13-10 upset win over the Buckeyes despite having a 6-5 record and closing as 19.5-point underdogs. The win not only shocked the college football world, but marked the Wolverines' fourth straight victory in the rivalry. Ohio State would go on to the win national championship. This year, Michigan finds itself still…...

1+ day, 14+ hour ago (519+ words) Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz feels a kinship with Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith. Smith earned respect from coaches nationally working his way from a walk-on quarterback to an assistant coach to head coach at his alma mater, Oregon State, before taking over at Michigan State. Smith is closing in on the end of his second season with the program and has an 8-15 overall record " vacated wins withstanding " and sits one loss away from the program's first winless season in Big Ten play since 1958. Ferentz, the longest-tenured coach in college football, knows something about extreme failure in the early days of a Big Ten job. When he arrived at Iowa in 1999, he took over a three-win team and they were even worse his first season. The Hawkeyes went 1-10 in Year 1 " winless in Big Ten play " and 3-9 the following season before getting…...

1+ day, 22+ hour ago (317+ words) Michigan's convincing win over Maryland yesterday has it moving up in the polls. The Wolverines jumped three spots to No. 15 in the newest AP Top 25 unveiled on Sunday, leapfrogging Southern Cal and Texas in the process, improving their chances of moving into the College Football Playoff field. Michigan (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) was 18th last week in the all-important CFP rankings, with a due poll due out Tuesday night. MLive's Aaron McMann, one of 66 media members with a vote in the AP poll, ranked the Wolverines 16th this week. The top of the AP poll remains unchanged, with Ohio State claiming the top spot, followed by idle Indiana (2), Texas A&M (3) and Georgia (4). The annual Michigan-Ohio State showdown is set for Saturday in Ann Arbor (12 p.m., FOX), a prime opportunity for Sherrone Moore's team to rocket up the rankings. A third Big Ten team, Oregon,…...