| July 13, 2021 
 For more than 20 years, businesses across the country have gotten letters in the mail asking them to buy administrative goods and services, such as labor posters or corporate records. Attorneys general have targeted the mailings for years, raising concerns that they look like they’re from the government and that those optional purchases seem mandatory. But businesses who pay for these services are actually sending their money to companies that trace back to three Michigan brothers: Joseph, Steven and Thomas Fata. We dug into the Fata brothers' companies for our new investigative podcast, Mandatory. READ MORE ►MLive debuts investigative podcast tracing a nationwide solicitation network back to three Michigan brothers  Parts of rural Michigan -- including counties along the Indiana/Ohio border and counties just north of Grand Rapids -- are at high risk for COVID-19 outbreaks fueled by the Delta variant, an analysis of vaccination rates shows. Michigan’s COVID-19 numbers have been at record lows in recent weeks, but health officials throughout the state are bracing for the possibility of a new surge fueled by the Delta variant, which is the one that ravaged India during May. Delta is considered the most contagious strain yet of COVID-19, and is estimated to be 40% to 60% more contagious than the B.1.1.7. variant that swept through Michigan in March and April. READ  Universities rarely face long-term, quantifiable consequences when they fail to protect their students from sexual abuse. Despite abuse that persisted for decades before becoming public at Michigan State University in 2017 and Pennsylvania State University a decade ago, the bottom line -- fundraising, enrollment, tuition, licensing and ticket sales -- hasn’t been significantly impacted -- at least not for long. It remains to be seen how one of the largest known sex abuse scandals ever, with accusations by nearly 900 students and athletes spanning four decades at the hands of Dr. Robert Anderson at the University of Michigan, might impact that institution. READ MORE ►Mired in sex scandals, public universities often appear sympathetic, while defecting blame
 Chloe Mitchell is going to jump out of a plane. “Raised by some crazy parents,” she likes roller coasters and surfing and figures free falling 10,000 feet will provide a similar thrill. Oh, and video of the skydive will be posted on her social media channels, another way the college volleyball player with more than 2.6 million followers will make money from her name, image, and likeness. “Accepting and taking a hold of your NIL rights is like jumping out of a plane,” Mitchell said. “It’s scary, but it’s also super fun and you’ll have a great story to tell for the rest of your life.” READ MORE  You will definitely need more hours than sunrise to sunset if you’re going to explore every diverse and flavorful neighborhood that makes up Michigan’s second-largest city. But if you’ve got a little curiosity and an interest in local art and great brews and bites, we’ve got some fun ways you can spend a Michigan’s Best Day in downtown Grand Rapids. An artistic theme has always run through Grand Rapids. It was built by the deft hands of the craftsmen and women behind its Furniture City moniker. Then came its commitment to public art and sculpture, underscored by the city’s signature La Grande Vitesse. And now it flows through the pints and kegs of craft beer produced by skilled brewers who dot Beer City, USA. WATCH Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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