5 big issues Michigan officials must resolve to get the budget passed   Michigan lawmakers have until the end of September to pass a budget. While that may seem like a far-off deadline at the moment, there is a lot to address in order to get the job done. Of course, there is the issue of 'fixing the damn roads,' which has already created a rift between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Republicans who run the state legislature. Oh, and that's just the beginning of their differences. MORE ►Michigan governor, legislature still deadlocked on road funding

Michigan church pays off medical bills of nearly 2,000 random families   Next week, nearly 2,000 families in West Michigan will get some great news -- their medical bills are being paid in full with no strings attached. That's because Grand Rapids First Church is paying off more than $1.8 million worth of medical debt with a $15,000 donation to RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that buys and eliminates medical debt. Why pay off the debt of complete strangers? Pastor Sam Rijfkogel says this is why: MORE

Franz Wagner must decide between U-M and pro basketball hat  Will Franz Wagner fill his brother Moritz Wagner's shoes and make his home in Ann Arbor? Or will the younger Wagner follow a different path his older brother briefly took before college, and go straight to playing pro ball in Europe? Apparently the choice to play for Alba Berlin wasn't fulfilling and Moritz left for America to become a Wolverine. Now Michigan fans await the decision of Franz, as they hope to see the name "Wagner" grace a maize and blue jersey once again. MORE ► Michigan basketball alums reunited in NBA Summer League

  

Giant flag to hang from Mackinac Bridge via ingenious reel system   The Fourth of July means many things -- fireworks, barbecue and lots of American flags proudly flown in towns across the country. One especially impressive flag will return to the Mackinac Bridge for the holiday, only this time it will fly from a new reel system designed by the Mackinac Bridge Authority. If you want to see the 30-by-60-foot flag in person, take a ride over the Mighty Mac on Independence Day. MORE ►Michigan cops share hilarious Fourth of July tips: 'No one will watch your grainy fireworks video'