Big names on both sides plan appearances in Michigan   Michigan's status as a battleground state has national figures from the Democratic and Republican parties planning visits ahead of the November election. On Monday, Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James announced Donald Trump Jr. and Kid Rock, among others, will attend his rally next week in Pontiac. On Tuesday, Democratic candidate for Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer announced Bernie Sanders will campaign with her next week at an event in Ann Arbor. MORE ►Governor candidates both look to boost Michigan's middle class

MLive's Crime Stories podcast: Part 3 of 'The Cold Case'   Martha Agnew's family recalls one officer saying her Feb. 17 death was an obvious drug overdose. But the family knew better. Thus begins the third part of our engaging Crime Stories podcast looking into the deaths of two women, 25 years apart, both of whom were connected to Gregory Agnew. Listen to this latest episode or catch up on past ones on iTunes and Soundcloud.  MORE ►His ex-girlfriend vanished 25 years ago. Now his wife is dead.

As the prep football season winds down, here's our Week 8 top 50 hat The final week of the high school football regular season is upon us. This is always an exciting time of year as teams jostle for that all-important sixth win to secure a playoff berth, while others try to earn the required playoff points to gain home field advantage. So. Much. Intrigue! The top of our rankings features the same cast of characters. But would you believe we have a three-loss team in the top 35? We also welcome five newcomers to the list. MORE ►High school player of the year watch list: Week 8 ►College breakdown: No. 3 Ferris State vs. No. 2 Grand Valley State ►MLive's NFL power rankings