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Counties across the Lower Peninsula from Oscoda in the northeast to Berrien in the far southwest corner endured hardship last month from massive -- and in some cases record-breaking -- flooding that swamped Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder's declaration Monday of a state of disaster for the 17 hardest hit counties and the cities of Grand Rapids and Lansing frees up state resources to help mitigate the ongoing clean up efforts in flood ravaged communities. MORE

Church provides sanctuary to woman facing deportation

Rev. Nathan Dannison said the decision to shelter a woman on the verge of being deported to Pakistan was not political. He and the congregation at Kalamazoo's First Congressional Church were motivated to act in order to keep a family intact. "The amount of affection these individuals have for my mother is comparable only to that of family," said Samad Nadeem, whose mother will live indefinitely in an apartment provided by the church. MORE

Spartans a confident bunch heading into NCAA tournament

Michigan State standout Miles Bridges put his NBA future on hold last April when he decided to return to East Lansing for his sophomore season. The main reason? He wanted to compete for a NCAA title. Bridges and his teammates now believe they are on the cusp of something special entering the 2018 NCAA tournament. MORE
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Michigan teacher salaries see rise for first time in 5 years

The average teacher salary in Michigan was $62,280 in 2016-17. It was the first increase in average salary in five years. That's great for teachers, you might say. However, it is not as simple as 1-2-3, as each district is different, and plenty of caveats litter the road on the way to these numbers. MLive's Julie Mack studies up on the A-B-Cs of teacher salaries in Michigan. MORE
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The highs and lows of Great Lakes water levels

Michigan boasts more than 3,000 miles of shoreline. That is more than any state not named Alaska. So the fluctuations of the Great Lakes is kinda a big deal around these parts. MLive chief meteorologist Mark Torregrossa takes a look at current water levels and the projections for this summer. (Hint: Lake Superior is flirting with an all-time record high.) MORE