Flint TSA agents receive gift as shutdown lingers   The longest shutdown in U.S. government history has put essential government employees in a precarious financial position. They haven't been paid since the shutdown went into effect, but they still must show up to work to do their jobs. TSA agents at Bishop International Airport are living that struggle. But never underestimate the power of human kindness. A Fenton couple walked in the door Thursday and and gave a $50 gift card to every TSA agent at the Flint airport. MORE ►Flint aviation workers picket government shutdown ►5 ways shutdown will effect Michigan

Under Proposal A, state ranks last for spending growth for public schools   Michigan's system for funding public schools has produced the largest decline in spending in the nation. According to a new analysis by Michigan State University, after an initial boost to public school funding in the 1990s, total revenue for Michigan schools has declined by 30 percent since 2002 when adjusted for inflation. MORE

Let's take a look at the Lions rookie report card hat The Detroit Lions need a number of things to go right in order to become one of the NFL's marquee teams. (We're talking not just making the playoffs but winning a couple postseason games.) Tops on that list is finding quality players in every round of the annual NFL Draft. Here's our breakdown of how last year's rookies fared. MORE ►Key offseason dates for Lions, rest of NFL

  

Michigan woman creates American flag wall out of pennies   Kayla Dominique didn't have the money to install a stone barrier behind her wood stove. Trying to come up with a more cost-effective alternative, the Cement City woman decided she could spare $77 to create her own patriotic wall. That $77 came in the form of 7,700 pennies that Dominique used to craft an American Flag design on the barrier. Now, she has a fireproof wall and a unique piece of art that is worth more than the sum of its pennies. MORE ►Video: American flag wall made of 7,700 pennies