| May 19, 2021 
 Sara Rathbun – the fully vaccinated co-owner of Village Baker in Spring Lake – pulled off her mask Saturday morning and invited her vaccinated customers to do the same. Instead of donning masks, some customers wore “100% vaccinated” stickers, provided by Rathbun. It was the first day under Michigan’s revised mask mandate, which allows fully vaccinated people to not wear masks inside. “They’re all whipping their masks off instantly and saying ‘hooray’ and ‘thank you,’” Rathbun said. While there was celebration at Rathbun’s bakery, the rule change rekindled old mask drama at other Michigan businesses. READ MORE ►Michigan's push for permanent COVID-19 rules sparks battle with business leaders  Oh, to be on the lake during a perfect summer day in Michigan. Which lake calls to you when the temps are high and the sun is shining? Now is the time to show your loyalty for your favorite inland lake in the state. We accepted tons of nominations and now we are onto the voting rounds. No matter where you live or play in Michigan, there is a regional poll for you to vote for your favorite. If you like to travel all across our two peninsulas, and have a fond place in your heart for different bodies of water, you can vote in multiple polls. Check it out, and have fun voting while you dream of those summer days to come: VOTE HERE  For months, the federal Centers for Disease Control had been warning Americans to adhere to COVID-19 mitigation strategies such as wearing a mask indoors even if they are fully vaccinated against the virus. But in a head-spinning announcement last week, the CDC announced the vaccines are effective enough that fully immunized Americans can ditch their masks in most circumstances and return to pre-pandemic life such as indoor dining in restaurants. Wait, what? No more masks? MORE
 Hours after Michigan’s softball team beat Rutgers on Sunday to cap the regular season and a four-game sweep, it gathered to watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show hoping its 36-6 record and Big Ten title would be enough to earn it the right to host a regional. Head Coach Carol Hutchins and the players were dismayed by their tournament draw. The 18th-ranked Wolverines were not one of the top 16 seeds that get to host a regional and will instead travel across the country to Seattle, where Washington is the host school and No. 16 overall seed. Were the Wolverines snubbed? Our Michigan sports experts discuss that and more on the latest Wolverine Confidential podcast.LISTEN HERE  Train trips between Detroit and Chicago will be a little faster starting May 25, as the Amtrak trains will speed up from 79 mph to 110 mph between Kalamazoo and Albion. It joins the stretch of track from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo that’s already been sped up to 110 mph. This will become the longest stretch of track at 110 mph in the United States outside of the northeast, Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said. It’s worth noting that 110 mph is the maximum speed. Trains won’t be going that pace the entire stretch because of curves, stops and other factors, Magliari said. MORE Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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