| June 14, 2021 
 It’s been 12 weeks since David Ebels died of COVID-19 at age 57. It’s been eight weeks since his 53-year-old brother Paul died of the virus. As co-owners and operators of Ebels Hardware in Falmouth, they were two of the most well-known residents of Missaukee County, prominent members of a prominent family. While most of Michigan is celebrating the winding down of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ebels’ tight-knit, rural community is still reeling from the deaths and trying to make sense of it. The story of the Ebels brothers includes a crucial twist that puts their deaths into a much different context and shows how the pandemic can defy easy narratives. READ MORE ►VIDEO: The low vaccination rates in Missaukee County  BuzzFeed, the Detroit News and Scripps Media, an owner of multiple Michigan TV news stations, have filed a motion asking a federal judge to release secretly made FBI audio recordings related to the alleged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot. Portions of the recordings were played during a Jan. 13 detention hearing for Barry Croft Jr., 45, of Delaware, who is one of 14 men suspected of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year. Based on the First Amendment, an attorney involved in the case said it’s “clear” the portions of the recordings played in court should be made public. READ  Indigenous tribes are asserting their rights under a treaty that predates Michigan’s statehood while pursuing strategies to stop the construction of a new oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. Tribes concerned about the destructive potential of an oil spill in the Great Lakes have long been opposed to Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, which was built in 1953 without their input. As Enbridge moves forward with plans to replace its 68-year-old pipeline with a tunnel buried under the lakebed, members of 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan are using newfound political pressure and legal tools to protect their sacred waters. MORE ►A history of the oil spills and battles around Michigan's Enbridge Pipeline
 Facing the most important race of her young career, Anna Jensen knew not to look at the rower in the next lane. But she knew who it was and smiled – on the inside. Ariana Shokoohi did the same, knowing that the two athletes, almost a handshake’s width apart, were more than 1,300 miles from home in a situation neither could have comprehended less than four years ago. “It’s kind of unbelievable that here we were at the top of our sport, basically next to each other, just like we were when we swam against each other,” Jensen said. READ  Over the past year, the recognition of Juneteenth has continued to grow. The holiday is observed on June 19 because that’s the date in 1865 when Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told slaves of their emancipation -- two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The state of Michigan has recognized Juneteenth since 2005, but it is not an official state holiday. It has been named an official holiday in several Michigan cities, though, and several other spots across the state have celebrations planned. See details on the celebrations: READ Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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