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It was cold. It was wet. It was a great day Saturday to warm up with a run through the streets of Grand Rapids during the 2018 River Bank Run. The largest 25K in the country kicked off with temperatures in the low 40s and a wind chill in the upper 30s. But runners are hardy (read: crazy) and thousands took to downtown GR for the 41st running of the event. Aliphine Tuliamuk's amazing story continued with her third win in a row. An 11-year-old won the women's 5K race. The legacy of former Michigan State All-American punter Mike Sadler lived on with a fundraiser. And, really, the weather wasn't any worse than what competitors faced at this year's Boston Marathon. MORE

VP Pence gives keynote address at Hillsdale College graduation

Vice President Mike Pence praised graduates and touted the positive direction of the country Saturday during Hillsdale College's 166th Commencement. Pence gave the keynote address, and he and his wife, Karen, were awarded honorary doctorates during the ceremony, which marked the achievements of 367 grads. Pence saved some of his most glowing remarks for the college, calling Hillsdale a "beacon of liberty and American ideals." MORE

U-M students go off the grid with straw-bale building

If you construct a building out of straw, you better be prepared to hear jokes about the three little pigs. But today's straw bale buildings are a far cry from the fairy tale structures of our youth. University of Michigan students are constructing the first off-the-grid building on campus in Ann Arbor. One of the main building materials is bales of straw, which will provide the insulation for the 600-square-foot building. MORE

Pistons prepare for draft lottery, combine without coach, president

The NBA Draft Lottery is Tuesday. The combine runs Wednesday through Saturday. The Detroit Pistons don't figure to be busy at either event this year after trading away their first round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers to get Blake Griffin. (The Pistons have a slim chance they land a top three pick in the lottery and get to keep their pick.) However, it still is odd for a franchise to enter this important week with neither a coach or a team president. MORE

Cheers to the apple at Grand Rapids Cider Week

Grand Rapids appreciates good craft beer. However, one week every year, Beer City USA gives its full attention to another craft brewing darling: hard cider. It won't be difficult to find cider on tap or in bottles around GR this week during the appropriately named Grand Rapids Cider Week. Clearly, Johnny Appleseed would be proud with how far we've come as a cider society. (Look it up. His apples weren't for eating. They were for drinking!) MORE