News@noon: Bitter Wolverines; showdown in Macomb
Today is Monday, Nov. 28, 2016, and it's that time! Today, the Detroit Goodfellows are out selling newspapers for charity. Buy one and help make sure that every kid can have a Christmas.

Learn more about what the Goodfellows do here. Here's what we are following today:
What could have been
- Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines are bitter, for a lot of reasons. Bitter they had a lead and an enormous opportunity and let it slip away, bitter at perceived injustices, bitter that the Buckeyes found another crushing way to beat them.
- Do the Wolverines deserve more? Ah, the loaded question, reloaded and unloaded in Harbaugh’s seething commentary on “outrageous” calls by the officials. Answer, probably, but not because of the officiating.
- The Wolverines are a catch for any postseason appearance with their strong alumni base, and they drive television ratings. Based on most bowl projections, Michigan will be playing in the Orange Bowl, a New Year’s Six Bowl, against Florida State on Dec. 30.
Election redux
- President-elect Donald Trump is claiming, without evidence, that millions of people voted illegally in the election he won, issuing the baseless claim as part of his angry response to a recount effort led by the Green Party and joined by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
- One of those places being targeted by Stein is Michigan, where she has almost reached her goal to pay for a hand recount.
- Stein has hired former Michigan Democratic Party chairman Mark Brewer as her attorney in the recount. She says she plans to file her request by Wednesday’s recount deadline.
Teacher retirement on the line
- Republican lawmakers could be headed next month for a showdown with public-sector unions about how to ensure the financial stability of school teachers’ retirement health care costs.
- In the lame-duck session that is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof may pursue a proposal to switch future public teacher and local government employees’ retirement health plans to 401(k)-style or defined-contribution plans that would be less costly for the state.
Showdown in Macomb
Warren Mayor James Fouts renewed allegations Sunday that Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel is "covering up" illegal dumping at a former Sterling Heights landfill. Fouts wants a state probe into the matter, but reached Sunday, Hackel countered the accusations have little, if any, substance. Another official, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor, criticized Fouts for "blowing things out of proportion."
The Kmart scar
- While defunct Kmarts in Bloomfield Hills, Woodhaven and other Metro Detroit cities have been resurrected as new enterprises, many vacant Kmart buildings pepper the region. The very nature of the aging buildings, often massive structures tailor-made to house Kmarts, makes them hard to fill with other retail. Here's what some cities are doing to help.
Holiday shopping
- Today is Cyber Monday, but with so many sites and stores offering early deals, we question whether the day can maintain its shopping crown.
- Holiday shoppers spent less money over the Black Friday weekend than in 2015, another sign that U.S. consumers remain wary about opening their wallets without deep discounts.
Detroit News at noon is a daily roundup of the most talked-about stories on detroitnews.com. For more anytime, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram (@detroitnews), Snapchat (Search for "Detroitnews") and LinkedIn.