Michigan, Macomb County | featured news

SILVIS, Illinois >> Michael Kim took a four-shot lead Friday at the John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities, which was suspended twice because of weather concerns.Kim, who is winless in 84 career PGA Tour starts, was 16 under through 35 holes, with the second round to be completed Saturday morning.

SPARTA, Ky. >> Kentucky Speedway's winners club is seeking new members.The biggest challenge is a demanding screening process.Just four NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won the seven 400-mile events at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have combined for five wins and were favored here last July, but Martin Truex Jr.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia >> How do you stay motivated for the game no one wants to play? England and Belgium have different answers.After both were eliminated in the World Cup semifinals, a once-in-a-lifetime chance gone, the teams have to play again in Saturday's third-place game.As always in English football, coach Gareth Southgate and his men are looking back to the England team which won the World Cup in 1966.

MOSCOW >> Kylian Mbappe has electrified the World Cup with his speed and youthful exuberance. Luka Modric has coolly controlled matches in Russia with his graceful play in the middle.Whether France wins its second title in 20 years or Croatia raises the trophy for the first time Sunday at the Luzhniki Stadium in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin and nearly a billion television viewers could turn on the play of the two stars.

PLANO, Texas >> Walt Coleman doesn't see the revamped catch rule as a big change for NFL game officials because the veteran referee believes they've already been calling catches the new way.If anything, Coleman figures there will be fewer reviews of their rulings."Most of the calls that seemed to create the most controversy, we ruled them correctly and then they were overturned on replay," Coleman said Friday as officials gathered for their annual preseason meeting in the Dallas area.

LONDON >> To say that Kevin Anderson won this interminable Wimbledon semifinal, and that John Isner lost it, didn't really seem fair. To Anderson, anyway.They had played on and on, through 6 1/2 hours of ho-hum hold after ho-hum hold, during the second-longest match in the history of a tournament that began in 1877, all the way until the never-ending serving marathon did, finally, end at 26-24 in the fifth set Friday, with Anderson claiming the most important of the 569 points - the last.

CHARTRES, France >> Peter Sagan thrust his arm and fist forward like Superman.Chris Froome calmly dropped back to his team car to get his seat adjusted by a mechanic.Other riders chatted as they admired the rolling countryside.With nearly six hours in the saddle and hardly any action until the finale, there was plenty of time to relax and fool around during the longest stage of the Tour de France on Friday.

UTICA >> Right-handed pitcher Pete Grasso threw 5.0 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and striking out three, while Gunnar Buhner went 2-for-3, with a sacrifice fly and RBI to lead the Eastside Diamond Hoppers (12-12) to a narrow 3-2 victory over the Utica Unicorns (12-13) in front of a lively crowd on Thursday night at Jimmy John's Field.

Michigan's newest state troopers have graduated from the Michigan State Police (MSP) 134th Trooper Recruit School. Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP, administered the Oath of Office and Governor Rick Snyder gave the keynote address during the ceremony at the Lansing Center, according to a press release from the MSP.

A Michigan Department of Transportation grant awarded to the Macomb County Department of Roads will improve congestion around the M-53/23 Mile Road interchange and allow for job growth in the area.A Transportation Economic Development Fund grant totaling $1.647 million will leverage more than $102 million in private investment, at a private to public ratio of more than 62-to-1, according to state officials.