If you’ve been avoiding salad this summer, you’re probably not alone. But Consumer Reports says salad doesn’t have to come off the menu -- Welcome to Thursday!
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🍇 Grapevine
🌅 Good morning! On this day in 1920, WWJ 950 AM, “Newsradio 950” first went on the air with the call sign 8MK — widely considered the first radio station to broadcast daily news reports as the “Detroit News Radiophone.”
Here are a few things to know for Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026:
☀️ 4Warn Weather: A beautiful day is on tap across Southeast Michigan today, with sunshine, low humidity and temperatures near 80 degrees. Check out the 10-day forecast.
🚫 Moratorium Fight: A data center developer is suing the city of Gibraltar, alleging officials illegally blocked a proposed facility by enacting a targeted moratorium. Read more about the project here.
🏘️ Wolverine Village: The University of Michigan will open a new residential community on Central Campus this month, adding thousands of beds to its undergraduate housing capacity. View photos here.
🐿️ Wildlife Warning: An iconic bookstore in Downtown Detroit is sounding the alarm after three squirrels were found dead on its property. Read more here.
👯♀️ Locked In: Michigan gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson announced her running mate on Wednesday, naming Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks. Read more here.
🏊 Morning Dive
Good morning ☀️
Headlines about the cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce processed at a Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico are driving demand for locally grown alternatives – with some markets even selling out.
Thousands of people nationwide have gotten sick, and the outbreak has also been linked to two deaths in Michigan, leading many people to avoid lettuce entirely.
However, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says data suggests that new cyclosporiasis case reports are slowing, including a downward trend in diarrhea-related emergency room visits.
But here’s what may put shoppers a little more at ease: Most exposures happened in late June to early July, according to state health officials, and the majority of the contaminated produce is likely off of store shelves.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the recalled products are now past their best-by dates and should no longer be available in stores or restaurants. And Consumer Reports says there’s no evidence people need to avoid lettuce or salad greens in general.
Still, Consumer Reports food-safety expert James Rogers says you should always follow good food safety practices.
🗞️ Other headlines to know today
🌎 Meanwhile
News from around the world via the Associated Press:
The national debt surpassed a record $40 trillion on Wednesday, a staggering milestone as defense costs, social programs like Social Security and Medicare and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending.
The milestone figure was recorded just five months after the U.S. hit a record $39 trillion debt in March. It reached $38 trillion five months before that, in October.
The unprecedented $40 trillion figure highlights competing administration priorities, from boosting defense spending that the U.S. relies on to carry out President Donald Trump’s almost-6-month-old war in Iran to lowering the cost of gas and groceries. (Read more)
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Companies that secretly vary prices based on how much they think individual customers will pay could face federal charges under a proposed policy released Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission.
“When consumers see a listed price, they expect it to be (the) same price that everyone else sees, not the retailer’s estimate of how much they are willing to pay based on their personal data,” FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a statement.
In a preliminary report filed in January 2025, the agency found that grocers, clothing companies and others were using third-party companies to help them individualize online prices based on shoppers’ locations, browsing histories and other factors. (Read more)
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Millions more people may be able to get smaller, lightweight Amazon packages delivered by drones by the end of the year under a plan the company announced Wednesday to expand the airborne shipping to suburban areas in nearly 500 U.S. cities.
Customers could receive the drone deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes, Amazon said in a news release. The drones can carry packages up to 5 pounds.
The plan will intensify the battle between Amazon and Walmart to provide consumers with the fastest delivery times. Both giants rely on a mix of drones and drivers to deliver everything consumers have ordered. (Read more)
---> Find more headlines from around the world right here <---
📝 Word Up
Today’s Word Up is: Praecipe /ˈpre-sə-ˌpē/ (noun) -- defined as “A writ or order directing a person to do something, often used to compel a party to take action.”
Example: “The judge received a praecipe demanding a judgment on the case.”
🧹 Housekeeping
Hey, if you like this newsletter, let us know. We’d love your feedback. We also offer several other newsletters, including 4Warn Weather, All 4 Pets and more. Hopefully, we have one that caters to your interests — unless you’re only interested in toothbrush alternatives. We don’t have one for that, sorry.
✍🏽 Written and curated by: Jenny Sherman (Have something to say? Feel free to send an email here.)
