TGIF! Enjoy the holiday weekend!

🌧️ Today's weather: Showers and thunderstorms likely, with a high of 82 and a low of 65.

🎂 Happy early birthday to our member William Morris!

Situational awareness: A tornado may have touched down on Detroit's east side, among the areas most damaged by yesterday's storms, the Free Press reports.

• No injuries were reported on the east side, though a person on the west side was injured when a tree fell on a home and crushed it.
• The National Weather Service plans to release findings today on whether winds or a full-on tornado caused the damage.

📆 Programming note: We're off Monday for Labor Day, but we'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday.

Today's newsletter is 1,100 words — a 4-minute read.

Michigan's massive cyclospora outbreak has made some shoppers think harder about where their produce comes from.

Why it matters: Metro Detroit's farmers markets offer a chance to buy closer to the source — and ask questions directly of the people selling your food.

State of play: The outbreak has eased since its early-summer peak. Michigan health officials have reported 14,718 cases and say new case reports continue to slow.

• MDHHS says residents can continue routine produce consumption and handling practices.

What they're saying: Amanda Shreve, executive director of the Michigan Farmers Market Association, says the biggest advantage for shoppers is knowing who grew their food and how it was handled before they bought it.

• Produce sold directly by farmers is typically harvested more recently, travels a shorter distance and passes through fewer hands, reducing some opportunities for contamination.
• "The benefit of the farmers market certainly starts with transparency and traceability," Shreve tells Axios.

Reality check: "Local" doesn't automatically mean "safe," MDHHS spokesperson Laina Stebbins tells Axios. Cyclospora contamination can happen anywhere through contaminated water or poor sanitation practices.

• The department says there's no specific proximity to a grower or supplier that guarantees safety.

What to ask: Shreve recommends asking where the produce came from and what happened after it was picked — including whether it was washed or refrigerated.

At the market: Dan Prielipp of Prielipp Farms and Greenhouse in Britton tells Axios he hasn't noticed a big increase in questions from shoppers this summer.

• His advice for shoppers is straightforward. Ask: "Did you grow this?"
• At his stand at the Oakland County Farmers Market, the answer is yes: "We grow what we sell."

Zoom in: Mike Hinebrook, of West Bloomfield, says the outbreak has changed his habits. He asks farmers where their produce was grown and has stopped ordering salads at restaurants.

• "I'm a vegetarian, so that hurts me," Hinebrook tells Axios.

The bottom line: Wash produce before eating it, regardless of whether it came from your backyard, a farmers market or a grocery store, Shreve says.

Yemeni coffee cafes have expanded beyond Metro Detroit as favorites among coffee shop enthusiasts everywhere.

The buzz: Yemeni cafe brands like Qahwah House, Shibam Coffee Co., Qamaria and Haraz Coffee House started in and around Dearborn and have grown to dozens of locations nationwide.

• The number of Yemeni shops increased by 50% last year, making them the fastest-growing coffee sector in the nation, according to Technomic, which listed three Yemeni chains in a recent "Future 50 Growth List."

Case in point: Qamaria, founded in 2019 in Dearborn, started franchising in 2021 and was up to 44 U.S. locations as of 2025, per Technomic data published by Axios.

Flashback: Qahwah House's owner is said to have started the movement back in 2017, according to the Detroit News, which chronicled the trend several years ago.

• It's ballooned even more massively since then.

Zoom in: Dozens of chain and independent Yemeni coffee shops dot our region, from Dearborn, the first Arab-majority city in the U.S., eastward to Grosse Pointe and north to Oakland County's Commerce Township.

• Axios Detroit has featured Qahwati in Ferndale, Haraz (now in Corktown), Awafi Cafe in Hamtramck and others.

Why Yemen? The Middle Eastern country is considered the birthplace of coffee and still supports small growers, many of whom export coffee to relatives who run U.S. cafes.

Big draws: Pastries (including enticing flavor combinations like Dubai chocolate and Biscoff), delicious and varied drink types, elegant interiors, and a vibe that invites lingering and late hours.

Go deeper: Read the full story, including what to order, from Axios Chicago

🥟 New at Ford Field for football season, fans can download a Mobile Food Passport and collect stamps for trying dishes that represent Detroit's wide-ranging food culture like potstickers, corned beef nachos, smoked wings and more. (Free Press)

📺 U.S. Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers agreed to a second debate. They'll vie for voters' attention Oct. 8 on Grand Rapids' WOOD-TV and Oct. 21 on Detroit's WXYZ. (Detroit News)

👕 105-year-old Detroit menswear store Hot Sam's is launching an in-house clothing line, "HS," which debuted with charcoal and black sets. (Crain's 🔒)

Still without power? You could be in line for a $42 bill credit.

Why it matters: More than 260,000 DTE customers were without power last night after severe storms swept through Metro Detroit.

How it works: Michigan requires utilities to automatically credit customers for sufficiently long outages.

• This week's storms will fall into the "catastrophic" category for DTE, meaning customers qualify for a $42 credit after 96 hours without power, Michigan Public Service Commission spokesperson Matt Helms tells Axios.
• Customers receive another $42 for every additional 24 hours without power.

By the numbers: Michigan utility customers received nearly $8.5 million in outage credits in 2024 — seven times the amount paid in 2022, before the state made the credits automatic.

What to do: You don't have to apply. If you think you're owed a credit but don't see it within one or two billing cycles, contact your utility or submit an inquiry through the Michigan Attorney General's office.

A new era of Michigan State football begins tonight when the Spartans host Toledo in Pat Fitzgerald's first game as head coach.

State of play: Fitzgerald takes over a revamped roster featuring 62 newcomers as MSU tries to turn the page after four straight losing seasons.

• Kickoff is 8pm at Spartan Stadium on FS1.

What's next: Kyle Whittingham's coaching debut for No. 16 Michigan is Saturday night against Western Michigan at the Big House.

• Kickoff is 7:30pm on NBC.

Our picks:

🎙️ Joe is here for Pablo Torre's victory lap.

🌬️ Annalise and her dog both found it scary yesterday when the trees went still and then the wind and rain came blowing in.

Edited by Larry Graham.