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Lindsey Smith

  • Tests show the water is improving overall, but officials aren't ready to publicly declare the water safe again. And even when they do, many residents say they will have a hard time believing it.
  • President Obama visits Flint, Mich., on Wednesday for the first time since the water crisis began. Flint residents are still relying on bottled water and faucet filters to get safe drinking water.
  • A popular summer spot is closed indefinitely because of mysterious holes — one of which temporarily buried a boy — that open and close in less than a day. Scientists have no idea why.
  • More than 16 million American's fought in World War II. There's only about a million of them who are still alive and they're all older than 80. Hundreds are dying each day. A non-profit group has made it their mission to honor these remaining veterans by flying them to Washington, D.C., to visit the World War II memorial. The trip isn't something many veterans at this age can do — or afford — on their own. Since the first "Honor Flight" in 2005, groups in almost every state have followed suit and more than 100,000 vets have taken the journey.
  • Michigan is expected to bring in a record-setting apple crop this year. So how do you sort and package 2,000 Galas in a minute? Farmers have turned to the Rolls Royce of fruit processing: a robot that uses computer vision to weed out the bad apples.
  • Ford Motor Company is making tens of thousands of white-collar retirees decide whether they want to keep getting their pension in monthly installments, or get a lump sum payout. Ford sees the unprecedented move as a way to reduce the company's liabilities.
  • The Palisades Power Plant, one of Van Buren County's biggest employers, has one of the worst safety records in the country. After five unplanned shutdowns in 2011, the plant is now trying to prove to federal regulators that it's up to their standards.
  • The American office furniture maker Steelcase is celebrating its centennial. At its peak in 2001, Steelcase employed 21,000 workers worldwide. Now that's down to 12,000.
  • Christmas tree growers are frustrated that politics are delaying a marketing campaign to promote real trees over artificial. Following four years of work to get it passed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the industry-sponsored real Christmas tree campaign in November. But conservatives quickly branded it as "President Obama's Christmas tree tax," and the program was delayed within days of its approval. There are 18 other commodities — like pork and eggs — with similar generic advertising programs. They show anywhere from a two-to-one to a 10-to-one return on investment.
  • Last June, the city council of Holland voted against adding sexual orientation and gender identity to local anti-discrimination laws. Now, religious leaders and Republicans have joined to pressure the council to change that vote.