Good morning, Ann Arbor.

Toys"R"Us will open a standalone store at Briarwood Mall (100 Briarwood Circle) on the main level near Von Maur as part of a nationwide expansion before the holiday season; the mall lists it as coming soon with no opening date confirmed.

Washtenaw County's Water Resources Commissioner named nine winners of the 2026 Environmental Excellence Awards, honoring local leaders from WEMU journalist David Fair to schools, nonprofits, and businesses for work on water quality, waste reduction, rain gardens, and composting.

Health providers across Metro Detroit report rising respiratory viruses (rhinovirus, influenza A, COVID-19) causing bronchiolitis, asthma flare-ups, and some gastrointestinal illnesses, and officials urge vaccination, hand washing, and staying home if sick.

Dexter junior Sean Myint scored the overtime, game-winning goal against Chelsea to give Dexter its first district championship since 2023.

His performance earned him Ann Arbor-area Athlete of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 19-24 after he got more than 50% of over 15,000 votes.

Michigan will try to revive its struggling offense against Rutgers at SHI Stadium (12:30 p.m.) as offensive coordinator Jason Beck faces scrutiny after the unit fell to 130th nationally and has scored zero touchdowns recently; Rutgers' top receiver KJ Duff is doubtful and tackle Blake Frazier is day-to-day.

Ann Arbor Pioneer senior Kamari Ronfeldt has the state's No. 4 boys 5K time (14:50.2) as teams head into Lower Peninsula regionals next week, with athletic.net and MLive tracking the statewide leaderboard.

Kerby Joseph was limited at Friday's practice (Allen Park) but returned after reporters left, and the Lions listed him limited to finish his first week back as coaches said they'll slowly ramp him into full practice next week.

Michigan will open its title defense Monday at home against Oakland under new coach Mike Boynton Jr.; his contract requires a Final Four or other benchmarks to guarantee a second season, and while key starters return the team faces depth concerns after freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. tore his ACL (season-ending).