Category: 3. Business

Kettering University and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) have named 19 Kettering students to represent the University’s latest class of Michigander Scholars. The innovative Michigander Scholars program offers scholarships of $5,000 and up to $10,000 to qualifying scholars who complete a Co-op (or internship) and/or accept a full-time position as a computer, electrical, or process engineer, or as a software developer (or a similar job title) with a participating company.

Employers such as Ford, GM, BorgWarner, Bosch, Hemlock Semiconductor, Magna, Mahle, Nissan, Our Next Energy Inc., and ZF are investing in this growing talent pipeline to ensure a steady flow of skilled professionals ready to contribute to next-generation mobility, energy, and manufacturing sectors.

The Michigander Scholars program strengthens Michigan’s innovation ecosystem by connecting high-achieving students in tech and engineering with the state’s leading employers. Through career mentorship, industry engagement, and paid experiential learning, including Kettering University’s signature Co-op program, the initiative fosters early and ongoing relationships between students and companies that shape Michigan’s future economy.

The first of its kind in the United States, this program represents an unprecedented public-private partnership with some of Michigan’s leading advanced manufacturing employers and universities. This MEDC initiative is a vital talent retention strategy that fills in-demand jobs in the semiconductor and electric vehicle industries, which are essential to Michigan’s economic growth.

This class of Michigander Scholars includes:

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

• Leonardo Durasevic, Chesterfield, Dakota High School, Class of 2028, Mechanical Engineering
• Yusef El-Sheikh, Canton, Plymouth High School, Class of 2028, Electrical Engineering
• Sumukh Kallur, Novi, Novi High School, Class of 2028, Mechanical Engineering
• Briana Lapuz, Farmington Hills, Mercy High School, Class of 2027, Electrical Engineering
• Josiah Thompson, Macomb Township, Parkway Christian School, Class of 2028, Computer Science
• Brandon White, Livonia, Churchill High School, Class of 2029, Electrical Engineering

GENERAL MOTORS

• Jordan Ceperov, Saline, Saline High School, Class of 2028, Mechanical Engineering
• Paul Ibegbu, Canton, Divine Child High School, Class of 2028, Computer Engineering
• Alyssa Shelton, Fenton, Hartland High School, Class of 2026, Mechanical Engineering*
• Ashmit Swarnkar, Novi, Detroit Catholic Central High School, Class of 2027, Mechanical Engineering
• Evan Thompson, Highland, Milford High School, Class of 2028, Computer Science
• Aaliyah Washington, Lansing, Waverly High School, Class of 2027, Industrial Engineering
• Alexander Yolles, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, Fair Lawn High School, Class of 2024, Electrical Engineering*

HEMLOCK SEMICONDUCTOR

• Elijah Rowland, Owosso, Flushing High School, Class of 2027, Mechanical Engineering

MAGNA

• Maddison Bourbeau, Grand Blanc, Grand Blanc High School, Class of 2027, Mechanical Engineering
• Kianna Lucas, Spring, Texas, Class of 2026, Engineering
• Giuseppe Waller, Ypsilanti, Plymouth Christian Academy, Class of 2028, Mechanical Engineering

MAHLE

• Andrew Johnson, Columbiaville, Lapeer High School, Class of 2027, Mechanical Engineering

MOBIS

• Aidan Petras, Sterling Heights, Stevenson High School, Class of 2026, Computer Engineering

* Student was awarded a $10,000 full-time scholarship and will complete a Co-op (or internship) and/or accept a full-time position as a computer, electrical, or process engineer, or as a software developer (or a similar job title) with a participating company.

The Airbus A350-900 entered commercial service with Emirates in January 2025. And now, 12 months on, an additional five routes have been announced on the equipment. It’ll fly from Dubai to Cape Town, Copenhagen, Phuket, Rome Fiumicino, and Taipei. It comes as the Gulf giant removes the A380 from Copenhagen, while Etihad Airways adds a brand-new unusual European route.

According to ch-aviation.com, Emirates’ commercial fleet consists of 272 aircraft. Some 260 of these are passenger-configured, while 12 are freighters (including one frame that’s undergoing conversion). Its passenger subfleet consists of 118 Boeing 777-300ERs, 116 A380s, 16 A350-900s, and ten 777-200LRs.

Emirates’ Five New A350 Routes

They are as shown above and summarized below. Some caution is needed. None of the routes are new to Emirates’ network, but all are new to seeing the A350. However, there are three significant developments.

First, the type means Copenhagen will have a twice-daily frequency for the first time. It’ll help compete with Etihad, whose Copenhagen frequency recently rose to daily, with the route to see the 787-9 rather than the A321LR during the summer. Second, Emirates will fly three times daily to Cape Town for the first time in seven years. Third, the ever-popular tourist resort gateway of Phuket will have three daily flights for the first time.

Phuket’s development is particularly notable. Emirates’ expansion comes as Etihad’s frequency jumped to more or less three daily in late 2024 and increased to four daily departures in late 2025. The A321LR, which currently serves Phuket daily, will operate half of Etihad’s flights from April.

Emirates Plans 25 A350 Routes In 2026 (For Now)

The Gulf carrier currently has 16 A350-900s. Each frame is in a three-class layout, with business, premium economy, and economy seats. They’re in two configurations: 298 seats—which is the airline’s lowest-capacity equipment—and 312 seats. When combined, the Airbus twinjet will be deployed to 25 airports from Dubai. This is what’s known as of January 9, and it will, of course, change.

Seven additional airports are due to see it in 2026. There are the five places mentioned above, along with two more. On January 11, the type will take off for Montreal, with the daily service replacing the 777-200LR. The 298-seater will be deployed, providing a much-improved offering compared to what is currently used.

On February 8, the A350 will be deployed to London Gatwick. When other equipment is included, the type’s arrival means Emirates will have a total of four daily flights to the UK’s second-busiest airport and 12 to 13 to London. The additional service to Gatwick will arrive at 8:50 pm (9:30 pm during the summer) and leave at the highly unusual time of 11:55 pm. It’ll be the airline’s latest departure from Europe to Dubai.

Pure Speculation: Will Seattle Be Emirates First A350 Destination In The US?

The A350 has replaced or will replace the 777-200LR on multiple routes. That is not surprising. After all, they have similar total capacities, while the 200LRs are pretty old (they average nearly 18 years) and will be replaced. While its A350s are significantly more expensive ownership-wise, they burn far less fuel. And they benefit from having premium economy cabins—especially important on long-haul routes—and the airline’s latest products.

Is it a coincidence that Emirates has just revealed that the 200LR will replace the 777-300ER to Seattle? The long route’s seat load factor is not impressive, with the downgauge cutting 8% of the available seats, which should help with loads and yields. The equipment switch means Seattle loses premium economy—something the A350 has. I’d not be surprised to see the Airbus twinjet flying to Seattle.

Published on January 09, 2026

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, the Brentwood Historic Commission will present the 15th Annual “Battle of the Minds” Sarah Bayrd American History Bowl, hosted by WSMV Meteorologist Dan Thomas, at Brentwood City Hall.

This popular event, fashioned after the game show Jeopardy, was developed to instill local high school students with a greater awareness and love of history. This year’s competitors include teams from Brentwood High School, Franklin High School, Nolensville High School, Page High School, Ravenwood High School, and Summit High School.

During the competition, Chuck Sherrill, former Tennessee State Librarian, will ask the teams several history-related questions. Students will buzz in quickly to provide the correct answer. Last year, Ravenwood students answered the most questions correctly, earning the team $800 and the coveted History Bowl Trophy.

The community is invited to City Hall that evening to watch the event. The History Bowl will also be broadcast on the Brentwood Historic Commission and City of Brentwood’s Facebook pages. A rebroadcast will be available in the days following the event on Brentwood TV, which airs on BTV, Comcast Cable Channel 19.

In the event of snow or severe weather, the event will be rescheduled for March 5.

For more information, contact the city at info@brentwoodtn.gov.

 

“Nonetheless, as concentration has risen, so has the idiosyncratic risk embedded in the S&P 500 and investor dependence on the continued strength of the largest US companies,” Snider adds.

Are US stocks in a bubble?

“The US equity market’s current combination of elevated valuations, extreme concentration, and strong recent returns rhymes with a handful of overextended equity markets during the last century,” according to Goldman Sachs Research. But even though some of the most notable financial market booms over the past 100 years were followed by steep declines in equities, some features of those episodes are missing today.

For example, speculative trading activity rose sharply in 2025 but remains well below the highs of 2000 or 2021. Broad-based equity flows have recently been subdued.

In contrast with the booms of 2000 and 2021, IPO activity in 2025 was modest, although Goldman Sachs Research expects volumes to increase in 2026. Leverage on corporate balance sheets is rising but remains low relative to history.

What are the biggest risks to the US stock market in 2026?

The biggest risks to an equity market rally are weaker than expected economic growth or a hawkish shift by the Fed. “Neither appears likely in the near future,” Snider notes.

Goldman Sachs Research forecasts US GDP to grow 2.7% this year, and our economists expect the Fed to make two rate cuts of 25 basis points each (as of January 6).

Historically, the S&P 500 P/E multiple has risen by an average of 5%-10% during 12-month periods of stable or accelerating US economic growth; has risen by a similar 5%-10% magnitude during periods of non-recessionary rate cuts; and has increased by roughly 10%-15% when both conditions occurred simultaneously, according to Goldman Sachs Research.

What does AI spending mean for US stocks?

Also among the key risks to stock market returns are the trajectory of AI capex, returns on that investment spending, and the impact of AI adoption. The largest public hyperscale tech companies had roughly $400 billion of capital expenditures in 2025, nearly 70% more than 2024.

Goldman Sachs Research expects AI investment to continue to increase this year. But as capex is on track to reach 75% of cash flows—similar to tech company expenditures in the late 1990s—spending growth going forward will increasingly rely on debt funding.

“History shows a mixed track record regarding the eventual success of first movers in periods of major technological innovation,” Snider writes. “While odds are good that some of today’s largest companies achieve that success, the magnitudes of current spending and market caps alongside increasing competition within the group suggest a diminishing probability that all of today’s market leaders generate enough long-term profits to sufficiently reward today’s investors.”