Pope Francis ushered in the New Year with an appeal for the faithful to reject abortion, calling for a “firm commitment” to protect and respect life from conception to natural death.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on two groups linked to Russian and Iranian disinformation campaigns targeting this year's election.

The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.09 billion after no one matched the latest numbers.

We're separating fact from fiction when it comes to hangover cures.

Southeast Michigan is getting rain and snow showers as people celebrate the new year.

Illinois will usher in 320 new laws on New Year’s Day.

The New Year is almost upon us.

The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year’s Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people.

Airports and highways are expected to be busier this Christmas season than they were a year ago.

The Serbian mother of a Massachusetts woman who has been missing since New Year’s Day and whose husband is charged with murder will ask the United States for official information about her daughter’s disappearance.

The state of Michigan has announced the minimum wage will increase from $9.87 to $10.10 per hour on Jan. 1, 2023.

Always remember to tip your server, if you know what’s good for you.

A vehicle crashed into a restaurant in Detroit on Saturday.

A video captured the moment when a vehicle crashed directly into a Detroit restaurant on Saturday, sending customers fleeing for safety, and hitting others.

French authorities have announced that children six and older will have to wear masks in indoor places open to the public as new cases of the highly contagious omicron variant surge past 200.000 for the fourth consecutive day.

A winter storm will kick off 2022 in Southeast Michigan with several inches of snow expected across the area by Sunday morning.

Your last chance to shop this year at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market is Wednesday.

DETROIT – Crew members on the International Space Station rang in the new year with a very different ball drop Thursday. How do you drop the ball in zero gravity? Turns out you do not. The globe they used for the ball drop went up, not down. The NASA astronauts also got to celebrate the start of 2021 16 times, since the space station orbits the earth every 90 minutes.

“We’ve arrested over 70 impaired drivers this month alone,” said Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw. “We know people are still going out, even if there’s nowhere to go.”Shaw said that number will likely increase on New Year’s Eve. You can drink as much as you want, you can smoke as much as you want. The campaign was started in 1997 after Sandra Latham, a Detroit grandmother, was killed by celebratory gunfire sitting in her dinning room. For the 23rd year, Hood is asking residents to put away their guns and find a safer way to bring in the new year.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The year is almost over and it’s time to celebrate. Wave away 2020 with a big “buh-bye” with these things to do around Ann Arbor on New Year’s Eve. Cut loose with NOW Studios, new to downtown Ann Arbor, at its free virtual NYE express your mess Eleganza Extravaganza. Join Ann Arbor District Library for a kid-friendly New Year’s Eve Celebration! Print out these coloring pages and games courtesy of City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation for some light-hearted fun.

DETROIT – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is asking residents statewide to celebrate New Year’s Eve locally while remaining low-key. Speaking at a COVID briefing Tuesday, Whitmer specifically asked everyone to stay home for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. “We are coming through the end of 2020 in a stronger position than most, because of you,” said Whitmer. Local 4 reporter Kim DeGiulio did a little digging and found out a few things that are safe to do around Metro Detroit for the upcoming holiday.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan officials will not release the number of daily COVID-19 cases or deaths on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, the state announced. On Wednesday (Dec. 23), Michigan announced 3,443 new COVID-19 cases and 70 additional deaths, bringing the state totals to 469,928 cases and 11,775 deaths. The next update won’t come until Saturday (Dec. 26), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced. “We wanted to give MDHHS staff some time off during the holidays,” MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said. The same will be true after New Year’s Day, with new numbers being posted Jan. 2 and Jan. 4.

NHL players have balked at changing the collective bargaining agreement and the league is preparing to open the season Jan. 13 after starting training camp on New Year's Day, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “We are certainly continuing to work through all the issues we would need to resolve to start a season,” Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly said. The league and union agreed to a CBA over the summer that included a 10% salary deferral for the 2021 season and a cap on money left in escrow. Players, however, did not want to renegotiate a deal that’s only a few months old. The league is planning to play between 50 and 60 games in the regular season before beginning the playoffs.

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2020, file photo a 2020 Rose Parade float is seen at the start of the route at the 131st Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. The 2021 Rose Parade is canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but viewers will still get a show with a two-hour television special on New Year's Day, organizers said. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker, File)PASADENA, Calif. – The 2021 Rose Parade is canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but viewers will still get a show with a two-hour television special on New Year’s Day, organizers said. The Tournament of Roses Association said in a Thursday news release that the TV special will include “live-to-tape musical and marching band performances, heartwarming segments related to the Rose Parade, celebrity guest appearances," and highlights from past Rose Bowl football games. The Rose Bowl college football game that traditionally follows the parade is still scheduled for New Year's Day.