We’re only five days into 2026, and already a lot has happened. And with the midterms set to take place in November, it’s only going to get wilder from here.

But before we get fully into this new year, we have to say one last goodbye to 2025 by putting some lingo behind us, thanks to the help of a Michigan university.

Every year, Lake Superior State University puts a hard stop on some of the year’s most overused words and phrases, with their “Banished Words List.” In the tradition’s 50th year, one phrase shot straight to the top. Can you guess what it is? 

Read on for the answer, right after our roundup of headlines.

Plus: Would you support a ballot initiative banning political contributions from Michigan utilities?

Minimum wage hike in Michigan (Axios Detroit): Minimum wage hikes took effect Jan. 1 in Michigan, boosting pay for more than 8.3 million workers nationwide. The state minimum wage rose to $13.73 an hour, with a scheduled increase to $15 by 2027. Along with Michigan, 18 other states saw minimum wage increases in the new year. For the first time, more workers now live in states with a $15 minimum wage than in states still stuck at the $7.25 federal rate.

Michigan leaders react to Venezuela strikes (MLive): Michigan’s congressional delegation split sharply after the US strike in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who now face criminal charges in New York. Democrats, including Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, and Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell questioned the legality and warned against another unauthorized war. Meanwhile, Republicans like Reps. Tim Walberg and John James praised the operation, calling Maduro a narco-terrorist and describing the strike as precise and without a prolonged conflict.

Lions beat Bears in season finale (Freep): Jared Goff threw for 331 yards, and Detroit played its sharpest defense in weeks, beating the Bears 19–16 on a last-second Jake Bates field goal in Chicago. While already eliminated from the playoffs, the win snapped a three-game drought and closed the season at 9–8, giving the Lions four straight winning seasons for the first time since 1969–72. Detroit finished fourth in the NFC North but swept Chicago and now holds the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft.

This Dictionary.com page shows the newest word of the year “6-7” on a computer screen, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

By The Associated Press

Respondents to an annual Michigan college survey of overused and misused words and phrases say “6-7” is “cooked” and should come to a massive full-stop heading into the new year.

Those are among the top 10 words on the 50th annual “Banished Words List,” released Jan. 1 by Lake Superior State University. The tongue-in-cheek roundup of overused slang started in 1976 as a New Year’s Eve party idea, and is affectionately called the list of “Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”

Around 1,400 submissions came from all 50 states and a number of countries outside the US, including Uzbekistan, Brazil and Japan, according to Lake Superior State.

Also in the top 10 are “demure,” “incentivize,” “perfect,” “gift/gifted,” “my bad,” and “reach out.” “My bad” and “reach out” also made the list decades ago — in 1998 and 1994, respectively.

“The list definitely represents the fad and vernacular trends of the younger generation,” said David Travis, Lake Superior State University president. “Social media allows a greater opportunity to misunderstand or misuse words. We’re using terms that are shared through texting, primarily, or through posting with no body language or tone context. It’s very easy to misunderstand these words.”

Jump straight to the list here, or…

If you spent the holidays trying to avoid the news, you might have missed this recent story from The ’Gander’s Kyle Kaminski on a new ballot effort to bar the state’s biggest utilities from making political donations. 

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Karel Vega with a feature story from The Associated Press. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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