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Morning Buzz: 5 things to know for Jan. 19

Posted at 10:46 AM, Jan 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-19 10:46:30-05

1. It looks like Michigan is out of the running to be the home for Amazon's new headquarters.

The company narrowed down the list of cities to the top 20 finalists, but Detroit and Grand Rapids didn't make the cut.

Most of the contenders are well-known cities like New York, Atlanta, and Boston. They're all east of the Mississippi River, except Los Angeles and Denver. Toronto was the only city outside the U.S. to make the cut.

Amazon is planning to invest more than $5 billion into its new HQ and hire as many as 50,000 people.

The company says it will take a closer look at each finalist and make a final decision some time this year.

2. The flash and thunderous boom over southeast Michigan on Tuesday has been called a meteor, until now.

At least three pieces of the meteor have been found, changing the description to meteorites.

They were found on a lake south of Howell. The team searching for the meteorites comprised of three from Longway Planetarium in Flint and two from Farmington Community Stargazers.

These meteorites are pieces of the early formation of our solar system. The chunks are probably four to five billion years old.

3. Some local organizations are coming together to give kids a chance to learn more about nature. Blanford Nature Center is teaming up with the Downtown Market to host "Nature Day" this weekend.

It's happening Saturday at the Downtown Market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kids will get the chance to get up close with some animals, and learn how a greenhouse operates. The event is free for the entire family to attend.

To learn more information, visit downtownmarketgr.com.

4. Researchers in Antarctica got a surprise when a penguin jumped onto their rubber boat.

The little fella made a quick guest appearance before jumping back into the ocean, but that wouldn't be their last visitor of the day.

Eight penguins visited the researchers during the course of the day as they collected water samples. Now that's a fun day at work!

5. If you've ever wanted to dress like celebrities, now's your chance. Starting today, Ebay is auctioning off 39 black dresses and tuxes that celebrities wore at the Golden Globes this year.

Three dresses will be sold via a "sweepstakes" where people can donate $25 for a chance to win.

The funds will be donated to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, which supports people dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace.