The Detroit Evening Report

Wayne State University launched the Warriors on the Rise program last month that will offer guaranteed enrollment to qualified high school juniors in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

The goal is to increase enrollment of students that come from the school district. Juniors with a 3.0 GPA will be automatically enrolled by DPSCD school officials. Families will then be invited to a meeting with the district to discuss the next steps.

Additional headlines from Thursday, October 9, 2025

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at [email protected].

Detroit officials have opened up a new section of the Joe Louis Greenway. 

About two miles of the greenway’s new additions are spread throughout the city’s west side, running from Joy Road to Chicago Street.   A sculpture of Joe Louis was also unveiled at the trailhead of this section near Grand River and Oakman.

District 7 City Councilman Fred Durhal says the greenway expansion will help bring city residents together. 

“What this project means for our community here is connectivity.  Connectivity to our lives.  Opportunity for our youth, for our seniors—all to come together in a healthy way.”

Mayor Mike Duggan also attended Tuesday's event.  He says the greenway is making a visible difference in city neighborhoods, adding that the name of the project makes sense for Detroit. 

“Whose name could possibly be great enough—whose impact in the city could be great enough that would affect and do justice?  And it wasn’t a hard decision at all.  And so to recognize Joe Louis forever—as my friend Joyce said— 'you named a hockey arena after him and you knocked it down, but greenways are forever.'” 

Duggan says about 6 miles of greenway have been completed and another 6 miles are under construction.  The entire project, when finished, should cover about 27 miles. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, October 8, 2025

"Had you deployed the National Guard again in this city? You're talking about 144 square miles, I doubt anybody would have had the National Guard at 7:30 on a Monday morning at Littlefield in West Chicago. That's not a practical way to do it. But I can assure you that right now, our CVI groups are figuring out who might be looking to retaliate against somebody and intervening."

Duggan praised efforts from community violence intervention programs as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Chalkbeat Detroit reports almost 500 more students showed up on October first than on Count Day last fall. Those numbers may still get a bit higher since the district can count students who show up for school up to 10 days after the designated day.

The final count will be used to determine how much money the district will get from the state.

The Interfaith Leadership Council of Metro Detroit is inviting Metro Detroiters to An Educational Tour of Metro Detroit’s Muslim Faith Communities later this month. Attendees will visit the Muslim Center Mosque and the Islamic Center of America. Lunch and transportation are provided.

The tour is October 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Congress of Communities is encouraging residents to take the Neighborhood Vitality Index survey.

The survey takes about 20 minutes and collects information about the experiences and concerns of Detroit residents – from safety to healthcare to community resources. Survey takers will receive a $25 gift card.

For more information, and to see data from the 2024 survey, go to nvidetroit.org/survey. 

The Legacy Tour will spotlight Black professional excellence and historically Black college and university (HBCU) culture at events in Detroit this weekend.

Attendees will dress to impress at Suits and Stilettos at Fixins Soul Kitchen Friday night. On Saturday, HBCU alum are invited to ‘rock’ their school colors and Greek gear for the Rep Your Legacy Day Party at the Locker Room Lounge.

For tickets and information go to thelegacytour.myle.com.  

Global Detroit is launching the New American Leadership Academy. It’s a free leadership program to empower people of color, with a focus on supporting immigrants, in developing leadership skills.  

Participants will learn how to network and engage their local government in seven sessions between Oct. 28th and Nov. 22.

Interviews will be scheduled with potential participants. Email Summer Baraka at [email protected] for more information.  Applications close Oct. 15.  

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at [email protected].

After months of waiting and two missed deadlines, the 2026 state budget has finally passed. Michigan lawmakers agreed early Friday morning to add about $1 billion to road and bridge improvements, increase school funding, and decrease funding for some other programs. The budget also includes a new 24% wholesale tax on marijuana.

Now the budget is headed to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk, allowing her to finally fulfill her famous promise to “fix the damn roads.”

For more information and a breakdown of how this budget affects Michiganders, check out WDET’s political talk show MichMash. A bonus episode was released the same day as the budget to explain the details.

Residents of Detroit’s District 3 have organized a “Stop the Violence” march this Saturday (Oct. 4).

Alita Moore, executive director of the North Central Block Club Association, says the march is in response to a recent uptick in violence in the neighborhood.

“Our youth, our seniors, are very, very concerned. And so, before something like the National Guard comes in, we wanted to — on a local community level — show solidarity with our neighborhood police officers, with the people that work with us right here,” Moore says.

Moore hopes the event draws attention to a part of the city that feels neglected. The march will start at Farwell Recreation Center at noon.

Everyone is talking about the Tigers. Yesterday, the team beat the Cleveland Guardians in the wildcard round and is now heading to the American League Division Series, where they’ll face the Seattle Mariners. First pitch is tomorrow at 8:38 p.m. EST at T-Mobile Park.

Meanwhile, about four hours south of metro Detroit down I-75, the Lions face the Bengals in a Sunday afternoon matchup at 4:25 p.m. They’re coming off a dominant win against the Browns, 34–20. Their record is currently 3–1, putting them at the top of the NFC North.

Applications for the Detroit Legacy Business Project close on Monday, October 6 at 8 a.m.

This program is for businesses that have been serving the city for 30 years or more. Available grants include:

For more information, visit detroit.gov/opportunities
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The City of Dearborn says new absentee ballots will be mailed to residents after a printing error was discovered. 

City Clerk George Darany says the original ballots included the name of a city council candidate who dropped out of the race. 

Darany says people should throw away the old ballot and fill out the new one. Voters who have already submitted their ballot or those who do not send in the correct ballot will have their ballot ‘duplicated’—which does not mean counted twice. 

“So in other words, we will have two people assigned to remove the ballot and put it into the duplicate new ballot, so everything they chose would be transferred to the new ballot," says Darany.

Voters should receive the new ballots in the next ten days. 

Early voting begins in Dearborn October 25.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, Michigan chapter is encouraging local mosques to step up protection after an individual threatened to burn down a mosque in Dearborn Heights this week. 

CAIR Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid says he’s concerned in light of the political climate and the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc on Sunday. 

“We encourage all mosques in the state of Michigan to review the care community safety kit an to make sure that they have the property security measures for the Friday congressional prayers.” 

Walid says he hopes Dearborn Heights Police investigate the threats at The Islamic Institute of America as a potential hate crime. 

He says several mosques in Michigan have received threats in recent weeks. 

The Detroit Public Schools Community District Board of Education voted not to start a lengthy selection process to fill a vacant seat and will instead offer the seat to the runner up of the last special election.

Current board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo is expected to resign and start as the city of Detroit’s next Ombudsman.

During a special meeting the board recommended leveraging the finalist from the July 2025 vacancy process, because it has been less than 90 days since a thorough, transparent, and public search was conducted. 

The Arab American Women’s Business Council and the New Economy Initiative are announcing their 2025 Pitch Competition. Local Small Businesses and entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas and compete for seed money. Cash prizes between $1000 and $3000, and a grand prize of $5000 will be offered.

The application deadline is October 17. Eligible applicants must be in the ideation phase or have a business less than five years old.

The event will take place at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn on November 19. Visit the Arab American Women’s Business Council’s Facebook page for more information and to apply.  

Michigan leaders have avoided a state government shutdown, even though the governor has not yet signed a budget by the midnight deadline. Lawmakers in Lansing reached the framework of a budget agreement late last week but released little information because many details had yet to be worked out. They’ve approved a bill to fund state government for one week to give them time to finalize their deal.

The federal government failed to reach a budget deal by its midnight deadline, resulting in a shutdown. About 30,000 federal employees live in Michigan, but it’s not clear right now how many might be affected. U.S. Mail service will continue as normal, and Social Security checks will be delivered. TSA agents will continue to work at Metro Airport because they’re considered essential workers, but they will work without pay. That could lead to longer lines at the airport. It’s not immediately clear what other service changes might affect Detroiters.

The City of Detroit is announcing new restrictions today on truck traffic in Southwest Detroit. The area has dealt with semi-trucks traveling through neighborhoods for years to get from I-75 to the Ambassador Bridge. The travel clogs streets and adds to pollution in the area. The city says there will be new truck routes to keep commercial avenues freed up, and police will increase their enforcement. The new rules take effect on Monday. Truck traffic in Southwest Detroit should be further alleviated when the Gordie Howe Bridge opens next year. That structure will allow heavy trucks headed to Windsor to move directly from I-75 onto the bridge without traveling through neighborhoods.

The Downtown Detroit Partnership is holding a public meeting tomorrow to discuss the future of I-75 downtown. The organization is working with the City of Detroit and the Michigan Department of Transportation to consider ways of connecting the downtown area to nearby neighborhoods. The collaboration is looking at the feasibility of placing a cap over I-75 between Third and Brush.

The plan calls for a series of parks over the freeway, which would provide space for residents, similar to the plazas over I-696 in Oak Park. The online public meeting takes place tomorrow from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. There’s more information at DowntownDetroit.org/i75cap.

The City of Detroit is shutting down the Dodge Fountain in Hart Plaza for the rest of the year. The Construction and Demolition Department is working to make sure the structure is properly winterized so that no damage occurs during the cold weather. The fountain did not operate properly for several years, but it was repaired in 2024. The water will be turned off for the winter, but the city says the fountain’s lights will continue to operate. The fountain will return to warm-weather operations in the spring.

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians yesterday in their American League Wild Card game. Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal threw 14 strikeouts for the Tigers. Game two in the best-of-three series is scheduled to take place this afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland. First pitch is at 1:08 p.m.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she shared her concerns with President Trump about his new H1B visa policy which makes the price of applying for a visa $100,000.

H1B visas allow companies to bring in international workers for specialized jobs requiring higher education. Whitmer says she told President Trump that raising the application cost of those visas by around 10,000% could hurt Michigan's economy.

Whitmer adds the state's medical and automotive industries could be directly impacted by visa policy changes, saying large numbers of Canadian workers in fields like nursing and engineering rely on the visas.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered public buildings to fly flags at half-staff in memory of those who were killed in yesterday's attack at a church in Grand Blanc Township.

Police say a former Marine drove his truck through the doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, started shooting at the hundreds of people worshiping inside, then set the building on fire.  Police identify the killer as Thomas Sanford of Burton, a former Marine who served in Iraq. 

Investigators say at least four people died and eight others were hurt.  

Officers fatally shot the gunman in the parking lot. The FBI is leading the investigation, trying to find a motive. 

People from across the nation gathered for ArabCon this past weekend. The event was put on by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the U.S. The group hosts this annual convention as a way to promote cultural heritage, and bring together community leaders, activists, artists, and entrepreneurs. 

United Way and Verizon are raising awareness for emergency preparedness as part of a community resiliency initiative. Marcus Coleman Jr. is the Vice President for Community Resiliency Strategy at United Way Worldwide. He says the organization was created in response to crisis and now there are 1,100 branches in 35 countries. Coleman says United Way is hosting workshops to teach people about preparedness. People can find out more about workshops and tips at unitedway.org/prepare. 

The national nonprofit Operation Warm manufactures and distributes coats and shoes to students in need at Title I, or low-income, elementary schools. Operation Warm has two gifting events coming up this year: one in Warren in October and one in Detroit in November. Families whose children attend a Title I school can ask their school to join the Operation Warm wishlist and stay in the know about upcoming distributions.