Shortly after rifle shots wounded former President Donald Trump and killed one of his fans in July at a Pennsylvania rally, the Republican Party held its national convention in Milwaukee to nominate Trump again with Senator JD Vance as his running mate. One of the creepiest moments in Vance’s awkward acceptance speech came when Vance smiled wistfully and recalled what they found in the house of his grandmother after she died. She’d raised him in Ohio.

Whether it’s a lack of trust in the U.S. political system or simply not liking the candidates, Detroit has always struggled with low voter turnout in regional and presidential elections. According to a July 2024 report from University of Michigan, about 12% of Detroiters who are eligible to vote reported they were unlikely to cast a vote in this November’s election. In June, Detroit elections administrator Daniel Baxter told Outlier Media that of Detroit’s 513,000 registered voters, about 127,000 are inactive.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib sharply criticized Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel for filing charges against pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan on Thursday, saying her harsh actions could ruin the lives of bright, young students and set a dangerous precedent for peaceful protests. Tlaib, who was born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrants and is the only Palestinian American member of Congress, condemned the charges as an unjust and heavy-handed response to peaceful civil disobedience.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday that she is filing criminal charges against nine people involved in a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Most of those charged are alumni and students who refused to vacate the encampment on May 21 after police ordered them to leave.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has officially closed the long-running investigation into Michigan State University’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case, citing a lack of new information in recently released documents that the university had withheld for years, she revealed in a report released Wednesday. Despite MSU's eventual decision to release the documents in December 2023, Nessel expressed frustration and disappointment that the records provided no new insights into how Nassar was able to perpetrate his abuse for so long. “MSU has repeatedly justified withholding the documents because they contained information that was allegedly protected by the attorney-client privilege,” the report states.

The parents of two elementary school children who were severely injured when a car violently struck them during a vehicle demonstration at a test track in Auburn Hills in July 2023 filed a lawsuit Monday. The lawsuit was filed in Oakland County Circuit Court against Continental Automotive Systems, Ford Motor Co., the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), and the driver, Linus Gugino.

Detroit rocker Jack White is taking his battle with Donald Trump to the courtroom, making good on his pledge to pursue legal action against the Trump campaign after it used a clip of White’s hit “Seven Nation Army” in a social media post. White and his former White Stripes bandmate Meg White are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.

A Michigan inmate known for his long history of challenging the judicial system with civil lawsuits has been awarded a $100 million default judgment against embattled entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. The award was issued Monday by Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Anna Marie Anzalone following a temporary restraining order granted to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, 51, against Combs in August. Combs, who has become the target of multiple lawsuits and criminal investigations in 2024, drugged and sexually assaulted Cardello-Smith in 1997 at a party in Detroit, according to court records.

Homecoming season is just around the corner and teenagers across metro Detroit are searching for the perfect outfit. Comerica Bank, in partnership with local nonprofit Jackets for Jobs, is hosting a two-day homecoming boutique to give away free dresses to local students. The event will be held at the Samaritan Center on Detroit’s east side from Sept. 14-15.

Michigan has emerged as a national leader in the clean energy sector following a series of ambitious state laws enacted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, according to a report released Monday. With investments from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Whitmer signed a package of bills in November 2023 aimed at creating tens of thousands of jobs, reducing energy costs for families, expanding access to alternative energy sources, setting new carbon emission standards, and requiring utility companies to become more energy efficient.

Indigenous water protectors and allies met at Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac last week, to spotlight the dangers of the 71-year-old Line 5, deemed North America’s riskiest crude oil pipeline. Headlined by the nonprofit Oil and Water Don’t Mix, the protests featured two main events: The “Pipe Out Paddle Up” in St. Ignace which showcased a flotilla against Enbridge’s Line 5 oil spill risk, followed by the “Water is Life Festival” in Petoskey, celebrating local music and advocacy for ending Line 5’s threat.

A little more than a month after Metro Times published a two-part series exposing a former Detroit detective who used illegal tactics to elicit false confessions and witness statements, both prosecutors and police oversight officials pledged to take action Thursday. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy plans to expand a unit dedicated to exonerating innocent people, and the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners is investigating complaints that Detective Barbara Simon engaged in a pattern of criminal wrongdoing.

Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian American activist, filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Democratic Party on Thursday, alleging she may have been cheated in her quest for the Democratic nomination for a seat on the University of Michigan Board of Regents. Arraf claims the party’s process of selecting two nominees for the board on Aug. 24 was marred by voting irregularities, discrepancies, and a lack of transparency. “We cannot be confident in the results that have been announced,” Arraf said at a news conference Thursday.

Mark Craighead, who was exonerated after spending more than seven years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against the Detroit detective who elicited his false confession in June 2000. Craighead alleges former Detective Barbara Simon engaged in a pattern of criminal wrongdoing by committing perjury, illegally detaining suspects for long periods without a warrant, and assaulting and threatening witnesses. Simon was the subject of a two-part Metro Times series that exposed her aggressive and illegal tactics that led to false confessions and wrongful imprisonment.

Detroit disciples and Detroit Lions fanatics both old and new: how should we be feeling this week? Are we insulted, or inspired? Justified… or terrified?