Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit against two men accused of creating fake companies to harass and intimidate small business owners in Ferndale in an attempt to extort money, her office announced Wednesday. The lawsuit, filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, alleges Eric Vander Ley, with the help of his brother Daniel Vander Ley, formed 17 limited liability companies using the exact names of well-known Ferndale businesses, including Como’s Restaurant, Urbanrest Brewing Company, Bags and Beads, Tin Can Cocktails, and Beau’s Grillery.

The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) has expanded its network of autism service providers, contracting with several new agencies to meet the rising demand for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy in the region. Among the most notable additions is Success On The Spectrum (SOS), a national ABA therapy franchise now serving Medicaid-eligible families at two locations in Wayne County — Trenton and Southgate.

A new home repair and energy efficiency program is launching on Detroit’s east side and in Highland Park, aiming to help low-income residents reduce their utility bills and improve their living conditions at no cost to them. With $8 million in legal settlement funding, the Whole Homes, Whole Community initiative will provide free energy audits, home repairs, weatherization upgrades, and eventually solar installations to residents in the 48203 and 48214 ZIP codes.

Two Macomb County men who illegally dumped hazardous chemicals that ended up in Bear Creek in Warren, turning the water a fluorescent blue, dodged jail time and were fined just $3,500 each after pleading no contest to environmental crimes. Saad Somo, 50, of Washington Township, and Marvan Talal-Razooqi Batoo, 40, of Shelby Township, were sentenced in 37th District Court in Warren, the same day they entered their pleas, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday evening.

Three 17-year-old boys were taken to the hospital after a mentor at the Detroit Juvenile Detention Facility allegedly gave them marijuana-infused gummies while they were locked up. The mentor, Joseph Robinson, 22, of Detroit, was charged with felonies, including four counts of furnishing a controlled substance to minors and four counts of furnishing contraband to prisoners.

Hamtramck, MI – PRE-GAME PARTY + MARCH TO THE MATCH: JULY 12 AT NEW DODGE LOUNGE Get loud, get proud, and get to New Dodge Lounge on Friday, July 12 at 4PM for the ultimate Detroit City FC pre-match party hosted in partnership with the legendary Northern Guard Supporters.

Residents of Lafayette Park have filed a lawsuit against Detroit Thermal, accusing the utility of trespassing on their property, damaging historic landscaping, and pursuing an illegal plan to extend steam service through protected greenspace without the necessary rights or approvals. The complaint, filed Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court, asks a judge to block Detroit Thermal’s proposed project to reconnect the 1300 Lafayette East Cooperative to its underground heating system. The plaintiffs, which includes three townhouse cooperatives that share ownership of the landscape, say Detroit Thermal has no legal easement to access their land and failed to obtain required permissions.

A controversial steam project in Detroit’s Lafayette Park Historic District is drawing new scrutiny after documents show a high-ranking city official helped reverse a recommendation opposing the work and privately contacted commissioners ahead of a key vote. Detroit’s Planning Director Alexa Bush coauthored a recent staff report that supported Detroit Thermal’s excavation plans, despite an earlier report from May 14, which was written by staff, that warned the project would “fail” to meet preservation standards and cause irreversible damage to the historic landscape. Bush’s involvement was revealed in internal city emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and has raised concerns among residents that the independent Historic District Commission (HDC) is being inappropriately influenced by city hall.

The powerful opioid carfentanil has resurfaced in Michigan’s unregulated drug market, killing at least 11 people so far this year after years of dormancy, according to a new alert from the state health department. The synthetic opioid, originally developed to sedate large animals like elephants, is estimated to be 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Friday that no one will be charged in the high-profile case of a puppy who suffered severe burns in a Detroit home earlier this year, saying there was a lack of evidence to prove who was responsible. Gideon, a months-old Jack Russell Terrier, was found in distress on Jan. 12 with third-degree burns, necrotic skin, and signs of extreme pain, according to medical records reviewed by animal cruelty investigators.

The ACLU of Michigan and the Arab American Civil Rights League filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools District and one of its teachers, alleging a Palestinian American student’s constitutional rights were violated when she was repeatedly humiliated for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a 14-year-old girl referred to as “D.K.” to protect her identity, claims that a teacher at West Middle School in Canton retaliated against the student for her silent protest of U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed. The eighth grader, who is of Palestinian descent, chose not to stand or recite the pledge on three occasions in January, citing her political beliefs.

A little over a decade ago, two half-brothers, Jose Burrow and Jose Ross, arrived in Detroit with high aspirations. Today, they operate thriving tree care companies that make Metro Detroit's suburbs green and safe. Jose Burrow is the owner of Southfield Tree Care, dedicated to doing big jobs well and on time.

Almost impossible to believe now, after watching Nicole Curtis up to her tool belt in rotting floorboards and moldy ceilings all these years, but the working title of her HGTV series was going to be “Princess of Preservation.” “And I was like, ‘Listen, this is wrong — there is nothing about me that’s a princess!’” grins Curtis, the industrious blonde Lake Orion native who has been the foundation of the HGTV and DIY home renovation series Rehab Addict since 2010. “Then one of our editors said, ‘What about Rehab Addict?’ When we started, everybody thought I was a drug user!

For most of human history, extinction has been understood as an immutable fact of nature—a one-way door that, once closed, could never be reopened. Species disappear, their genetic innovations vanish forever, and the world moves on, forever diminished by their absence.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens said she plans to introduce legislation next week that would prevent President Donald Trump from unilaterally deploying active-duty military forces within the United States without approval from state or territorial leaders. The Michigan Democrat announced the “Stop Trump’s Abuse of Power Act” on Monday in response to the Trump administration’s deployment of U.S. Marines and thousands of federalized National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this month during protests tied to the president’s immigration crackdown.

One of Michigan’s most influential labor unions is throwing its support behind state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, marking the latest major endorsement for the progressive challenger in the 13th Congressional District. Michigan’s chapter of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents more than 30,000 workers across four local unions, announced Monday it is backing McKinney, a former SEIU member and union leader.

Several of Detroit’s most prominent Black churches have joined forces with the National Black Empowerment Council to launch an ambitious campaign aimed at dramatically increasing voter turnout in a city that has struggled with apathy at the polls. The campaign, “Lift Every Voice & Vote Detroit,” began on Juneteenth and focuses on turning churches into what organizers are calling “100% Voting Churches,” which means congregations where every eligible member is registered and committed to voting in each election.

Detroit Thermal submitted revised plans earlier this month aimed at resolving an ongoing dispute over its proposed steam project in Lafayette Park, pledging to eliminate controversial ventilation stacks and protect the area's historic landscape. But many neighborhood residents are objecting to the city scheduling a public hearing on July 2, just before the Fourth of July holiday, and accused Detroit Thermal and city officials of breaking their promises for public engagement.

The city of Sterling Heights has agreed to pay $2.95 million to a 48-year-old woman who was seriously injured when a police officer crashed into her vehicle near a high school drop-off zone. Maisaa Kada, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and permanent damage to her spine in the 2019 crash, was preparing to face the city in court Wednesday when a last-minute settlement was reached.