In July, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer released her memoir True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between, embracing a version of the nickname “Big Gretch” popularized by Detroit rapper GMac Cash. Now, just a few months later, Big Gretch has announced an upcoming young adult adaptation of the book. The new edition, aimed at inspiring young leaders, will be published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Barbara Simon, a former Detroit detective who waged psychological warfare against young Black men in the 1990s and early 2000s, has cost taxpayers more than $25 million in lawsuit settlements so far. Lamarr Monson, 52, reached an $8.5 million settlement with the city earlier this month after he alleged Simon tricked him into falsely confessing.

Mark Craighead, who was exonerated after spending more than seven years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, filed a complaint Wednesday with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office over the illegal destruction of files in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. Craighead, who has become a leading advocate for the wrongfully convicted, is urging Dana Nessel’s office to investigate allegations that Mayor Mike Duggan destroyed the records while he served as prosecutor from 2001 to 2004.

Arab American activists and a state representative are calling on the FBI and Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate a brutal knife attack on a 7-year-old girl at a park in Detroit. The suspect, Gary Lansky, a white man from Detroit, is accused of slashing the throat of Saida Mashrah, who is Arab American, at Ryan Park near Ford Road and the Southfield Freeway last week.

The former head coach of the varsity boys basketball team for Eastpointe High School is the fourth Black employee to file a racial discrimination lawsuit against the district since July 2023. Michael E. Railey filed the lawsuit against Eastpointe Community Schools (ECS) in U.S. District Court last week, alleging he was terminated as the coach on April 15 after he filed a racial discrimination complaint against the district’s superintendent Christina Gibson.

A group of Detroit musicians and artists rolled out a music video over the weekend that calls out Donald Trump’s racist actions and policies. The video titled, “Racist Trump Against the 313,” amassed more than 106,000 views on YouTube since its release Saturday. The 90-second video, produced by the Detroit Area Artists and Musicians Against Trump (DETAMAT), opens with the image of the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross.

Sheetz, a popular Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain, announced plans to open up an additional three stores in metro Detroit as part of its ongoing Michigan expansion. The new locations are 31925 Van Dyke Ave. in Warren, 19001 E. Nine Mile Rd. in Eastpointe, and 2103 West Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti. The chain, which has developed something of a cult following thanks to its 24/7 coffee and food, opened its first store in Michigan at 33380 Wick Rd., Romulus in August.

Brad Dick, the city of Detroit’s chief operation officer, is stepping down to take on a new role at Wayne State University. Dick has served in key leadership positions since Mike Duggan became mayor in 2014.

Suddenly on Saturday, the Tigers stopped hitting well. Then, they stopped pitching well. And they stopped fielding well, too.

By insulting his host city in his speech last Thursday at the Detroit Economic Club, convicted felon and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump figuratively pinned a “Kick Me!” sign on the backside pocket of his baggy, blue suit. Quick to take the bait on Friday were two elected Michigan Democrats, Attorney General Dana Nessel and State Senator Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak, both on Deadline: White House on MSNBC with Nicole Wallace. Nessel suggested Trump should contest his many court cases with a plea of his own insanity and demand a competency hearing.

At Thursday’s inaugural Detroit Story Fest event at the Detroit Film Theatre, Metro Times reporter Steve Neavling recounted his journey covering fires for a year through his independent project Motor City Muckraker. Below is a transcription of his story. I lay in the back of an ambulance with an oxygen mask pressed to my face.

A severe geomagnetic storm is expected to make the aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, visible in Michigan Thursday night. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that the strong solar radiation from the storm could offer a rare opportunity for Michiganders to witness this dazzling natural display. The aurora borealis is expected to be visible throughout Canada and seven U.S. states along the Canadian border, including Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

A Detroit educator recently told a congressional committee he is “terrified” at what a second Trump term as president could bring for America’s public schools. Rodney Fresh, a high school social studies teacher in Detroit, said parts of the Republican agenda appear to call for dismantling the public education system.

University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono claims the federal government put pressure on the institution to prioritize combating antisemitism over islamophobia, according to a leaked audio recording of posted to social media on Sunday. The recording, released by the university’s Tahrir Coalition — an activist group composed of over 90 student organizations supporting the liberation of Palestine — indicates that U-M risks losing $2 billion in federal funding if it fails to follow directives focusing on antisemitism. “The government could call me tomorrow and say in a very unbalanced way, the university is not doing enough to combat antisemitism, and I could say it’s not doing enough to combat islamophobia, and that’s not what they want to hear, so the whole situation is not balanced,” Ono says in the audio.

Federal monitors say parts of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are experiencing a drought. Dry weather and high winds mean there’s a higher chance of fire, according to the state Department of Natural Resources, which is asking people to be careful. The weekend brought some rain and cooler weather to the region, said Keith Murphy, a fire management specialist for the DNR in Marquette, and they have the situation under control.