Thousands are expected to gather at Campus Martius in downtown Detroit on Dec. 25 for Menorah in the D, the city’s largest public celebration of Hanukkah. The annual event, which begins at 5 p.m., promises an evening of light, unity, and joy, showcasing the strength and pride of Detroit’s Jewish community.

Wayne County Circuit Court is considering a motion for a new trial filed on behalf of Dennis Littleton, who has served over two decades in prison for a 2000 murder he insists he did not commit. The motion, filed by attorney Joseph Daly, argues that new evidence undermines the credibility of the case against Littleton, establishes credible alternate suspects, and reveals that key exculpatory evidence was withheld by prosecutors and Detroit police. Littleton was convicted in 2001 of first-degree murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm in the May 30, 2000 shooting of Robert Johnstone and Saul Rios on Hubbard Street in Detroit.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud pledged that his city would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for both men for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. “Dearborn will arrest Netanyahu & Gallant if they step within Dearborn city limits,” Hammoud said on X. “Other cities should declare the same.

Longtime WDET host and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson announced Wednesday that he’s leaving the public radio station because of what he described as “disinvestment” in his daily show on 101.9 FM. Henderson, who hosts the morning show “Created Equal,” the station’s most popular local program, will end his 10-year run at WDET on Friday.

Protesters gathered outside the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office again Wednesday, renewing their calls for an investigation into cases tied to retired Detroit Detective Barbara Simon, who is accused of using unethical and illegal tactics that led to the wrongful convictions of innocent Black men. The demonstration comes nearly three months after a previous protest in August, when families, exonerees, and activists demanded a full review of Simon’s cases and accountability for her alleged misconduct. Protesters on Wednesday expressed frustration, saying that Worthy has not met with exonerees or affected families and has yet to take meaningful action, despite her pledge to do so.

Malik Shabazz, a fearless Detroit activist who has confronted drug dealers, city leaders, and bad businesses for decades, is back in the hospital after he had a massive heart attack in June 2023. Shabazz, the founder of the New Black Panther Party/New Marcus Garvey Movement, was admitted to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit for unknown medical issues on Thursday, a day after he attended Mayor Mike Duggan’s announcement that he wasn’t running for reelection.

Two members of an antiwar protest group called the Detroit Ceasefire Choir have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Detroit and the organizations managing Campus Martius Park, accusing them of violating their First Amendment rights. The lawsuit, announced Tuesday, alleges that security guards at the park silenced the choir’s pro-ceasefire caroling last holiday season, claiming their message was “too controversial” and falsely asserting that Campus Martius is a private park.

Four years after first proposing significant police reform legislation, Michigan state senators are reintroducing a comprehensive package of bills aimed at increasing accountability, transparency, and public trust in law enforcement. Many of the measures were initially introduced in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, whose murder by a police officer in Minneapolis sparked protests against police brutality across the U.S. The efforts failed to pass in prior sessions but have gained renewed momentum amid ongoing public demand for reform.

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge has achieved a significant milestone: The Humbug Marsh Unit in Gibraltar has officially joined the Old-Growth Forest Network, a national collection of protected native forests where people can experience biodiversity and the beauty of nature. A celebratory event took place on Oct. 20, marking the induction of the marsh into this prestigious network.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Wednesday that he will not seek a fourth term in office but declined to address widespread speculation that he’s exploring a potential run for Michigan governor in 2026. The announcement marks a major shift in Detroit politics, as Duggan’s decision opens the field for new leadership in the city and sets the potential stage for his ambitions on a statewide level.

Detroiters will soon be able to keep chickens, ducks, and honeybees in their backyards under a new ordinance passed by the Detroit City Council on Tuesday. The council voted 5-3 in favor of the measure, which goes into effect in January 2025, marking a shift in urban agriculture regulations and allowing residents to raise certain animals for fresh food production, including eggs and honey, within city limits.

Michigan lawmakers are considering a historic bipartisan package of pretrial reforms aimed at transforming the state’s criminal justice system by reducing wealth-based detention, strengthening due process, and ensuring fairer pretrial decision-making. On Tuesday, the House Criminal Justice Committee heard testimony on the bills — 4655-4656 and 4658-4661 — which, if passed, would bring sweeping changes to pretrial practices across Michigan.

The White Stripes have decided to drop their copyright infringement lawsuit against former President Donald Trump after the unauthorized use of their hit song “Seven Nation Army” in a Trump campaign video earlier this year. Jack White and former bandmate Meg White filed a short notice on Monday to dismiss the case “without prejudice,” allowing the option to refile the suit in the future.

Masked white supremacists waving Nazi flags gathered outside an American Legion Post that was hosting a performance of The Diary of Anne Frank in Howell on Saturday night. The Fowlerville Community Theater put on the play, which depicts a young Jewish girl’s life in hiding during the Nazi occupation.

Many Arab Americans in Michigan followed through on their pledge to vote against Kamala Harris on Tuesday, with fewer than one in seven Muslims casting a ballot for the Democratic nominee, according to an exit poll released Friday. In fact, about 59% of the state’s Muslim residents voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, according to the poll, conducted through a partnership between Molitico Consulting and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is set to reveal his plans for his political future next week, an announcement that is expected to trigger a wave of political activity. The third-term mayor has not yet hinted about his next move, but many political observers are speculating that the Democrat plans to run for governor in 2026.

Donald Trump, a fear-mongering, convicted felon accused of sexually assaulting numerous women and inciting a violent insurrection in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in Michigan, a key battleground state where he had lost by more than 154,000 votes four years ago. Trump went on to win the overall election, defeating Harris in states that President Joe Biden won in 2020.

The U.S. government’s involvement in Israel’s expanding war in the Middle East is unconstitutional because it was not authorized by Congress, Democratic U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit and Cori Bush of St. Louis wrote in a strongly worded letter to President Joe Biden on Friday. “In light of recent regional escalations, including exchanges in hostilities between Israel and Iran and the Israeli government’s ground invasions of Lebanon and Gaza, we are deeply concerned about the increasing role and involvement of the U.S. Armed Forces in expanding wars across the Middle East,” the letter states.

When Mark Craighead and Lamarr Monson were released from prison and exonerated for murders they didn’t commit in Detroit, they pledged to help others who have been wrongfully convicted. Now the pair, united by a common cause, are raising money for a nonprofit they recently created – Freedom Ain’t Free – to connect innocent people behind bars with attorneys, paralegals, private investigators, firearm experts, and other legal resources.