Early voting underway in Detroit’s primary election

Early voting is underway in Detroit’s primary election. Voters can use an absentee ballot or cast their vote at one of the city’s eight early voting centers. Those centers are open this week from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Nine candidates are on the primary ballot vying to become Detroit’s next mayor. The top two vote-getters will go on to face each other in the November general election. Several candidates for City Council also appear on the primary ballot.

Early voting ends on Sunday. Detroiters can also vote in person on Primary Day, which is one week from today — Tuesday, August 5.

Learn more about upcoming elections with WDET’s 2025 Detroit Voter Guide »

Heavy storms cause flooding across Detroit

Many Detroiters spent part of the evening cleaning up after heavy thunderstorms rolled through the area Monday afternoon. Rain amounts varied widely across the region, but some Detroit streets were temporarily flooded by heavy rainfall.

The I-96 westbound exit ramp to the Southfield Freeway was backed up with heavy traffic and closed for a short time after the storms passed. At Metro Airport, several roads were closed by flooding, forcing passengers to scramble to make their flights.

Meteorologists say an area near Romulus received nearly three inches of rain in just an hour.

Detroit launches first municipal start-up fund

The City of Detroit and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation have launched the city’s first municipal start-up fund. The fund will award 20 grants of $15,000 each and six additional grants of $50,000 each.

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation CEO Kevin Johnson says the grants will give new non-retail businesses a better chance to survive.

“Being an entrepreneur is a battle to survive. Ideas mean one thing, but when you can’t cultivate it to a point where it becomes a reasonable business, then we’re recycling old things that cause them to fail,” Johnson said.

Entrepreneurs must have been in business for at least two years and be based in Detroit to be eligible for the grants.

Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Gas prices drop in Metro Detroit

Gas prices are falling in Metro Detroit. The average price of self-serve regular is now $3.19 per gallon. That’s down three cents from last week and seven cents lower than a month ago.

The national average for gas is just over $3.13 per gallon.

Tigers trade for two pitchers ahead of MLB deadline

The Detroit Tigers have completed a trade just a few days before the Major League Baseball deadline.

The team was looking to bolster its pitching staff and received right-hand pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak from the Minnesota Twins. In exchange, the Twins received catcher Enrique Jiminez and a minor league prospect.

The Tigers needed pitching help with Reese Olsen missing the rest of the regular season due to a shoulder sprain. He could return for the playoffs.

Detroit currently holds a record of 62 wins and 46 losses and sits in first place in the American League Central.

EGLE welcomes new chief climate officer

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has appointed Alessandra Carreon as the new officer for the Office of Climate and Energy. Carreon previously served on the Michigan Public Service Commission as the first Asian American commissioner in Michigan’s history.

In her new role, she will lead the implementation of the MI Healthy Climate Plan, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and expanding renewable energy sources. Carreon begins the position next month.

Bill proposes FEMA basement repair coverage

A new bill introduced in the U.S. House would make basements eligible for FEMA repairs. Currently, basements are only covered if they include a bedroom, and FEMA typically does not cover mold or mildew mitigation after flooding events.

Flooded basements have long impacted Detroit residents. Donna Givens Davidson, president and CEO of the Eastside Community Network, says this bill is a step toward justice for communities that have endured decades of aging infrastructure.

“This bill brings us closer to addressing the cumulative impacts of racist public policy over the years in places like the east side of Detroit, where senior citizens, where low-income people, are already living in homes they cannot afford to repair,” Givens Davidson said.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Detroit introduced the bipartisan-supported bill. If passed, the bill would expand eligibility and coverage under FEMA’s Group Insurance Policy.

Reporting by Russ McNamara

Balkan House is closing

The Balkan House, a popular Bosnian-owned restaurant in Hamtramck, is closing its doors this year. Known for its döner kebab—a German street food made with lamb and beef—the restaurant has become a local favorite.

Owner Juma Ekic told the Detroit News that business at the Hamtramck location is dwindling, but she plans to focus on the thriving Ferndale location and her food truck, where her business is thriving.

Read more at the Detroit News

Youth Civic Night set for August 1

Detroit’s Department of Neighborhoods Youth Affairs Team is hosting a Youth Civic Night on Thursday, August 1, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event combines civic dialogue and creative expression with voter education.

The free event will take place at the Detroit Union Carpenters and Millwrights Skilled Training Center, located at 11687 American Street in Detroit. Attendees can enjoy refreshments and live music by DJ Tee Two Times.

Register on Eventbrite

Detroit rental compliance reminder

The City of Detroit has issued a notice inviting Detroit landlords to check if their homes have a certificate of compliance. Property owners can apply online for inspections and to obtain a certificate.

Last year, the City Council passed a law streamlining the inspection process for rental homes to improve safety and simplify the process.

All rental homes must pass an inspection and obtain a certificate of compliance. This year, the inspections will focus on the most severe safety issues.

For questions related to rental property inspections, residents can call 313-628-2451.

View the Landlord Quick Reference Guide (PDF)

In 2021 and 2023, parts of Southeast Michigan were inundated with rain. This led to storm and sewer water backing up into thousands of homes in Detroit, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights.

Those cities did provide some financial relief, but federal money was largely hard to come by.

Now, the Fix Our Flooded Basements Act seeks to provide federal disaster relief for basements. Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) doesn’t cover damage to basements or mold and mildew mitigation.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced the bill along with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Congresswoman Shontel Brown (D-OH).

“Water damage can ruin electrical systems, destroy heating and cooling systems, damage foundations and create long term health effects,” Tlaib said. “Especially the exposure of mold. It’s the biggest concern for many of us.”

The bill would also allow people to purchase flood insurance that would cover basement backups.

“The bill will also expand eligibility for FEMA group flood insurance policy,” Tlaib said. “It’s super important to ensure that FEMA would cover mold, mildew and moisture damage in basements.”

Donna Givens Davidson is the president and CEO of the Eastside Community Network.

Aging infrastructure on Detroit’s East side has led to basement flooding even from smaller storms, especially in the areas around the canals in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood. Givens Davidson says passing this bill would be a measure of justice to Detroiters.

“This bill brings us closer to addressing the cumulative impacts of racist public policy over the years in places like the east side of Detroit,” Givens Davidson said. “It’s where senior citizens, where low-income people, are already living in homes they cannot afford to repair.”

Candace Aaron lives in the Franklin Park neighborhood. She remembers the nightmare of helping her father after the flooding.

“There was a lot of water damage, mold damage to the windows, damage to some of the foundation on the house, the roof,” Aaron said. “So I went and applied for FEMA to see what services my father would be able to receive.”

It turns out the nightmare of the flooding turned into one of bureaucracy.

Aaron’s father was denied mitigation services, but eventually received limited help.

“It wasn’t enough to cover the damage,” Aaron said. “It was very extensive in the basement and on the outside of the home. So I think that this bill would do better.”

As for the chances of the bill’s passage in a sharply divided Congress, Rep. Tlaib doesn’t see an issue.

“I don’t see any controversy or any opposition to this,” Tlaib said. “I mean, obviously some of my colleagues who want to eliminate FEMA will not probably support this, because it expands more FEMA coverage, but many of the people that I know I’ve spoken to on both sides of the aisle shake their head immediately and say, ‘Oh, this is a good bill’.”

The city of Detroit is notifying people about a free sewer repair program for residents who experienced basement flooding in June 2021.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Private Sewer Repair Program (PSRP) reaches 97 neighborhoods across the city and is available to residents who were hardest hit by the severe flooding.

To apply, households must be a single-family residence, they must be located in one of the eligible neighborhoods, and must be at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). They also need to be able to demonstrate damage from 2021 flood.

Residents who previously received benefits are not eligible. To apply, email PSRP@detroitmi.gov, visit detroitmi.gov/psrp, or call 866-313-2520.

Other headlines for Wednesday, July 16, 2025:

• The InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit is hosting its 13th annual Urban-Suburban Interfaith Picnic from 1 to 5 p.m. this Sunday, July 20, at Palmer Park. The picnic will feature food from different religious traditions, a health fair, musical performances, games and more.
• The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced eight awardees who received $7.9 million in solar grants for clean energy projects though the MI Healthy Climate Challenge. In Wayne County, Hope Village Revitalization plans to retrofit homes in Detroit and Highland Park, and the North End Woodward Community Coalition will expand its Solar Neighbors initiative.
• Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County and the Elam Family are hosting a neighborhood revitalization event in Pontiac this week. Over 80 volunteers will work on cleaning up yards, and removing trash at 14 worksites during “Rock the Block,” taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 17.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.