In Her Honor – Detroit is a part of a three-day event using art, storytelling, remembrance and action to honor the mothers lost to maternal mortality.
The Detroit Institute of Arts hosted a screening of the documentary‘Aftershock’to kick off the series.
The film follows stories of loss, grief and advocacy for Black and Brown mothers who have died from pregnancy-related complications.
Omari Maynard is a Brooklyn-based artist, educator, and advocate. Maynard is featured in Aftershock. Audiences follow along as Omari reshapes his life after the death of his partner, Shamony Gibson.
Maynard created portraits of remembrance for Black and Brown women lost to a lack of support and resources in the maternal health system.
One portrait turned into dozens. This spring the portraits were on display in Washington D.C. in front of 50 congressional offices, giving a name, face and story to alarming statistics.
Alongside the portrait series in Her Honor, Maynard is the co-founder of the Ariah Foundation.
Danielle Atkinson is the founding executive director of Mothering Justice. Mothering Justice is a grassroots advocacy organization. It empowers mothers, particularly mothers of color, to address the critical issues that impact their families and communities.
Danielle Atkinson, Tia Graham and Omari Maynard
Omari and Danielle joined The Metro to talk more about In Her Honor and Aftershock.
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Wayne County has reported its first human case of West Nile virus this year.
The Wayne County Public Health Division says the person who contracted the mosquito-borne illness does not live in the county.
Chief Medical Health Officer Avani Sheth reminds residents that mosquito season is not over. She recommends limiting time outdoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active, and removing standing water from properties, where mosquitoes can breed.
Hip-Hop Theater Festival comes to Detroit this weekend
Detroit-based music artist collective Beat Rhymes Everything Detroit, or BRED, is hosting the Hip-Hop Theater Festival this weekend.
The event is the culmination of a 16-day period in which playwrights came together to create four new plays inspired by narrative hip-hop songs.
The festival will feature a hip-hop improv showcase, a hip-hop family hour and an all-ages play.
The festival runs Aug. 28-30 at the Hilberry Gateway, 4715 Cass Ave. in Detroit. Events begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 28.
Art on the Avenue celebrates Detroit art, design and culture
A celebration of art, design, culture and community is coming to Detroit’s historic Livernois Avenue of Fashion on Sept. 5.
Art on the Avenue 2026 will bring galleries, artists, creative businesses and retailers together along the corridor for exhibitions, art showcases, live entertainment and more.
Participating galleries include Jo’s Gallery, Sherwood Forest Art and Art in Motion.
More information is available on the events page at Detroit Month of Design.
Kroger plans two new metro Detroit stores
Kroger is investing $73.5 million to build two new metro Detroit stores in Dearborn and Commerce Township.
Both stores are set to open in 2027 and will replace existing nearby Kroger locations. Together, the new stores are expected to employ roughly 350 people.
The Dearborn store will be located at Ford Road and Mercury Drive and will replace the Kroger at 15255 Michigan Ave. It is expected to open in June 2027.
A third Kroger proposed as part of a mixed-use development in Royal Oak is awaiting full municipal approval.
I-696 access to I-75 to be restored
Access from westbound I-696 to I-75 is expected to be restored Aug. 31.
Motorists traveling westbound on I-696 will regain access to both the northbound and southbound I-75 ramps.
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, both directions of I-696 and associated ramps are expected to reopen by the end of the year.
Additional work is planned along both sides of I-696 between I-75 and Dequindre Road in 2027.
Golf equipment maker Callaway is severing ties with Good Good after the influential internet golf companys controversial advertisement that featured one of Good Goods co-founders pushing over a female member of their team.
Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted, Callaway said in a post on X announcing the decision. We heard from individuals who shared personal experiences related to violence against women, and their stories were powerful reminders that this issue touches the lives of far too many people.
Unequivocally, violence against women is unacceptable and should never be trivialized, normalized, or used as entertainment.
The advertisement posted last week showed Garrett Clark, one of the co-founders of Good Good, shoulder-checking Alexis Miestowski to the ground as she went to touch his co-branded Good Good x Callaway driver. The advertisement quickly drew immense backlash and was pulled down, with Callaway and Good Good both facing intense questions over how an ad showing a violent act against a woman would be approved and posted.
In its statement, Callaway noted that its processes failed, with the companys CEO earlier admitting that Callaway reviewed Good Goods video and approved it before it went live.
In this instance, our content review process was not comprehensive enough. We have taken appropriate internal corrective actions and significantly strengthened our approval procedures to help ensure this does not happen again, the statement read.
Callaway will donate $1 million to organizations that work to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts, the company said.
But even still, the company said it understands many people feel harmed by the advertisement and that hurt is not easy to undo.
We sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt, disappointed, or offended by this incident, the statement read.
The backlash against Good Good, in particular, has been intense this week.
Multiple reports have indicated major golf retailers are pulling the companys merchandise from shelves, which would be a significant blow to Good Goods bottom line if it went on for a lengthy period. While the company made its name with social media videos showcasing their personalities playing golf, its merchandise sales make up a large portion of the companys revenue.
In a video posted on Wednesday, Clark apologized for his role in the ad, and on behalf on Good Good.
This is not, at all, what we stand for. The way this ad was received is not how Good Good is and not what we stand for once again. I want everyone to know that. I do not support (domestic violence), abuse or any of that, he said.
Clark offered some clarity on the idea behind the ad, likening it to the 2026 movie Obsession directed by 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker.
Clark explained that, like the movie, he was supposed to be obsessed with his driver and anybody who touched it would become possessed with the obsession.
Looking back, super dumb ad concept, Clark added. Terrible ad in general. Not the greatest idea. Once I watched it back and it got posted, my skin was crawling. I was cringing. I mean, even just minutes after I saw it get posted, before this surfaced anywhere online, I thought it was the worst ad known to man.
Clark described the comments and criticism the ad received as very justified, but denounced the hate and death threats Miestowski has received in her social media direct messages.
Good Good was founded in 2020 and is one of the primarily online golf media companies that became popular during the Covid-19 pandemic. The success of Good Good and other companies like it has sparked lots of discourse over whether the boisterous personalities involved in the companys videos are the best way to promote the game of golf, which traditionally promotes a very staid and demure culture.
The companys popularity has grown to the point that legacy names in the sport, such as Callaway, have tried to capitalize on its popularity with partnerships. One of the most high-profile partnerships thats now in jeopardy is The Good Good Championship, a PGA Tour event slated to take place this November in Texas.
The advertisement, and the fallout from the video, have seemingly put that event in jeopardy. Brian Rolapp, CEO of the PGA Tour, called it a fluid situation earlier this week.
We were disappointed at first. It sounds like in the last 24 hours theyve made some progress. Well continue to monitor the situation and see how it develops, he said in response to a question from CNN Sports.
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Millions of renters across the U.S. may be eligible for part of a nearly $360 million settlement after the real estate software company RealPage was accused of helping landlords artificially increase rent prices.
According to a class action lawsuit filed in Tennessee, plaintiffs claim that RealPage and dozens of other property management companies violed federal and state antitrust laws by using RealPage's rental pricing software to conspire to fix and inflate the price of multifamily rentals across the U.S. Defendants have denied any wrongdoing.
The court has not decided who is right or wrong in the case. Instead, both sides have agreed to establish a $359,925,000 settlement fund and the defendants have agreed to change their rental business practices.
The settlement includes anyone in the U.S. or its territories who:
Paid rent for a multifamily property Rented from an owner or property manager whose property was licensed to use RealPage rent-pricing software, including LRO, YieldStar or AI Revenue Management Did so at any point between Oct. 18, 2018, and Nov. 21, 2025
After taxes, administrative expenses and attorneys fees are deducted, the remaining settlement funds will be divided based on how much rent each person paid during the class period. Those who paid more rent may receive a larger payment.
Renters can check whether their property is covered and file a claim here. The settlement fund still has to be approved by the court before any money is disbursed.
Located in Flat Rock on the Huron River, the 100-year-old dam is in fair condition, but has a “high hazard potential”rating. Despite the risk, Flat Rock residents and officials strongly opposed the Metroparks’ plan for partial removal.
Flat Rock Mayor Steve Beller spoke at an Aug. 14, 2025 board meeting after Flat Rock City Council unanimously passed a resolution to urge Metroparks not to remove the dam.
The city spent months weighing their options and ultimately decided not to take ownership of the dam.
Huron-Clinton Metroparks CEO Amy McMillan says the organization respects the City of Flat Rock’s decision:
“No matter how we look at it, this is a change for that community. And so, being transparent and listening and disagreeing where reasonable people will disagree, we’re happy that we’ve come to this conclusion and we’re looking forward to moving forward.”
John Webb, president of the Flat Rock Dam Coalition said in a statement his group supports the partial removal plan, as long as Huron-Clinton Metroparks ensures water levels are maintained.
“It is critical that the [Huron-Clinton Metroparks] clearly and unequivocally mandate to their engineers and contractors the requirement to maintain existing impoundment waters or preferably raise these water levels.”
Dam removals growing more common
A third of the dams in metro Detroit have “high” or “significant hazard” ratings from the National Dam Inventory. Catastrophic flooding like that seen in Midland with the Edenville Dam failure has drawn attention to questions of ownership and accountability of privately owned dams.
Proponents of dam removals point to improved river health and biodiversity. They also mitigate the risk of catastrophic dam failures.
In the case of Flat Rock Dam, the Metroparks feasibility study for this project notes improved fish passage for sturgeon, walleye, and salmon to travel up the Huron River to spawn.
Brian Graber, senior director of river restoration at American Rivers. He spoke with the Metro’s David Leins. Dave started by asking why Michigan has so many dams in the first place?
One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.
The FBI put out its 2025 crime numbers this month, and they show the largest year-to-year decline in violent crime rates since estimations began in 1936. Robbery fell 18.5%. Murder dropped by 18 percent — that rate is now tied with 1955 for the lowest ever recorded in this country.
Detroit is part of that trend. The city ended last year with the lowest number of homicides since 1965. Carjackings dropped 46 percent.
What nobody fully agrees on is why. Detroit police credit a mix of strategies: More officers, a different approach to mental health calls, and community violence intervention — those are programs staffed by people from the neighborhoods where the shooting happens.
Andy Arena spent 24 years in the FBI and ran its Detroit division. He now leads the Detroit Crime Commission. He spoke about why violent crime is declining with host Robyn Vincent.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.
We call someone a "card” when they're especially funny or clever. However, that particular meaning of "card" comes from a much longer history of using the word to describe people with particular qualities.
Beginning in the 1500s, figurative uses of "card" grew out of card games. A “leading card,” for example, was the card used to start a round, and eventually came to refer to a strong point or advantage.
Fast forward to the 1830s, and "card" could describe someone who embodied a particular quality. You could be a “knowing card” or, more positively, a “sure card," i.e., someone you could depend on.
By the 1850s, "card" was also being used for someone who was clever or ingenious, and eventually for someone who was funny, eccentric or a bit of a character. That's the sense behind saying someone “is a card.”
There are plenty of other expressions built around the language of card games. “Trump card” dates to the 1820s, with "trump" being a shortened form of "triumph." And “playing the ___ card” emerged in the late 1800s as a way of introducing a topic in hopes of gaining sympathy or a political advantage.
Over time, that expanded into disparaging expressions such as “playing the gender card” and “playing the race card.”
To hear more about the "cards" our language holds and why someone who's a "card" might also be a "character," listen to the audio above.
Republican gubernatorial nominee John James has weighed in on one of the more pressing issues facing Michigan voters: whether men should submit their penises to the Lord.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he is renaming Lake Ontario to be known as “Lake America” in the United States as he exacerbates his trade war with Canada.
The Republican president signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake's name in the U.S. geographic naming service. Trump cannot force Canada to follow his preferred naming convention, however.
Trump has been floating the idea of the name change in recent days as the U.S. announced it was imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods over the weekend after talks between the countries broke down. Trump has been needling America’s northern neighbor since he returned to the White House last year, suggesting the ally with whom the U.S. once had warm relations should instead be absorbed as the 51st state.
Canada responded to Trump’s import taxes this week by imposing retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.
Trump, who signed the order as he was sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, had a large sign behind him propped on a stand with a map of the Great Lakes. Over Lake Ontario, in big red letters, the map read “Lake America.”
On the other wide of the president was another map with the words, “MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER.”
The lake is one of multiple Great Lakes that the U.S. and Canada share borders along.
The office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
There is no single international body that determines names of international bodies of water and Trump has wide latitude over how the U.S. government recognizes geographic places and landmarks.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has traded insults with Trump, this week brushed aside the prospect of Trump changing the lake's name as “a lot of rhetoric."
The name Lake Ontario comes from the Huron Indigenous people’s word “oniatarí:io,” that means “lake of shining waters.” The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.
Trump said that while his action was not meant to send any particular geopolitical message, “Canada’s been ripping us off for a long time” on trade and military issues.
“They wanted to be treated like a state and they’re not a state,” the president said. “We just can’t do that anymore.”
“We love the people of Canada,” Trump added. “I don’t think their representatives do, an appropriate job. Maybe they’ll change. I really don’t know. It doesn’t make much difference.”
The move is reminiscent of his move last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America."
Trump scribbled his name with a Sharpie pen on the executive order then held it up for the cameras, offering, “And we filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else.”
“We’ve notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So, we’ve done everything that you have to do,” he said. “And this is official, effective immediately.”
He also suggested his push to rename bodies of water may not be finished.
“So, if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean,” Trump said. “So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them.”
___
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
After investigators say she was reported missing earlier in the day, a woman died in Dearborn this morning after being hit by a train.
Chopper 7 captures aftermath after fatal pedestrian train crash in Dearborn Chopper 7 captures aftermath after fatal pedestrian train crash in Dearborn
Officers first received a report around 10 a.m. this morning of an elderly woman with dementia who had wandered from her home.
When searching for the woman, officers got word from emergency dispatchers that a woman had been struck by a train near Miller Road and Southern Avenue, on the south end of the city.
The woman was found on the railroad tracks and was pronounced dead at the scene.
"The Dearborn Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the woman's family and loved ones following this tragic loss of life. We ask that the community respect the family's privacy as they cope with this devastating loss," Dearborn Police said on social media.
WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Thursday he is renaming Lake Ontario to be known as Lake America in the United States as he escalates his trade war with Canada.
The Republican president signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake's name in the U.S. geographic naming service. Trump cannot force Canada to follow his preferred naming convention, however.
Trump has been floating the idea of the name change in recent days as the U.S. announced it was imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods over the weekend after talks between the countries broke down. Trump has been needling Americas northern neighbor since he returned to the White House last year, suggesting the ally with whom the U.S. once had warm relations should instead be absorbed as the 51st state.
Canada responded to Trumps import taxes this week by imposing retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.
Trump, who signed the order as he was sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, had a large sign behind him propped on a stand with a map of the Great Lakes. Over Lake Ontario, in big red letters, the map read Lake America.
On the other side of the president was another map with the words, MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER.
Trump said as he was signing the order that he'd notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So, weve done everything that you have to do.
And this is official, effective immediately, he added.
But the executive order Trump signed shows that the changes are supposed to be made within 30 days.
The office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not immediately respond to a request for comment
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston dismissed Trumps move in a social media post, writing: Were into some real foolishness now. Its Lake Ontario, buddy.
The lake is one of multiple Great Lakes that the U.S. and Canada share borders along.
There is no single international body that determines names of international bodies of water and Trump has wide latitude over how the U.S. government recognizes geographic places and landmarks.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has traded insults with Trump, this week brushed aside the prospect of Trump changing the lake's name as a lot of rhetoric.
The name Lake Ontario comes from the Huron Indigenous peoples word oniatar:io, which means lake of shining waters. The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.
Trump said that while his action was not meant to send any particular geopolitical message, Canadas been ripping us off for a long time on trade and military issues.
They wanted to be treated like a state and theyre not a state, the president said. We just cant do that anymore.
We love the people of Canada, Trump added. I dont think their representatives do, an appropriate job. Maybe theyll change. I really dont know. It doesnt make much difference.
The move is reminiscent of his move last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Trump scribbled his name with a Sharpie pen on the executive order, then held it up for the cameras, offering, And we filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else.
He also suggested his push to rename bodies of water may not be finished.
So, if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean, Trump said. So maybe well have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe well change them.
___
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump signed an order Thursday renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America amid ongoing trade tensions between the United States and Canada.
The order formally directs the Secretary of the Interior to take steps within the next 30 days to remove all references to Lake Ontario throughout the U.S. government.
He had previously said he was considering renaming the Great Lake before Thursday's order.
The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, as we dont expect to do much business with Ontario any longer, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Trump took his comments one step further, calling Canadian officials "nasty people."
"People oftentimes they'll ask me, 'Who's the worst to deal with on trade?' And I say, 'That's easy Canada.' They feel entitled, and we can't have that," Trump said.
Last week, President Trump ordered additional tariffs on Canadian goods. Days later, the Canadian government announced that it will match "dollar for dollar" tariffs, with rates of up to 50%, as a direct response to tariffs imposed by Trump.
The tariffs are expected to hit $20 billion in goods.
Both the U.S. and Canada have integrated supply chains, with automobiles and other goods frequently crisscrossing the border for production.
Ontario is Canadas most populous province, home to about 16.1 million people.
According to the Center for Great Lakes Literacy, the name Lake Ontario comes from the Iroquoian word oniatar:io, meaning lake of shining waters.
This is not the first time Trump has changed the name of a body of water. Shortly after taking office again in 2025, he renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Some companies, including Google and Apple, updated the name on their maps, though most entities outside the U.S. still refer to it as the Gulf of Mexico.
A U.S. military judge on Wednesday set a summer 2028 trail date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three others accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The trial is scheduled to begin June 5, 2028, 18 months later than the January 2027 start that prosecutors had requested. The additional time is needed to resolve pretrial disputes, including disagreements about what evidence can be presented at trial, Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama wrote in his ruling.
The U.S. military and successive administrations have struggled for more than two decades to bring to justice the man charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever on the United States.
The 2028 trial depends on the case meeting deadlines and milestones along the way and it could again be delayed. A trial was previously scheduled in 2021 but later canceled.
Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another of the hijacked planes flew into a field in Pennsylvania. He faces trial alongside three alleged accomplices: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
They are among the last of the detainees held at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A federal appeals court last year threw out an agreement that would have allowed Mohammed to plead guilty in a deal sparing him the risk of execution for al-Qaidas 2001 attacks.
That deal stipulated life sentences without parole for Mohammed and two of his co-defendants. It also would have obligated the men to answer any lingering questions that families of the victims have about the attacks. But after negotiating the deal for two years, former President Joe Biden's administration repudiated it.
Conair has expanded a recall of Cuisinart grill brushes due to an ingestion hazard.
They say that more than 3.6 million brushes have since been recalled. This includes more than 20 different types of these brushes.
The company says there has been at least 54 reports and reviews where small wire bristles detached from the grill brushes. There were also three reports of consumers swallowing the bristles and having to seek medical treatment.
The recall expansion involves Cuisinart metal wire bristle grill brushes. They have black plastic, stainless steel, and wood handles.
The following model numbers were previously recalled and can also be located here for better image reference: CCB-100, CCB-4125, CCB-5014, CCB-6450, CCB-8012, CCB-4114, CCB-W2, and CSBS-777.
The following model numbers are part of this recall expansion: CGWM-024, CGWM-059, FCB-501, CGS-W18, CCB-134, CGWM-061, CB-395, CCB-3001, CGWM-077, CGWM-058, CCB-012/021, CGWM-060, and FBH-51.
It’s the last week of August! Spend the last weekend before Labor Day exploring something new, getting outside, or just having fun. If you need some ideas to get you started this weekend, Michigan Public has got you covered! We've gathered some of our favorite events from across Michigan this weekend. Check out some of these fun, interesting, and timely events, handpicked by our staff!
Planning to go to any of these events this weekend? Let us know how much you enjoyed it by emailing digital@michiganpublic.org.
Across Michigan
Full Moon over Mackinac 8/28 | 8 p.m. Fort Mackinac - 7127 Huron Road, Mackinac Island, MI Free
Blake’s Sunflower Festival 8/28-8/30 | All Day Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill - 17985 Armada Center Road, Armada, MI $14
Cedar Polka Fest 8/27-8/30 | All Day 3075 E Sullivan Street, Cedar, MI $15
Emmet-Charlevoix County Fair 8/24-8/30 | All Day Petoskey Fairgrounds - 1129 Charlevoix Avenue, Petoskey, MI Prices Vary by Event
Authorities across the country are sounding the alarm over a spike in air bag thefts.
The warning is for Honda owners everywhere. According to officials, these thieves are targeting the driver's side air bags of Honda Accords, Civics, HR-Vs and CR-Vs.
The thieves are often stealing these air bags to sell on the black market.
While a brand new replacement airbag could cost around $1,000 at a dealership for the victim, these black market buyers are purchasing stolen ones for significantly less.
They say you should park in well-lit areas if you're unable to park in a garage. You should always keep your vehicles locked and if you have access to outdoor cameras at your home, have them face your vehicle.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau says more than 500,000 airbags are stolen each year, causing $50 million in losses.
The jury in the trial of Lindsay Clancy has finished deliberating for the day without reaching a verdict and will resume deliberations Friday at 9 a.m. ET.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
Clancy, 36, is accused of killing her three young children Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months by strangulation at the family's Massachusetts home. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Jurors are faced with deciding whether she is criminally responsible. The two sides have presented experts with starkly contradicting testimony on whether Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
Clancy has admitted to the killings and later attempted to take her own life by jumping out of two-story window of the home. During closing arguments on Thursday, the defense said Clancy was in a severe postpartum psychotic state at the time and cannot be held criminally responsible.
"Calling the suicide hotline. We can't help you. Calling another suicide hotline. We can't help you," defense attorney Kevin Reddington told the jury. "My God, what does she have to do? She was reaching out for help and she was not getting it."
Prosecutors, however, claim she was aware of her wrongdoings at the time of the killings and presented expert testimony that told jurors Clancy planned where to kill the children, what to use, and in what order to take their lives.
"This wasn't a woman suffering from a lack of care, a lack of resources. She had an abundance of help, an abundance of care. She had all of that and more," said assistant district attorney Jennifer Sprague.
If convicted of murder, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.
The impact of the USEPA proposal on Native American reservations in Michigan is uncertain. Twelve Michigan tribes could be affected by the proposal.(Lester Graham / Michigan Radio)
State taxpayers will spend up to $50 million on the polarizing Copperwood copper mine in the far western Upper Peninsula following a vote Tuesday by the Michigan Strategic Fund.
Toronto-based Highland Copper Inc. pitched the project in 2023 as a $425 million mine that will create 380 jobs during its 11-year lifecycle — and one that needed state dollars to be viable.
After several attempts to obtain a state subsidy, the company succeeded on Tuesday when the Strategic Fund awarded the company $45 million toward an estimated $129 million in site readiness costs. It awarded another $5 million to the Gogebic County Road Commission to make road updates in Wakefield Township.
The mine project — which would be the first in the Upper Peninsula since 1955 — has been pushed by lawmakers and economic developers, who said recent polling showed that 70% of state residents supported it.
The mine is “the most important economic opportunity” for the entire Upper Peninsula, said Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUP, an economic development group.
“This grant delivers infrastructure the Western UP desperately needs but cannot afford: infrastructure to attract good-paying jobs like those that Copperwood brings.”
The state’s grant will cover nearly 10% of the $425 million project cost estimate as originally proposed in 2023.
However, Highland Copper said it will be revising project costs by March — along with considering a smaller facility that would use less power and supplies. Unclear is whether hiring will remain at 380 expected new jobs.
Public opposition
During at least two hours of public comments before the vote, many people raised questions about whether the economic value of the mine offset the costs to the region’s ecology and to taxpayers.
Most of the speakers opposed the project, warning of risks to nearby Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains from mining and its byproducts.
“We must protect Lake Superior at all costs from this mine,” Brian Mitchell, a Novi-based nature photographer, said. “If we do not protect our fresh water, no other business, economy or investment really matters in this state.”
Many noted that the mine deal first came up for a vote in early 2024, and proponents tried several times to get lawmakers to either approve it as a SOAR appropriation or annual budget earmark. Tuesday’s vote on the company grant was 7-2.
The company is trying to attract additional funding for the Copperwood project. The $45 million state grant is worth more than half of Highland Copper’s (OTC: HDRSF) market value, which stood at $80 million Tuesday based on the company’s stock price of 12 cents a share.
Without the state funding, financing the full project would be “incredibly more challenging,” said company CEO Barry O’Shea told the board.
That alone is a concern, Cindy Warner, a former member of the Strategic Fund board, wrote in a letter sent this week to oppose the property.
“This is a proposal to backstop, with public money, a project that private capital markets have not fully backed on their own merits,” she wrote. “This is not a proper use of Michigan taxpayer dollars.”
The Export-Import Bank of the United States last fall indicated interest in loaning Highland $250 million through its Make More in America Initiative, but no financing has been finalized.
Several tries over years: A timeline
Tuesday’s vote comes three years after the Michigan Economic Development Corp. initially offered Highland Copper Inc. a $50 million subsidy plus additional funding for recruitment and other hiring needs, documents obtained by Bridge through the Freedom of Information Act show.
Several failed attempts to seed the project with public money followed:
1. The Strategic Fund board, after asking rare questions during a public meeting in January 2024, postponed a vote to give Highland Copper $50 million. Upon prodding from the board, the company CEO acknowledged it had no investors and a fraction of the capital it needed to build the mine after the subsidy.
2. The proposal returned in March 2024, and the board passed it without discussion. In committee before the meeting, they’d set up conditions: Highland Copper could only get the money if it had $150 million in capital.
3. After the proposal stalled in gaining legislative support for the money to be appropriated, Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, switched gears: He sought $50 million in summer 2024 for Wakefield Township to fund mine-related infrastructure like roads and internet. His earmark request did not make it into the budget.
The proposal “appears in every way identical to what has already been denied three times,” said Tom Grotewohl, founder of Protect the Porkies, a nonprofit organization opposing proposed mines in the UP.
“To propose it a fourth time is a grotesque attempt to steamroll over the clear will of the people,” he told Bridge.
Yet several lawmakers touted the project during Tuesday’s hearing, noting the region’s mine history and saying that state oversight would protect the environment.
Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, also spoke of economic revitalization.
“For too long, the state of Michigan and its policies ignored this once prosperous region. The people have been abandoned, employers have left, hospitals have closed, the tax base has been devastated,” he said.
The grant, he said, is a responsible use of state funding.
“The roads, power systems, and telecommunications improvements supported by this grant will remain in place and continue serving the region for decades after the project operations conclude,” he said.
Looking ahead
The mine will add U.S.-based copper production at a time when electronics and data centers rely on the mineral, and the Trump administration seeks to boost domestic production. U.S. copper is about 4% of the world’s supply.
O’Shea, the CEO, said Highland Copper is preparing to start construction in 2028, a year after it releases its updated feasibility study that will refine its Copperwood plans.
So far, the company has spent about $15 million on the project.
Meanwhile, the state said it would reduce the grant award if the overall investment and job creation target declines.
The deal also set a few conditions on the grant award: Highland Copper needs to show $150 million of additional financing by spring 2028, along with a spreadsheet of anticipated spending. Developers also will have to prove they created 380 jobs and finish the infrastructure spending by March 31, 2033.
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This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Good news for drivers who use I-696 during the Restore the Reuther project.
The westbound I-696 ramps to northbound and southbound I-75 are expected to on Monday, Aug. 31, after being closed for the past six months.
A time hasn't been set for the reopening, but it will be some time during the day.
The nearly year-and-a-half closure of eastbound I-696 between M-10 and I-75 in Oakland County is nearing its end, with MDOT's project manager saying the lanes are on track to reopen before the end of the year.
Watch Ali Hoxie's report below Eastbound I-696 between M-10 and I-75 set to reopen before end of the year
The closure has created congestion on mile roads and service drives, shut down major ramps, and stretched morning commutes for drivers across metro Detroit.
Brian Travis, MDOT's project manager for the I-696 construction project, said the work is well along.
"We are, I would say about 90 percent of the way paved out on the project," Travis said.
Traffic shift
The next major change will be a traffic shift. Once MDOT finishes repaving the westbound side, westbound traffic currently running in the eastbound lanes will move back to its original side of the highway.
"Come around early October, we hope to put the westbound traffic back on that westbound pavement," Travis said.
Once that shift happens, crews will finish paving remaining ramps on the eastbound side of I-696 and the median, setting the stage for the eastbound lanes to reopen.
More construction ahead
Even after the eastbound lanes reopen, more work is planned on I-696 during the next construction season, including bridge and pavement work between I-75 and Dequindre.
"From about mid-April next year, through the I'll say fall, we will be down to two lanes each direction through that stretch," Travis said.
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