Israel on Wednesday cut the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza from 600 to 300 a day, dealing a major blow to humanitarian efforts already struggling to address the deepening crisis.

Israel blamed the reduction on Hamas, saying the group has failed to return all of the bodies of hostages as required under the ceasefire agreement.

At least 600 aid trucks a day are needed to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Mara Kronenfeld, executive director of UNRWA USA, told Scripps News.

"The organization I work with has close to 6,000 trucks of emergency food aid, medical aid and shelter items that are sitting literally meters, in some cases, outside of the Rafah border," Kronenfeld said.

Multiple humanitarian organizations say the current flow of aid including food, medicine and other essential supplies is insufficient to meet the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Some groups have been unable to get supplies into the region this week.

"It's a race against time," James Hoobler, the humanitarian policy advisor at Oxfam America, told Scripps News. "We're talking about people that are severely malnourished. We're talking to people that don't have shelter, people that are in really just terrible overcrowded conditions."

"We haven't been able to get in enough tents for people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed. And we're talking about, again, just the interaction of malnutrition and disease and dehydration and the collapse of the healthcare sector," Hoobler added.

According to the United Nations, the plan to scale up aid includes hundreds of trucks to deliver 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine and other supplies. The plan also calls for providing cash for 200,000 families to cover basic food needs, restoring the water grid, and distributing thousands of tents in preparation for winter.

International humanitarian groups like Human Appeal emphasized the need for immediate aid at scale.

"Yes, we'd been able to get aid in, but is it enough to feed a population of 1.7 million? No. It wasn't enough and it never will be. We need an insurmountable amount of aid to be able to really satisfy the needs of the people that are on the ground," Zaheer Khan, global director of fundraising at Human Appeal, told Scripps News.

Khan also said humanitarian workers need secure passages as well as multiple corridors to get aid into Gaza.

"We welcome this corridor of aid to be able to get in. And we just hope that this ceasefire remains intact so we can save as many lives as we can and bring some hope back to the region," Khan said.

A new transit center is likely coming to Corktown and could return trains to the ground surrounding the former Michigan Central Depot for the first time in decades.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the deal at a Downtown Detroit Partnership meeting at Michigan Central on Wednesday.

Downtown Detroit is open for business and on the move as one of the best places to live, work, and pioneer cutting-edge ideas, said Whitmer in a news release. Todays MOU lays the foundation for a new multimodal transportation hub that will grow our regional economy, make downtown Detroit more vibrant, and connect residents and visitors to our communities. It builds on a historic investment in transit that I signed in my seventh balanced, bipartisan budget. Lets keep getting it done.

Under a $40 million deal included in a memorandum of understanding, Michigan Central, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the City of Detroit have committed to building a multimodal transportation hub on the Detroit Central campus. It would be built on land owned by the Ford Motor Company south of an existing Department of Public Works yard, pending the satisfactory completion of preliminary work.

According to Crain's Detroit, the memorandum of understanding calls for the engineering and environmental assessments to be completed by October 1, 2026, before an agreement to actually develop the land would be signed. Once that is signed, final design and construction would be completed by October 31, 2028. The facility would be targeted to open by December 31, 2028.

While it is hoped the facility will bring trains back into the Michigan Central Depot campus, the facility will, at least, become the new hub for bus lines operated by Greyhound, Indian Trails, and Detroit's intercity buses, which SMART operates. Crain's says the goal is also to bring the Regional Transit Authority's Detroit to Ann Arbor buses, as well as the Detroit Air Xpress buses to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, into the facility as well.

The proposed train line would be part of a proposed extension of a Chicago-Detroit Amtrak Wolverine train to Windsor and Toronto.

MDOT currently owns the Howard Street bus station, which currently serves Greyhound, Indian Trails, and Baron's Bus, as well as the New Center Amtrak station, all of which, according to the news release, have passed their useful life span and need major renovations.

While work on this project is still in its early stages and the final plan still needs to be signed off on, city officials say a new facility is badly needed.

For decades, Michigan Central Station was the gateway to Detroit, and we are excited to begin the work of re-establishing train service at a new multi-modal transit facility in the shadow of the station, said Chief of Infrastructure for the City of Detroit, Sam Krassenstein. Detroiters deserve a first-class facility for bus and train service and this agreement puts us on a path to make it happen.

Officials say decisions about the final project design, funding, and exact timelines will be shared as they conduct the exploratory phase over the next year.

By FERNANDA FIGUEROA

Authors, readers and publishing industry experts lament the underrepresentation of Hispanic stories in the mainstream world of books, but have found new ways to elevate the literature and resolve misunderstandings.

“The stories now are more diverse than they were ten years ago,” said Carmen Alvarez, a book influencer on Instagram and TikTok.

Some publishers, independent bookstores and book influencers are pushing past the perception of monolithic experience by making Hispanic stories more visible and discoverable for book lovers.

The rise of online book retailers and limited marketing budgets for stories about people of color have been major hurdles for increasing that representation, despite annual celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 in the U.S. There’s been a push for ethnically authentic stories about Latinos, beyond the immigrant experience.

“I feel like we are getting away from the immigration story, the struggle story,” said Alvarez, who is best known as “tomesandtextiles” on bookstagram and booktok, the Instagram and TikTok social media communities. “I feel like my content is to push back against the lack of representation.”

Latinos in the publishing industry

Latinos currently make up roughly 20% of the U.S. population, according to Census data.

However, the National Hispanic Media Coalition estimates Latinos only represent 8% of employees in publishing, according to its Latino Representation in Publishing Coalition created in 2023.

Brenda Castillo, NHMC president and CEO, said the coalition works directly with publishing houses to highlight Latino voices and promote their existing Latino employees.

The publishing houses “are the ones that have the power to make the changes,” Castillo said.

Some Hispanic authors are creating spaces for their work to find interested readers. Award-winning children authors Mayra Cuevas and Alex Villasante co-founded a book festival and storytellers conference in 2024 to showcase writers and illustrators from their communities.

“We were very intentional in creating programming around upleveling craft and professional development,” Cuevas said. “And giving attendees access to the publishing industry, and most importantly, creating a space for community connection and belonging.”

Villasante said the festival and conference allowed them to sustain themselves within the publishing industry, while giving others a road map for success in an industry that isn’t always looking to mass produce their work.

“We are not getting the representation of ourselves,” Villasante said. “I believe that is changing, but it is a slow change so we have to continue to push for that change.”

Breaking into the mainstream

New York Times bestselling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a Mexican-Canadian novelist known for the novels “Mexican Gothic” and “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau,” is one of few Hispanic authors that has been able to break to mainstream. But she said it wasn’t easy.

Moreno-Garcia recalled one of her first publisher rejections: The editor complimented the quality of the story but said it would not sell because it was set in Mexico.

“There are systems built within publishing that make it very difficult to achieve the regular distributions that other books naturally have built into them,” Moreno-Garcia said. “There is sometimes resistance to sharing some of these books.”

Cynthia Pelayo, an award-winning author and poet, said the marketing campaign is often the difference maker in terms of a book’s success. Authors of color are often left wanting more promotional support from their publishers, she said.

“I’ve seen exceptional Latino novels that have not received nearly the amount of marketing, publicity that some of their white colleagues have received,” Pelayo said. “What happens in that situation (is) their books get put somewhere else in the bookstore when these white colleagues, their books will get put in the front.”

Hispanic Heritage Month, however, helps bring some attention to Hispanic authors, she added.

Independent bookstores

Independent bookstores remain persistent in elevating Hispanic stories. A 2024 report by the American Booksellers Association found that 60 of the 323 new independent bookstores were owned by people of color. According to Latinx in Publishing, a network of publishing industry professionals, there are 46 Hispanic-owned bookstores in the U.S.

Online book retailer Bookshop.org has highlighted Hispanic books and provided discounts for readers during Hispanic Heritage Month. A representative for the site, Ellington McKenzie, said the site has been able to provide financial support for about 70 Latino bookstores.

“People are always looking to support those minority owned bookstores which we are happy to be the liaison between them,” McKenzie said.

Chawa Magaña, the owner of Palabras Bilingual Bookstore in Phoenix, said she was inspired to open the store because of what she felt was a lack of diversity and representation in the books that are taught in Arizona schools.

“Growing up, I didn’t experience a lot of diversity in literature in schools.” Magaña said. “I wasn’t seeing myself in the stories that I was reading.”

Of the books for sale at Palabras Bilingual, between 30% to 40% of the books are Latino stories, she said.

Magaña said having heard people say they have never seen that much representation in a bookstore has made her cry.

“What has been the most fulfilling to me is able to see how it impacts other people’s lives,” she said. “What motivates me is seeing other people get inspired to do things, seeing people moved when they see the store itself having diverse books.”

The hiring of a new assessor in Clarkston has led to confusing communication with Independence Township in northern Oakland County over their intergovernmental agreements, which includes police and fire services in the city.

Clarkston City Manager Jonathan Smith told the city council on Tuesday night he received a text message from Independence Township Supervisor Chuck Phyle on Sept. 23 stating his intention to cancel the three-year agreement signed by the two municipalities in June.

It came one day after the council voted 7-0 to approve hiring Kim Fiegly Assessing for assessing services for Clarkston.

“Supervisor Phyle texted me to say that because we had selected Kim, the township would be canceling the police, fire, department of public works and Deer Lake Beach agreements,” said Smith. “He texted that to me.”

That text from Phyle was followed by “I will send official notice from (township attorney) Dan Kelly.”

In a statement to The Oakland Press on Wednesday, Phyle seemed to change his position.

“Independence Township is reviewing all intergovernmental contracts with the City of the Village of Clarkston to ensure fairness, compliance, and protection for residents of both communities,” Phyle said. “As township supervisor, I have both the authority and the responsibility to initiate these reviews when terms appear inconsistent with the township’s fiscal or legal obligations. Any final action to amend or terminate a contract will, as always, go before the full board for approval.”

Clarkston’s Smith told the council there was a meeting on Oct. 2 between Phyle, Kelly and Clarkston city attorney Jerry Fisher to discuss cancellation of the agreement.

“I was hoping it was just a big misunderstanding, but that was not the case,” said Smith, who was also in the meeting. “He suggested that the city could not afford to be a city anymore and we should consider folding into the township.”

Smith and Trustee Amanda Forte met informally with Phyle after a township meeting on Oct. 7 to find out what the problem was with the hiring of Fiegly, the former Independence Township director of assessing.

“He noted that Kim would not be able to work with their (Independence Township) building department due to the way she left things,” said Forte. “We asked if there was any major incident that happened and he said ‘no’ and we asked if she was fired and he said ‘no,’ so he did not give us any specifics on why that would be an issue.”

“He cannot provide any reason why we should not do business with someone who is completely independent from them,” Trustee Erica Jones said. “It is nothing that a publicly elected official should be doing.”

It turns out Fiegly left her position at the township because Phyle was on track to overload the assessing department in order to cover the townships assessing costs.

Back in April, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved a cost increase on assessing services done through the county, which led to several communities looking into bringing in their own assessors.

Assessing contracts with Oakland County drop by more than 50%

Fiegly said Phyle began talking with those communities about signing on with his department for their assessing services.

“Mr. Phyle was soliciting other governmental contracts for me to head up an assessing division for profit for Independence Township,” said Fiegly. “He was soliciting as many municipalities as he could that the county had alienated. He was trying to make money off of other municipalities to offset his own (assessing) costs.”

She said he had been in contact with Commerce, Springfield, Orion and Oxford townships, but knew the amount of work it would bring would overload her department.

“I agreed to take on one or two small units for him, but it blew up much larger to the point where we could not do it without compromising the quality of service,” she said. “It was in my best interest to bow out and leave.”

Fiegly resigned in April, opened up her own business and submitted one of four proposals for the Clarkston assessor position.

The three-year proposals were from: Kim Fiegly Assessing - $22 per parcel, AAS Assessing - $23.68 per parcel, WCA Assessing - $27.16 per parcel and Oakland County - $32.11 per parcel. Independence Township has since contracted with AAS for their services.

Clarkston would have paid Oakland County an average of $32.24 per parcel if they had agreed to a proposed three-year contract for county assessing services from 2026-28.

The threat of pulling police and emergency services from Clarkston due to her hiring did not dissuade Fiegly from signing the contracton Tuesday. She notified the state that her company is now the assessor of record for the city.

“I did a lot of soul searching with the city and I said, ‘I don’t want to bring harm to you,’  and they said this has nothing to do with you and you are the one we want for our assessor,” said Fiegly. “I grew up in this community. I have 40 years of real estate knowledge here and this is something I could give back to the village.”

By not going along with Phyle’s plan, she said their dynamic changed.

“(Phyle) went from advertising us as the greatest assessing office to me being incompetent,” said Fiegly. “He is retaliating and he is angry at me and he is taking it out on (Clarkston), but he has no authority to tell the village who they can hire.”

Fiegly drew nothing but praise from Clarkston Treasurer Greg Cote.

“Kim Fiegly is a startup company with Kim having 30 plus years of experience. Kim grew up in Independence Township and is quite capable of serving this community,” Cote said at the Sept. 22 where she earned board approval. “If a resident wants to talk to an assessor, Kim being born and raised in this community, indicated that she would come here to the office and sit down and explain rationale. So, I believe Kim is more than capable of performing the duties we are requesting.”

“She is highly regarded in the field and has nothing but the highest reputation,” said Smith.

Clarkston has three intergovernmental agreements with Independence Township for police services, fire services and building services (including building and code enforcement services).

The police agreement commits Clarkston to pay 2.7% of the township’s total cost for police services and a $300 a month administration fee.

The fire agreement commits the city to pay the township the same millage rate that the township charges its residents - 3.37-mills.

The city has been contracting with Code Enforcement Services, a division of Ann Arbor-based Carlisle- Wortman Associates ,for building services since 2017.

The Deer Lake Beach agreement committed Clarkston to lease the beach to the township for $1 per year with the Independence Township Parks and Recreation Department offering multiple services including swim lesson, a boat launch and open swimming for residents of both municipalities. The township would keep the collected fees to offset their costs.

Trustee Jones said it would impact Clarkston significantly if the agreement was canceled.

“It affects the actual emergency services that would be provided to our community,” she said. “(Phyle) is putting resident safety in jeopardy. This is basically a breach of contract. We signed a contract for those services in June and those contracts have gone into effect.”

Fiegly also recognizes the consequences of leaving the city without a fire department.

“When you start threatening to take away fire services in a historical district with homes from the 1800’s, that is some pretty major stuff,” she said.

Jones said the possibility of “folding” Clarkston into Independence Township was unrealistic.

“It legally cannot happen because of the way our charter is worded. A township cannot absorb a city,” she said. “(Phyle) wants the brand affinity of the Clarkston name for Independence Township.”

Oakland County loses more than half its assessing customer base

Looking to be entertained this weekend? There’s plenty of the usual fare — lots of music, movie openings, TV, etc. But if you feel like stepping out for something special, there are a few significant opportunities in the metro area over the next few days …

• The Detroit Institute of Arts celebrates the opening of its reimagined African American Art Galleries with a number of events during the weekend. A preview for members runs all day on Friday, Oct. 17, with the grand opening and member lecture taking place at 6 p.m. in the Detroit Film Theatre. A special gala opening will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, and the galleries open to the public at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-833-9700 or dia.org.

• Comedian and actor John Mulaney is making himself at home this weekend. He wraps a two-night stand on his “Mister Whatever” tour at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com. Mulaney then moves to the Fillmore Detroit for one more show on Saturday, Oct. 18. 2115 Woodward Ave. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-961-5451 or thefillmoredetroit.com.

• The Dance @ Detroit Opera season begins with performances by Stars of the American Ballet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit. The company will salute iconic choreographers Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Gerald Arpino and George Balanchine. Daniel Ulbricht, artistic director, will speak an hour before each performance. 313-237-7464 or detroitopera.org.

• We often forget that “Steel Magnolias” was a stage play — in 1987, by Robert Harling — before it became a hit film two years later. You can see it at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Macomb Center, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township. 586-286-2222 or macombcenter.com.

• “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” 50th Anniversary Spectacular Tour — featuring cast members Barry Bostwick (Brad Majors), Laura “Little Nell” Campbell (Columbia) and Patricia Quinn (Magenta) — stops Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Masonic Temple Theatre, 500 Temple St., Detroit. Doors at 7 p.m. 313-548-1320 or themasonic.com.

Barry Bostwick to appear with ‘Rocky Horror’ co-stars in Detroit to celebrate film’s 50th anniversary

The 16th annual Detroit Fall Beer Festival is returning to Eastern Market on Oct. 25, bringing together beer enthusiasts and the state's best breweries.

Taking place at historic Eastern Market, the Detroit Fall Beer Festival is put on by the Michigan Brewers Guild and is one of the largest all-Michigan beer tastings in the state.

General admission for the festival takes place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. with gates opening at 12 p.m. for a VIP hour for enthusiast members. Tickets are $60 in advance and $70 at the door, and get you a sample cup and 15 beer tokens for samples.

On top of live music, there will be food from Detroit-area restaurants. You can purchase tickets on the Michigan Brewers Guild website.

Below is a list of the 93 breweries that will be participating in the event. To see the beers they'll be offering, check out the program here.

Abberant Ales in Howell Arbor Brewing in Ypsilanti Archival Brewing in Belmont Arvon Brewing in Grand Rapids Atwater Brewing in Detroit Austin Brothers Beer in Alpena Baffin Brewing in St. Clair Shores Batch Brewing in Detroit Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo Bier Distillery & Brewery in Comstock Park Big Buck Brewery in Gaylord Big Lake Brewing in Holland Black Fire Winery & Brewery in Tecumseh Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette Block Brewery in Howell Brew Detroit in Detroit Brewery Becker in Brighton Brewery Faisan in Detroit Brewery Outre in Kalamazoo Broad Leaf Brewery & Spirits in Kentwood Brown Iron Brewhouse in Washington Township Bygeorge Brewing in Munising CJ's Brewing in Commerce Township Cadillac Straits Brewing in Madison Heights Cheyboygan Brewing in Cheyboygan Dark Horse Brewing in Marshall Dearborn Brewing in Dearborn Downey Brewing in Dearborn Drafting Table Brewing in Wixom Dragonmead Microbrewery in Warren Earthen Ales in Traverse City Farmington Brewing in Farmington Fenton Winery & Brewery in Fenton Fillmore 13 Brewery in Pontiac Flatiron Brewing in Manistique Florian East Lagers & Ales in Hamtramck Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids Four Keys Brewing in Blissfield Four Leaf Brewing in Clare Full Measure Brewing in Detroit Grand Armory Brewing in Grand Haven Great Baraboo Brewing in Clinton Township Great White Buffalo Brewing in Northville Griffin Claw Brewing Co. in Birmingham Grizzly Peak Brewing in Ann Arbor Hear Say Brewing in Ann Arbor Heights Brewing in Farmington Homegrown Brewing in Oxford Homes Brewery in Ann Arbor Ironbark Brewing in Jackson Kickstand Brewing in Commerce Township Kuhnhenn Brewing in Warren Lansing Brewing in Lansing Lily's Brewery & Seafood Grill in Royal Oak Looking Glass Brewing in DeWitt Ludington Bay Brewing in Ludington Manchester Brewing in Manchester Mothfire Brewing in Ann Arbor Motor City Brewing Works in Detroit New Holland Brewing in Holland Niles Brewing in Niles Old Nation Brewing in Williamston One Well Brewing in Kalamazoo Ore Dock Brewing in Marquette Pavlov's Brewing in Temperance Perrin Brewing in Comstock Park Pigeon Hill Brewing in Muskegon Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs River's Edge Brewing in Milford ROAK Brewing in Marshall Rochester Mills Beer in Rochester Rochester Mills Distribution in Warren Royal Oak Brewery in Royal Oak Rustic Leaf Brewing in Waterford Salt Springs Brewery in Saline Salty Mac Brewing in St. Ignace Saugatuck Brewing in Douglas Schaendorf Brewing in Allegan Schoolcraft Brewery in Livonia Sherwood Brewing in Shelby Township Short's Brewing in Bellaire Six Spoke Brewing in Detroit Someday Brewing in Grosse Pointe Woods Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen in Boyne City Supernatural Brewing in Livonia Tenacity Brewing in Flint/Detroit The Mitten Brewing in Grand Rapids Tombstone Brewery in Chesterfield Township Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman Tri City Brewing in Bay City Unexpected Craft Brewing in Oak Park Urbanrest Brewing in Ferndale Ypsi Alehouse in Ypsilanti

By JULIE WATSON

When the corroded pipeline burst in 2015, inky crude spread along the Southern California coast, becoming the state’s worst oil spill in decades.

More than 140,000 gallons (3,300 barrels) of oil gushed out, blackening beaches for 150 miles from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, polluting a biologically rich habitat for endangered whales and sea turtles, killing scores of pelicans, seals and dolphins, and decimating the fishing industry.

Plains All American Pipeline in 2022 agreed to a $230 million settlement with fishers and coastal property owners without admitting liability. Federal inspectors found that the Houston-based company failed to quickly detect the rupture and responded too slowly. It faced an uphill battle to build a new pipeline.

Three decades-old drilling platforms were subsequently shuttered, but another Texas-based fossil fuel company supported by the Trump administration purchased the operation and is intent on pumping oil through the pipeline again.

Sable Offshore Corp., headquartered in Houston, is facing a slew of legal challenges but is determined to restart production, even if that means confining it to federal waters, where state regulators have virtually no say. California controls the 3 miles nearest to shore. The platforms are 5 to 9 miles offshore.

The Trump administration has hailed Sable’s plans as the kind of project the president wants to increase U.S. energy production as the federal government removes regulatory barriers. President Donald Trump has directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to undo his predecessor’s ban on future offshore oil drilling on the East and West coasts.

Environmentalist sue to stop the project

“This project risks another environmental disaster in California at a time when demand for oil is going down and the climate crisis is escalating,” said Alex Katz, executive director of Environmental Defense Center, the Santa Barbara group formed in response to a massive spill in 1969.

The environmental organization is among several suing Sable.

“Our concern is that there is no way to make this pipeline safe and that this company has proven that it cannot be trusted to operate safely, responsibly or even legally,” he said.

Actor and activist Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who lives in the area, has implored officials to stop Sable, saying at a March protest: “I can smell a rat. And this project is a rat.”

The California Coastal Commission fined Sable a record $18 million for ignoring cease-and-desist orders over repair work it says was done without permits. Sable said it has permits from the previous owner, Exxon Mobil, and sued the commission while work continued on the pipeline. In June, a state judge ordered it to stop while the case proceeds through the court. The commission and Sable are due back in court Wednesday.

“This fly-by-night oil company has repeatedly abused the public’s trust, racking up millions of dollars in fines and causing environmental damage along the treasured Gaviota Coast,” a state park south of Santa Barbara, said Joshua Smith, the commission’s spokesman.

Sable keeps moving forward

So far, Sable is undeterred.

The California Attorney General’s office sued Sable this month, saying it illegally discharged waste into waterways, and disregarded state law requiring permits before work along the pipeline route that crosses sensitive wildlife habitat.

“Sable placed profits over environmental protection in its rush to get oil on the market,” the agency said in its lawsuit.

Last month, the Santa Barbara District Attorney filed felony criminal charges against Sable, also accusing it of polluting waterways and harming wildlife.

Sable said it has fully cooperated with local and state agencies, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and called the district attorney’s allegation “inflammatory and extremely misleading.” It said a biologist and state fire marshal officials oversaw the work, and no wildlife was harmed.

The company is seeking $347 million for the delays, and says if the state blocks it from restarting the onshore pipeline system, it will use a floating facility that would keep its entire operation in federal waters and use tankers to transport the oil to markets outside California. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, the company updated its plan to include the option.

Fulfilling the president’s energy promise

The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in July it was working with Sable to bring a second rig online.

“President Trump made it clear that American energy should come from American resources,” the agency’s deputy director Kenny Stevens said in a statement then, heralding the “comeback story for Pacific production.”

The agency said there are an estimated 190 million barrels (6 billion gallons) of recoverable oil reserves in the area, nearly 80% of residual Pacific reserves. It noted advancements in preventing and preparing for oil spills and said the failed pipeline has been rigorously tested.

“Continuous monitoring and improved technology significantly reduce the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future,” the agency said.

CEO says project could lower gas prices

On May 19 — the 10th anniversary of the disaster — CEO Jim Flores announced that Sable “is proud to have safely and responsibly achieved first production at the Santa Ynez Unit” — which includes three rigs in federal waters, offshore and onshore pipelines, and the Las Flores Canyon Processing Facility.

State officials countered that the company had only conducted testing and not commercial production. Sable’s stock price dropped and some investors sued, alleging they were misled.

Sable purchased the Santa Ynez Unit from Exxon Mobil in 2024 for nearly $650 million primarily with a loan from Exxon. Exxon sold the shuttered operation after losing a court battle in 2023 to truck the crude through central California while the pipeline system was rebuilt or repaired.

Flores said well tests at the Platform Harmony rig indicate there is much oil to be extracted and that it will relieve California’s gas prices — among the nation’s highest — by stabilizing supplies.

“Sable is very concerned about the crumbling energy complex in California,” Flores said in a statement to The Associated Press. “With the exit of two refineries last year and more shuttering soon, California’s economy cannot survive without the strong energy infrastructure it enjoyed for the last 150 years.”

California has been reducing the state’s production of fossil fuels in favor of clean energy for years. The movement has been spearheaded partly by Santa Barbara County, where elected officials voted in May to begin taking steps to phase out onshore oil and gas operations.

Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana contributed to this report.

When the Oakland County’s board of commissioners meet Thursday evening, the agenda will include event-sponsorship requests, union contracts and grant applications among other items.

What the agenda doesn’t include, as of early Wednesday afternoon, are resolutions to update the county’s ethics rules and establish financial disclosure rules as well as whistleblower protections.

Earlier this month, County Executive Dave Coulter issued statements calling for ethics and financial-disclosure reforms for county officials and the creation of an ombudsperson to address related concerns and complaints.

So far this year, there have been ethical issues involving a county road commissioner found at fault for breaking workplace rules, an information technology staffing contract canceled over conflict-of-interest concerns involving a company created by a current county employee, and questions about whether County Commission Chairman Dave Woodward’s private business contracts and whether his lobbying efforts on behalf of the Sheetz convenience stories conflicted with his board position.

Two commissioners, Kristen Nelson, a Waterford Township Democrat, and Charlie Cavell, a Ferndale Democrat, have made repeated attempts to update the existing ethics guidelines, add protections for whistleblowers and institute financial-disclosure rules for county officials.

They introduced three resolutions in May, which the board referred to committees for review. Since then, Woodward said they were also being reviewed by the county’s legal team. Cavell and Nelson later brought the resolutions to the board bypassing the committee process but each failed to pass.

If the proposed ethics policy is adopted, elected and county officials would be required to disclose:

•  Earnings outside of their county roles and above a certain threshold.

•  Positions with businesses, nonprofits or other organizations.

•  Any gifts, travel costs or other reimbursements by organizations doing business with the county.

Spouses would also have to disclose any interests that could create a conflict with county business, according to the proposed policy.

The proposed financial-disclosure policy calls for training on what must be disclosed and penalties for violating the rules that include:

•  Public reprimands

•  Ineligibility for appointment to county boards

•  Referral to the appropriate ethics or legal authority

It’s unclear whether the commissioners will consider the existing proposed policies or updated versions.

The commissioners meet for Democrat and Republican caucuses at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. These are not publicly livestreamed but are open to the public. These are followed by the commissioners meeting at 6 p.m. in the commission’s auditorium, 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac, which is livestreamed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OakGovBOC.

The meeting agenda and packet are online at https://oaklandcomi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1301/files.

For the first time ever, the average price for a new car has surpassed $50,000, according to Kelley Blue Book.

The pricing guide company reports that buyers paid about $50,080 for new vehicles in September, marking a significant threshold in automotive pricing.

Kelley Blue Book attributes the price surge to several factors, including rising auto tariffs, an increased mix of luxury vehicles and higher costs for electric vehicles.

RELATED STORY | The most reliable used cars to buy, as auto tariffs take effect

Industry experts warn that buyers should brace for another significant price jump with 2026 model year vehicles.

The $50,000 milestone represents a dramatic shift in the automotive market, where what was once considered luxury pricing has become the new normal for average vehicle purchases.

This pricing trend affects consumers across all income levels, as even entry-level vehicles from many manufacturers now carry price tags that would have been considered premium just a few years ago.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

By Churchill Ndonwie, Miami Herald

Lawyers for the federal government say the government shutdown prevents them from working and are requesting that an appellate court pause a lawsuit over the controversial detention center in the Florida Everglades, the so-called Alligator Alcatraz.

In a filing Friday, Department of Justice lawyers asked the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to pause proceedings in the appeal filed by the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis to overturn a lower-court decision siding with environmental groups who said the government had circumvented federal environmental regulations when building the makeshift facility.

“Absent an appropriation, Department of Justice attorneys are prohibited from working, even on a voluntary basis, except in very limited circumstances, including “emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property,” the federal government lawyers stated.

The environmental groups disagreed with the request. They argued that if the appeals case is paused, the site’s operations and construction — which were allowed to continue after the appellate court overturned the lower court’s injunction — could cause more harm to the surrounding Everglades wetlands during the shutdown, the length of which is unknown.

“The balance of harms favors denying an indefinite stay in this case, which would cause Plaintiffs ongoing and irreversible harm,” the lawyers for the environmental group said. Any further construction and operation of the facility “imperils sensitive wetlands, endangered Species, and communities in the area,” they added.

The federal government shutdown has now added another obstacle to one of the multiple lawsuits challenging the legality of the tent detention facility built on the airstrip of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.

Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe sued this summer, accusing the federal and state governments of failing to adhere to the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires a federal environmental impact assessment for large federal projects. A lower district judge agreed with the environmental groups and ordered the site effectively shut down within 60 days.

The state and federal governments argued that NEPA does not apply to the state, and the appellate court agreed with them, suspending the lower court’s decision pending arguments on the merits of the appeal and wresting the case from District Judge Kathleen Williams until the appeal is resolved.

The appellate court expedited the case, and the state’s opening brief was due to be filed on Oct. 24, with oral arguments scheduled for January.

The federal government lawyers told the court in their Friday filing that they would resume “as soon as Congress has appropriated funds for the Department.”

Lawyers for the environmental groups said, “It is indeed regrettable that the lapse in appropriations has disrupted the Department of Justice,” but maintained that there was an urgency to address the “irreversible harms” to the environment, given the ongoing construction at the facility.

On Tuesday, the environmental groups filed a related lawsuit against the Florida Division of Emergency Management for failing to disclose records regarding its agreements with the federal government to receive reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for expenses related to Alligator Alcatraz.

On Sept. 30, FEMA approved the DeSantis administration’s $608 million grant request to cover the cost of operations at Alligator Alcatraz and other immigration detention facilities, including Deportation Depot.

The transfer of funds between the federal government and the state was a key point in the appeal judges’ decision to support the government’s claim that NEPA does not apply to states.

“When the Court of Appeals issued its order pausing the trial court’s order halting operations at the detention center, the Court of Appeals said more than once that the Florida Department of Emergency Management had not applied for federal funding,” Paul Schwiep of Coffey Burlington, the lawyer for the environmental groups, said in a statement.

“We now know this was wrong.”

©2025 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that more firepower is headed to Ukraine, as NATO allies intensify efforts to bolster the countrys defenses against Russia.

Speaking at a gathering of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Hegseth called on all member nations to turn the alliances new 5% defense spending increase into tangible action. He said Ukraine remains central to NATOs strategy in deterring aggression.

RELATED STORY | Trump says US must send more weapons to Ukraine, days after ordering pause in deliveries

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker echoed Hegseth's message, saying the alliance has never been more lethal or resilient, but warning that the world has never been more dangerous.

Several NATO members outlined recent contributions to Ukraines military capability. The United Kingdom said it has delivered about 85,000 drones to Ukraine in the past six months. The Netherlands has also pledged $100 million toward expanding Ukraines drone operations.

The push for greater military support comes ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys visit to Washington on Friday to meet with President Donald Trump.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Russian drones breach NATO airspace in Poland, prompting alliance response

Broader security concerns including recent Russian aerial incursions across Europe remain a priority discussion for NATO leaders. Officials say strengthening air defenses is critical to countering those threats.

The European Union, meanwhile, is expected to release more details Thursday about its emerging drone war strategy, which aims to enhance its aerial defense capabilities.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

By MARK KENNEDY, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway is a tense place these days after two major labor unions authorized strike action amid ongoing contract negotiations with producers.

Actors’ Equity Association — which represents over 51,000 members, including singers, actors, dancers and stage managers — and American Federation of Musicians Local 802 — which represents 1,200 musicians — have voted in favor of a strike authorization, a strategic step ahead of any work stoppage. No strike has been called.

Members of both unions are currently working under expired contracts. The musicians’ contract expired on Aug. 31, and the Equity contract expired on Sept. 28.

Both unions want pay increases and higher contributions by producers toward employee health care costs, a key sticking point. Actors Equity also wants producers to hire more backup performers and stage managers, add protections for performers in the event of injury and put limits on how many performances in a row actors can be asked to do without a day off.

The health of Broadway — once very much in doubt due to the COVID-19 pandemic — is now very good, at least in terms of box office. The 2024-2025 season took in $1.9 billion, the highest-grossing season in recorded history, overtaking the pre-pandemic previous high of $1.8 billion during the 2018-2019 season. It has been a long road back from the days when theaters were shuttered and the future looked bleak.

The unions are pointing to the financial health of Broadway to argue that producers can afford to up pay and benefits for musicians and actors. Producers, represented by The Broadway League, counter that the health of Broadway could be endangered by increasing ticket prices.

“On the heels of the most successful season in history, the Broadway League wants the working musicians and artists who fueled that very success to accept wage cuts, threats to healthcare benefits, and potential job losses,” Local 802 President Bob Suttmann said in a statement Tuesday.

A strike would cripple most of Broadway, but some shows might continue. “Beetlejuice” and “Mamma Mia!” arrived as part of tours and so do not have a traditional Broadway contract. And shows playing at nonprofit theaters, such as the musical “Ragtime” at Lincoln Center Theater and the play “Punch” from the Manhattan Theatre Club, have separate labor agreements.

The most recent major strike on Broadway was in late 2007, when a 19-day walkout dimmed the lights on more than two dozen shows and cost producers and the city millions of dollars in lost revenue.

More than 30 members of Congress, including the entire New York delegation, have signed a letter urging all sides to bargain in good faith and avoid a strike.

“A disruption to Broadway will result in significant economic disruption to not just the New York metropolitan area but harm theater workers and patrons across the country and around the world,” the letter states.

A Pontiac teen recently acquitted of homicide is headed to prison for related convictions of armed robbery and using a firearm to commit the crime.

Sentenced Oct. 13 by Oakland County Circuit Judge Daniel O’Brien, Christian Harris, 19, will spend 13-50 years behind bars for the 2023 armed robbery of Armani Terrell Baker, 22, of Waterford.

As previously reported, a jury found Harris not guilty of first-degree homicide in the death of Baker, who was found fatally shot in the front seat of a Ford Fusion with the doors open, on Hammond Street in Pontiac.

Harris got an additional two years behind bars for felony firearm in connection with the armed robbery.

Harris was 17 years old at the time of the incident and charged as an adult. His first trial ended in a mistrial last year after the jury deliberated for three days and failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The retrial concluded this past Sept. 8.

The Oakland Press has reached out to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office with questions about any further legal activity or investigation regarding Baker’s homicide but hasn’t heard back yet.

The other man charged for related offenses, Jeremiah Rodriguez — age 18 at the time of the incident — made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in September to an added count of accessory after the fact. Charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony were dismissed. Last month, O’Brien sentenced Rodriguez to 14 days in jail with credit for 14 days served, and three years probation.

Retrial ends for Waterford man’s slaying, robbery; another connected to incident sentenced in plea deal 

Detroit woman dead after being struck by vehicles in Auburn Hills

 

Under Gazas ceasefire deal, Israel freed dozens of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical personnel seized during raids on hospitals. But more than 100 remain in Israeli prisons, including Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, a hospital director who became the face of the struggle to keep treating patients under Israeli siege and bombardment.

Despite widespread calls for his release, Abu Safiya was not among the hundreds of Palestinian detainees and prisoners freed Monday in exchange for 20 hostages held by Hamas. Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been imprisoned without charge by Israel for nearly 10 months.

Health Workers Watch, which documents detentions from Gaza, said 55 medical workers including 31 doctors and nurses were on lists of detainees from Gaza being freed Monday, though it could not immediately be confirmed all were released. The group said at least 115 medical workers remain in custody, as well as the remains of four who died while in Israeli prisons, where rights groups and witnesses have reported frequent abuse.

Cheering staff from al-Awda Hospital carried on their shoulders their released director, Ahmed Muhanna, who was held by Israel for about 22 months since being seized in a raid on the facility in northern Gaza in late 2023.

Al-Awda Hospital will be restored, its staff will rebuild it with their own hands. ... I am proud of what we have done and will do, Muhanna told well-wishers, his face visibly gaunter than before his detention, according to video posted on social media.

Al-Awda Hospital, damaged during multiple offensives in the largely leveled Jabaliya refugee camp, has been shut down since May, when it was forced to evacuate during Israel's latest offensive.

Israels two-year campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack decimated Gazas health system, forcing most of its hospitals to shut down and heavily damaging many, even as staff struggled to treat waves of wounded from bombardment amid supply shortages. During the war, Israeli forces raided a number of hospitals and struck others, detaining hundreds of staff.

Israel says it targeted hospitals because Hamas was using them for military purposes, a claim Palestinian health officials deny.

RELATED STORY | Ceasefire strained as Israel says body from Hamas not a hostage

Abu Safiya

It was not known if Abu Safiya, 52, might still be released. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. His family said on social media there were no confirmed details about the date of his release, adding that freed detainees described him as in good health and strong spirits.

The Israeli military said Abu Safiya was being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas. Staff and international aid groups that worked with him deny the claims. In November 2023, Israeli forces seized Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Gaza Citys Shifa Hospital, declaring him a Hamas officer but then released him seven months later.

Abu Safiya, a pediatrician, led Kamal Adwan Hospital through an 85-day siege of the facility during an Israeli offensive in the surrounding districts of Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun. The videos he put out made him a rallying figure for medical staff across Gaza who, like him, kept working under siege, even while injured or when family members were killed.

When troops raided the hospital on Dec. 27, images showed Abu Safiya in his white lab coat walking out of the building through streets of rubble toward an Israeli armored vehicle to discuss evacuation of patients. Abu Safiya and dozens of others, including patients and staff, were taken prisoner.

Abu Safiya stayed in the hospital until the last moment. He didnt leave because all health care services there would collapse if he left. Dr. Hossam is a truly great man, said Dr. Saeed Salah, medical director of the Patients Friends Hospital in Gaza City, who has known Abu Safiya for 29 years.

Surviving siege

Throughout the siege, Abu Safiya repeatedly refused military calls to shut down the hospital. He posted frequent videos on social media showing staff struggling to treat waves of wounded Palestinians. He pleaded for international help as the hospitals supplies ran out and reported on Israeli strikes on the building that caused injuries and deaths among patients and staff, and damaged wards.

In October 2024, a drone strike killed one of his sons, Ibrahim, at the hospital entrance.

I refused to leave the hospital and sacrifice my patients, so the army punished me by killing my son, he said in a video afterward, breaking down in tears.

RELATED STORY | A look at the living hostages released by Hamas under ceasefire deal

The next month, shrapnel from a drone blast wounded Abu Safiya as he sat in his office.

Even with his wound, he was circulating among the patients. He was sleeping, eating, drinking among the patients, said Dr. Rana Soboh, a nutrition technical adviser for the U.S. medical aid group MedGlobal.

Abu Safiya became the hospitals director in late 2023 after his predecessor, Dr. Ahmed Kahlout, was seized in an Israeli raid. Kahlout is also still being held by Israel, which accused him of being a member of Hamas, though he is not known to have been charged.

Abu Safiya worked to rebuild the heavily damaged hospital, reviving its intensive care unit and pediatric ward. Soboh worked with him to set up a malnutrition unit that has treated hundreds of children.

He is an amazing doctor, she said. He built things out of nothing.

The raid

On Dec. 27, troops surrounded the compound. Abu Safiyas son Elias, who was in the hospital, said his father went out to talk to the officers, then returned and asked the staff to gather everyone patients, staff and family members in the courtyard. Some were evacuated to other hospitals, others were detained.

Zaher Sahloul, president of MedGlobal, said troops wrecked the hospitals radiology department and operating rooms, and destroyed ventilators.

The Israeli military said it launched the raid after warning staff multiple times about Hamas fighters it claimed were operating from the hospital.

Days after Abu Safiya was detained, his 74-year-old mother died, Elias said.

She hadnt stopped crying since they detained him, he said.

Imprisonment

Abu Safiya is currently being held at Israels Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human RightsIsrael, which visited him in September, said he had not been brought before a judge or interrogated and had no information about why he was detained.

Abu Safiya said he and other detainees received insufficient food and medical care, the group said, adding that he had lost about 25 kilograms (55 pounds) since his detention. It said he reported that guards regularly beat prisoners during searches of their cells.

The Israelis "knew that he was a symbol for Gaza, said Islam Mohammed, a freelance journalist who was detained with Abu Safiya in the raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital. For a period, he was held at Sde Teiman Prison at the same time as Abu Safiya, though in a different cell, and said he and other detainees were often beaten, and guards shouted insults at them.

The treatment was inhuman from the time of detention, until release, said Mohammed, who was released to Gaza on Monday. To call it a beating does not describe it, he said.

Israeli officials say they follow legal standards for treatment of prisoners and that any violations by prison personnel are investigated.

Recently fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday called the Trump administration’s recent mass layoffs an “intentional attack” on the agency and Americans’ health.

More than 1,300 CDC employees were abruptly terminated Friday, with about half reinstated within 24 hours. About 600 staffers remain dismissed, according to internal estimates, fulfilling the administration’s threats to slash government jobs during the ongoing shutdown.

Unions and court filings over the weekend indicate that an estimated 4,200 federal workers across at least seven agencies began receiving reduction-in-force notices on Friday. In addition to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the CDC’s parent agency, which lost more than 1,100 staffers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Education, Treasury, Commerce, Energy, and Homeland Security departments also faced significant cuts.

The Tuesday press briefing was hosted by the National Public Health Coalition, a group of terminated CDC workers and public health allies founded by former CDC public health adviser Abigail Tighe. During the briefing, an anonymous CDC scientist who was terminated Friday described the day’s events as stressful but unsurprising.

“It’s been emotionally and mentally and physically exhausting. It’s like being in a strange game where there’s no rules and we don’t know what’s going to happen next,” she said. “At this point … I’m pretty numb to it. I saw it coming. I wanted to stay as long as I could, but I knew they’d get me at some point.”

Tighe said many HHS employees were told the mass firing and rehiring stemmed from a technical coding error, but she and other former federal workers maintain that the terminations were deliberate. “These terminations were not a glitch,” she said. “It was not an innocent error.”

Former CDC officials John Brooks and Karen Remley warned that the cuts, especially to CDC, have eroded coordination between federal and state health departments, leaving the nation dangerously unprepared for future public health emergencies.

Tighe noted that about one-quarter of the agency’s workforce has been lost since the 2025 reduction-in-force process began, leaving few medical or public health professionals in leadership roles.

Among the CDC programs affected are the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), as well as the agency’s Washington office, human resources and library divisions.

Maryland impact, building on earlier cuts

The CDC division of the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, which runs the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), lost all its staff on Friday, according to media reports. The office conducts research that guides public health policies on nutrition, oral health, and environmental risks.

NHANES is the nation’s main source of information on Americans’ health and nutrition, including birth and death rates, according to the National Library of Medicine. Brooks said it would be “very worrisome if these areas of vital statistics were lost.”

NCHS Director Brian Moyer did not respond to requests for comment. The National Public Health Coalition could not provide exact numbers of workers affected in this office or elsewhere in Maryland.

Remley warned that the local impact of cuts could be serious. “It has a significant ripple effect … you don’t know you need [public health] until you need it because it’s in the background,” she said. “All of those are eroded, and so I think at a state and local level, it’s very, very scary.”

Maryland had already lost about 12,700 federal jobs since the beginning of the second Trump administration, according to a state labor department spokesperson. HHS, which includes the CDC, accounted for the most layoffs in the first half of the year, primarily in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Baltimore counties, along with Baltimore City.

Have a news tip? Contact Mennatalla Ibrahim at mibrahim@baltsun.com.

A Detroit mother and her daughter have been charged in the stabbing of a 13-year-old girl at Gompers Elementary-Middle School last week.

Watch the arraignment in the video below

Web extra: Arraignment for Lacara Parks

An eighth-grade student stabbed another eighth-grade student, according to Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Watch below: Bullying may have led to Detroit school stabbing

Bullying may have led to Detroit school stabbing

It's alleged that Lacara Anita Parks, 37, gave her 13-year-old daughter a pocketknife to use if she needed to defend herself on the way home from school.

That knife was then used in the stabbing of the 13-year-old victim. The district said a students mother gave her child a small knife inside the school.

Parks was arraigned on the charge on Wednesday and given a $50,000 personal bond. During the arraignment, the prosecutor said Parks retrieved the knife from her daughter's room. Prosecutors said the victim was stabbed five times.

Watch below: Mom and child arrested after student stabbed at Detroit school, district says

Mom and child arrested after student stabbed at Detroit school, district says

When the parent entered the school, a metal detector sounded, but she was not searched by the security guard, the district said.

The security guard has been removed from the school pending an investigation that could lead to termination, part of a statement said from DPSCD.

Parks has been charged with two misdemeanors Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and Possession of a Weapon in a Weapons-Free School Zone, and the teen was charged with Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm, and Possession of a Weapon in a Weapons-Free School Zone

This case illustrates that a lot of things went wrong on many levels and as a result a child was stabbed. Its unacceptable. We can do so much better than this for our children, said Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

The stabbing also revealed troubling details about both security lapses and ongoing bullying issues that may have contributed to the violence.

Sources within the district say accusations of bullying led up to the stabbing incident that occurred Wednesday morning. The attack has highlighted concerns from parents who claim their complaints about bullying were dismissed by school staff.

"No one wants to be bothered with the situation when we as parents bring it to the staff at the schools, you know, 'what are you going to do about the bullying?'" said Roslyn McGraw, whose daughter attends the school and knows the students involved in the stabbing. "'Well, we gotta see,' or whatever, 'We gotta talk about it.' They sweep it under the rug until somebody gets hurt."

McGraw said she received a cold response when she previously raised bullying concerns with school officials.

"It's sad because they totally disregarded it when I brought it up to them. They was looking at me like I didn't know what I was talking about," McGraw said.

Midtown Detroit's annual holiday event Noel Night will take a one-year pause, organizers announced on Wednesday.

The event, which usually takes place the first Saturday of December throughout Midtown Detroit, will pause while the organization re-imagines the event's future.

According to Midtown Detroit, organizers had conversations with retailers, cultural organizations and other stakeholders, and determined that the one-year pause will create the space for what they say are "meaningful updates" to ensure a long-term future.

This pause allows us to take a step back and design a holiday event that builds upon its culturally vibrancy through arts and music, and more sustainable for the future, said Melanie Markowicz, executive director of Midtown Detroit Inc. This has long been one of Detroits most inclusive and accessible community traditions, attracting tens of thousands of residents and visitors each year. We want to ensure future events build on that history and continue to provide meaningful benefits for our local businesses and cultural institutions.

According to organizations, the conversations determined that changes are necessary for logistics, better visibility and a refresh of the program.

Noel Night has always been one of the most exciting nights of the year for Midtown, but we understand and support the decision to pause this year so the event can be refreshed, said Ned Staebler, Midtown Detroit Inc. board chair and vice president of economic development at Wayne State University.. Taking this time ensures that when it returns, it will bring even more of the energy, visitors, and community spirit that make it such a special night for local businesses.

The event has taken place since 1973 and Noel Night has drawn tens of thousands of people to the area.

The Texas National Guard sent home seven soldiers whose fitness levels seemingly “did not meet mission requirements” for their deployment to Illinois, a Texas Military Department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

In a statement provided to the Tribune, the spokesperson said the service members were replaced “during the pre-mission validation process” at the U.S. Army Reserve training center in suburban Elwood, where the troops have been garrisoned since last week.

“These service members were returned to home station,” according to the statement.

The decision comes after some soldiers were ridiculed on social media for their physical appearance upon their arrival in Illinois. Widely circulated media photographs showed heavier guardsmen at the Elwood base, prompting critics to question how the troops fit in with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insistence that all military members must meet height and weight standards.

Hegseth — who told top military leaders last month that it was “tiring” to see “fat troops” — signaled his support for the soldiers’ removal on social media Monday.

“Standards are back at The @DeptofWar,” he posted on X, along with a screenshot of a story about the Texas National Guard’s decision.

The Texas Military Department did not specify which standards the seven Guard members did not meet, but the statement said the department “echoes Secretary Hegseth’s message to the force: ‘Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear.’”

A federal judge in Chicago last week blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Chicago and the rest of Illinois as part of its ongoing immigration enforcement push. In response, the Trump administration requested an emergency stay of the order, which was denied by a federal appeals court in Chicago on Saturday.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, however, did allow National Guard members already in Illinois to remain here during the appeal.

“Members of the National Guard do not need to return to their home states unless further ordered by a court to do so,” the court order said.

In her oral ruling from the bench, U.S. District Judge April Perry, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, said National Guard troops are “not trained in de-escalation or other extremely important law enforcement functions that would help to quell these problems,” and that allowing troops to come into Chicago “will only add fuel to the fire that the defendants themselves have started.”

The Department of Justice argued in a filing Friday night that Perry’s order “improperly impinges on the Commander in Chief’s supervision of military operations, countermands a military directive to officers in the field, and endangers federal personnel and property.”

There has been no visible presence of the Texas National Guard since last week’s ruling. Before the judge’s ruling, the troops were spotted at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in west suburban Broadview, but they did not interact with protesters.

The Pentagon has not clarified what the Guard members will be doing while the appeal plays out. Uniformed troops have been spotted a U.S. Army Reserve Center in recent days, with a few appearing to be carrying rifles as they walked around the 3,600-acre property about 50 miles southwest of Chicago.

ostevens@chicagotribune.com

A vile group chat among Young Republican leaders across the country that included antisemitic and racist messages obtained and published by Politico has led to some members losing their jobs and others distancing themselves from the remarks. The Michigan Young Republicans chapter was mentioned in the report. In one exchange, Kansas Young Republicans Chair Laken […]

The post Michigan GOP leaders downplay racist, pro-Hitler Young Republicans group chat appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.