This week on the Detroit Evening Report, we’re reflecting on some of the stories we’ve reported on at WDET this year that show how special the people and places in our community truly are.

We also share some news about what’s happening in the community over the holidays. 

Today, we hear some of WDET reporter Bre’Anna Tinsley’s conversation with Mama Shu — the founder and CEO of Avalon Village — about a summer program she started called “Hood Camp.”  

Other headlines for Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024:

• While many New Year’s Eve revelers may spend the first day of the year resting and recovering, others may get out into Michigan’s natural spaces for a “First Day Hike.” The national initiative aims to get people outdoors by offering guided hikes to start the year. Maybury State Park is offering 1.5-, 2- and 3-mile hikes on Jan. 1, all starting at the trailhead near the 8 Mile entrance to the park at 10 a.m. All ages are welcome as are dogs on a 6-foot leash. Hot chocolate will be provided. A recreation passport is required for vehicles entering the park. 
• Several holiday spectacles will spill into the new year — at least for a few days. Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo continues through Jan. 5 — as does the Winter Wonderland at Columbia Street in downtown Detroit.  
• The now annual Fire and Ice Festival at Valade Park returns next week. Attendees can warm up at the park’s giant fireplace. There will also be axe throwing this year and an “Iron Throne” made of ice. The festival is free and runs Friday through Sunday, Jan. 10-12.

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

The UAW strike has gotten much bigger. Plus, several family-friendly activities are available around Detroit this weekend. Those stories and more on today’s Detroit Evening Report.

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Marathon Petroleum’s Detroit refinery workers, represented by the Teamsters, have ratified a seven-year collective bargaining agreement, concluding a three-month strike that began on Sept. 4. 

The strike was initiated over pay and safety concerns following the expiration of their previous contract in January, reintegrating the striking employees into refinery operations. 

The Detroit refinery has a capacity of 140,000 barrels per day and is one of Marathon’s 13 refineries nationwide.  

Other headlines for Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024:

• The Environmental Protection Agency has allocated $20 million to over 15 Detroit churches and other religious organizations. The funding aims to help environmental projects focused on reducing pollution and preparing for extreme weather emergencies in local neighborhoods. The projects are part of the churches’ initiatives of environmental stewardship in the city.
• The Dearborn Ice Skating Center is offering a Skate with Santa event this weekend. Attendees can skate to Christmas music and take selfies with the big guy and other holiday characters. Tickets are $10 and available at the center’s website.  
• The Detroit Public Library is offering a free Kids Wrapping Station at its Lincoln Branch on Thursday, Dec. 19. Kids can bring gifts they’d like to wrap and use the library’s wrapping paper, tags, tape and scissors to wrap them in style. The Kids Wrapping Station will be open from 4-5:40 p.m. The Lincoln Branch is located at 1221 East Seven Mile Road. 
• The DPL Knapp Branch is hosting a “Repair Café” on Saturday, Dec. 21. People can bring items in need of repair and get help fixing them and even learn how to make repairs themselves. The event is volunteer-dependent. Anyone with skills they’d like to donate to the cause is invited to join the event. Volunteers are also welcome to bring in items they would like someone to repair. The Repair Café is open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is held on the third Saturday of each month. Those who register on Eventbrite will be notified if plans change. The Knapp Branch is located at 13330 Conant.

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

Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield is expected to announce her political future at a union hall in Corktown Tuesday night.

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She has formed an exploratory committee — the first step most candidates take before declaring their intentions to run for mayor. It allows them to raise money and hire staff.

Four other potential candidates are exploring a run for mayor, including former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit Councilman Fred Durhal III, State House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit), and businessman Joel Hashiim.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced his plans to run for governor as an independent last week — just a few weeks after his announcement that he won’t be seeking reelection as mayor of Detroit.

The Detroit mayoral election will take place Nov. 4, 2025.

Other headlines for Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024:

• Some Detroit homeowners should expect an updated winter tax bill in the mail this week, after more than 100,000 property tax bills sent to homes with a Principal Residence Exemption were incorrect because they didn’t reflect the exemption from a recent voter approved school operating millage. 
• After two years of closure for renovations, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle has reopened to the public. 
• The Accounting Aid Society is looking for volunteers for the 2025 tax season. No experience required. 
• Kemeny Recreation Center is hosting a training session on Saturday, Dec. 14, for those interested in learning about autism. The training will take place from 11 a.m.-noon at Kemeny,  2260 S Fort St., Detroit. For more information, call 313-628-2819.

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

State House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) has formed an exploratory committee to run for mayor of Detroit next year.

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He joins a growing list of declared or potential candidates that also includes City Council President Mary Sheffield, Councilman Fred Durhal III, and former councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins.

Tate was reelected to the House last month, but will turn the speaker’s gavel over to Republican Matt Hall in January. Mayor Mike Duggan announced last month that he will not seek a fourth term. An announcement on his possible political future is expected in the near future. 

“We are going to see [other] talent emerge, and I don’t have a favorite candidate. I don’t have somebody that I picked out. I’m going to be like the other Detroiters,” Duggan said in a live streamed announcement last month. “I’m going to watch these candidates emerge and see who the right leader is. Somebody who will continue to bring us together.”

Detroit’s mayoral election is scheduled for November 2025.

Other headlines for Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024:

• Some Michigan lawmakers are trying to get a bill package aimed at water affordability passed before the end of the year.
• State lawmakers have just a few weeks if they want to stop or change a law that will increase the minimum wage for tipped workers.
• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released a comprehensive plan to reduce new HIV infections in the state by 90% by 2030, and advance health equity.

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

Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday aims to divert some of the attention away from Amazon and large chain stores.

The annual national campaign focuses on encouraging shoppers to support local businesses during the holiday shopping season, and businesses in metro Detroit are ready for the love.

The Detroit LGBT Chamber of Commerce distributes a list of its retail and service members the Wednesday before Small Business Saturday each year.

“To let them know that these organizations are LGBTQ owned, operated and or friendly, and they are open for business on Saturday,” said LGBT Chamber Founder and President Kevin Heard.

Heard says customers will see some new businesses on the list like the Twisted Soap Bar — which sells out of Eastern Market — and the Filipino bakery JP Makes and Bakes, which opened on Woodward earlier this month.

Many small businesses around metro Detroit are offering special events and/or discounted pricing for Small Business Saturday. Fantazma Market & Cafe on Trumbull Street is hosting a Small Business Saturday celebration from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 30.

Held in partnership with the Southwest Detroit Business Association and Corktown Business Association, the event will feature giveaways and exclusive shopping, live entertainment, special performances, and a chance to take family photos with Santa Claus. Admission is free and shuttle transportation will be available to and from the event, located at 1211 Trumbell St., that will connect the shopping districts in Southwest Detroit and Corktown.

The nonprofit Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation will also host a free Small Business Saturday celebration, Holidays on Grand River.

The holiday pop-up will feature shopping from at least a dozen local businesses and food truck rally; live music performances by Maraj Virtuoso & Kevin Christian: The Better Things Collective; a poetry and Christmas book reading presented by InsideOut Literary Arts; a Santa’s workshop featuring activities from Arts & Scraps; photos with Santa Claus; Christmas tree lightning and more. The event will take place from 3-7 p.m. on Saturday at the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation, 19800 Grand River Ave., Detroit.

In Dearborn, the American Arab Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the holiday shopping season with a Women Only Winter Bazaar  from 4-10 p.m. next Friday, Dec. 13, at the Saline Intermediate School. The event was created in collaboration with United Humanitarian Foundation and the Saline Intermediate School Student Council.

American Arab Chamber Executive Director Bilal Hammoud says its members offer unique cultural gifts for the holidays.

“If you want some of the best Yemeni coffee or tea, get a gift card from one of
the many Chamber members that we have that are coffee shops — Haraz,  Qawah House, Shibam, they are phenomenal places to send people,” Hammoud said.

He says the American Arab Chamber plans to release its own holiday shopping guide soon.

Democratic state senators introduced two bills on Tuesday that would require Michigan schools to teach more inclusive history lessons.

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Under Senate Bills 1145 and 1147, all Michigan school districts would incorporate curriculum on the histories and contributions of communities of color within their classrooms. The “Teach MI History” legislation, introduced by Sens. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), and Erika Geiss (D-Taylor), would also require cultural competency training for teachers and create a “cultural advisory board” within the Michigan Department of Education.

State Reps. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) and Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield) are expected to introduce companion bills in the House next month.

“This is not just about teaching history — we are fostering empathy, cultural awareness, and the critical thinking skills our students need to thrive in an interconnected world,” said Puri. “This curriculum is about ensuring that every student sees themselves in the story of our country and is equipped to build a more inclusive future.”

With Republicans taking control of the state House in January, Democratic lawmakers don’t have much time to pass legislation and have it signed into law before the end of the year. This legislation aims to build upon last year’s efforts, when state legislators included funding in the 2024 state budget for inclusive history curriculum pilot programs and a toolkit for MDE to assist school districts in those efforts.

Other headlines for Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024:

• Seven affordable housing programs in Detroit are receiving funding from a nearly $18 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis — the most grant money the bank has ever invested in the state.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Detroit District and the Great Lakes Water Authority are holding a public meeting from 3-7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2 at East Lake Baptist Church, to discuss the Southeast Michigan Flood Risk Management Study. Sessions will also be held on Dec. 4 in Dearborn, Dec. 9 in Waterford, Dec. 10 in Sterling Heights and Dec. 16 in Grosse Pointe.
• The Detroit Fire Department is planning to install 5,000 smoke alarms in city homes over the next year. To request information or to request fire alarm installation for your home, email communityrelations@detroitmi.gov. 
• The Propitious Spot is looking for vendors for its Dec. 21 holiday event, Santa’s Spot: A Warm Winter Gathering. Confirmed offerings for attendees include photos with Santa, S’mores, a hot chocolate bar and holiday music. Interested vendors can email info@kmproseries.com for more information.

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

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover Michigan State Police’s new campaign to encourage residents to sign up for emergency alerts; Detroit PAL’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive and more.

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MSP launches ‘Know Your Plan. Be Alert’ campaign

The Michigan State Police has launched the “Know Your Plan. Be Alert.” campaign, encouraging residents to sign up for alerts to stay informed during emergencies. Alerts would send information during severe weather, active shooter incidents, missing or endangered individuals and more. For more information or to sign up for alerts visit michigan.gov/miready and click on local alerts. 

State holds hearing on child care licensing rule changes

The state is updating its child care licensing requirements and wants to hear from residents. The proposed rules would tighten regulations on drinking water and add standards for outdoor nature-based childcare centers. They would also make it easier for teachers to qualify for a job at a childcare center. The state held a public hearing on the changes in Lansing on Tuesday. People can submit questions or comments on the changes by mail or email until 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22.

Cycling at the Velodrome

The Lexus Velodrome and Detroit Parks and Recreation are teaming up to offer an indoor cycling program for youth ages 13-17. The six-week program will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting on Jan. 7 and running through Feb. 11. Youth will learn the fundamentals of indoor track cycling from experienced competitors and coaches. Registration is open now and costs $10. For more information about this and other Parks and Recreation sports programs, visit dprdathletics.com. 

Detroit PAL hosting Thanksgiving Food Drive

Detroit PAL is partnering with APEX Leadership Academy and the Detroit NFL Former Players Chapter to offer thanksgiving meals to 500 families next week. Turkeys, dressing, cornbread, cranberry sauce and more will be distributed from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at Detroit PAL’s headquarters, 1680 Michigan Ave., Detroit.

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