May is Military Appreciation Month, and one nonprofit organization working to support veterans will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary.

Stack Up is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans’ mental health and wellbeing through video gaming. Stephen Machuga — the group’s founder and a veteran himself — served eight years in the army.

Machuga says he’s been a gamer all his life, and found the hobby really helped him unwind while he was in the army.

“Whenever I would come back in from patrol or get off of work while I was overseas, gaming was the thing I escaped with,” Machuga said.

Because of this, Machuga started sending video game consoles to units overseas to provide the same reprieve to someone else. Ten years later, the organization connects veterans and civilian supporters through gaming.

Stack Up primarily supports post-9/11 veterans — many of whom grew up with consoles and handhelds and are now navigating civilian life with those same devices in hand.

Machuga says video games offer a kind of “recreational therapy,” similar to programs like equine therapy or wilderness retreats.

“Happy veterans don’t kill themselves,” he said bluntly. “If we can disrupt that cycle — keep someone company overnight while playing Fortnite or just remind them they’re not alone — that’s what we’re here to do.”

A new survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association shows that 77% of veterans believe that video games have positive impact on their lives, with 86% saying video games help relieve stress and anxiety.

Stack Up offers multiple programs including supply crates for troops, game nights, and a 24/7 crisis intervention service known as the Stack Up Overwatch Program (StOP).

As for concerns that military shooters like Call of Duty might be triggering, Machuga says most service members aren’t phased.

“Ninety-nine percent of the military isn’t out there kicking doors,” he said. “But for those who are triggered — there are hundreds of other games. You don’t have to shoot anyone to play video games.”

Enforcement for the Real ID Act starts on May 7. State issued driver’s licenses and IDs that are not Real ID compliant will no longer be accepted at checkpoints at the airport.

A Real ID in Michigan will have either a gold circle with star design or a Michigan silhouette with star.

The Real ID Act was passed in 2005 as an effort to create a national standard for obtaining an identification card.

You can still convert your ID to a REAL ID after the deadline at a Secretary of State.

When do I need a REAL ID?

• When boarding a domestic flight in the U.S.
• When entering a military base or nuclear power plant
• When visiting certain federal buildings

How Is the REAL ID different from my Enhanced ID?

An Enhanced ID allows for border and sea crossings — for example: you can enter Canada by land or sea, but you cannot fly into the country. You cannot use an Enhanced ID in place of a passport. An Enhanced ID is an acceptable form of identification for domestic flights.

What do I need to get a REAL ID?

Visit a Secretary of State office and bring:

• Your current state-issued ID
• A valid, unexpired U.S. passport, birth certificate, or qualifying immigration document such as an I-551 Permanent Resident Card or foreign passport with a U.S. visa. If you have specific questions about documents that qualify, please contact the Department of State Information Center at (888) SOS-MICH (767-6424)
• A certified legal name-change document, if your name is different from what is on your birth certificate

There’s no added charge for converting to REAL ID if you do so at the time of renewing or replacing your license or ID. Otherwise, there is a correction fee ($9 for license; $10 for ID) to convert to REAL ID.

I don’t have a REAL ID. Can I still fly domestically?

Yes, but expect longer wait times and additional screening at checkpoints.

Other forms of acceptable ID for domestic flights include:

• State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
• Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

Do I need a REAL ID to vote?

All state-issued identification cards will be accepted at voting polls. Voters who do not have valid state-issued identification or another accepted identity document may sign an Affidavit of Identity.

Can non-US citizens apply for a REAL ID?

If you are a lawfully present non-U.S. citizen, including permanent and non-permanent residents, you are eligible to apply for a REAL ID driver’s license or ID card or turn your current Michigan driver’s license or state ID into a REAL ID. In either case, you’ll need to schedule an office visit at a Michigan Secretary of State branch office and bring the required legal presence document. It’s important to note that some documents already in the possession of non-US citizens qualify as REAL ID and will be acceptable for flying domestically when the law goes into effect on May 7, 2025. These include:  

• Permanent resident card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766) 

Church Space, the startup known as the “Airbnb for churches,” is establishing a new headquarters in Detroit.

Church Space helps congregations unlock underused real estate — fellowship halls, gymnasiums, commercial kitchens and more.

“We’re all about community, all about local neighborhoods, and we basically help churches unlock their unused space so that people in their local community can use it,” said Day Edwards, co-founder of Church Space. “When you think of baby showers, community gathering, weddings, those sort of things, that’s really where church space comes in.”

Co-founder Emmanuel Brown said the idea of sharing church facilities with the community isn’t new.

“The challenge is, most churches just didn’t have the bandwidth and capacity to support and a clear way to be able to get the word out to the community that their space is actually available to be shared,” Brown said.  “And so our platform helps churches to think through things like pricing and photography, insurance, liability, cleaning, to streamline the process so that sharing their available space with the community is easy.”

Although both founders are not from Detroit, they see a unique opportunity in the city.

“Detroit has the most churches per square mile in America,” Edwards said. “There’s so much vibrancy that starts with the faith-based community here.”

The company says it has already helped churches in other cities earn up to $100,000 annually through space-sharing. In Detroit, they hope to replicate that success while exploring new uses for vacant or underutilized church buildings — including micro-fulfillment centers — to improve last-mile delivery in underserved communities.

As for why churches were chosen for this model, Edwards pointed to affordability and community connection.

Brown says both he and Edwards are pastor’s kids. And they’ve seen firsthand the burden of maintaining church property.

“And so, our heart for the church is really to see church leaders be able to thrive and to lead well and to impact and influence their community in greater ways, without having to worry about a financial deficit as a barrier to that process,” Brown said.

The company is hosting an event in July titled “From Pulpits to Possibility,” where church leaders in southeast Michigan can learn more about the platform. RSVPs are available on Eventbrite.

Experts say nearly half of all child injury deaths happen during the summer months. 

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That statistic earned the phenomenon the nickname “the 100 deadliest days of summer” or “summer trauma season.” 

This month, the nonprofit Safe Kids Worldwide  is teaming up with safety advocates across the country to launch the second annual Safe Kids Month.

Sadiqa Kendi, chief medical officer for Safe Kids Worldwide, says the most common injuries affecting youngsters come from motor vehicle crashes. 

“We know that a child, if they don’t fit the seat belt well — and many times, they won’t until they’re between eight and 12 years old, and sometimes older — they really need to be in a booster or seat for that seat belt to work effectively,” she said.

Kendi says other injury related deaths occur from improper use of safety equipment such as life jackets and helmets. 

She says most of those fatalities are preventable, which is why the organization developed a child safety checklist to cover five key safety areas: car, water, sleep, home and play.

Safe Kids Worldwide’s High Five Child Safety Checklist can be viewed on their website at safekids.org. 

Other headlines for Thursday, May 1, 2025:

• For the first time in the city’s history, Dearborn will not have a primary election in August, the Detroit Free Press reported. The city clerk says there are not enough candidates running to make a primary necessary.
• The city of Detroit is breaking ground on the $28 million Russell Woods Senior Living Community on Friday on Dexter Avenue. Developer Fabiola Fleuranvil promises the units will be “deeply affordable” for residents.
• Detroit has commissioned 43 artists to establish art installations in nine city-sponsored “art alleys” across Detroit. It’s part of the city’s Arts Alleys initiative, an effort to create vibrant community spaces to celebrate local culture and showcase local talents. Installations have begun and muralists will begin painting this month.  

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

Ex-Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO William Smith was sentenced to 19 years in prison on Thursday for embezzling more than $40 million from the nonprofit over an 11-year period.

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Smith, 52, was employed as the Conservancy’s chief financial officer from 2011 through May 2024. Throughout the majority of his time in the role, Smith orchestrated various schemes to embezzle millions of dollars in funds from the organization, according to court documents.

The Conservancy funds — which are provided to the organization through private donors and public grants — were used by Smith to live a lavish lifestyle, spending enormous amounts of money on luxury items like designer clothing, jewelry, cruises, private jet travel and more.

Smith pleaded guilty in November to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. In addition to the 19-year sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Susan DeClercq ordered Smith to pay back around $48 million in restitution. 

Smith will remain free on bond for now, before reporting to prison at a later date. 

–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

Other headlines for Thursday, April 24, 2025:

• Detroit will soon be the headquarters for the tech startup Churchspace. Nicknamed the “Airbnb for Churches,” the company provides a platform for churches to rent out their spaces and facilities for supplemental income. Churches interested in learning more can attend Churchspaces’ informational event on May 30. 
• The city of Dearborn unveiled its second inclusive playscape at Ford Woods Park, located at 5700 Greenfield Rd.
• The Detroit Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is hosting their 41st annual Art Auction Benefit “Canvas and Couture” from 3-6 p.m. this Sunday at the Detroit Delta Headquarters, 24760 West Seven Mile Rd., Detroit. The benefit showcases the works of local artists in various mediums.
• Detroit Fashion Revolution Week is wrapping up this weekend with several events.

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

The Michigan Immigrants’ Rights Center is raising concern over a new agreement Jackson County Sheriff’s Department has entered with Immigrations Customs and Enforcement.

Known as the Warrant Service Officer program, the contracts allow officers that work in jails to serve and execute administrative warrants for immigrants in their system, and detain them until ICE can come and finish the deportation process.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January that encouraged local law enforcement departments to enter into the special agreement.

Christine Sauve, a spokesperson for the Michigan Immigrants’ Rights Center, says the agreement will decrease public trust and could increase instances of racial profiling.

“Community members of all different immigration statuses are more likely to come forward and report crime or participate in investigations if they know that their local officers are keeping their work separate from that of immigration, customs and enforcement,” Sauve said.

MIRC is also concerned that patrols officers may also be encouraged to make more arrests of immigrant residents for minor infractions as well.

“Officers may only ask people for their immigration status and check if there’s an ICE administrative warrant depending on the color of their skin, or how they speak English with an accent or some other signifier on their clothing,” Sauve said.

The program does not provide any additional funding for the efforts of officers.

Sauve says local tax dollars should only be used to enforce local laws, and federal tax dollars can be used for the work of federal immigration enforcement.

The deer population has increased significantly in southeast Michigan, and as a result, so has the number of deer-related car crashes.

The high population has other negative impacts as well, such as crop damage and forest regeneration issues, leading some local communities to seek options for culling deer populations.

Chad Fedewa, a deer expert with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said the absence of natural predators in the area creates the perfect conditions for deer to repopulate quickly.

“Fifty to sixty years ago there weren’t many deer in southeast Michigan,” he said. “But over the decades, we’ve done a pretty good job of restoring deer populations in the state, and they have become very accustomed to living in and around people.”

Some people have suggested trapping and moving deer or sterilization, but Fedewa says those methods are more timely, costly, and not effective. Instead, he says, professional shooters are the most effective, practical and humane option for culling deer in urban areas.

“Sharp shooting methods [are] very effective, you can remove a pretty significant number of deer in a small amount of time,” Fedewa said. “And often these programs are done in conjunction with process where those deer do get donated to food banks.”

Regulated hunting and some archery programs have been used in the past to manage deer populations, but aren’t ideal for suburban and urban areas. Fedewa says professional sharp shooters would be optimally suited as they use specialized equipment that minimizes public disturbance.

The cities of East Lansing, Farmington Hills and Ann Arbor are all considering multiple strategies for managing deer population, including sharp shooting.

An independent study by the International Association of Assessing Officers has found that claims of systemic overassessments in Detroit are false, the city reported on Wednesday.

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City Assessment Director Alvin Horhn says the latest study proves those claims to be false.

“The [International Association of Assessing Officers] study shows Detroit residential property assessments at the level (50% of market value) required by State law — a fact which has been annually confirmed by the Wayne County Equalization Department,” he said. “This puts the issue to rest once and for all.” 

Over a two-year period the Coalition of Property Tax Justice has appealed hundreds of properties. But Horhn says most of those appeals were denied.

“I think that’s as telling as anything else,” he said. “They’re making these claims of overassessments, but even the ones that they appeal themselves, they overwhelmingly lose.”

The report will soon be presented to city council.

Other headlines for Thursday, April 17, 2025:

• The Michigan Department of Transportation is reminding drivers that the department does not operate toll roads after a recent text scam regarding unpaid tolls to MDOT.
• The Detroit Institute of Arts is bringing back its Inside|Out  program for its 16th year. The program brings reproductions of the DIA’s collection to outdoor spaces across Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties.
• The DIA is also presenting the 88th Annual Detroit Public Schools Community District Student Art Exhibition April 18 through May 25. The exhibition will feature a diverse array of artwork from paintings to drawings, photography, ceramics, and more.
• The Home Depot Foundation is expanding a former nursery nunnery on Detroit’s west side into a transitional housing facility for women and veterans in need. Updates were made to All Things Women Inc.’s facility on Thursday, with 100 volunteers participating.

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

Detroit’s General Service Department is looking to increase the tree canopy across the city to improve citizens’ quality of life. The department is accepting requests from residents for tree plantings in their neighborhoods.

The free program is open to residents and small businesses to plant a tree on the berm in front of their property.

Savion Stephens, tree planting program manager for the city of Detroit, says trees can help improve residents’ quality of life.

“And what that looks like is improving air quality over time, conserving water, reducing soil erosion, filtering runoff, reducing flooding, and even things like lowering energy costs and raising property values,” he said.

Trees are also known to trap pollutants such as dirt, ash, pollen and smoke which can help those with asthma.

Stephens says the city plants over 50 different species of tree throughout the city.

“They’re primarily urban tolerant trees for public and private property, including some native species like oak and elm,” he said.

The planting process involves three phases: utility marking, tree location marking, and tree planting. Eligibility for a tree is assessed based on site conditions, including utility lines and soil quality.

The city has planted up to 14,000 trees annually through this program.

Residents who would like to request a tree must fill out this form.

Detroit’s five reasons to plant a tree

1. Clean air. Trees absorb pollutants and improve air quality, reducing respiratory issues.
2. Cooler summer. A single tree can lower temperatures by up to 10°, providing shade and cutting cooling costs.
3. Stronger neighborhoods. Tree-lined streets increase property values and create a more welcoming community.
4. Flood prevention. Trees absorb excess rainwater, reducing the risk of street flooding.
5. Wildlife Habitat. Trees support birds, bees, and other beneficial wildlife, keeping our ecosystem balanced.

Michigan-based helicopter tour company, MyFlight, celebrated a groundbreaking for its new headquarters in Detroit on Wednesday.

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The 12,000-square-foot building will be at the Coleman A Young Municipal Airport. It’s the first new commercial development at the site in 60 years. 

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says this expansion is the beginning of more development projects for the airport. 

“Before spring is over, there’s going to be another groundbreaking down there of another corporate hangar for jets, and then there’ll be another after that,” he said. “Next year, they’re going to take that air traffic control tower and start to build a new one on the other side of the airport, to open up the airfield.”

Duggan says the airport also plans to build a new administrative building and make several runway safety improvements. 

MyFlight Tours headquarters is expected to open in late 2025. 

Other headlines for Thursday, April 10, 2025:

• The city of Dearborn reported a 34% drop of overdoses and six fewer deaths from overdose for the years 2023-2024. Dearborn Health Department’s Director Ali Abazeed says the department’s Narcan vending machine at the Dearborn train station has helped reduce those numbers.
• Michigan State University and Apple are partnering to bring a manufacturing academy to downtown Detroit. The free program will be open to small and medium businesses to help them implement advanced manufacturing practices, including AI and smart manufacturing techniques.
• The Matrix Theater Company is hosting an 18+ puppet karaoke event from 8 p.m. to midnight on Friday, April 11. Participants can sing live or lip-sync, or have someone else puppeteer while you sing on stage or behind the curtain.
• The Detroit Zoo will be giving guests free entrance to the park this weekend with the donation of an old electronic device.
• April 15 is tax day, and the state treasurer is urging residents to use this weekend to get their taxes filed and out the way.

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

Over 3,000 faculty, staff and students at the University of Michigan held an emergency meeting after the university announced it would close its Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion.

The closure is a response to the Trump administrations efforts to end DEI programming at colleges across the country.

The announcement, which reportedly resulted in at least 10 staff terminations, came as a shock to many across campus.

“It was just kind of, you know, a mixture of faculty and students and staff that were concerned about what’s going on and kind of felt blindsided by this,” said Mariel Krupansky, a lecturer at U-M.

Concerns raised during the meeting included the treatment of non-union staff, job security for DEI-aligned roles, and broader implications for academic freedom.

Krupansky also shared fears that decentralizing DEI programs could leave students without accessible resources.

“I predict that students will have more trouble finding out that they even exist and know that they have access to them,” she said.

Krupanksy said while she believes that DEI programs may have been an imperfect tool, the university’s decision was not reflective of the whole campus.

“I think the fact that over 3,000 people tried to show up to an emergency meeting… is evidence of that,” she said. “For those people who are doing that work every day, this is devastating.”

UM-Flint took a different approach to the announcement and rebranded DEI efforts under the umbrella of “Wolverine Hub of Opportunity, Persistence, and Excellence,” or HOPE.

“The fact that U of M Ann Arbor chose not to go that route, I think is telling,” Krupansky said.

She adds that the university’s decision to close the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion under threats from the Trump administration sends a bad message.

“President Ono, the regents and other university administrators are telling [Trump’s administration] that the university can be threatened into compliance and that they are not willing to litigate or challenge executive orders that clearly extend beyond the executive’s constitutional power,” Krupansky said.

University staff, faculty, and students launched the website umdeidefense.com to keep the campus up to date on future news and efforts to push back on the decision.

The University of Michigan responded to an interview request by saying it’s “passing on interview opportunities at this time.”

The nonprofit Greening of Detroit says the severe flooding caused by a recent water main break in Southwest Detroit may have affected the trees there, but they won’t know until May or June.

The Greening of Detroit plants city-tolerant trees that can sustain conditions like heavy pollution and flooding from clogged storm drains — or in this case — a water main break. The nonprofit planted nearly 250 trees in Southwest Detroit in 2021.

Fai Foen, director of green infrastructure at the Greening of Detroit, said the group chose urban tolerant trees to protect them from issues like this.

“We plant trees in Southwest and other parts of the city that might be exposed to pollution, air pollution, whether it’s manufacturing or a highway,” she said.

Foen says people are more of a danger to trees than the environment.

“You know, like, if it’s in a park, you know, the kids see the branch there may grab it. Or, like you can’t control for all the individuals that walk by a tree and just want to give it a good grab,” Foen said. “And I think the hidden trees that are being mown and maybe nicked at the base of the tree causes damage, but it’s like a death from like 1,000 cuts over a longer period of time.”

Foen said the flooding did not last long enough to have a lasting effect on the trees. But they won’t know for sure how much they were affected until the trees wake from their dormant period.

Michigan lawmakers are debating the best way to increase funding to maintain the state’s roads, but a new report from the Citizens Research Council argues that there are ways to make better use of the money the state already has available. 

Eric Paul Dennis, a research associate of infrastructure policy at the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, says the biggest road block the state faces in distributing funds effectively for roads is Public Act 51.

“It was supposed to be a 15-year-long construction program. It was scheduled to sunset originally in 1967,” Dennis said. “And the idea was once we used these construction dollars to build out a road network, that law would be sunset and it would be replaced with something more appropriate for ongoing maintenance.”

However, instead of replacing the law with a more sustainable road funding approach, lawmakers have repeatedly amended it.

“I believe it’s now been amended over 300 times,” he said.

Dennis said one of the main criticisms of the current system is the outdated methodology used to distribute funding. He added that the state has better equipment and technology to assess the condition of roads, and can make better decisions on allocating funds based on that.

“We can automate data collection now, computers do everything. We send that data to a mapping server or something, and that can give us much more precise, much more usable information about what our road network looks like,” Dennis said.

A significant portion of that funding has been directed toward expanding highway capacity rather than maintenance.

“The money that we are getting, we’re spending a decent part of that putting down more and more pavement,” he said.

But Dennis said adding more roads will only increase spending in the long run.

“When you do that, you’re imposing long-term maintenance liabilities. Thinking about things like that, I think, would go a long way in assuring that we can get to a financially stable situation in our road funding,” he added.

Detroit attorney Todd Perkins announced his bid for mayor this week, making him the eighth candidate to enter the race to succeed Mike Duggan.

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The North End resident vowed to cut the city’s property and income taxes. Perkins says lower taxes will send a positive message about Detroit’s future.

“I think that the idea of reducing taxes, starting off with a reduction, would be a sea change, and would be into the idea of spurring growth, not only bringing people back to the city, but also bringing companies back to the city,” he said during a press event on Wednesday.

Perkins’ campaign also includes a promise to add 8,000 new homes to the city and rehabilitate 2,000 existing vacant properties.

“I want to put people in homes. My preference is, is people want that white picket fence with the plot of land? But the reality is, getting people into quality housing is the most important thing,” he said.

He also intends to conduct a comprehensive audit of the city’s finances to ensure fair assessment and spending.

“I want to study those issues, and I want to make sure that people who are being taxed, are being taxed fairly, because I don’t want to run people out of the city.”

Perkins also vowed to improve public safety by putting more closed-circuit TV cameras in the most crime-ridden areas.

Running on the campaign slogan “Better Days Ahead,” Perkins believes his experience as a lawyer and his deep connections with residents of the city makes him the perfect candidate for mayor.

“I’m excited for what’s to come,” he said.  “I’m excited about leading, and working as a partner with other cities, as the mayor, as a servant to the citizens of (the) city of Detroit, and I just believe better days are ahead with the right leadership.”

–Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET News

Other headlines for Thursday, April 3, 2025:

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has recognized April as Arab American Heritage Month to celebrate the contributions of Arab Americans in various sectors. 
• The city of Detroit is hosting a Public Health Week next week, April 8-12, with free health screenings, wellness resources and activities, Narcan distribution, immunizations and more.
• The city of Detroit on Thursday unveiled $700,000 worth of improvements to Milan Park, including new trees, a second playground, fitness equipment and a renovated soccer field.
• The city of Detroit, block clubs and community groups are joining forces to clean up neighborhoods next month as part of the annual citywide clean-up and beautification initiative, Motor City Makeover 365.
• The MENA Chamber of Commerce is hosting its first MENA Heritage Night with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, April 9.

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

Today on the Detroit Evening Report, we cover the ramifications of last night’s storms, new city-wide projects and upcoming community events.

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Power outages across the state

DTE Energy says about 22,000 customers had no power this morning after severe thunderstorms Sunday night caused widespread damage in the lower peninsula. Consumers Energy reported 163,000 homes and businesses were without electricity as well. DTE estimated power would be returned to 95 percent of customers by the end of the day.

Monroe Streetscape Project breaks ground this week

The Greektown Neighborhood Partnership will be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the Monroe Streetscape Project on Wednesday, April 2. The project will focus on improving the safety and accessibility for pedestrians in the corridor. Improvements include wider sidewalks and outdoor café spaces, a flexible, curb-less roadway, and reduced lanes to slow traffic. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2026.

Career and education assistance program launches

The City of Pontiac is collaborating with Oakland80 to launch a series called Career and Education Navigators to assist residents in applying for financial assistance to attend college, find jobs, and get other services. Multiple resources will be available to job seekers and residents looking to further their education, including locating scholarships, financial assistance to pay for books, supplies, childcare and transportation. It will also include job seeking services.

The events are free and open to all Pontiac residents. The program kicked off today, March 31, in Pontiac City Hall and will take place every Monday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit pontiac.mi.us.

MDOT looking for snowplow designs

The Michigan Department of Transportation is accepting applications for 2025-2026 Paint the Plow Program. MDOT is looking for submissions from students on creative and original designs to be painted on snowplow blades in an effort to communicate safe winter driving practices for all Michigan residents.

The program is open to all Michigan high schools. The application deadline is Friday, May 16. Selected schools will be notified before the end of the 2025 school year and arrangements will be made for the delivery of their plow blade in the fall. Interested schools can visit michigan.gov/painttheplow for more information and to submit their design.

Easter Funfest Carnival planned for April 19

The Detroit Department of Recreation is hosting the Easter Funfest Carnival on Saturday April 19. The event will feature bike giveaways, an Easter basket giveaway, carnival rides and food trucks. There will also be an Easter egg hunt, Oompa Loompa sack race, face painting, pony rides and a petting zoo. The carnival will run between 1–5 p.m. at Lasky Recreation Center. For more information, visit their Facebook event page.

Detroit yard waste collection begins

Yard waste collection in Detroit begins today, March 31 and ends December 19. The curbside pickup will occur alongside weekly trash pickup. For more information, visit detroitmi.gov.

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

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Thursday that over 90 percent of the families displaced by the water main break and subsequent flooding in Southwest Detroit have returned to their homes.

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The city has replaced 125 furnaces and 126 hot water heaters in affected homes, with just a few left that need replacing.

Resident Deanna Dooley has lived on Rowan Street for 20 years. She says she was impressed with the response from the city.

“When we woke up in the middle of the night, none of us knew what we were going to do,” she said. “But within 24 hours, at least we all felt safe again. We weren’t whole, but we were safe.”

Dooley says her furnace, hot water heater and all the electrical wiring in her basement were replaced and her family is back in their home.

Homeowners who still need to make a claim have until Thursday, April 3 to file. Duggan says the emergency hotline for repairs will be discontinued on Sunday. Anyone who still needs help can call 877-311-3664. The Notice of Claim form can be found in English and Spanish at detroitmi.gov. 

Other headlines for Thursday, March 27, 2025:

• President Donald Trump announced yesterday  25 percent tariffs on cars and light duty trucks imported into the US. That will have an impact on Detroit’s Big Three automakers. Ford Motor Company has three plants in Mexico, and reportedly sent roughly 176,000 cars from there to the US just in the first half of 2024. General Motors imported about 750,000 vehicles into the US from Canada or Mexico last year. Stellantis also has assembly plants in Mexico and Canada. Congresswoman Debbie Dingle supports the tariffs, but says car companies and suppliers need time to adjust to them. She says while the tariffs could bring companies back to the US, it won’t happen overnight.
• Detroit City Councilmember Fred Durhal is hosting a career support and opportunities event for returning citizens. The Dress for Success resource fair will provide professional support and other help to returning citizens in Detroit. Residents can pick up donated business casual attire, receive help writing resumes and get interview etiquette training. The event will be Friday, March 28 from 2–4 p.m. at Covenant Community Care on 17625 Joy Road. To register and learn more, visit @freddurhal3 on Instagram.
• Signup for the Plan Detroit Policy Workshops is now open. The workshops allow Detroit residents to sound off on decisions that will affect Detroit neighborhoods, environment, culture, transportation and economy. Participants will sit in on guided discussions, collaborate with residents and work directly with city planners to develop policy recommendations. Workshops begin on Saturday, April 12 at the Joseph Walker Williams Community Center. To register, visit plandetroit.com.

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