Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield says she will retain Todd Bettison as the city’s police chief.  

In a statement released Tuesday, Sheffield praised Bettison’s results – citing Detroit’s record drops in violent crime – including the lowest homicide rate since the mid-1960s.  

Bettison had a 27-year long career in the police department, before becoming Detroit’s Deputy Mayor in 2022.  Mayor Duggan made him Police Chief earlier this year after former Chief James White left to become the head of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Sewer tunnelling project  

The Great Lakes Water Authority is starting a new project with the goal of alleviating sewage overflows in parts of Southwest Detroit.  The authority will hold a ceremony Thursday to launch the assembly and operation of a tunnel-boring machine.  

The $87 million infrastructure project will eventually build a three-quarter mile long tunnel that will redirect excess rainwater and snow melt away from the normal system into the Oakwood Retention Treatment Basin.  The GLWA says that should reduce sewage levels and overflows into the Rouge River.   

The tunnelling is scheduled to begin in the spring. 

North Corktown housing 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced a new housing development in Detroit’s North Corktown neighborhood.  

The project will create 23 new apartments and retail space.  About 30% of the apartments will be classified as affordable housing.

The state is providing a $1.5 million grant from its Revitalization and Placemaking program.  The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation is also providing a $530,000 low-interest loan for the project. 

Trump addresses the nation 

President Donald Trump says he will deliver an address to the nation tonight.  He announced the action Tuesday on his Truth Social platform.  The president did not immediately say what the subject of his speech would be.  

The live address from the White House takes place at 9 p.m. and will be available on select broadcast and online platforms. 

Windsor street renaming 

Just across the river, the Chaldean Association of Windsor is holding a special street renaming ceremony.  

A section of Marentette Avenue will get the secondary name “Chaldean Way.”  Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and other officials will be on hand for the ceremony.  The association says there are thousands of Chaldeans living in and around Windsor. 

 The event takes place at 3 p.m. on Friday. 

Christmas Eve one week away 

And Christmas Eve is just a week away.  That means many merchants around Detroit will be busier than normal as residents do their holiday shopping.  

Many large retailers will have extended hours to accommodate additional shoppers.  Independent stores may have expanded hours too, but check before you go.  

And if you haven’t been downtown in a while, you can look for several new shops, especially along Woodward Avenue near the new Hudson’s building.  

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Detroit mayor-elect Mary Sheffield has chosen her deputy mayor.

Brian White has been her chief of staff during her time as city council president. White says he’ll help Sheffield deliver on her promises to spread Detroit’s growth into the neighborhoods. 

Sheffield has also announced she will keep Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison in his position. In a press statemen the Sheffield transition team credited Bettison with a record drop in violent crime across the city. Sheffield said the chief has the “respect of his peers…the loyalty of the rank and file… and the hearts and trust of the people.” 

Additional headlines from Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Federal childcare assistance

New federal bills would replicate a Michigan program to help with childcare in every state.

The “tri-share” childcare program splits the cost of childcare between income-eligible families, employers and the state. Republican Representatives Hillary Scholten and John James co-sponsored the bill.

If passed, the legislation would give states enough funding to run the programs for three years. 

Whitmer aims to improve reading scores

Governor Gretchen Whitmer says improving Michigan’s student reading skills will be her number one priority next year.

She told the Michigan Literacy Summit in Detroit that last year’s reading test scores show the need for urgent action. “Today, we’re 44th in the country in fourth grade reading. Just four in 10 third graders in Michigan read at grade level, and almost one in three Michigan students tests below average, and that’s what would call a crisis and the vast majority of the people of our state would agree.”

Whitmer says school districts need to focus on a small number of proven strategies to build reading skills, such as phonics.

She says she will share more details about her plans during her final State of the State address early next year. Kids Count ranked Michigan among the ten worst states in 4th and 8th grade reading scores. 

Detroit attorney joins the race for District 13 Representative

Detroit attorney Maurice Morton has announced he is running for Michigan’s 13^th Congressional District seat. Morton will challenge Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar as an independent. 

Financial aid information

The state’s last virtual FAFSA webinar of 2025 is this week.

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education Advancement and Potential’s Student Aid and Access Outreach team offers online information sessions for students and families preparing to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. 

The FAFSA is used by colleges and funding organizations to determine financial aid for students. The MiLEAP webinars also offer information on federal financial aid programs, state financial aid programs and resources for finding scholarships. The last FAFSA webinar of the year is Thursday, Dec.18 at 6:30 p.m. 

To register or to find a recording of a previous webinar, go here.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s a crowded field in the race for the Democratic nomination for Michigan Secretary of State.

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie are already in the mix.

And now another entrant, Suzanna Shkreli. She’s a former Deputy Legal Counsel for Governor Whitmer and recently resigned as Michigan Lottery Commissioner.

She recently spoke with WDET’s Russ McNamara about why she decided to run.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Russ McNamara, WDET: So why are you running?

Suzanna Shkreli: There is so much on the line. I believe that our democracy is at stake. My parents came to this country as children to escape an authoritative government. They fled the former Yugoslavia, and really it’s unthinkable that those same dangers that they fled from have taken root right here at home.

From my work securing convictions against child predators and murderers, as an assistant prosecutor in Macomb [County] to serving in Governor Whitmer’s cabinet as Michigan’s child advocate, I know I have the track record and toughness to make sure this office stays in Democratic hands and to take on those extremists who would try to mess with our elections and silence our voices.

I also know that this job has the opportunity to make working people’s lives, a little bit better and more convenient. I grew up working in my parents restaurant as a child. I learned great customer service early on in my life, and I’ve taken those lessons to every single position I’ve had, and I want to use this job to make Michiganders’ life a little bit easier, from implementing a digital driver’s licenses to working towards faster election results to special walk-in hours for seniors. This job can protect Michiganders fundamental right to vote, but also make the lives of Michiganders more convenient, too.

RM: Given your extensive legal background, why not run for Michigan Attorney General?

Shkreli: So to speak quite frankly with you, this position requires somebody who has taken on tough fights to protect those who don’t have voices. Or those, in this instance, whose voices are trying to be silenced and that’s what we’ve seen with the rising extremism across our state and our country. We need to make sure that we have somebody who can defend the Constitution and defend people’s rights, which is what I’ve done in the past.

I want to use this job to make Michiganders’ lives easier.

RM: Do you have any experience with election administration?

Shkreli: When I served in Governor Whitmer’s office, I was a deputy legal counsel, and I worked on a variety of issues while I was there. I volunteered elections in the past. I’ve worked polls in the past, but also I worked hand-in-hand with the Secretary of State’s office in December of 2020 to deliver the meeting of the electors.

That day the Michigan State Police had flooded the Capitol because of the threats that we received, we did not know what to expect that day. And you had the the electors, [and then] the fake electors try to come into the capitol to deliver those electoral votes. And because of our preparation with Michigan State Police, and because of our preparation with the Secretary of State’s office, we were able to complete the governor’s constitutional requirement and deliver those electoral votes. And that memory is seared in my brain because of the rising level of extremism that we’re seeing against government workers, poll workers and election workers.

RM: Where is this extremism coming from?

Shkreli: I think that there’s rising extremism happening. And Americans and Michiganders all need to step up and call a spade a spade when we’re seeing that. Secretary Benson has done such a wonderful job and who knows where we would have been in 2020, if she wasn’t in that position. So I’m ready to continue that work forward.

I’ve been talking to political leaders throughout the state, and I hope to seek the endorsement of them, but the truth is that this nomination will be on the grassroots level, and that’s what I’m focused on.

I’m running for this office because I know that I’m the best candidate to win the convention as well as win the general. Just in 24 hours, we earned $200,000 which is the most that any Secretary of State candidate has raised in 24 hours. Which is more than some candidates in this race have raised for the last 10-11 months since they’ve been running. So it’s a sign of enthusiasm.

RM: Where are those donations coming from? Are we talking large money donations or a lot of individual ones?

Shkreli: We have donations for Michiganders across the state. We’re really excited about the enthusiasm. We expect this just to be the beginning.

As we get closer to the midterm elections, races for the Michigan U.S. Senate and House seats prove that Michigan is stepping closer into the national spotlight. In this episode of MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow discuss Michigan’s power as a swing state with Pluribus News Founder and Editor Reid Wilson.

Plus, the state budget drama continues as cancellations in funding disrupts multiple work projects. Cheyna and Zach debrief on the latest in Lansing.

In this episode:

• How did $645 million in work projects get cancelled?
• What role does Michigan play in the U.S. Senate and House majorities?
• What’s ahead for the 2028 presidential race?

Cancelled work projects

State law empowers the Michigan House Appropriation Committee and the Michigan Senate Appropriation Committee to cancel some types of work projects. This is what happened that caused $645 million to be cancelled in work projects. Gorchow says that this sent shockwaves across the capital, and that nothing like this has ever happened.

The Republican majority committee says they did this to cut spending, but Democrats and even some Republicans disapprove of these actions. There might be a supplemental appropriation bill which would include negotiations and discussion to possibly restore some of this funding.

2028 presidential race

A lot of focus is on the US Senate and House seats in Michigan. But Reid also brought up how the 2028 Presidential Race might feature one of Michigan’s own.

“Just because Governor Whitmer will says she is not running for president, she’s not saying I will not run for president,” he points out.

More from MichMash