The Detroit Fire Department received new fire and emergency medical services vehicles thanks to a nearly $11 million dollar investment from the city. This is part of the city’s efforts to upgrade their fleet and keep response times well below the national average.

The department received 10 new fire engines, 13 new ambulances, 3 battalion chief vehicles, and 3 new EMS Supervisor vehicles. Each vehicle is equipped with HAAS Alert Safety Cloud that sends real-time digital alerts to nearby drivers when emergency vehicles are approaching or stopped at an incident.

According to the city, these investments help improve a fleet in comparison to the decades old vehicles that were prone to break down.

Additional headlines from Thursday, October 16, 2025

Proposal for Michigan Central transport

There are plans to bring a passenger train service back to Michigan Central.

Governor Whitmer announced a $40 million plan to build a transportation hub adjacent to the former train station in Corktown. This plan would allow for an intercity bus and train service connecting Amtrak’s Chicago-Detroit Wolverine line through an underwater tunnel. This tunnel would go to Canada where passengers could continue to Toronto.

There is already an Amtrak rail line that connects Toronto to Chicago under the Detroit River, but it’s only used to carry freight traffic. The new plan would build a multimodal hub that estimates 66,000 riders annually.

Detroit sports 

Last weekend was a tough weekend for Detroit sports fans as the Tigers loss in the playoffs and the Lions fell to the Chiefs… but here’s to another weekend for a bounce back.

The Lions have a Monday night matchup against the NFC leader, Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 20. Kick off for that game is at 7:00 p.m.

And Detroit City FC is going against the Charleston Battery on Saturday at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium. Game starts at 6:00 p.m.

Convening for Dance and Culture

This weekend the Social justice organization, TéMaTé Institute for Black Dance and Culture is hosting the fifth annual conference, the Convening for Dance and Culture. Attendees are a part of the show for this event where dance instructors will teach dances from the African diaspora.

On Saturday the classes run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Andy Art Center with a performance by the dance company at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday the conference continues from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. For more information and tickets go to tematedance.com.

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Detroit voters will have an opportunity to see the two candidates for mayor debate each other tonight.  City Council president Mary Sheffield and Pastor Solomon Kinloch will take part in the televised event at the WXYZ-TV studios in Southfield. 

Michigan Chronicle Executive Editor Jeremy Allen says many Detroiters have already made up their minds about who they’re voting for. “It’s pretty clear that people are either for Mary Sheffield or for Solomon Kinloch.  And there are – there’s really no in-between.  And so, what I’m seeing from the community is folks who are invested in this race are fully invested on one side or the other, and there’s no in-between.”

Tonight’s debate will be broadcast on WXYZ-TV 7 at 7 p.m. and streamed online. Citizen Detroit will hold a debate watch party beginning at 6 p.m. at UFO Bar – that’s 2110 Trumbull in Detroit.   

Additional headlines from Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Free Press endorsements

The Detroit Free Press announced Tuesday that’s it’s endorsing City Council President Mary Sheffield to become Detroit’s next mayor.  The Free Press says she’s more qualified to hold the city’s top job. 

The paper says more than a third of Detroiters now live in poverty – making Detroit the poorest city in the country.  The Detroit News and Michigan Chronicle have also endorsed Sheffield for mayor. 

Fire engines 

The Detroit Fire Department is adding new vehicles to its fleet.  The department is getting 10 new fire engines and 13 new ambulances.  There are also six new supervisory vehicles. 

The city’s total investment is $10.7 million.  Detroit officials showed off the new vehicles at a news conference Tuesday at Eastern Market. 

Rosa Parks mural 

The Detroit Department of Transportation is showing off some new artwork.  A mural of civil rights activist Rosa Parks is being unveiled today at the Rosa Parks Transit Center. 

City officials say the mural is part of efforts to make improvements at the center.  Parks became a symbol of the struggle for civil rights when she was arrested in December 1955 after refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a White man in Montgomery, Alabama. 

Parks moved to Detroit in 1957 and later worked for Congressman John Conyers.  Parks died in October 2005. 

Gordie Howe opening delayed 

The opening of the Gordie Howe bridge between Detroit and Windsor has been delayed. 

The previous timeline was for the international crossing to open sometime this fall.  But bridge officials say there are several items that need to be checked and double-checked before the structure is ready for traffic. 

About 98% of work on the bridge has been completed.  The “Gordie” is now expected to open sometime early next year. 

Gas prices fall

Gas prices are falling in Metro Detroit. 

The average price of a gallon of self-serve unleaded is now $2.87.  That’s down 13 cents from a week ago, and 30 cents cheaper than last month at this time. 

Industry analysts say lower prices are a result of reduced consumer demand and the annual switch to a winter blend of gasoline, which is cheaper to produce. 

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The group Dearborn Wants Wards has been pushing for districted elections in Dearborn. The measure is now officially on the ballot as Proposal 1 in the general election in November. 

Mona Mawari is a community organizer for the Dearborn Wants Wards.  She says the group had to go to court after submitting more than 8,000 signatures for the petition.  

“To ensure that the the proposal was going to be on the ballot in November, we had followed up with the city multiple times and weren’t getting a clear answer and a clear response.”

Mawari says Dearborn Wants Wards volunteers are campaigning door-to-door and organizing town halls and phone banks to spread the word about the measure. The group says districted elections would provide better representation for the city’s east and south sides.    

Additional headlines from Monday, August 22, 2025

 Neighborhood Business Lab 

ProsperUs Detroit and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services or ACCESS are hosting a Neighborhood Business Lab in October. The team will provide business insights to area residents.

The neighborhood lab takes place in two time slots: on October 1st from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. OR 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the ACCESS Hamtramck office, 9301 Joseph Campau Avenue in Hamtramck.

Light refreshments will be provided. 

Dearborn’s Esper Library to be Children’s Exploration and STEAM center 

Dearborn is creating a state-of-the-art children’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics or STEAM Center. It will be located at the city’s Esper Library at 12929 Warren Avenue.

The library will offer robotics, music, art, and engineering activities. It will also include hands-on STEAM discovery zones, technology and a podcast studio. 

Construction began this past weekend. 

Detroit Fire Dept. Appoints Jamal Mickles as chief 

Detroit Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms, has appointed Captain Jamal Mickles as the Chief of the Detroit Fire Department Training Division.

Mickles has 20 years of experience. He began his work with the department through the DFD’s Fire Cadet Program. He was assigned to Engine 51, later serving at Engine 57, Ladder 14, Ladder 26 and the Fire Investigation Division, before becoming a fire instructor and training leader.

Mickles served as a Lieutenant at the academy, overseeing the firefight apprenticeship program which gives Detroiters a pathway to a career in public safety. He also rebuilt the Regional Training Center gym which was used to train more than 200 firefighters across Michigan. Last year as captain, Mickles launched the DFD Paramedic Training Program to train firefighters to deliver advanced pre-hospital medical care. 

He is replacing Chief Alfie Green, who retired after 34 years with the Detroit Fire Department. 

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. 

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Detroiter Duane Williams is suing the city of Detroit and the police and fire departments for $100 million in damages over his wrongful conviction in 2013.

Williams was sentenced to life in prison in connection with a fire that killed two people.

He spent over 11 years behind bars before a judge ordered that Williams be released last year due to the conviction being tainted by false and manipulated testimony. Williams’ attorney, Todd Flood, says investigators lied about a lighter found at the source of the fire that killed two people.

“It was an accidental fire. The fire started on a couch in that room where one of the decedents was severely intoxicated. He was a known smoker, and there was smoking materials found in that room, on that couch,” he said.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

“I’m a prosecutor at heart, I’m a law enforcement guy at heart; I’m a person that stands for integrity,” Flood said. “This shocks the conscience when you look at this lawsuit and you see the people that ultimately conspired to put Dwayne behind bars.”

Williams says he still has mental scars from his near decade spent in prison, describing the difficulties just walking down the street can bring.

“I just kept telling myself, don’t look back, because in prison, you don’t want anybody walking behind you, and you don’t know who it is,” he said. “But I wasn’t in prison. I was free, and I tried so hard not to look back, but I had to stop and look back. I couldn’t help it.”

He said his time spent in prison has also forever changed his relationship with his wife and family.

“People think that the court systems work. People think that the systems that are in place, the appeals process and all these other things, work,” Williams said. “But they don’t work when you’re the person in the system, and that’s sad, and I pray that we’ll find a way to fix that.”

City officials have not responded to the lawsuit and said they will not comment on pending litigation.