Wayne State University launched the Warriors on the Rise program last month, which will offer guaranteed enrollment to qualified high school juniors in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

The goal is to increase enrollment of students that come from the school district. Juniors with a 3.0 GPA will be automatically enrolled by DPSCD school officials. Families will then be invited to a meeting with the district to discuss the next steps.

Additional headlines from Thursday, October 9, 2025

DCFC Community Benefits proposal

Residents in Corktown presented the developers of the new Detroit City Football Club stadium with a detailed proposal for community benefits.

The Neighborhood advisory council is asking for a $17 per hour minimum wage for stadium staff, a commitment to give 50% of the permanent jobs to Detroit residents, child care and transportation services for workers, and a one dollar surcharge on every ticket to pay for home repairs for older homes in the neighborhood. 

Detroit City FC co-founder Sean Mann and other partners on the project will review the proposal while the neighborhood group collects more feedback from residents. Listening sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at McShane’s on Michigan and noon on Oct. 10 at Donut Villa in Southwest Detroit. 

Michigan Cannabis Industry Association sues Michigan

A marijuana industry group is suing the state of Michigan after Governor Gretchen Whitmer passed a plan that would add a 24% tax on cannabis.

Whitmer and state lawmakers finally passed a budget that included a tax hike on wholesale marijuana to help pay for local road repairs. However, the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association is challenging that law, alleging the legislature did not have enough votes to pass it.

The lawsuit argues that because the law that legalized marijuana in the state was enacted by a citizen initiative, legislatures needed a three-quarters vote instead of a majority vote. The budget bill only passed by a 2 vote margin. 

The wholesale tax is set to take effect on January 1 and will be levied on marijuana sold to retailers.  Michigan currently has a 10% excise tax on weed along with the 6% Michigan sales tax. 

Detroit Land Bank Authority moves to provide affordable housing

The Detroit Land Bank Authority is investing $15 million to launch its Affordable Housing Pipeline. The project aims to restore underutilized multi-family buildings in the city.

The initiative will target projects that are too small for large-scale builders, yet too complex for small scale builders.

The first project in the Wade neighborhood will transform two historic 1920s buildings into 30 affordable housing units. 

Election Day transit

Detroit will offer free bus rides to voters on Election Day. DDOT will waive fares for people who need a ride to the polls on November 4.

Early in-person voting begins on October 25.  

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

Detroit’s schools are still recovering from the deep wounds of systemic neglect. Redlining, segregation, and a crash in city revenue starved schools of resources. Meanwhile, state funding for Detroit continues to lag behind wealthier districts. 

Over the years, control of Detroit schools has taken many turns that have added to the trauma.

First, it was mayoral control, and later, state‑appointed emergency managers. These interventions were supposed to help, but they often made things worse.

Through it all, poverty has entrenched itself in the households of many Detroit students. Housing instability, unreliable transportation, and inaccessible healthcare have added trauma on top of trauma. And then came the pandemic,  erasing precious early learning time.

But like the city itself, Detroit schools have been slowly, steadily rising. The latest glimmer is the new M‑STEP results, which show Detroit public school students largely making steady incremental improvements in math and English.

A Chalkbeat Detroit analysis of Michigan’s 2024-25 standardized tests puts the results into deeper context, showing Detroit’s third‑graders reading at their best level in over a decade. 

Still, only about 13% of DPSCD third graders reached reading proficiency, that’s compared to nearly 39% statewide.

So what do these modest gains really mean, and how long can they last?

Dr. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, joined Robyn Vincent to answer these questions.

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More stories from The Metro

Detroit’s public schools board is interviewing candidates for its vacant seat this week.

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Angelique Peterson Mayberry resigned earlier this month to complete Irma Clark-Coleman’s term on the Wayne County Commission. Clark-Coleman died in June.

Chalkbeat Detroit reports 16 people will be interviewed during special board meetings held July 21-24. The candidates include: Pageant Atterberry, Kenya Avant, Sonja Beasley-Hall, The Rev. Dr. Steven Bland Jr., Whitney Clarke, Jonathan Demers, Debra Duren, Dr. Bonnie Ferrell, Bessie Harris, Dr. Shinese Johnson, Brandy Mitchell, Aliya Moore, Ashley Pearson, Traci Ricks, Jeremiah Steen and The Rev. Curtis Williams.

Applications for the position were open to the public and closed on July 9. The board plans to score each candidate during interviews then vote to fill the seat on July 28. The candidate selected will serve on the board through 2026. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, July 22, 2025:

• Low income Consumers Energy customers can apply for up to $500 to pay past due energy bills through September 30. The State Emergency Relief funds are available to households with income within 150% of the federal poverty rate. Last year 540,000 customers shared more than 38 million dollars in energy assistance.
• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has launched a Faucet and Filter Safety Net Program. Eligible households may be able to replace a faucet or get a lead-reducing filter. Some residents may qualify for a home visit for a visual assessment of their plumbing or get assistance applying for the Medicaid Lead Abatement program. 
• The Lexus Velodrome was re-dubbed the Mad Track Arena on Monday. The indoor multi-sport complex first opened in January 2018 and partnered with the Detroit Lexus Dealers Association to offer bike programs. Detroit Fitness Foundation CEO Dale Hughes says thousands of youth in the city have learned to ride a bike, taken a spin on the Olympic-caliber indoor racetrack or become racers themselves. The arena features the only indoor velodrome of its kind in the U.S.

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