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How some Michigan Muslims united with extremist Republicans against LGBTQ+ rights
Standing at a microphone inside a packed school board meeting in Dearborn in October 2022, Brian Stone wasn’t sure he’d make it out alive. The 36-year-old wrote a will, put an emergency contact card in his pocket, and told his partner he loved him. Behind him, a furious mob of conservative Muslims shouted gay slurs, […]
Embattled Eastpointe mayor pleads to reduced charge after lying about COVID-19 grant
Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens pleaded no contest Thursday to a reduced misdemeanor charge after authorities say she fraudulently applied for a $10,000 COVID-19 CARES Act grant in 2020. Before entering the plea, Owens paid $10,000 in restitution. No contest pleas are not an admission of guilt but are treated as such for sentencing purposes. The […]
Activist files lawsuit to force Trump off the ballot in Michigan
Activist Robert Davis filed a lawsuit Friday afternoon to force Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot in Michigan on the grounds that the former president violated the U.S. Constitution by engaging in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. The lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims comes three days after Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson […]
Benson declines to remove Trump from Michigan presidential ballot, but the case isn’t over
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has declined to kick Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot in Michigan, saying she doesn’t have the authority to do so, even if the former president violated the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Benson’s decision was in response to a legal challenge last month by activist Robert Davis, who argued that Trump […]
Activist files legal challenge to disqualify Trump from 2024 presidential race in Michigan
A Highland Park resident filing a legal challenge Monday aimed at disqualifying Donald Trump from the 2024 primary and general election ballots in Michigan, claiming the former president is ineligible to serve another term because he had engaged in an insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. Robert Davis, who has frequently filed lawsuits against public […]
Michigan’s police secrecy raises concerns about ‘wandering cops’
The state of Michigan is keeping the identities of police officers a secret, making it impossible for the public to monitor “wandering cops” who leave one agency after alleged misconduct and move to another law enforcement job. Michigan State Police declined a Freedom of Information Act request from Metro Times and the Invisible Institute seeking the identities […]
Mosquitoes carrying rare, deadly disease detected in Michigan
A rare and deadly mosquito-borne disease that causes brain swelling in humans has been detected in Michigan, and state officials are urging residents to take precautions. Mosquitoes in Bay County tested positive last week for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, a virus that caused a deadly outbreak in Michigan in 2019. EEE is one of […]
Mortgage demand by Black Detroiters soars, yet flight to suburbs continues
In a significant development for metro Detroit’s housing market, the demand for mortgages by Black homebuyers has increased 188% across the city and region over the past decade, according to a new study. Between 2012 and 2021, the demand for mortgages among Black residents increased 443% for homes in Detroit and 159% for houses in […]
Pro-DeSantis PAC hammers Trump for commuting Kwame Kilpatrick’s sentence
A group supporting the presidential ambitions of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a video Sunday taking aim at former President Donald Trump for commuting the prison sentence of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting DeSantis for president, rolled out the 52-second ad, titled “Welcome to Detroit,” which calls Kilpatrick a “stone-cold […]
Metro Detroit cities rally behind LGBTQ+ residents after Hamtramck’s Pride flag ban
Leaders of cities neighboring Hamtramck sent a clear message to LGBTQ+ residents this week: You are welcome here. The remarks came after the all-Muslim Hamtramck City Council banned Pride flags from all city properties. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan underscored that the state’s largest city displays its Pride flag outside of City Hall. “The City of Detroit proudly […]
Fake grades scandal at University of Michigan leads to accreditation board investigation
The accreditation board that monitors the University of Michigan is investigating allegations that the school’s administration pressured department chairs to falsify grades while graduate student instructors were on strike over a labor dispute. In a letter last week, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) advised the graduate student instructors that it is reviewing complaints that false […]
Hamtramck City Council bans Pride flag from city property
The all-Muslim Hamtramck City Council on Tuesday banned LGBTQ Pride flags from being flown on all city properties, drawing criticism that the diverse city chose bigotry over inclusivity. The so-called “neutrality flag resolution” also prohibits the display of religious, ethnic, racial, and political flags and states that the city won’t provide “special treatment to any […]