Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944
Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944
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DEARBORN, Mich. -- The independent commission charged with drawing Michigan's new voting district maps for the next decade is seeking public comments from residents across the state, including those who can't make it to in-person hearings or don't have internet access. Michigan's 211 statewide helpline has partnered with the commission to help folks register via telephone to give their input. Rebecca Szetela, vice-chair of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, said...
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he wholeheartedly supports President Joe Biden's initiative with Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to get more African Americans vaccinated. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director and the nation's foremost authority on the coronavirus, Dr. Fauci, called the president's tactic solid. In a discussion with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Dr. Fauci added that medical and administration officials have a laser-like focus...
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are stepping up their efforts to narrow the racial wealth gap. Following the President's visit to Oklahoma, where he observed the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Administration announced it would reinvest in communities that failed policies have left behind. Specifically, the Administration is expanding access to two key wealth-creators – homeownership and small business ownership – in communities of color and disadvantaged com...
The Senate voted 51-48 on Tuesday, May 25, to confirm civil rights attorney Kristen Clarke to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. The confirmation makes Clarke the first Black woman confirmed by the Senate to lead the division. The arm is responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, and sex. Republicans opposed the nomination, but Clarke won confirmation because Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) used the chamber's...
LANSING – Michigan taxpayers who missed the May 17 state individual income tax filing deadline have options for filing a late return, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury. "Taxpayers who missed last week's individual income tax filing deadline have options," State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said. "If you have an outstanding tax debt and cannot make full payment, we will work with you on payment options. Our goal is to help taxpayers limit interest charges and late payment p...
ROMULUS – The Greater Romulus Chamber of Commerce named their new Executive Director, Jazmine Danci, on May 24, 2021. The Chamber had previously been without an Executive Director since last summer. "We have over 100 members to serve and a rigorous set of goals," says Jeff Lowrey, Chamber Board President and owner of local business, Cabling and More. "Jazmine brings a wealth of experience in public relations and communication skills to this position. We are excited to see what we can achieve wit...
African American police officers made more than 15 fewer stops, about two fewer arrests on average than their White counterparts , ScienceNews.org found in a new study. The study revealed that throughout 100 shifts, African American officers used force 0.1 fewer times. The numbers correspond to a 29 percent reduction in stops, 21 percent reduction in arrests, and 32 percent reduction in force among Black officers than the average enforcement rates among their White peers. "When I got the paper,...
LANSING. -- Undocumented people in Michigan would regain the right to apply for a driver's license or ID card, if two bills introduced Tuesday in the state Senate were to pass. They're called the Drive SAFE bills, which stands for Safety, Access, Freedom and the Economy. Sainavya Upparapalle, a 17-year-old member of Michigan's immigrant community from Troy, said the current rules are a huge burden on families such as hers, because her driver's license became invalid when the family's visa came...
Officials in Detroit have unveiled the 102nd United States Colored Troop Memorial Highway, honoring the heroic African American Infantry Regiment formed during the Civil War in 1863. The dedication of a portion of I-375 took place at the same spot where the regiment was first organized. "You will never overcome anything that you are not willing to confront. And I think that what these men did when they confronted racism, they confronted white supremacy head-on. They won," said former city...
Seat belts save lives. During a vehicle crash, being buckled up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle and reduces the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent. Seat belts have saved 344,448 lives since 1975, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) first began recording this data. If everyone had been wearing a seat belt since, an additional 381,787 lives could have been saved. It's vital that we all buckle up-every ride, front...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living has released $1.4 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan for Older Americans Act programs, including initiatives to support vaccine outreach and coordination, address social isolation, provide family caregiver support, and offer nutrition support. The department also plans to fund justice programs to ensure the safety and protection of older adults. According to a White House fact sheet released on M...
During the May 4, 2021 Ecorse City Council meeting, council made changes to the top cop position in the city. By a majority vote of 5 – 2. Ecorse Council members voted to end the contract of Public Safety Director, Dr. Joseph Thomas. Thomas had been serving the city since October 2020. Council members presented and passed a resolution which in short states that the hiring of Thomas as the Director was conducted against the city's policies. Former City Administrator, Richard Marsh, took the lead...
When U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice had opened a civil investigation to determine whether police in Minneapolis engage in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing, the proclamation was met both with cheers and skepticism. Garland said he would staff the effort with experienced attorneys and other personnel from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. He even...
The Detroit Police Department is among five local entities receiving grants to address inequities in policing and public safety. A new effort aimed at addressing systemic inequities in policing and public safety has made a pilot round of grants to five local cities/police departments and community groups. The Community Policing Innovations Initiative launched early this year has attracted $1.5 million in support so far from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Hudson-Webber...
Determining that "enough is enough," President Joe Biden announced a series of executive actions to reduce gun violence. Vice President Kamala Harris joined the commander-in-chief in calling on Congress to pass more extensive gun-control legislation. "This is an epidemic, for God's sake, and it has to stop," President Biden remarked outside of the White House in the Rose Garden. Vice President Harris said she had seen gun violence up close. "I have looked at autopsy photographs. I have seen...
LANSING. - Governor Gretchen Whitmer today set the state of Michigan on a pathway to return to normal by unveiling the 'MI Vacc to Normal' plan as the state continues to push toward its goal of vaccinating 70% of Michiganders ages 16 years or older. To facilitate this goal, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will base future epidemic order actions on four vaccination-based milestones that, once achieved, will enable Michigan to take a step toward normalcy. "The MI Vacc...
Former President Barack Obama joined the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the NAACP, the National Urban League, and others to applaud the guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin case. For almost a year, George Floyd's death under the knee of a police officer has reverberated around the world – inspiring murals and marches, sparking conversations in living rooms and new legislation. Obama noted that a more basic question has always remained: would justice be done? "In this case, at l...
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit has signed several policy directives designed to reduce inequities and promote public safety. Savit's 4-year term serving Washtenaw County citizens began January 1, 2021. His biography states "Most recently, Eli served as the City of Detroit's senior legal counsel, where he led criminal-justice reform work for Michigan's largest city." Savit is continuing his criminal-justice reform efforts in Washtenaw County. Savit said of his policy directives, "At the...
Westland City Council member Mike Londeau credits his late mother, who held a position with a local newspaper, with instilling in him the importance of civic engagement. As a young man, Londeau watched city council meetings on television and read local newspapers to keep informed of local issues. Although engaged, Londeau says he was initially not interested in jumping into the local political arena. "She would have loved the fact that I'm involved because she followed local politics and she...
RIVER ROUGE – During a Press conference on Saturday, April 17, the Western Wayne County NAACP and the Michigan NAACP Youth and College Division joined with local community members and clergy to demand the City and Police Department take some action on this arrest. "The climate that the country is facing, dictates that police actions should be addressed before someone gets killed. The actions over the last year shows that in a few seconds things can go from calm to chaotic", President Steward sai...
LANSING - Over the coming months, returning citizens can get help with expunging eligible convictions from their criminal record to aid them in their pursuit of full-time, self-sufficient employment thanks to a $4M investment in the Clean Slate Pilot program from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). "My goal since day one of taking office has been to build fundamental reforms to make our communities safer and improve the people's outcomes going through our criminal...
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and a diverse group of state leaders declared today in a joint press conference that the dozens of Republican bills introduced in the state Legislature constitute an anti-democratic, un-American attack on Michigan citizens' voting rights. "Michigan's GOP legislators have joined a national, coordinated, partisan effort based on false information about the 2020 election to attack all citizens' freedom to vote," said Secretary Benson. "The truth is that the 2020...
Remember these names: Ketanji Brown Jackson, Tiffany Cunningham, and Candace Jackson-Akiwumi. These are President Joseph Biden's first three nominations for the federal Court of Appeals. In 2020, Biden pledged to name the first African American woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. A number of retirements are expected from the federal judiciary now that Donald Trump is out of office. The percentage of African American judges on the federal appellate circuit is inconsistent with the makeup of the broa...
DETROIT – Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) announced today that FEMA has begun accepting applications for funeral assistance for Michiganders who’ve lost loved ones to COVID-19. Congresswoman Tlaib helped pass the funeral assistance program as part of the American Rescue Plan last month. “COVID-19 has forever changed our lives, our families, and our communities. Many families who were struggling before the pandemic were not only hit with more financial strain, but also had to deal with losing a loved one and finding a way to give them a prop...
On Wednesday, April 7, state representatives from four states responded to Republican attacks on voting rights via a press conference call. Michigan State Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-23rd Dist.) joined State Representatives Erica Thomas (D-GA), Athena Salman (D-AZ), and Allison Dahle (D-NC) to discuss the political motives behind the broad attack on voting rights taking place in state legislatures across the country. The representatives also highlighted strategies for stopping the repressive effort...
