Southgate’s Pride celebration is back on thanks to The Library Network, a library cooperative based in Novi. The celebration was canceled after Southgate city officials decided not to pay for a vendor at the event, stating the city should not be used to pay for social or political advocacy activities.  So, the Library Network offered to pay the vendor instead. 

The event is scheduled for 2-3 p.m. on Saturday at Southgate’ s Veterans Memorial Library, located at 14680 Dix Toledo Road.

Southgate’s event comes about a week after Madison Heights City Council reversed its decision to cancel its Drag Queen Storytime event during its Pride Week celebrations.  

Additional headlines from Friday, June 12, 2026

Cooling centers open

Cooling Centers are opening across Detroit to give residents a break from the heat.  

High temperatures are known to pose health risks. Chief Public Health Officer and Director Ali Abazeed says these centers are an effective solution to keep at-risk residents healthy. 

“Folks in Detroit, especially our vulnerable populations…. if they don’t have access to some of the critical infrastructure that we know is helpful in keeping and preventing extreme heat related health outcomes, then we want folks to know that these cooling centers are available. They’re open and we want our residents to take advantage of them.” 

Detroit’s cooling centers are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. on weekends. They are open to anyone. 

Healthy Home Resource Day

Detroit’s Healthy Home Resource Day – HOPE event is coming earlier this year.

On Saturday, qualified residents can apply for Homeowners Property Exemption program to receive up to 100% property tax exemption. The exemption is given based on the homeowner’s income. 

Those who make an appointment can get a free ride to and from any HOPE event. The next event is Saturday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Samaritan Center on 5555 Connor Ave. 

Infill development conference

The Detroit Land Bank is hosting the first-ever Developers Conference focused on infill development opportunities.

Infill development is the process of building on vacant lots in established neighborhoods. The Detroit Land Bank currently owns 56,000 parcels of vacant land and is working to return them to productive use. 

Attendees will learn about development opportunities, financing resources, permitting processes and more. The event is June 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Occupy the Summer program starts

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield launches a new summer recreation program for kids today. It’s part of her response to recent teen takeovers downtown, and it’s supposed to give them something creative to do.

More than 1,500 young people have registered for the Occupy The Summer activities, which include late night basketball games and longer hours at nine recreation centers. The city will give away 700 bicycles this afternoon. 

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

Large groups of teenagers have been gathering in downtown Detroit organized on TikTok and Snapchat. It’s part of a national trend being called “teen takeovers.” Most of the kids were just hanging out. But some of these gatherings turned chaotic. There have been brawls, vandalism, and an attempted robbery on Woodward. On April 11, a gun was fired, though no one was hurt.

Two of the 16-year-olds who organized the first gathering sat next to Mayor Mary Sheffield at a press conference last week. Daveion Page said he did it because he was bored. Danasha’ Tidwell said the violence that followed was “harmful and very unacceptable.”

Where can Detroit kids go to be safe and have fun? And, what’s the responsibility of a city to help grow and develop young people? 

Jerjuan Howard is the first director of Detroit’s new Office of Youth Affairs. He’s also an Army veteran, founder of the Umoja Debate League, and the owner of a new bookstore on Puritan Avenue. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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