More than 500 incarcerated women at Michigan’s only women’s prison are suing the state for $500 million, alleging they were illegally recorded during strip searches and other moments when they undressed in what attorneys are calling one of the most egregious privacy violations in the country. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, accuses Michigan Department of Corrections officials of directing staff at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility to use body cameras during routine strip searches, a practice not employed in any other state, according to the complaint.

Civil rights groups are calling on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to drop all remaining charges against pro-Palestinian protesters following her unexpected decision Monday to dismiss felony and misdemeanor counts against seven demonstrators arrested during a May 2024 encampment sweep at the University of Michigan. The dismissal, announced during a court hearing in Washtenaw County, marked a significant win for the activists and their supporters after months of mounting political pressure and legal challenges.

A popular Southwest Detroit music venue called El Club closed down Saturday to avoid what its general manager described as “police intimidation.” The closure comes one year after Detroit police were heavily criticized for swarming businesses participating in the city’s Cinco de Mayo festival and threatening attendees with arrests if they didn’t disperse.

Updated at 4 p.m. with a response from the Michigan Department of Corrections. A Michigan Department of Corrections employee has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the agency, its director, and its former media relations spokesperson of sexual abuse, harassment, and retaliation.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Monday unexpectedly dropped all charges against seven pro-Palestinian protesters accused of resisting police during the May 2024 clearing of an encampment at the University of Michigan, following months of mounting political pressure from the progressive wing of her own party. The decision came during a preliminary examination hearing in Washtenaw County District Court, where attorneys for the defendants had prepared to make closing arguments.

Warren police officers pulled a man from the top of a freeway overpass on Easter Sunday, preventing what they said was a clear attempt to take his own life. Officers were dispatched to the Groesbeck interchange above I-696 shortly before 7 p.m. after multiple 911 calls reported a man climbing the protective metal fence and appearing ready to jump.

A push to legalize the feeding of deer and other wildlife in Michigan is reigniting a debate over public access to nature, wildlife disease prevention, and the role of state regulators. The legislation, introduced last month with support from 45 state lawmakers — most of them Republicans — would allow residents to feed animals near their homes, despite a longstanding ban by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) aimed at curbing the spread of diseases among deer.

Detroit Thermal is seeking to reassure Lafayette Park residents that its plan to connect steam heat to a high-rise apartment building won’t damage the neighborhood’s historic character or pose a threat to children who play nearby. In a statement Wednesday, the private utility company said its proposed work to reconnect 1300 Lafayette to the underground steam network would not involve installing any ventilation stacks in a neighborhood playground, would not require removing trees, and would fully restore the landscape after completion. “For months, we’ve sought advice and guidance from our Lafayette Park neighbors and carefully developed a plan to provide clean, affordable, and reliable heat,” company spokesman Harvey Hollins III said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a federal lawsuit against Roku on Tuesday, accusing the streaming platform of illegally collecting and sharing personal data from children without parental consent. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, alleges Roku and its partners tracked the locations, browsing histories, voice recordings, and other identifying information on children using the company’s platform without proper notice or parental permission, as required under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Michigan Consumer Protection Act.

Several Michigan House Democrats on Tuesday joined U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar’s call to impeach President Donald Trump, accusing him of violating the Constitution and posing a threat to American democracy. State Rep. Dylan Wegela of Garden City introduced a resolution in the Michigan House supporting Trump’s impeachment, arguing the president’s actions have undermined the rule of law and put Americans in danger.

A Redford man is facing felony charges after allegedly throwing two kittens from a moving vehicle at a Detroit gas station and then running over one of them. Brandon Lee Dwayne Littke, 25, was charged with animal torture and abandonment following the April 21 incident at a gas station on the 24800 block of West Seven Mile Road.

This story was updated at 3:40 p.m. with a response from Detroit Thermal. A battle is unfolding in picturesque Lafayette Park, where residents are trying to stop a private utility company from digging up parts of their nationally recognized neighborhood to install high-pressure steam infrastructure that they say would damage the historic character of the area and endanger children.

U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, a Detroit Democrat, introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Monday, accusing him of abusing his power and undermining the rule of law. Thanedar filed seven articles of impeachment, alleging Trump obstructed justice, dismantled government agencies without congressional approval, abused trade powers, used international aggression to pursue political ends, violated First Amendment rights, created an unlawful government office (the Department of Government Efficiency), and granted unconstitutional authority to billionaire Elon Musk. Thaneder also accused Trump of committing bribery, corruption, and political overreach.

Civil rights attorneys and activists are raising alarms after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office led a series of raids targeting pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Michigan, in what they view as a politically motivated crackdown on free speech. On Wednesday morning, FBI agents and local police officers arrived in unmarked vehicles at several homes in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Canton, executing search warrants tied to what authorities describe as “coordinated criminal acts of vandalism” across Southeast Michigan.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said a recent multi-agency raid targeting pro-Palestinian activists was part of a broader investigation into “coordinated criminal acts of vandalism and property damage” across Southeastern Michigan. On Wednesday, authorities executed search warrants at homes in Ann Arbor, Canton, and Ypsilanti, briefly detaining several people.

A Venezuelan man who took a wrong turn near the Ambassador Bridge in Southwest Detroit was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), prompting outrage from immigrant advocates and elected officials who say the facility where he was held is being used to secretly hold families in inhumane conditions. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, joined the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) on Thursday to demand an end to what they described as unlawful detentions and “disappearances” at CBP’s site near the U.S.-Canada border.

Detroit City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero is fighting to stay on the August primary ballot after Wayne County election officials disqualified her over a $250 campaign finance fee she says was wrongly assessed. The popular first-term councilwoman, who won her Southwest Detroit district with 74% of the vote in 2021, said she received a notice from the Wayne County Clerk’s Office on Monday informing her that she had been removed from the tube ballot due to a late campaign finance report filed in October.

The FBI joined state and local police Wednesday to raid the homes of pro-Palestinian activists linked to University of Michigan protests. Authorities executed search warrants at locations in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Canton, and briefly detained several people, the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tells Metro Times.

Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield kicked off her campaign for mayor Wednesday with the release of a personal and political video series aimed at introducing voters to her background, track record, and vision for the city. The first installment of the We Can, We Will series, titled “The Foundation,” offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sheffield’s life growing up in Detroit and her family’s legacy of public service.