Detroit Dog Rescue is looking for families to foster dogs for two weeks to protect them from the bitter cold. The shelter and many veterinary boarding facilities are full. As temperatures plummet for the next few days more dogs are expected to die from the cold than survive.

The rescue is looking specifically to house medium to large sized pitbull-type dogs. The dogs are temperament tested, and mostly potty trained. The shelter will provide everything needed, including food and medical care. To learn more or to apply to foster, visit DetroitDogRescue.com. 

Additional headlines for Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026

New grant for small businesses

The City of Detroit and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation announced a new grant fund to help small businesses improve tech systems. The Rocket Community Fund will provide backing for the program. 

The program will award $1,000 grants to 140 Detroit-based micro-businesses with 10 or fewer employees and under $500 thousand in annual revenue. Grants can be used to purchase hardware, software, AI, or other technology tools.  

School bus safety

Enforcement of Dearborn’s School Bus Stop-Arm Safety program with Bus Patrol will begin on Monday. Drivers who fail to stop for a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended will be issued a $250 civil infraction for the first offense and a $500 civil infraction for any additional offenses within one year.

Under state law, motorists are required to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when lights are flashing and must remained stopped until the bus resumes motion or the lights are off. 

Leland resident fundraiser

The Detroit Tenants Union is hosting a fundraising event for Leland House residents. The event will take place Jan. 23 at PJ’s Lager House at 1254 Michigan Avenue. Doors open at 8 p.m.

The union is collecting monetary donations at the door and raffling off prizes. All proceeds will go directly to the Leland House residents who are still displaced from their homes.

More than two dozen residents were evacuated on Dec. 10 after a major electrical failure at the building.  

Value City bankruptcy

Value City Furniture is going out of business, and four metro Detroit stores are having sales. The store’s parent company American Signature Inc filed for bankruptcy and is closing all assets. All sales at the stores are final, with no refunds, exchanges, or gift cards accepted.

Locations include Sterling Heights, Taylor, Utica, and Westland.

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The Detroit City Council voted in new leaders Monday. 

WDET’S Bre’Anna Tinsley was there. 

James Tate was voted President 5-4. He served as President Pro Tem under now mayor Mary Sheffield. He says he wants to strengthen how the council operates.

 ”For years, I have pushed for a legislative agenda, and while we have not fully realized that goal, I did help usher into our rules, a process that can move us there. That matters because it increases transparency, accountability, and it also provides the public a way to see our priorities and measure our progress.”

Coleman Young II was voted Pro Tem, defeating Mary Waters.

Additional headlines for Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2025

Duggan’s independent campaign stresses unity

Independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan says he’s bringing a message of unity to the state—the kind he says helped him bridge divides as mayor of Detroit. 

As an independent Duggan won’t get any visibility from the party primary process. He says instead he’s visiting with small groups of voters across Michigan and finding many of them concerned about the same issues like affordable housing and job training opportunities. 

Duggan says Republicans and Democrats are more interested in beating each other than working together to solve problems. “I have never seen a state more evenly divided than Michigan today. And people more fed up. I don’t think the climate’s ever been more fertile…to have a third option.”

Duggan claims rural voters in particular find they have more in common than they thought with the urban electorate that placed him at the top of Detroit’s city government. (Quinn Klinefelter) 

Retail Food Business Cohort

The Brightmoor Artisan Collective is getting ready to launch a program for folks who want to start a food business.

Applications for the Retail Food Business Cohort are set to go live in a few weeks. Participants will be able to access free food safety certification, business plan development, networking events and a one year membership in the collective. 

For more information visit brightmoorartisans.org. 

New sports programs for kids

The Detroit Parks and Rec Department is launching a slew of sports programs for kids this and next month. Offerings include tennis, baseball, volleyball, basketball, flag football, soccer and “sports movement.” 

Programs will be offered at recreation and community centers throughout the city.

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Michigan’s economy is in flux.

Tariffs have pushed up the cost of some goods. Unemployment has ticked up slightly. Hiring practices are shifting as artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT become more prevalent in workplaces.

Those changes raise big questions for the state’s more than 900,000 small businesses — and the workers who depend on them. How are owners adapting to rising costs and new technologies? What does this moment feel like on the ground? And what should people be doing now to stay resilient?

To explore those questions, Mark Lee, founder of The Lee Group, sat down with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent. Lee hosts several talk shows and writes about business and the economy for Crain’s Detroit, with a focus on how national trends play out locally.

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Empty office spaces and buildings continue to be an issue for owners the COVID-19 pandemic. Rent is too high for small businesses and entrepreneurs to fill in the gap. 

Bamboo is a co-working space seeks to fill the need of office space without the large commitments required when renting a whole building. Bamboo has flexible options to obtain office space and common areas for any business-related needs. 

Bamboo now has five locations across Michigan, including one of its newest locations in Midtown. 

Amanda Lewen says Bamboo started as a grassroots idea from a group of friends. She spoke with The Metro’s Tia Graham about Bamboo and the current state of Michigan’s small business ecosystem.

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