Shopping is finally returning to the long-dormant site of Detroit’s former J.L. Hudson Department Store and the new home of Dan Gilbert’s Hudson’s Detroit tower. Gilbert’s Bedrock announced the first tenant for the building will be athletic apparel store Alo Yoga. It will be the Los Angeles-based company’s first Detroit location.
Communities across Michigan — including several in metro Detroit — will be holding special elections on Tuesday, May 6, for a range of local ballot measures and races.
Check if you’re registered, find your polling place, or view a sample ballot here.
Mount Clemens
Voters in the Mount Clemens Community School District will have a $91.8 million bond proposal and millage reduction on their ballots.
The district says the funding would be used to renovate and revitalize its historic buildings, make critical infrastructure improvements, create modern learning spaces, and address safety and security needs.
Find more information about the bond proposal at mtcps.org.
Ferndale
In Oakland County, voters in Ferndale will see another Headlee override operating millage proposal on their ballot.
Ferndale voters rejected a previous iteration of the Headlee override in November, with roughly 54% of residents voting against it. City council members voted in January to include an adapted proposal on the May 6 ballot that aims to address some of the concerns cited by residents during town halls and listening sessions. If passed, the millage would take effect on residents’ Summer 2026 tax bills.
More information about the proposal, including the changes that were made and its potential cost impact on residents, can be viewed at ferndalemi.gov.
Additionally, voters in the Ferndale School District — which includes portions of Pleasant Ridge, Oak Park and Royal Oak Township — will have a school improvement bond on their ballot.
The $114.8 million bond proposal would not increase voters’ tax rates, according to the district, and would enable “transformational improvements” at its middle and high school buildings. Among the updates would be a new academic wing, modernized classrooms, updated fine arts spaces, safer school entry points, and improved student services.
For more information about the school bond proposal, visit ferndaleschools.org.
Clawson
Voters in Clawson will have two charter amendment proposals on the ballot.
The first is asking voters to determine the size of city council. A “yes” vote would maintain the city’s four-member council — excluding the mayor — rather than expand the council by two additional members, as adopted by council in 2023.
The second charter amendment relates to the council members’ term limits, and can only be passed in conjunction with the first amendment.
The full proposals can be viewed at cityofclawson.com.
Madison Heights
Residents in the Lamphere School District will see an $85 million, 30-year school improvement bond proposal on the ballot.
The district says the funding is needed to enhance school safety and security, expand learning opportunities, and update school infrastructure. If passed, the cost to homeowners would be 4.15 mills ($4.15 per $1,000 of taxable property value).
For more specifics on what the bond funding would be used for, visit lamphereschools.com/bond2025.
Southgate
Voters in the Southgate Community School District will see three proposals on the May 6 ballot.
Proposal 1 is a “zero tax rate increase” millage to levy a $28 million bond for updating maintenance and athletic facilities, school buildings, HVAC systems and school security; and to acquire and install instructional technology, among other improvements.
Proposals 2 and 3 — a non-homestead operating millage renewal and 2-mill hedge — would maintain the current millage rate if passed, allowing the district to retain $5 million for staffing, instructional and extracurricular programming, maintenance and operations.
Residential tax rates on primary residences would not increase if any of these initiatives pass, according to the district. However, the millage rate would decline over the next few years if the bond proposal is rejected.
View more information about each proposal at southgateschools.com.
Redford
Residents in the Redford Union School District will have a $44 million bond millage proposal on the ballot that would fund “essential infrastructure” improvements, including updated school buildings, athletic fields, parking lots and more.
View more information at redfordtwp.gov.
Wyandotte
The city of Wyandotte will be holding a general election on May 6 for the offices of mayor, city council, clerk, treasurer and assessor. Residents can view a sample ballot at wyandotte.net.
Visit Michigan.gov for a complete list of local elections by county.
Voter intimidation hotlines:
Michigan’s primary election will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. Check back for updates to WDET’s Voter Guide as the election gets closer.
The post Michigan special elections: What metro Detroiters should know before May 6 appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
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.
Southeast Michigan is wrapping up April with temperatures trending slightly higher than average, according to the National Weather Service. Despite several days in the 80s, early April brought cooler conditions.
“Overall, I think we are coming in just slightly above normal,” meteorologist Trent Frey told WDET. “We did have a couple of really hot days. We had 83 degrees on the 18th and then we had 80 [degrees] on the 23rd and 82 [degrees] again on the 24th.”
Rainfall totals for the month are near typical levels, with just under 3 inches.
Frey say a low-pressure system is expected to move in Thursday into Friday, bringing widespread showers and a drop in temperatures.
“This week is kind of a microcosm of the whole month,” Frey said. “We’ll be kind of up and down the rest of this week.”
Looking ahead to summer, Frey says the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center gives southeast Michigan a 30% to 40% chance of warmer-than-normal conditions.
The post A warm April gives way to May showers for Metro Detroit appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
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.
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.
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.
BAMF Health, a Grand Rapids-based medical technology company, plans to open a state-of-the-art facility that is expected to create 90 new jobs and inject nearly $94 million in investments into Wayne County. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Tuesday that the Michigan Strategic Fund approved support for the project, which will include a Theranostics Center and radiopharmacy offering cutting-edge treatment for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
The owner of the Psychedelic Healing Shack, a spiritual and wellness center that was raided by Detroit police last year, has put his Woodward Avenue property up for sale. Robert Pizzimenti, known to many as Dr. Bob, says the move is not because he wants to leave but in protest of what he describes as relentless harassment by the city.
As Detroit prepares for a new mayoral election, Detroit Future City is calling on the next administration to prioritize building a stronger middle class, warning that the city’s long-term stability depends on it. The think tank, which develops strategies for a more equitable city, published a new report that outlines a strategy aimed at three key areas: expanding middle-class neighborhoods, helping Detroiters gain wealth, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure.
A former Macomb County sheriff's deputy has pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges after slapping a 14-year-old boy during a transport to a juvenile facility last year. Derek Reed entered the plea Thursday in Macomb County Circuit Court to wilful failure to uphold the law and assault and battery.
On a recent Saturday, Angela Yee is sitting inside of Cred Cafe in Detroit’s East Rivertown, trading smiles and laughs with friends and fans. The cafe was opened by Detroit brothers and former NBA players Joe and Jordan Crawford in 2023 and has sourced Yee’s Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) brand since its inception. “I love that it’s here because this is totally our vibe… the service here is amazing, I love the speakeasy in the back,” she says between sips of coffee.
Women’s clothing boutique Free People is getting ready to open its newest location in downtown Detroit. Located in a Bedrock-owned building at 1425 Woodward Ave., the store has set an opening date for Friday, April 25.
Are you an aspiring journalist with an interest in the entertainment offerings of the Detroit area? If so, we could use your help this summer!
Lakeview Public Schools acknowledged Tuesday that the high school principal mishandled a disturbing case of racist graffiti by failing to inform parents about the nature of the message. The district issued a statement several hours after Metro Times reported that Lakeview High School Principal Scott Kapla sent an email to families that omitted a key detail: The spray-painted messages included the N-word. “The high school principal’s email to LHS families failed to communicate this issue properly, and it did not represent the position of Lakeview Public Schools,” the district said in the news release.
Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores was vandalized with racist graffiti over the weekend, and some residents are questioning why school officials failed to inform parents about the nature of the message. In a recent email to families, Principal Scott Kapla said the school contacted police and is working to ensure the campus remains safe and respectful.
A Detroit resident has been charged in the brutal stabbing of a dog, the second disturbing case of animal cruelty in the city in recent months. Jordan Love, 29, faces up to seven years in prison on a felony charge of second-degree animal torture and cruelty to multiple animals.
Wayne State University is under fire again after campus police confronted pro-Palestinian students during a peaceful demonstration inside the Student Center, the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive crackdowns on dissenting voices. The April 2 protest, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, called on the university to divest from companies profiting from the war in Gaza.
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