Detroit mayor-elect Mary Sheffield has chosen her deputy mayor.

Brian White has been her chief of staff during her time as city council president. White says he'll help Sheffield deliver on her promises to spread Detroit's growth into the neighborhoods.

Sheffield has also announced she will keep Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison in his position. In a press statemen the Sheffield transition team credited Bettison with a record drop in violent crime across the city. Sheffield said the chief has the “respect of his peers…the loyalty of the rank and file… and the hearts and trust of the people.”

• New federal bills would replicate a Michigan program to help with childcare in every state. The “tri-share” childcare program splits the cost of childcare between income-eligible families, employers and the state. Republican Representatives Hillary Scholten and John James co-sponsored the bill.
• Governor Gretchen Whitmer says improving Michigan's student reading skills will be her number one priority next year. She says she will share more details about her plans during her final State of the State address early next year. Kids Count ranked Michigan among the ten worst states in 4th and 8th grade reading scores.
• Detroit attorney Maurice Morton joins the race for District 13 Representative. Morton will challenge Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar as an independent.

• The state’s last virtual FAFSA webinar of 2025 is this week. The FAFSA is used by colleges and funding organizations to determine financial aid for students. The MiLEAP webinars also offer information on federal financial aid programs, state financial aid programs and resources for finding scholarships. The last FAFSA webinar of the year is Thursday, Dec.18 at 6:30 p.m. To register or to find a recording of a previous webinar, go here.

Arab American candidate Abbas Alawieh has announced that he’s running to become the next state senator in District 2. The newly drawn district includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit.

Alawieh says he is running to uplift people’s voices.

“I want to become a state senator that wields the power of a movement of people that will come together around this campaign to say, hey, District 2 is here to play.  We're going to show up with our values, with our leverage, with our people power.”

Alawieh previously worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representatives Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib. He also served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Cori Bush.

Alawieh also co-founded the Uncommitted National Movement, which aimed to pressure then Presidential candidate Kamala Harris to address U.S. policy on the war in Gaza.

Inaugural Rising Voices Artist & Creatives Cohort

The Asian American civic engagement nonprofit “Rising Voices” has launched a new project. 

The Rising Voices Artist & Creatives Cohort will sponsor four emerging creatives next year. Each artist will receive $2500 and a mentorship to create pieces for a gallery exhibition in July. The theme will be “Revolution, Resistance & Joy.”

The deadline to submit an application is Feb. 1. Winning artists will be announced in March, with work time between April and June.

Bus safety in Dearborn

The City of Dearborn and the Dearborn Public Schools unveiled a new bus safety program today. The program detects and penalizes drivers who illegally pass school buses. About 40 million drivers in the U.S. illegally pass bus stops annually, leading to 2,200 violations.

School buses in the city will be equipped with “BusPatrol” technology  which uses stop-arm enforcement cameras to record violations and report them to the Dearborn Police Department.

The new features are part of an effort to increase traffic patrols and educate the public about how to keep children safe as they’re getting on and off school buses.

Hospitals make a call on vaccines

Several Michigan hospital systems reportedly plan to disregard federal recommendations and continue giving infants the hepatitis B vaccine.

A federal advisory panel said earlier this month that doctors should wait to vaccinate babies against hepatitis B unless their mother tested positive for the disease.

Health experts warn that will lead to an increase in childhood liver disease. Evidence shows giving newborns the vaccine early is safe and has drastically reduced hepatitis B in kids.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Corewell, Henry Ford, McLaren, Munson and the University of Michigan health systems will continue to give the vaccine to children within the first day after they are born.

Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter and Pat Batcheller

Warming centers

The city of Detroit has opened warming centers to help residents escape the bitter cold. City officials say residents can escape the frigid conditions during the day at Detroit's recreation centers and public library branches. Overnight shelter is also available.

Those in need should call the Detroit Housing Resource Help Line for assistance at 866-313-2520 or online at detroitmi.gov.

People can also go to a Detroit police precinct.

Weather forecasters say the potentially life-threatening sub-zero wind chills are expected to abate later this week.

Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter

The City of Detroit is activating warming centers in response to the extreme cold weather forecasted this weekend. The City has also declared a cold weather health emergency and is advising residents to remain safe.

One of the warming centers is the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries on 13130 Woodard Ave. They are opening Friday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. through Tuesday Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. Residents in need can access the temporary overnight stand by shelter anytime by walking in without any referrals.

You could also call the Detroit Housing Resource Help Line at 866-313-2520 which is operating 24/7 during this health emergency.

For more information on helpline resources, respite locations and other warming centers go to detroitmi.gov.

Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore will be arraigned in court Friday on stalking and home invasion charges.

This happened just days after the shocking news of his firing from the Wolverines program over allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

According to prosecutors, he faces charges of home invasion in the third degree, stalking and breaking and entering or entering without breaking.

The judge has agreed to a $25,000 cash surety bond, continuation of mental health treatment and a GPS tether for Moore, making it clear that any contact with the alleged victim would be a violation of the terms of his bail.

NFL

The Detroit Lions have a reunion with former QB Matthew Stafford as they face the Los Angels Rams. If the Lions win on Sunday they will have a 72% chance of making it to the playoffs. If they lose, their chances drop to 42% according to NFL research. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. EST as SoFi Stadium.

NBA

The Pistons face the Atlanta Hawks today at Little Caesars Arena. The hometown heroes are currently number one in the Eastern Conference.

Tip off for Friday’s game is at 7:00 p.m.

NHL

The Red Wings face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday Dec. 13 at the United Center. The game starts at 8 p.m.

And this Saturday, NBA Hall of famer, Detroit native and former Pistons during the 2007 Chris Webber, is hosting his Michigan basketball showcase this weekend.

Basketball fans across the state will gather at the University of Detroit Mercy's historic Calihan Hall arena to witness the top girls and boys high school teams in Michigan.

The boys event will be on Saturday Dec. 13 at noon and Sunday Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. The girls event will be Sunday at noon. For more information go to udmercy.edu.

Detroit Public Schools officials want Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release four high school students the government is holding, including a star baseball player at Western International High School.

Agents arrested Santiago Jesus Zamora Perez and his mother last weekend. Their lawyer says ICE is holding them in Texas.

At a school board meeting Tuesday, students and teachers described a climate of fear at the school in Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says he and the school board will write a letter to ICE asking them to release the students it detained.

Detroit’s Kronk Gym officially reopened this month in the old rec center where Joe Luis trained. It’s now in the recently renovated Brewster-Wheeler recreation center.

Kronk Gym was Founded by Emanuel Steward and trained dozens of world boxing champions including Thomas Hearns and Lennox Lewis. 

Kronk Gym memberships range from $90 to $129 a month, with training and HIIT classes, or $35 a month for youth.

The social justice group CodePink Detroit will join a coalition of grassroots organizations for a Human Rights Day march this Saturday starting at Hart Plaza.

The groups are calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and Military aid to Israel, abolishing ICE and ending National Guard presence in some U.S. Cities. The march begins at 2:00pm.

For more information visit codepink.org/detroit1213.

Dearborn Heights came close to canceling it’s annual tree lighting ceremony this year but a local business man saved the day.

City officials had ordered an artificial tree from China but the shipment ran into serious delays. The city decided to try to find a replacement tree, and businessman Sam Hussein helped pay for it. Hussein told Channel 7 he felt it was the right thing to do and was a great way to give back to his community.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place Friday at 6:30 p.m. outside of the Dearborn Heights City Hall.

The Charles H Wright Museum’s Season of Soul is back! The daylong event is Sunday Dec. 14 starting at 10 a.m. The event falls on Second Sunday.

The museum offers free admission on the second Sunday of every month. Activities include morning yoga, photos with Black Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a holiday silent disco.

For more information, check out the events page on the museum’s website at thewright.org.

Detroiters had to deal with a messy commute this morning – as snow overnight turned to rain, making a slushy mess on area roads and sidewalks. While northern suburbs received as much as five inches of snow, the city got about two inches before rain moved in.

The National Weather Service says the rain is expected to turn back into snow this evening. Temperatures will drop through the day as a cold front moves into town. Make sure to shovel your sidewalks or driveways today, because any slush will freeze tonight, with lows dropping to around 19 degrees. Highs for the rest of the week will only be in the 20s.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District closed today because of the weather. Students, teachers and staff got to stay home and all district buildings remained closed. Hundreds of other schools in metro Detroit were also closed today.

With temperatures expected to fall into the 20s over the next few days, the City of Detroit has put out a list of places where residents can warm up. The city’s 13 recreation centers will be available. Some will be open until 7 p.m.; others until 9 p.m. Detroit Public Library branches are also places where you can go to warm up.

Detroit casinos brought in just over $108 million in revenue last month. That’s up one-tenth of a percentage point from November 2024.

MGM Grand retained the top spot in Detroit with 47% of the market share. Motor City had 30%. Hollywood Casino at Greektown controlled 23% of the market.

The three casinos paid $13.2 million in taxes and development agreement payments to the City of Detroit last month. They paid another $8.6 million in taxes to the State of Michigan.

Kilpatrick wants restitution cut

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick wants to have a federal judge reduce his restitution payments.

Kilpatrick appeared on WJR saying assets previously seized and restitution already paid should cover the remainder of what he owes the city.

The Detroit News reports Kilpatrick owed the city hundreds of thousands of dollars last year at this time. He was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison on racketeering conspiracy and other charges, but President Trump commuted his sentence in 2021.

A Michigan Court of Claims judge has declined to block a 24% wholesale tax on marijuana in the state less than a month before it’s scheduled to go into effect.

However, Judge Sima Patel allowed the challenge to the tax to proceed.

The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association claims the new tax is unconstitutional because it improperly alters a 2018 ballot measure that legalized the drug. Patel disagreed, writing that the new law was “another tax,” not an amendment to the ballot measure.

The City of Detroit is celebrating its “Rides to Care” program. Over the past year, the service has provided more than 20,000 free roundtrip rides for pregnant women and caregivers of babies up to a year old to get to medical appointments.

The goal of the program is to make it easier for those women to get to important prenatal and early childhood medical care.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan gave his exit interview at the Detroit Economic Club Monday.

He says he doesn’t plan to align himself with either party’s congressional races during his campaign for governor in 2026. Duggan was a lifelong Democrat until he decided to run for Whitmer’s seat. He says he’s not worried about how Michiganders vote in the U.S. House races.

"I am going to work with the people in both parties to get results that won't get reversed every two years as the state flips back and forth. I'm going to try to do what I did in Detroit, convince people that actually solving problems is better politics than tearing each other down."

Duggan says he plans to run his campaign for governor just like he ran his campaign for mayor—by meeting with voters directly.

His term as mayor ends in January.

• Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield got married over the weekend. Her transition team confirmed social media chatter, saying she and Ricke Jackson, Jr. tied the knot in a private ceremony at The Godfrey Hotel on Sunday.
• Hanukkah starts Sunday and that means Menorah in the D! This will be the 15th annual lighting of the 26 foot menorah. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. with the menorah lighting at 5:30 p.m.
• The City of Pontiac will celebrate several new additions to its downtown business community tomorrow with a “mass ribbon cutting.” Eight new businesses will be welcomed to North Saginaw Street with ceremonies starting between noon and 4:00 p.m. At 4:30 p.m. there will be a celebration of the one year anniversary of interior design firm Designed Mindfully.
• Admission to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum and the Detroit Historical Museum is free Sunday, Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 this month. You can find information about exhibits at both museums at detroithistorical.org.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plans to invest $38 million in housing support for Michigan residents recovering from substance abuse disorder. The funding is a part of the allocated Substance Abuse Disorder prevention measures for harm reduction, treatment and recovery services.

The state recently found about 7,500 people left treatment without stable housing. The funding will support about 3,400 recovery housing beds by 2028—a 40% increase.

Michigan will receive $1.8 billion from opioid settlements by the year 2040. Half of the funding will be distributed to the State of Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund while the other half will be distributed to county, city and township governments.

The Michigan Association of Recovery Residencies survey found that providing recovery housing assistance helped people get and keep a job as part of their road to recovery.

HEALTH INSURANCE

There’s about a month left to apply for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is reminding Michigan residents to purchase health insurance by Dec. 15 to have coverage by January 1. People who apply after that by January 15 will not get coverage until Feb. 1.

DIFS Director Anita Fox says people should shop around for the most cost-effective plan with the best coverage. People can visit healthcare.gov or call 800-318-2596 for assistance.

LONELINESS IS ON THE RISE FOR ADULTS

A recent study by the American Association of Retired Persons or AARP found loneliness among adults 45 years and older increased to about 40%. That’s a 5% increase since 2018.

Heather Nawrocki is the Vice President of Fun and Fulfillment for AARP. She says people have fewer friends and their social networks are smaller than they used to be. She says men have higher rates of loneliness compared to women.

“They're just not getting out of the house as much. They don't have as many close friends and they're not joining community organizations, clubs or pursuing interests with others the same way as perhaps they did before.”

Nawrocki says the study also found people are volunteering less frequently, leading to less social interaction.

She says it's important to check on friends and loved ones to rekindle relationships for social health which also impacts health, happiness, and longevity.

Film Detroit

Film Detroit is hosting a free film experience this month.

Attendees will learn how to build video production skills, including how to create trailers and teasers. People will also be able to sing karaoke with the Karaoke Kingz.

They will have access to onsite film resources and permit support. The event takes place Dec. 22 from 5-8 p.m. at the Northwest Activities Center located at 18100 Meyers Rd.

Visit detroitmi.gov/filmdetroit for more information.

Detroit rapper Big Sean and music legend Usher are partnering to invest in a new $1 million entertainment production facility for Detroit youth. It will be called the Detroit Entertainment Innovation Incubator and will be located inside the new Boys and Girls Club at Michigan Central.

The program will give young people from the ages of 14 to 24 access to a virtual production studio, special effects lab, creators lounge and more.

Both artists grew up going to Boys and Girls Clubs and are looking to give back with this effort. The new Boys and Girls Club location is slated to officially open with a ribbon cutting ceremony in February according to a statement from representatives.

As the weather drops, the city is reminding Detroiters in need that there are respite centers available. Recreation centers and public libraries serve as respite centers during their regular operating hours.

Some of the locations open this weekend include the Coleman A young Recreation Center at 2751 Robert Bradby, the Kemeny Recreation Center at 2260 S. Fort and the Bowen Branch of the Detroit Public Library at 3648 Vernor Hwy.

For more locations and more information go to detroitmi.gov.

The city of Detroit is looking for someone to sculpt a second statue of Joe Louis that honors his achievements outside the boxing ring.

Officials already unveiled the first statue celebrating the Brown Bomber's contributions to golf. He was the first amateur Black golfer to play in a PGA-sanctioned event.

The new statue will pay tribute to his impact on equestrian sports. Louis bought a horse farm in Shelby Township in 1939 and created the nation's first horse show featuring Black riders and trainers.

In Hamtramck mayoral candidate Adam Alharbi was deemed the winner by 11 votes after a recount this week. But the race may not be over yet. Alharbi's opponent Muith Mahmood filed a lawsuit arguing that the city should count all 37 votes that were disqualified.

The ballots were found improperly stored in the City Clerk's office and were excluded from the final count after the Wayne County Board of Canvassers deadlocked on the issue.

Former Michigan state elections director Chris Thomas says although there is a security concern about how the ballots were handled Hamtramck residents should not be penalized. "Apparently these envelopes were received, their date, time and date stamped. The signatures were compared and found to be valid. So these voters have been disenfranchised, so there's no question about that. And the question before the court is, what are you going to do for these voters?"

Another hearing is scheduled to settle the issue.

NFL

The Lions bounce back from their Thanksgiving loss with a win against the Dallas Cowboys last night with the score of 44-30. The Lions haven’t had back-to-back losses since the 2022 season and now tie the all-time NFL record with 15 Straight wins after a loss.

They look to continue their playoff hopes as they face the Rams on Sunday December 14th.

NBA

The Pistons have back to back matchups as they face the Portland Trail Blazers today at 7:30pm and the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be at Little Caesars Arena.

NHL

And the Red Wings fell to The Columbus Blue Jackets last night with a 6-5 loss. They hope to bounce back against the Seattle Krakens tomorrow at Climate Pledge Arena. Game starts at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Tomorrow the city will be merry with the first ever Merry Midtown event. There will be dining and shopping experiences, Santa sightings, Christmas music, a roaming photo booth and more.

For more information go to citybirddetroit.com.