A familiar debate is brewing in Lansing and Detroit, as plans to transform the 5.5 million square-foot site hinge on money from taxpayers. Developers say the RenCen will molder and rot without support.
Detroit
Posted inTalent & Education
Detroit lures kids to school with $200 gift cards. Perfect attendance is up
The Detroit school district is hoping its new incentive program will motivate students to attend school daily and improve its 66% chronic absenteeism rate.
Posted inMichigan Government
‘Michigan's economy is on the line,’ Gretchen Whitmer warns at Detroit Auto Show
Whitmer is seeking bipartisan cooperation on economic incentives and road funding in Lansing but warns proposed Trump tariffs could hurt the state’s auto industry.
Posted inTalent & Education
Not working, not in school: A push to reach Michigan's 'disconnected' youth
Detroit needs skilled young workers to help power its growth, but more than a quarter of Detroiters age 16 to 24 are not going to school or working. Nonprofit groups are using federal money to re-engage ‘the kids everyone forgot.’
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
'Wind phones' give those in grief a connection to lost loved ones in Michigan
Rituals can help us ride out acute grief and connect us to the deceased. For those in mourning, 10 locations in Michigan offer one of the most familiar rituals of all — a phone call.
Posted inMichigan Government
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan upends Michigan governor race with independent campaign
Three-term Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced his campaign for governor as an independent Wednesday morning. His candidacy could leave Democrats with some agonizing decisions to make.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate eyes run for Detroit mayor
Tate, 43, filed paperwork on Nov. 21 that allows him to begin collecting campaign donations for the 2025 election.
Posted inUrban Affairs
2 Detroit RenCen towers could be torn down as part of new plan
Bedrock and General Motors Co. announced the conceptual plan to redevelop the 27-acre site along the Detroit riverfront as a “right-sizing.”
Posted inMichigan Government
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan won't seek reelection in Michigan's biggest city
The mayor’s decision to leave office after his term expires in 2025 clears the field for an open race to succeed him.
Posted inMichigan Government
What Donald Trump’s ‘mass deportations’ may mean for Michigan immigrants
Undocumented immigrants account for about 1.3% of Michigan’s population, according to a 2022 estimate.