With the Detroit Lions’ 2026 draft now nearly a full week in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for the Pride of Detroit staff to take inventory of what transpired. We’ve had time to read the scouting reports, listen to what Lions general manager Brad Holmes had to say about each pick, and do our own dive into the college film.
Detroit, MI
Detroit St. Patrick’s Day Parade draws crowd to Irish culture
Thousands come out for annual St. Patrick’s Day parade
The 68th Detroit St. Patrick’s Parade brought families and friends to Michigan Avenue for a huge celebration of Irish culture
Detroit — The 68th Detroit St. Patrick’s Parade brought families and friends to Michigan Avenue for a celebration of Irish culture.
Participants were bedecked green accessories: beaded necklaces, clover-decorated clothing, bandanas, head bows and glittering face paint.
The parade rolled down Michigan Avenue in Corktown and offered a taste of Irish culture.
Jason McKay of Clinton Township was with longtime friend Kevin Sining, 52, who both had generations of family with them, wore leprechaun top hats on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re here to celebrate the Irish pride, Irish community and just family values. We got generations of our heritage … we’ve been coming here for the last 10 years to celebrate the parade,” said McKay, 51.
People from Motor City Irish Dance, the Whiskey Wagon, Fraternal Order of United Irishmen, Most Holy Trinity Parish, local officials like former Mayor Mike Duggan, school marching bands and more walked along Michigan as a group and waved at parade-goers who cheered and blew horns.
Green parade floats, clowns and bagpipes, bubble-blowing ghostbusters and dance and song performances entertained the crowd.
Corktown got its name as result of Irish immigrants that moved to Detroit from from County Cork. The Corktown neighborhood is Detroit’s oldest surviving neighborhood, and the Irish were the largest ethnic group of newcomers to Detroit at the time, according to the parade’s website.
The parade typically attracts 80,000 to 100,000 people, making it one of the largest St. Patrick’s parades in the country, the website said.
Jessica Corner of Royal Oak was invited to the parade by her neighbor, Patrick Brainer, who recommended she attend. The crowd of a dozen Royal Oak residents have been coming to the parade ever since.
“It’s the marching bands for me. It’s so exciting to see the marching bands, all the kids. And we’re going to keep coming every year,” said Corner, 36.
Anna Stileski and Justin Scott of Detroit found seats right at the parade kickoff near the Lodge Service Drive and Michigan Avenue.
They said the event is an amenity of living in Detroit. The couple rode their mopeds to the celebration.
“We love the firefighter clowns. The ghostbusters are great,” Stileski said.
The United Irish Societies, the parade organizer, is made up of over 35 Irish organizations across Metro Detroit that donate money, time and resources to support the parade.
In 1958, the UIS hosted the first St. Patrick’s Parade in Dearborn.
mjohnson@detroitnews.com
Detroit, MI
Where to watch Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic Game 6 NBA playoffs: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Friday, May 1
The Orlando Magic will try to close out the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 of their first-round series. The Magic lead the series 3-2 but lost Game 5. Detroit is favored by 3.5 points. The total is set at 209.5 for this Eastern Conference matchup.
How to watch Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic
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Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
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Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
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Odds
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Spread: Orlando Magic +3.5
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Moneyline: Orlando Magic +137 (40.5%) / Detroit Pistons -163 (59.5%)
Series results, schedule (all times Eastern)
Game 1: Magic 112, Pistons 101
Game 2: Pistons 98, Magic 83
Game 3: Magic 113, Pistons 105
Game 4: Magic 94, Pistons 88
Game 5: Pistons 116, Magic 109
Game 6: Fri., May 1, at Orlando (7 p.m., Amazon)
*Game 7: Sun., May 3, at Detroit (time and network TBD)
*if necessary
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions NFL Draft roundtable: Favorite pick
So over the next week, our staff will be sharing their thoughts on the Lions’ draft class in a roundtable-like discussion. To kick the series off, we’re going to talk about our favorite pick from the Lions’ NFL Draft.
And as a fun exercise, I’m going to include a link to last year’s answers to see how wrong/right we were.
2025: Best Detroit Lions draft pick discussion
What was your favorite pick from the Lions’ 2026 NFL Draft?
Ryan Mathews: Blake Miller
Miller was easily my favorite pick of the draft. Holmes didn’t have to sacrifice any future capital to bolster an offensive line that desperately needed to be improved after last season’s noticeable step back. Instead, he let the board come to him on Day 1, and when it did, Holmes drafted a player who fits in terms of both football character and play style.
Brandon Knapp: Blake Miller
Despite the rumors of the Lions liking Kadyn Proctor, he thankfully was off the board. For me, Miller was my 1B to Francis Mauigoa as my top twoo options in the first round. The OT spot was the most important position that needed to be addressed and the team taking one at 17 was music to my ears. I wanted the experience and consistency Miller brought.
John Whiticar: Blake Miller
There was some thought (fear?) that the Lions might get cute and pass on tackle in the first round. Instead, not only did the Lions get a perfect culture and scheme fit, they also did so without trading up from pick 17. Miller will technically battle Larry Borom for the right tackle spot, but it would be a major surprise if he doesn’t win it outright. For a team that just parted ways with Taylor Decker, adding Miller to the roster is just about a perfect way to replace—and potentially improve upon—the veteran. It was an easy and obvious choice, and the Lions went for it.
Erik Schlitt: Blake Miller
I haven’t been shy about my desire to see Miller in Honolulu Blue, as I believe he was a perfect combination of skill set, character, and need for the Lions at pick No. 17 in the first round. I firmly believe that the Lions have found the ideal replacement for Taylor Decker; a starting tackle who can deliver reliable production for the next 10 years.
Jeremy Reisman: Miller/Keith Abney
I discussed this earlier in Sunday’s Question of the Day. But in short: Miller was the most logical pick, and I’m glad the Lions stayed relatively patient and took him without spending extra draft capital—even if they tried. But more impressively, they may have gotten their future starting nickel in Abney all the way in the fifth round. For a team with minimal draft capital, landing a potential starter that late in a “thin” draft class should be considered a huge triumph. If the Lions are going to stay competitive long-term, it’s not just imperative they hit on the early picks, but they’ll need to find late-round steals and that’s exactly what Abney is.
Detroit, MI
‘He went on an adventure’: Detroit bus driver, police praised for reuniting missing 9-year-old with family
DETROIT – April 10 was an adventurous day for 9-year-old Kyari Harris.
Harris, who goes by the nickname “King”, started his day at Nichols Elementary School on Detroit’s east side, and it ended at a McDonald’s in Lincoln Park.
It was the quick thinking of a DDOT bus driver and a group of Detroit police officers, who were honored on Thursday (April 30) morning by Mayor Mary Sheffield, that made sure he got back home.
“King got in trouble at school, and he knew he would be in trouble when he got home, so he just decided not to come home,” Mary Wynn, Harris’ mother, said on Thursday. “He went to what he would call his adventure.”
That “adventure” started that afternoon when he got off his normal school bus, cut through an alley, then hopped on a second DDOT bus that took him to the Rosa Parks Transportation Center in downtown Detroit.
“He’s never done this before,” Wynn said. “This is my only child. It was like a heart attack.”
“It was something kind of off on this, you know, I was just saying, like, why this kid is getting on my bus and by himself,” asked Thomas Burgan.
Burgan, who has driven for DDOT for six years, was driving the bus when he saw Harris board.
Surveillance footage from inside the bus shows Harris sitting in the back as the bus rolls along.
It starts to empty out as it heads to its last stop, where he spots Harris in the back, confused and holding a clear backpack.
That’s when word went over the radio to be on the lookout for a missing child.
“I said, ‘Man, that’s the kid,’” Burgan said. “He’s sitting in the back. I’m glad that he stayed on the bus until the end.”
Burgan can be seen asking Harris where he’s going. He quickly exits the bus and starts walking toward the nearby McDonald’s.
The bus cameras, along with Burgan’s cell phone, captured him walking away.
“When I took that last picture, I got back on the bus, and I called it in,” Burgan said. “I said, ‘Hey, this is the kid.’”
Harris eventually stopped at McDonald’s, where he was quickly arrested by police and returned to his mother.
While she was not happy about his little adventure, she was thankful to have him back.
“Thank God he was hungry, because if he wasn’t, there’s no telling how far, how much further he would have gone,” Wynn said. “I’m grateful for [Burgan]. I’m grateful that there were cameras on the bus.
“I never paid attention to the fact that there’s cameras on the bus,” Wynn added. “I thank the bus driver for going over and beyond.”
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
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