Detroit, MI

EPA wrongly found Detroit area safe for smog, judge rules in split decision

Published

1 month ago

December 14, 2025

EPA wrongly found Detroit area safe for smog, judge rules in split decision

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was wrong to determine Michigan met federal health and environmental standards for ozone pollution or smog in the Detroit area in 2023, a federal appeals court judge has ruled.

U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Helene White on Dec. 5 issued a split decision in a case about how environmental regulators measured Detroit air quality in 2022, when wildfire smoke drifted over Detroit and affected the air quality monitor readings for a few days in June.

Michigan considered those days “exceptional events” because of the wildfire smoke and didn’t include the high ozone pollution readings in its calculation to the EPA.

With those days tossed, the state was able to argue in 2023 that Michigan met federal air quality standards for ground-level ozone pollution. The seven-county Metro Detroit region had previously been out of compliance with the ozone standards.

The Sierra Club sued, arguing the wildfire smoke did not meaningfully change ozone readings and that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy failed to analyze how local pollution sources contributed to the ozone levels on those days. The environmental advocacy group also challenged the EPA’s finding that the region met federal standards for ozone pollution.

White determined the exceptional events designation was appropriate, siding against the Sierra Club in deciding the EPA and EGLE correctly analyzed the smoke’s impact on ozone readings in June 2022.

She sided against EPA in deciding the EPA was wrong to put Michigan back into attainment for ground-level ozone without Michigan adopting control measures that would cut volatile organic compounds, which contribute to ozone pollution.

EPA determined the Detroit area was out of attainment for ground-level ozone on April 13, 2022. Michigan regulators did not impose control technologies for ozone-causing pollutants by the deadline in early 2023. Instead, they asked EPA to redesignate the area as in attainment with the air quality rules.

Michigan was obligated to implement control technologies even though it had submitted a redesignation request, White said in her order. Control technologies include efforts to reduce volatile organic compounds from being released from manufacturing plants and industrial sources, according to EPA documents.

Sierra Club member and Detroit environmental justice activist Dolores Leonard cheered the outcome of the case.

“Without this victory, EPA’s decisions would have let Michigan avoid the rules needed to reduce pollution and keep the air we breathe safe,” Leonard said. “At a time when asthma rates are rising in Detroit, especially in Black communities, that’s unacceptable. With the backing of this federal court decision, our community will continue to push the state of Michigan to take much-needed action to relieve ozone pollution in this area.”

The Clean Air Act requires those pollution control measures to be implemented even after the EPA puts an area back into attainment to ensure the air quality remains healthy, said Nick Leonard, executive director of Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, which argued the Sierra Club’s case.

White’s order means the EGLE will have to reapply for the attainment of the ozone standard, Leonard said.

“At the very least, I would say they have to correct the legal deficiency, which was that they didn’t enact the pollution control rules that are typically required for areas that are in non-attainment for this long,” he said.

The EPA is reviewing the decision, its press office said. The office did not respond to a question about whether it would ask Michigan to adopt volatile organic compound control measures as a result of White’s decision.

The EGLE also is reviewing the ruling, spokesman Dale George said.

“While EGLE was not a party to the case and is not able to speak in detail about the legal outcome, we were encouraged that the court supported the use of exceptional events demonstrations and acknowledged the sound science behind EGLE’s determination that the Detroit area met the health-based ozone standard,” George said.

Leonard said he was disappointed but not surprised that White ruled against the Sierra Club’s arguments that EGLE and the EPA did not correctly account for wildfire smoke’s impact on ozone readings in 2022.

That issue is going to plague communities as climate change causes northern wildfires to become more common and kick smoke into Michigan, he predicted.

“If we start to essentially cut out bad air quality days because of the claim they were partially influenced by wildfire smoke … , you create this disconnect between the regulatory systems that are meant to protect people and the actual air pollution that people are breathing,” Leonard said.

ckthompson@detroitnews.com

Source link

Click to comment

Detroit, MI

Newly released report details gunman calling 911 minutes before deadly Michigan church attack

Published

7 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

Newly released report details gunman calling 911 minutes before deadly Michigan church attack

Julia Avant

January 20, 2026 / 11:11 PM EST
/ CBS Detroit

The Grand Blanc Township Police Department on Tuesday, Jan. 20, released a recording of a 911 call believed to be of the gunman of the deadly attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan.

The recording, obtained by CBS News Detroit, was believed to have been made minutes before the shooting and fire near the church on Sept. 28, 2025.

Four people were killed, and several others were injured in what the FBI has called “an act of targeted violence.” The suspect, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, was fatally shot by police.

“No, listen to me,” said the 911 caller believed to be Sanford, “I’m going to talk, and you are going to listen to me, then I’m going to hang up.”

According to the recording, the caller mentioned bombs located at three other churches and never mentioned the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township. Police say the first 911 call came in at 10:25 a.m., a few minutes after the 911 call from Sanford.

During the last press conference held by police on the day of the attack, investigators said they received additional threats. It’s unclear if they were referring to this call.

Investigators say Sanford drove his truck into the church on McCandlish Road and exited his truck, firing several rounds from an assault rifle at churchgoers before setting the church on fire.

Source link

Detroit, MI

A$AP Rocky to bring ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ tour to Detroit

Published

19 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

A$AP Rocky to bring ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ tour to Detroit

Rapper’s tour will mark his first Detroit visit since 2017.

A$AP Rocky will bring his “Don’t Be Dumb” tour to Little Caesars Arena on July 8, the artist’s camp announced Tuesday.

Tickets for the show go on sale at 9 a.m. Jan. 27 via Ticketmaster. Presale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, and signup is available now through 10 p.m. Wednesday through http://livemu.sc/asaprocky. A Cash App presale starts 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The LCA concert is part of a 25-date run of North American shows which kicks off May 27 in Chicago and wraps July 11 in Newark, New Jersey.

The tour follows the recently released “Don’t Be Dumb,” the 37-year-old Harlem rapper’s first album since 2018’s “Testing.” Rocky was a guest on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend.

The concert will mark A$AP Rocky’s first Detroit performance since a September 2017 concert at the Masonic Temple.

agraham@detroitnews.com

Source link

Detroit, MI

Tobias Harris turns it on as Detroit Pistons fight off Boston Celtics

Published

1 day ago

January 19, 2026

Press Room

Tobias Harris turns it on as Detroit Pistons fight off Boston Celtics

Hours before Monday’s game, the Detroit Pistons got good news: Cade Cunningham was named an Eastern Conference starter in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.

The East-leading Pistons followed that national statement with one of their own, pulling off a nail-biting win over the second-best team in the East, defeating the Boston Celtics, 104-103 at Little Caesars Arena. The nationally broadcast game featured 14 ties and nine lead changes, but the Pistons prevailed by holding the Celtics to 39.8% shooting, capped by a game-ending miss by Jaylen Brown.

Tobias Harris (25 points) lifted a Pistons offense that struggled to hit 3-pointers through most of the night. His biggest shot was a corner 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining in the game that gave the Pistons a five-point cushion, 104-99. Brown, who led all scorers with 32 points and 11 rebounds, answered with a pair of jumpers to cut the Pistons’ lead to one with 45 seconds left.

It ended up being the final basket either team hit. Cunningham missed a midrange jumper with 14 seconds left that would’ve given them a 3-point cushion, but Brown’s game-winning attempt from midrange on the other end bounced off the back of the rim, and then the front as the clock expired.

Jalen Duren added 18 points and nine rebounds, and Cunningham tallied 16 points and 14 assists. The Pistons shot just 6-for-25 from 3 through the first three periods but went 5-for-10 in the fourth while holding Boston to 7-for-20 (35%) overall.

The win gives the Pistons a 5½-game lead over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference (as well as a 3-1 season series win against Boston) with 12 games left before the All-Star break. Their next opponent isn’t nearly as competitive, as the Pistons will head to New Orleans to face the Pelicans – currently run by former Pistons execs Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver and sporting the worst record (10-35) in the Western Conference – on Wednesday (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).

Pistons throw block party during second quarter

After shooting just 33.3% in the opening period, the Pistons found their offensive groove in the second — thanks to their defense. They recorded five blocks during the quarter, which got their transition game going and swung momentum in their favor.

Stewart led off the block party by swatting a two-handed poster attempt by Celtics center Neemias Queta. It was one of his most impressive blocks in a season filled with impressive blocks, a good percentage of them on dunk attempts.

It was Cunningham’s turn next, rejecting a dunk attempt by Jordan Walsh in transition. It initially was ruled a foul, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff won an ensuing challenge. The Pistons took their first lead the following possession, with a Javonte Green 3-pointer making it 35-33 with 7:16 before halftime.

Thompson followed, getting a hand on a top-of-the-key 3-point attempt by Pritchard and finishing a fastbreak dunk. The Pistons outscored the Celtics, 33-22, in the second period while holding them to 30% (6-for-20) shooting. At halftime, Boston was just 33.3% from the floor with nine turnovers, off which the Pistons scored 14 points.

After trailing by eight points midway through the first, the Pistons led 59-51 at halftime despite hitting just four of their 18 3-point attempts up to that point.

Duren dominates Celtics’ frontcourt

The fourth-year big man put together his highest-scoring game of 2026, taking advantage of the Celtics’ biggest weakness — frontcourt depth. Other than their starting center, Queta, Boston’s bigs consist of former Pistons second-round pick Luka Garza and former Michigan State big Xavier Tillman.

Duren got going early, leading the Pistons with nine points after the first quarter. Garza checked in at the 7:54 mark and picked up two quick fouls while defending Duren, and subbed back out at the 4:50 mark. The lob connection with Cunningham got going early — he tipped in one from Cunningham and from Robinson in the first, and flushed a powerful two-handed lob from Cunningham late in the third quarter to extend the Pistons’ lead to 76-73.

MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Want more Pistons updates? Download our free app for the latest news, alerts, eNewspaper and more.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.

Source link