Detroit, MI
Insider: Thanedar features Whitmer in a Mother Day’s campaign message
U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar tried to appeal to female voters ahead of Mother’s Day this past week with a glossy mail advertisement that arrived in mailboxes in the 13th Congressional District — 13 weeks before the Aug. 6 Democratic primary.
The advertisement’s message talked about Thanedar’s mother and wife, Shashi, with a photo of his family and the moms in this life.
“In Congress, I have tried following the lessons these strong women have taught me,” Thanedar wrote. “I’ve worked to empower women — by defending abortion rights, fighting for equal pay and fighting against discrimination in any form.”
Curiously, the ad also featured another mom — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a fellow Democrat who gave Thanedar’s chief primary opponent, state Sen. Adam Hollier, a job as director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.
Thanedar’s mailer didn’t identify Whitmer in writing, it just has a photo of him and the governor. But the image suggests Thanedar has the support of the state’s chief executive in his reelection bid against Hollier and Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters in a primary where the victory will almost assuredly prevail in the November general election.
Whitmer did not authorize Thanedar to use her image in the advertisement, said Helen Hare, spokeswoman for Whitmer’s Fight Like Hell political action committee.
“The use of this photo for campaign purposes is not authorized, and the Governor has not made an endorsement in this race,” Hare said in a statement.
More: Hollier congressional bid for ballot at risk over possible forged signatures
Uncommitted Dems pan ‘sanitized’ convention
The Uncommitted National Movement is demanding a meeting with top Democratic National Committee officials after a report that White House and Democratic leaders are discussing making the party’s August nominating convention partially virtual in an effort to minimize the threat of disruptions at the high-profile gathering.
Leaders of the Uncommitted movement, which began in Michigan, said the party is trying avoid debate over President Joe Biden’s support for Israel and his position on Palestinian rights. They aren’t having it.
“The DNC’s attempt to sideline genuine discourse and sanitize the convention undermines the spirit of democracy that our party’s voting base expects them to champion,” said Abbas Alawieh, a spokesman for Uncommitted.
“Open the party doors to genuine debate, let delegates speak freely, and show that the party still stands for the basic tenets of freedom and democracy.“
Abbas said the group wants a meeting with senior planners of the convention and DNC Chair Jaime Harrison to ensure delegates may attend in person and “speak freely.”
Politico reported that some party officials are pushing to make the August convention in Chicago hybrid similar to their COVID-era convention four years ago, with a mix of in-person speeches from Biden and others and also pre-recorded content and fewer opportunities for demonstrators or hecklers to interrupt.
The conversation comes amid campus protests around the country over the war and demonstrators often showing up at venues or in audiences where Biden speaks. Anger over Biden’s support for Israel in the Gaza war spread across communities in Michigan, spurring more than 100,000 residents to cast “uncommitted” ballots in protest during the Democratic presidential primary in February.
The Uncommitted movement won delegates in Michigan’s 6th and 12th congressional districts. Abbas on Saturday won his bid to represent the Uncommitted movement at the convention as a delegate for the 12th Congressional District. Rima Mohammad, former president of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education, won to represent the 6th.
More: Biden’s threat to halt U.S. weapons to Israel draws immediate GOP blowback
Raimondo to Mackinac
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo is the latest speaker announced for the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference, hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber at month’s end, organizers said last week.
“We’re looking forward to hearing a one-on-one discussion with her about her extraordinary career, from her leadership of the Department of Commerce and her leading role in the development of many of the policies and administration that we think have been critical to our biz including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said businesswoman Suzanne Shank, chair of this year’s conference. “That was a big get in our view.”
The conference will also feature a bipartisan debate among the top-polling U.S. Senate candidates at 5:30 p.m. May 30 based on a survey by the Lansing-based polling firm Glengariff Group.
Three Republicans and three Democrats have been invited to participate: Democrats Elissa Slotkin of Holly, Hill Harper of Detroit and Nasser Beydoun of Dearborn and Republicans Mike Rogers of Brighton, Sandy Pensler of Grosse Pointe Park and Justin Amash of Cascade Township. Television journalists Devin Scillian of WDIV (Channel 4) and Rick Albin of WOOD-TV will moderate the debate.
“We are working with all of their offices to confirm them for this opportunity,” Detroit Chamber President and CEO Sandy Baruah said.
“The format will allow both parties obviously to be on the stage at the same time. We think this is a unique format that really pushes candidates to speak to a broad audience, as opposed to speaking to their base voters. It creates a different dynamic.”
Others speakers on the agenda include Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing and Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, U.S. Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, state House Speaker Joe Tate, University of Michigan President Santa Ono, Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz, NBC News’ Chuck Todd and Suzanne P. Clark, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
State GOP plans for convention
The Michigan Republican Party has begun making plans for the Republican national convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee from July 15-18.
Michigan’s delegates for the convention will be staying at a hotel in Madison, Wisc., according to a party email, reviewed by The Detroit News.
“The hotel is just over an hour from the Fiserv Forum,” wrote Tyson Shepard, executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, in a recent message to delegates.
Delegates also selected Anne DeLisle of Genesee County, chairwoman of the 8th Congressional District Republican committee, to be the delegation chairman. And they chose Pete Hoekstra, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, and Bronwyn Haltom of Kalamazoo County to represent the state on the convention’s platform committee.
More: Insider: Trump to headline conservative group’s convention in Detroit
More: Man acquitted of aiding Whitmer kidnap plot now running for sheriff
Tweet of the week
The Insider report’s “Tweet of the Week,” recognizing a social media post that was worthy of attention or, possibly, just a laugh, from the previous week goes to journalist Rachel Louise Just.
Just, who previously covered Michigan politics but now works in Arizona, responded to news that a TV show is in the works that’s planned to be a new version of “The Office” but based around a newspaper in a Midwestern town.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
mburke@detroitnews.com
cmauger@detroitnews.com
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
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.
The Detroit Lions defense needed some serious changes this offseason after the team’s efficiency dropped from the seventh-best scoring defense to 22nd in 2025. Detroit promised to look at everything, and while a complete overhaul of the scheme they’ve been using since 2021 was always unlikely, coaches have promised that they will tweak the system to fit the talent of their players.
Last weekend, the Lions drafted defensive players with five of their seven selections, showcasing that they need there was a talent deficiency on that side of the ball. But can their specific picks tell us anything about the strategic, schematic, or philosophical tweaks they are making to the team?
On one hand, all you have to do is look at the pure numbers of players at each position to suggest there may be some personnel changes in 2026. The Lions played more based defense (three linebacker sets) than anyone in 2025, but if you look at their depth chart right now (including the Lions’ two signings on Wednedsay), Detroit only has eight linebackers (including reported UDFA signing Erick Hunter) compared to 16 defensive backs. Detroit has several members of the secondary who can play in the slot, so is this a sign they plan on playing more nickel in 2026?
Additionally, the players they added to the defensive line seem to bring more pass rush juice than run stuffing. And Detroit has yet to really add a nose tackle to replace the likes DJ Reader or Roy Lopez. Has the team quietly admitted they’ve relied too much on stopping the run and need to tilt the scales a little more toward rushing the passer?
Or we could take things even further. With no true nose tackle, but several movable parts on the interior defensive line, could we see the Lions move to a 3-4 base defense? Given how much we’ve seen Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, and rookie Derrick Moore play as a stand-up defensive end, Detroit would certainly have the personnel to make a change like that, especially considering it would only require two true off-ball linebackers. But is that too drastic of a change?
Erik Schlitt and I discuss that and a whole lot more in this week’s episode of the Midweek Mailbag. Other questions this week include:
Check out the full episode of the Midweek Mailbag on your favorite podcasting platform or just use the Spotify embed below.
Or if you’d prefer the video version of the show, it’s available on our YouTube page and Twitch Channel. And don’t forget to subscribe and set up notification so you can catch us live!
Detroit Pistons fans answer: What’s the score going to be tonight?
With Detroit on the brink of elimination in Game 5 against Orlando, fans take their best guess at the final score.
How are Detroit Pistons fans feeling, with their team — the No. 1 seed in the conference — down 3-1 and facing elimination against the Orlando Magic on their home court Wednesday night?
It’s a touchy subject.
“We don’t want to talk about that,” said Sandy Maizi of West Bloomfield.
His brother-in-law, Dominic Dallo, summed it up with a phrase his son James, 10, coined when he was in preschool: “Ner-cited.” Nervous… but also excited, he explained.
Certainly, it wasn’t the position fans expected to be in by Game 5. To advance, the Pistons must now win three games straight, including at least one in Orlando. But many were still keeping the faith ahead of tip-off.
“We’ll win tonight,” said Brandon VanBeekom of Traverse City. “Just take it one game at a time.”
He and his wife, Randi, took their kids Liam, 8, and Oliver, 11, out of school early Wednesday to drive down to Detroit for the game. The kids thought they were leaving school early for a dentist appointment.
“I figured it out,” Oliver said. His teacher giving him two days’ worth of homework on his way out the door for his “dentist appointment” was a big clue. His parents, both in the car decked in Pistons gear, was the other.
It was the first playoff game for both boys.
It was also the first playoff game for first cousins James Dallo and Noah Maizi.
Their dads also conspired during the school day to bring them to the game, noticing online during the day that tickets were cheaper than some regular-season game seats in the same area. They told their kids as soon as they got home — do your homework, we’re going to the game. They were both pumped. It didn’t bother them a bit the team was down 3-1 in the series.
“I was happy,” Noah said.
“Excited,” James said. “Ready.”
Michael Parks of Grand Rapids brought his 8-year-old grandson Marquell to the game. Marquell said he was excited and ready to see “dunks.”
Parks, on the other hand, was, in a word, “worried.”
His friend Arica Deans, however, said she was feeling “great.”
“We’re going to do this,” she said.
Dearborn residents and friends Tristan Crandall and Christian Alvarado had technical feedback for the team, expecting to see more production from the bench, and more support for Cade Cunningham.
But they both had to admit, they were nervous.
“I’ll always have belief in us, no matter what,” Crandall said.
They both noted they had seen the team through its hardest times, and would continue to be there no matter what.
“We’ve seen the worst,” Alvarado said. “But we always have hope.”
jpignolet@detroitnews.com
-
News3 minutes agoSchumer and Platner Talk After Mills Suspends Her Campaign
-
Politics9 minutes agoTakeaways From Hegseth’s Second Day of Testimony on the Iran War
-
Business15 minutes agoBehind Powell’s High-Stakes Decision to Stay at the Fed
-
Science21 minutes agoChonkers the ‘Food-Motivated’ Sea Lion Plops Into San Francisco
-
Health27 minutes agoAre Electrolytes for Weight Loss Smart Hydration or an Overhyped Trend?
-
Lifestyle45 minutes agoA Wedding That Included a Mister and ‘The Miz’
-
Education51 minutes agoVideo: Can Olive Oil Be Too Flavorful?
-
Technology57 minutes agoThe craziest part of Musk v. Altman happened while the jury was out of the room