Detroit, MI
Jalen Rose launches acting career in new Detroit-based TV show
Did San Antonio Spurs expose worrying trend for Detroit Pistons?
Omari Sankofa II breaks down what he learned from the Detroit Pistons’ loss to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, Feb. 23, 2026, in Detroit.
Jalen Rose’s career started on the hardwood and transitioned to media as a sports analyst.
Now, the 53-year-old Detroit native is returning to the camera – in a different capacity.
Rose’s acting career launched officially Monday, Feb. 23, when his new show “South West High” premiered on Tubi. In it, he plays a former professional basketball player named Nolan Thomas who becomes the principal of his former Detroit-based high school.
If the premise sounds familiar, it’s because the story closely mirrors Rose’s own. He’s an alumnus of Detroit’s now-shuttered Southwestern High School, and starred at Michigan as a member of the iconic “Fab Five” before spending 13 seasons in the NBA. Rose also leads Detroit’s Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, founded in 2011.
The sitcom is created by Same Page Entertainment, Rose’s recently-launched Detroit-based multimedia company co-founded with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores.
“We’re really excited about highlighting the sacrifices that educators make, the challenges that students overcome but also some of the amazing stories of young people who are doing what they can to make their goals happen,” Rose told reporters at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night, before the Pistons’ 114-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. “We’re really excited about Same Page Entertainment and really excited for South West High.”
The show, partially filmed at JRLA, features plenty of Detroit flavor. It’s executively produced by Rose and Detroit-based designer Ty Mopkins, a longtime friend of Rose and fellow Southwestern alumnus.
Legendary Detroit rapper Royce da 5’9″ is the show’s music coordinator and co-produced the soundtrack.
“South West High” consists of five hour-long episodes that premiere each Monday, and is the first of several projects in the pipeline from Same Page Entertainment. It also is planning Rose’s new audio/video podcast, a documentary on the McDonald’s All-American Games and a new content studio in downtown Detroit.
“I’ve been on the phone with my attorney, he’s like, ‘You know you could just make Florida your residence and you can save on your taxes,’” Rose said. “‘What you’re spending on taxes in Detroit, you could actually buy a place in Florida.’ That’s a message that I can show you on my phone that I get every year, actually. But it’s so very important for me to be 10 toes down here and never change my driver’s license, not just be somebody that says ‘What’s up doe’ and wears an Old English D hat but actually lives here, puts on from here, employs people from here, boss up everywhere I go, represent our city and build a company here.
“There’s so many people here that depict Detroit but aren’t necessarily from here, live here or do it from here. It’s very important for [Gores] and for me to have a multimedia company that’s stationed in Detroit that’s going to highlight some of the amazing talent we have here.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
Make Omari’s podcast “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons show, and listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or live on the Free Press’ YouTube page.
Detroit, MI
Metro Detroit veterans charity pleads for end to donation bin vandalism across metro area
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Officials with the Veterans and America First Foundation are speaking out after for their donation bins were vandalized.
The organization, based in Clinton Township, collects clothing donations through bins placed throughout metro Detroit to support veterans and others in need with clothes, food and housing.
Bins located on West Vernor Highway near Military Street in Detroit were among the latest to be hit.
Paul Dehem, director and founder of Veterans and America First Foundation, learned about the damage on Saturday after Aiman Kawas, who is in charge of servicing the bins, discovered they had been damaged.
Dehem said the vandalism occurred within a narrow window.
“It happened sometime between Wednesday and Friday,” Dehem said.
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“It’s just disheartening,” Dehem said.
Kawas said the West Vernor Highway incident is far from isolated.
“I was disappointed, of course this is not our first time being vandalized,” Kawas said.
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“We have lost over 70 bins to vandalism or theft, the actual bin disappears… they take it completely,” Kawas said.
Jason Beddow, director of development for Veterans and America First Foundation, said each bin costs about $1,000 to replace.
“The vets are missing out on their charity and donations from those bins and it’s just a real shame,” Beddow said.
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Meanwhile, Dehem said he hopes those responsible will consider who is truly harmed by the destruction.
“We have a mission and it’s for the veterans,” Dehem said. “It’s not for profit, we’re just trying to make things work and help people.”
Anyone with information about who is vandalizing the bins, or surveillance video, is asked to contact Detroit police.
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
A 17-year-old has been charged in a nonfatal ‘teen takeover’ shooting.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged 17‑year‑old Ramon Javon Perez Smith of Detroit in connection with the non‑fatal shooting of a 14‑year‑old Detroit male. Prosecutor Kym Worthy confirmed that Smith will be tried as an adult.
Smith is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon, and three counts of felony firearm.
He was arraigned Saturday and given a $500,000 cash bond, along with a GPS tether, house arrest, and an order barring contact with the victim or any witnesses. A bond re‑determination hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026, before Judge McConico.
Another teen was also charged in the shooting that happened in downtown Detroit during the “teen takeover” event.
The preliminary hearing for a 16-year old from Detroit was held Tuesday on charges of carrying a concealed weapon. He received a $4,000 bond with house arrest.
He was also ordered not to possess any firearms or illegal substances. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for July 2.
Detroit police were called to the 1300 block of Farmer Street around 9:37 p.m. on May 17, after reports of a shooting. Officers arrived to find the teenage victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Medics transported him to a nearby hospital where he received emergency treatment and is expected to survive.
According to investigators, Smith was involved in a physical altercation with a group that included the victim. Prosecutors allege that Smith pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots into the group, hitting the 14‑year‑old before fleeing the scene. Detroit police arrested Smith shortly afterward.
“We are thankful that the 14‑year‑old victim received immediate medical care and will survive this traumatic event,” Prosecutor Worthy said in the release.
mjohnson@detroitnews.com
At least three people are injured after separate weekend shootings across Detroit as of Saturday night.
According to police, a man on the 20600 block of West Eight Mile Road assaulted another man before firing shots on Saturday around 3:04 p.m. Officials said the man shot was grazed by at least one bullet and the suspected shooter was arrested. A weapon was recovered by law enforcement at the scene.
Roughly 40 minutes after the shooting on Eight Mile Road, a man was shot and had his vehicle stolen on the 19300 block of Rosemont Avenue, according to police. The man was sitting inside his gray Chevrolet Equinox when an unknown individual approached with a gun and demanded money.
Officials said the man in the Chevrolet was shot after he exited his vehicle. He was taken to the hospital and, as of Saturday night, is in stable condition. The individual who approached the man left the scene in the Equinox, according to police.
Just before 6 p.m. Saturday, a male teenager was shot while driving in the area of Woodward and West Hildale avenues, near Palmer Park, police said. According to officials, the teen, whose exact age has yet to be disclosed, was traveling in the area when an individual in another vehicle pulled alongside him and fired shots.
The teen was taken to the hospital. As of Saturday night, he is also in stable condition, officials said.
Police have yet to disclose whether an arrest has been made in the shootings on Rosemont Avenue or near Palmer Park.
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