Detroit, MI
Pistons owner Tom Gores puts in bid for Detroit to receive WNBA franchise: Sources
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted a bid for the city to receive a WNBA franchise, sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Detroit Shock were a big part of early WNBA history, winning championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008 before moving to Tulsa in 2010 — and before being rebranded as the Dallas Wings.
The Shock set single-game records for attendance in the 2003 WNBA Finals as 22,076 fans filled the Palace of Auburn Hills to see Game 3 against the Los Angeles Sparks, and they matched that mark again in the 2007 Finals. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever set the single-game regular-season record against the Washington Mystics this past season with 20,711.
Nashville announced a bid for a WNBA franchise, the Tennessee Summit, earlier Thursday. Friday is the last day for bids and at least six cities are expected to make bids for franchises — scheduled to begin play in 2028.
The potential Detroit franchise would be expected to play at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, sources said, which is where the Pistons have been since the 2017-18 season. The Pistons also have a practice facility and headquarters two miles from the arena that was built in 2019, and it’s expected the WNBA franchise would also have its own facility and headquarters as well, should the bid be accepted.
Whether they would take back the Shock nickname hasn’t been determined. Players like Swin Cash, Deanna Nolan, Cheryl Ford and Katie Smith left their mark during those title years, with former Bad Boy Piston Bill Laimbeer serving as head coach.
There’s been a groundswell of support in recent years, and Gores has responded with a bid and commitment to putting together a competitive franchise in a legacy city — which could give them a leg up among the competition.
The Golden State Valkyries will begin play this season and another franchise, in Toronto, will begin play in 2026.
That brings the league to 14 teams at the moment, with a 15th on the way. There’s plenty of competition for it as the league continues to grow. Detroit and its ownership group are now throwing their hat in the ring.
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Detroit, MI
Group fights to save Detroit’s Ren-Cen from demolition, citing historic importance
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There’s a group trying to save some of Detroit’s Ren-Cen from being demolished.
The plan is to demolish two towers along the riverfront to create more space. However, Preservation Detroit thinks this would be a massive mistake for the city.
Preservation Detroit believes the building is a key part of Detroit’s civic and architectural history and should be protected.
They’re trying to get the Ren-Cen on the National Register of Historic Places to stop the demolition.
There’s a catch, though: To qualify, a building must be at least 50 years old.
The Ren-Cen was finished in 1977, but the group argues that construction started in 1973, which would meet the requirement.
Local 4 reached out to both Preservation Detroit and the city for comments but hasn’t heard back.
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Detroit, MI
Apple Manufacturing Academy to open in Detroit
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Detroit, MI
Ukraine supporters rally in Detroit to raise awareness of 3-year war with Russia
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Detroit — Hundreds of Ukrainian Americans and Ukraine supporters rallied in downtown Detroit Sunday to raise awareness of the war with Russia on its three-year anniversary.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests addressed the crowd at Hart Plaza and prayed for peace for their home country and its people.
Attendees wearing blue and yellow hats, holding Ukrainian flags or draping Ukraine flags around their shoulders strutted down Jefferson Avenue carrying signs that said, “Ukraine vs. Fascism,” “Support Ukraine. No Strings Attached,” “Help Ukraine = Save the World,” and more.
And they gathered to sing the Ukraine national anthem together.
The rally comes after Russia and the U.S. agreed earlier this month to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties.
Nate Hatton, 32, of Eastpointe attended the rally with a large group of Ukrainians Americans who held a part-American, part-Ukrainian flag.
“We should support democracy, freedom, not allowing another foreign country to invade another country without any repercussions and kill and slaughter innocent civilians,” Hatton said.
Hatton, a train conductor, said he volunteered to assist Ukraine in developing a railway and visited the country in October 2024. He said he spent two weeks in fear in Kyiv, especially after a 16-year-old girl was killed a mile from where he stayed.
“I didn’t know what being scared or really what real fear is until I was in a situation like that,” he said. “They showed me … how the war has changed their jobs (and) the situation in their country.
“I thought, naively, the capital was safe from some of the things that were happening miles away in eastern Ukraine. I spent every night in a bomb shelter while I was there. Nowhere in Ukraine is safe. I think the world shouldn’t standby and allow these types of things to go on.”
United Support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan organized the rally.
Andrew Powers of the Ukrainian American Crisis Response Committee said in an email that a peace agreement is not enough, and Ukraine needs to be involved in negotiations.
“A peace agreement that does not include serious security guarantees for Ukraine is realistically nothing more than a temporary ceasefire with the Russian Federation. Russia and their president want to rule all of Ukraine’s territory and will attack Ukraine again,” Powers said.
President Donald Trump’s recent remarks calling Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a dictator amongst other harsh words have created a back-and-forth between the two presidents, creating more tension.
“President Trump’s remarks are disappointing because they are objectively false,” Powers said in an email. “Calling the democratically elected president of a free nation under attack by a nation that has an actual dictator, in Russia, is somewhat comical and has been met with objection from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.”
Kateryna Odarchenko, founder of the Institute for Democracy and Development PolitA, said in an email the tensions could lead to two possible scenarios.
“One is that this tension transforms into constructive cooperation, particularly if Zelensky’s team presents a detailed economic plan to Trump’s campaign,” Odarchenko said.
“The second scenario revolves around Trump’s direct dialogue with Russia, framing the issue as one of U.S.-Russia relations rather than Ukraine specifically,” she said.
“Ultimately, for Ukraine to maintain strong cooperation with the U.S., a bipartisan dialogue is crucial, along with a clear economic strategy. Even if some territories remain occupied following negotiations, the key priority should be securing strong security guarantees.”
Oleksandr Kanievskyi of Westland held a sign that read, “Are we really leaders of the world?” as he stood near traffic on Jefferson Avenue with his wife and child. He also said he doesn’t agree with the U.S. government’s recent actions.
“Regarding the Canada sovereignty making them the 51 state of U.S., for me, that’s extremely embarrassing. Even if they are joking, I treat it quite serious, because my country is invaded right now,” Kanievskyi said.
Trump has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st U.S. state as he proposes to erase the 5,525-mile-long border that separates the two countries.
“I do not agree with a lot of narratives going from U.S. administration: vice president, national security advisers. … I don’t see how it can be resolved by the strategy of leaving Ukraine alone with Russia,” Kanievskyi said. “Ukraine resists the brutal invasion by Russia so (that’s) the main goal why I’m here.”
Colton Hughes of Lansing, 35, held a life-size sunflower, Ukraine’s national flower, and a sign pointed at drivers as they drove down Jefferson Avenue.
“Looking back in history there’s a lot of parallels to what happened in Poland. I’m Polish. I see this as an intrusive invasion and the unnecessary killing of innocent people and taking what rightfully isn’t there’s of Russia and Putin,” Hughes said.
Hughes said he wants to see: “Putin and Russia leave Ukraine alone. … I want people to be free to live their lives and not worry about bombs flying down and exploding their houses.”
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