Detroit, MI

Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students

Published

3 months ago

January 11, 2026

Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students

Detroit Public Schools Community District often gets a bad rap due to declining enrollment issues or longstanding challenges that led to the historic takeover of the school system before voters returned it to an elected board.

And in many cases, that is the lens through which the school system’s performance is examined and viewed across the state. But there are hidden stories of progress within a school system that is still struggling to define itself and to give young Detroiters hope for a meaningful future.

I saw that first-hand last week at Denby High School, part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, on the city’s east side, where hundreds of young Black and Brown male students gathered in the basketball gym for the annual policing and prosperity forum.

The annual event initiated and led by tenacious Detroiter Sharlonda Buckman, the district’s assistant superintendent for family and community engagement, is one of the hidden jewels of the public school system and brings together male students from various high schools to discuss their interaction with law enforcement. On the panel were senior and junior police officers from the Detroit Police Department, as well as the district’s public safety chief, Labrit Jackson, all of whom took hard questions from the students about how to navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system.

Before the start of the forum, I met three students: 17-year-old Justin Montgomery, 17-year-old Exavier Ward and 16-year-old Wesley Lewis, all students of Denby.

The three of them live on the east side and are serious and determined students who believe they have an obligation to be worthy ambassadors of their communities.

“I just got a scholarship from Cleary University for track and field and cross country and I just signed the papers so I can be committed,” Ward told me. “I am excited for the new year and I’m ready to live my adult life.”

His parents are also joyful about his future because, “out of all of my siblings, I’m going to be the first one to go to college. I want to major in cybersecurity,” he says.

Montgomery is scouting Oakland University or Central Michigan University and is also interested in a trades school. He’s keeping his options open.

“I have been here for a while and I’m ready to get out of high school. The experience has been good for me,” he says.

For Lewis, graduating in 2027 will make him the first in his family to be committed to college. That alone keeps him upbeat for the new year as he prepares for the challenges and the pressures of being an 11th grade student.

“I’m really ready to go to college. I’m looking at Kentucky State University, Wayne State University and Michigan State University,” he says. “I probably would major in music in college because I currently play the piano. But sometimes I get nervous about college because I feel like it is going to be harder than high school.”

These impressive young men speak to the vitality of the school system and the need to continue to nurture and support them.

The forum on policing and prosperity reinforces that need.

“This forum is so important because we give the students an opportunity to have a voice and talk about the things that are important to them and how they interact with law enforcement,” says Marty Bulger, the district’s senior director of male mentoring.

“Even a more dynamic piece is the fact that because the city has seen a reduction in violent crime, we believe as we reach our young people, we will continue to see a decline. These young men are our future leaders.”

X (formerly Twitter): @BankoleDetNews

bankole@bankolethompson.com

Bankole Thompson’s columns appear on Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.

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Detroit, MI

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

Published

8 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.

Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.

The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.

In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.

None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.

Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.

The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.

In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.

The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.

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Detroit, MI

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Published

20 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Who is favored in the NBA playoffs odds for Game 1 between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic?

Here’s what you need to know about NBA playoff betting odds for the NBA game between the No. 8 seed Magic and No. 1 seed Pistons, which is being played on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

What is the point spread for the Pistons vs Magic game?

What is the moneyline for the Magic vs Pistons game?

What is the over/under (point total) for betting on the first-round NBA playoff matchup?

Watch Magic at Pistons on Peacock

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is point spread?

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Detroit Pistons are an 8.5-point favorite over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Pistons vs Magic odds: What is moneyline?

BetMGM Sportsbook lists Detroit as -375 on the moneyline for the first-round NBA playoff game. It has Orlando at +290.

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is over/under?

The point total for the opening game of the NBA playoffs series between the Pistons and Magic is listed at 218.5 points, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers call up prospect Hao-Yu Lee, place Zach McKinstry on IL

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Tigers call up prospect Hao-Yu Lee, place Zach McKinstry on IL

Boston — Not a bad place for big-league debut.

The Tigers on Friday placed Zach McKinstry on the 10-day injured list and called up infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee from Triple-A Toledo. He was in the lineup against the Red Sox, batting eighth at Fenway Park.

“We’re excited for Lee to get his feet wet in the big leagues,” manager AJ Hinch said. “He’s a good player. We’ve had him in big league camp the last two years. He hits the ball hard and can play good defense. Now he’s getting his first look at one of the cathedrals in our sport for his debut.”

Part of the decision to call up Lee, and not Jace Jung or Trei Cruz, Hinch said, was where the Tigers are in the schedule. Including Friday against Ranger Suarez, the Tigers will be facing six lefties in the next 12 games.

The right-handed hitting Lee slugged .558 with a .969 OPS against lefties last season.

Coming off an oblique injury this spring, which kept him from playing for Chinese Taipei in the WBC, he’s off to a slow start at Toledo (4 for 26).

“He’s been swinging it better than his numbers indicate,” Hinch said. “Results are so finicky this time of year. He’s coming off a good day (Wednesday). He hit a home run. So it’s good timing for that. He’s been hitting it hard and making good decisions on what to swing at.

“And that is key in transitioning from Triple-A to the big leagues.”

McKinstry exited Wednesday night’s game against the Royals ahead of the eighth inning of the Tigers’ 2-1 victory. He fell hard on the hip twice. Once on a head-first slide at the plate and the other after he was tripped up by Royals’ Jac Caglianone.

“He’s pretty beat up,” Hinch said. “We didn’t want to play short-handed but we’re also hoping to get him back quickly.”

McKinstry stayed back in Detroit and is expected to undergo further evaluations.

“He was doing better today than he was yesterday,” Hinch said. “But he clearly needed a break to heal up.”

Lee, 23, was not made available to the media until after the game. He is No. 6 among the Tigers’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, and was acquired by the Tigers in an August 2023 trade that sent starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Around the horn

Justin Verlander (hip inflammation) did not make the trip to Boston. “We have to respect the soreness and inflammation that he’s dealing with,” Hinch said. “He’s working out and he’s doing everything. It’s just going a little bit slower. We’re going to respect it and give him the time he needs.”

… Lefty reliever Bailey Horn (elbow), who has had his throwing program paused, received a cortisone shot Thursday.

Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com

@cmccosky

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