City to prosecute more misdemeanors

The Detroit City Council has approved an ordinance that would allow the city to prosecute more misdemeanors.  The measure moves some offenses, such as minor assault and battery charges and some larceny cases out of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office. 

City Council member Scott Benson says that will make it easier for the city to keep Detroiters accountable,“But it also gives us the opportunity to make more referrals to specialty court – and as the demand of the community violence intervention programmers, that we have restorative justice as a part of those accountability measures.” 

The ordinance enables the city to collect fines from misdemeanor judgements.  The program will cost $700,000, which has already been allocated in the city budget. 

(Reported by Bre’Anna Tinsley) 

Additional headlines from Wednesday September 3, 2025

• Wayne State students are back to school, contributing to small traffic jams in Midtown. If you're driving or walking on campus, pack your patience
• Pontiac is holding a town hall meeting later this month to discuss a proposed master plan for city parks with residents. The town hall meeting will take place on the 2nd floor of Pontiac City Hall - 47450 Woodward Avenue - from 6 to 7:30 pm on Monday, September 15^th .   
• Gas prices are slightly lower than they were a week ago, but still 9 cents higher than last month, according to a survey by AAA Michigan. You can save some gas by making sure your tires are properly inflated and by driving at the speed limit.
• The jackpot for the multi-state Powerball lottery has grown to $1.3 billion. The odds of winning aren’t very good though...  They’re about one in 290 million. Good luck! 

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The Detroit Evening Report is a three-minute daily round-up of the news that city residents need to know. Stories focus on the concerns, problems, passions and needs of Detroiters – specifically residents of color. On the weekends, we take a break from the news and spend some time with community members. Hosted by Sascha Raiyn, Jerome Vaughn, Tia Graham, Nargis Rahman, and Hernz Laguerre, Jr. Detroit Evening Report is a production of WDET, Detroit's NPR Station.