Wayne State Guarantees Admission to Qualified DPSCD Juniors as Detroit Weighs Stadium Benefits, Cannabis Tax and Housing Plans

Wayne State University began a program last month that promises a spot to qualified high school juniors in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Called Warriors on the Rise, it is meant to raise the number of district graduates who enroll at the university.

Under the plan, district officials will automatically enroll juniors who hold a 3.0 GPA. Their families will then be invited to a meeting with the district to talk through the next steps.

In Corktown, residents have given the developers of the planned Detroit City Football Club stadium a detailed community benefits proposal. The neighborhood advisory council is asking for a $17 hourly minimum wage for stadium employees and a pledge that half of permanent jobs go to Detroit residents. It also wants child care and transportation services for workers, plus a $1 surcharge on every ticket to fund repairs on older homes in the neighborhood.

Detroit City FC co-founder Sean Mann and the project's other partners will review the proposal. Meanwhile, the advisory council is gathering more input from residents. Listening sessions are set for 3 p.m. Friday at McShane's on Michigan and for noon on Oct. 10 at Donut Villa in Southwest Detroit.

A marijuana industry group has sued the state over a new tax on cannabis. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and lawmakers recently passed a budget that raises the tax on wholesale marijuana, with the money going toward local road repairs. The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association says the legislature lacked the votes to enact it.

The suit points out that Michigan's marijuana legalization law came through a citizen initiative, and argues that changing it required a three-quarters vote rather than a simple majority. The budget bill passed by a margin of two votes. The 24% wholesale tax is scheduled to start on January 1 and would apply to marijuana sold to retailers. Michigan already charges a 10% excise tax on cannabis, along with the 6% state sales tax.

The Detroit Land Bank Authority is putting $15 million into a new Affordable Housing Pipeline, which aims to restore underused multi-family buildings in the city. The initiative is aimed at projects too small for large-scale builders but too complex for small-scale ones. The first effort, in the Wade neighborhood, will convert two historic buildings from the 1920s into 30 affordable housing units.

Voters heading to the polls on Election Day, November 4, will be able to ride city buses for free, as DDOT will waive fares for those who need a ride to vote. Early in-person voting begins on October 25.