Axios Detroit

September 14, 2026
Another Monday, comin' at us.
🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 72 and a low of 58.
🎂 Happy birthday to our members Paula Trilety and Jim Newman!
🏈 Situational awareness: The Lions nearly blew a 21-0 lead in yesterday's season opener at Ford Field before prevailing against the Saints, 31-30, in overtime.
- Jahymr Gibbs ran for 156 yards and two TDs.
Today's newsletter is 1,050 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Bridge opening puts Fort Wayne in focus
The Gordie Howe International Bridge's new walking path is bringing new visitors to a historic park — and raising questions about its future.
Why it matters: Detroit has struggled to breathe new life into Historic Fort Wayne, the sprawling military and Indigenous site.
The latest: Within two to three months, the city plans to begin the process of hiring someone to publish a study of possible future uses for the site that respect its history while bringing new life.
- Detroit received federal grants totaling $1.25 million to stabilize buildings from decay. The pandemic slowed some of the work.
State of play: Fort Wayne is seeing more use as the city welcomes people parking there to access the nearby bridge, Crystal Perkins, Detroit's general services director, tells Axios.
- "It's piquing their interest," she says. "I would like Historic Fort Wayne to be a part of that story …"

What they're saying: "How beautiful would it be to get off the bridge, go to Fort Wayne, go to a Detroit gift shop, have a local coffee … see people play soccer," says Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero, whose District 6 includes the park and bridge.
- Studies have been completed and now is the time for action and investment, according to Santiago-Romero.
Yes, but: District residents don't ask Santiago-Romero to prioritize Fort Wayne, she says, partly because it's surrounded by industrial sites.
- She says connecting the park to walking and cycling paths — and other parks — would make it more accessible.
- The area is expected to connect to the under-construction Joe Louis Greenway.
The backstory: Fort Wayne is an old, sprawling military site. Its star fort was built in the 1840s to defend against potential British attacks.
- The roughly 80-acre riverfront park is city-owned, except for a 0.58-acre sacred burial mound site that was returned to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi for $1 last year, BridgeDetroit reported.

Flashback: Detroit tried to redevelop the site, which has more than 20 unoccupied and neglected old buildings, around 2021. People interested in using the spaces included a brewery, coffee roastery and museums.
- Those projects didn't come to pass. Officials had hoped they would kick-start wider interest in the site ahead of the long-anticipated Gordie Howe opening.
If you go: The park at 6325 W. Jefferson Ave. is regularly used for soccer matches and other events.
- Attend a Saturday tour this fall or FrankenFest this Saturday.
- Regular open hours: 6am-8pm through October.
2. Bill would restrict kids on e-bikes
An Oakland County lawmaker wants to restrict young people's use of e-bikes amid growing safety concerns.
Why it matters: The proposal would impose new statewide rules on young e-bike riders and their parents.
Driving the news: State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) introduced legislation last week that would prohibit children under 14 from riding e-bikes on public roads, sidewalks or trails.
- Riders aged 14-17 would need to wear a helmet and have written parental permission or be supervised by a parent or guardian.
The big picture: States and communities nationwide are scrambling to regulate a growing mix of electric two-wheelers amid safety concerns, particularly involving young riders.
Between the lines: The distinction between legal e-bikes and more powerful e-motos is central to the regulatory debate.
- Michigan's state trails coordinator previously told Axios that the "vast majority" of mobility devices causing confusion are unclassified e-bikes or e-motos.
- Michigan law limits e-bike motors to 750 watts; devices with more powerful motors aren't considered e-bikes.
Case in point: Two 13-year-old boys were critically injured Sept. 7 after the e-moto they were riding together was struck by a pickup while they crossed Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township.
- Runestad's proposal wouldn't apply to the e-moto involved in that crash.
- Asked by Axios whether his proposal would cover e-motos, Runestad's office said those vehicles are "significantly different vehicles than what this bill seeks to address."
What they're saying: Runestad's office told Axios the senator was motivated by "too many media reports and personal accounts" about e-bike dangers.
3. The Grapevine: You heard it here
📸 More Flock drama: Independence Township is the latest community to get rid of the automatic license plate-reading cameras (ALPRs). The township's board voted 7-0 last week to cancel its contract with Flock Safety, remove the cameras and delete their data. (Detroit News 🔒)
☕ Cass Corridor's Cass Cafe reopens Nov. 6 as a restaurant, bar and art space. (Metro Times)
🍯 A Dearborn shop is drawing attention for importing honey from Yemen and sharing the story behind the product with customers. (MLive)
Keep local news strong
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Thanks for reading — and for supporting local news.
4. ⌛ Spending hours in the ER
Michigan patients spend a median time of more than two and a half hours in hospital emergency departments.
Driving the news: The median time spent in Michigan emergency departments was 159 minutes during the year ending Sept. 30, 2025, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The big picture: Nationwide, the median time spent in the emergency department was 162 minutes.
- Washington, D.C., had the highest median visit length at 303 minutes.
- The data also shows that an average of 2% of patients nationwide left the emergency department before being seen.
What we're watching: AI-powered technologies have already started to help lower emergency room wait times, a 2025 review found.
- But data quality issues, biased algorithms and ethical concerns could make it hard for emergency rooms to adopt the technologies widely.
Our picks:
🦁 Joe loved seeing all the Lions gear around town yesterday.
🥴 Annalise is making her first-ever Instagram reel — and feels kinda silly.
Edited by Larry Graham.
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