⚾ On this day in 1887, the Detroit Wolverines clinched baseball's World Championship Series, becoming the city's first professional sports champions. Learn more about the team from veteran Detroit scribe Bill McGraw.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 65 and a low of 46.

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🗳️ Senate showdown: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers face off in their final televised debate tonight at 7 on WXYZ (Channel 7).

• The candidates made separate appearances yesterday at the Detroit Economic Club. Full video

Today’s newsletter is 987 words — a 3.5-minute read.

State Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) and other legislators are pushing new state rules that would help victims of deed fraud get their homes back.

Why it matters: Deed fraud — a national problem that's considered a full-on crisis in Detroit — can lead to homeowners losing their houses and generational wealth.

• Back taxes, cash deals for homes and complicated ownership histories in Detroit can make residents more vulnerable to these scams, according to Donovan McCarty, director of MSU's Housing Justice Clinic, in an article for The Conversation.

What's inside: The bills would make it faster and less expensive for Michigan homeowners to challenge fake deeds. They would also:

• Extend the deadline for deed fraud victims to file lawsuits.
• Allow victims to recover more losses and attorney fees when they sue fraudsters.
• Stop homeowners from being hit with property tax increases due to fraudulent ownership transfers.

How it works: Deed fraud is when a scammer transfers property they don't have a legal right to. That could mean forging someone else's signature on a deed. The scammer can then claim ownership and sell or rent it.

• The scammer could also offer to help a homeowner with financial troubles and get them to sign documents that unwittingly transfer their home away.
• These problems can lead to expensive legal fees as homeowners fight for homes they already own.

What they're saying: "We've seen where people have actually had their properties … stolen from right under their noses," Santana tells Axios.

By the numbers: Wayne County's mortgage and deed fraud unit has recorded more than 15,889 inquiries and opened over 2,913 cases since starting in 2005.

Context: High-profile criminal cases have shone a spotlight on the scams.

• In July, a local nonprofit homeownership director and a former Wayne County Treasurer's Office employee were sentenced to 90 and 66 months in prison over a scheme to steal around 100 properties from people at risk of tax foreclosure.

Go deeper: Find tips to avoid fraud and submit complaints on Wayne County's website.

The Pistons came back from 22 down to beat the Celtics in yesterday's opener at Little Caesars Arena.

Why it matters: Detroit opened the NBA's 2026-27 season with a statement win, fueling big expectations for the year ahead.

What's next: The Pistons visit Miami at 8pm Friday.

📈 Consumers Energy is seeking another natural gas rate increase just days after regulators approved a $139 million hike that will add about $3.92 a month to a typical residential bill.

• The filing continues a recent pattern of utilities returning to regulators with new rate requests soon after previous increases are approved. (WLNS)

🍖 Spiedo, a new restaurant from Takoi's chef with skewered meats and more, is opening Friday in the Cass Corridor next to Third Man Records. (Detroit News 🔒)

2️⃣ The bronze statue of former mayor Coleman A. Young planned for the U.S. Capitol will have a twin placed in Detroit. (Free Press)

🍕 Michigan & Trumbull, the Detroit-style pizza maker near New Center, was the only local joint to land on Food & Wine's new list of America's 27 best pizzas.

The battles for U.S. Senate and Michigan governor may dominate headlines, but Metro Detroiters have other big decisions to make by Nov. 3.

Detroit public school board

Voters will pick five members of the Detroit Public Schools Community District board from 34 candidates.

• They'll pick four out of 31 candidates seeking full terms and one of three for a partial term ending in 2028.

The stakes: The winners will make decisions impacting 50,000 students, as parents call for better literacy scores and administration transparency, according to Chalkbeat.

• City historian Jamon Jordan told Chalkbeat it could be a "watershed moment."

Zoom in: Citizen Detroit interviewed 25 candidates. Watch their videos.

Proposal 1

Statewide, voters are deciding whether Michigan should create its first constitutional convention in decades, a complex process, per Bridge Michigan.

• Supporters say it provides a method for progress around slow-moving Lansing, while opponents fear drastic changes that benefit big-spending special interests.

Proposal 2

Michigan voters are choosing whether to limit political influence from corporations and utilities.

• The proposal would prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities (such as DTE and Consumers Energy), companies with big government contracts and substantially connected people from making campaign contributions to candidates who affect them.
• Supporters say corporations profiting from the public's trust shouldn't be funding politicians, while those against say it would restrict rights to free political speech.

New museum funding

Amazon plans to hire 8,000 seasonal workers across southeast Michigan as it gears up for the holiday shopping rush.

By the numbers: The retail giant announced Tuesday it will fill more than 12,500 positions statewide, part of a nationwide hiring push exceeding 300,000 jobs.

• Starting pay is $20 an hour, following a $1 raise announced last week.
• No previous experience is required, and some seasonal workers could transition into permanent positions.

How to apply: New seasonal, part-time and full-time openings will be posted weekly through December. Browse available positions or sign up for alerts at Amazon's hiring website.

Our picks:

👎 Joe feels like the national media isn't taking the Pistons seriously.

🤔 Annalise is wondering how to really, really soak up the Halloween spirit in these last couple of weeks.

Edited by Larry Graham.