Detroiter Avi Rachlin is doubling down on his use of a racial slur targeting Black people while testifying at a Michigan Senate Committee hearing Thursday about legislation that would permanently ban firearms from the state Capitol and legislators' offices.

It was a year ago Tuesday when the Chinese Merchant Association building in Detroit was demolished, a devastating blow to the Chinese American community.

The project aims to restore the neighborhood's cultural heritage through extensive streetscape improvements.

A new Michigan bill package is set to be introduced to the Senate next week regarding water affordability.

Three Michigan legislators announced bills that would offer incarcerated people an opportunity to request a reduction of their sentence after serving at least 10 years.

Metro Detroit leaders and the community came together for a vigil Friday (May 27) in Southwest Detroit to honor those 21 people who were killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

The Stellantis Mack Assembly Plant in Detroit has been served with yet another air quality violation.

Attempts to tweak auto insurance legislation have stalled out in Lansing -- but does no-fault insurance reform need more reform?

Watch Flashpoint every Sunday at 10 a.m. on Local 4 News.

According to the White House, the crisis on the Ukrainian border has become an invasion.

In 2007, Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a tax increase from 3.9% to 4.35%, which was supposed to be temporary until 2015.

The City of Detroit, Great Lakes Water Authority and DTE Energy are investigating an incident that happened in southwest Detroit near Fort and Dearborn street late Saturday night.

Michigan lawmakers have unveiled bipartisan bills that would require updated use-of-force policies and make changes designed to hold police accountable for misconduct a year after the slaying of George Floyd.

The Derek Chauvin guilty verdict has local lawmakers once again discussing criminal justice reform and change in Michigan.

DETROIT – For years, Michigan Sen. Stephanie Chang counseled women with the Detroit Asian Youth Project and now as an elected official runs a fellowship program called Girls Making Change. Like so many working mothers Chang juggles having a toddler and her job, in this case as a state senator. Chang is the first Asian American woman elected in Michigan. While the landscape is changing, Chang says young women and women of color in particular face an uphill battle. Following the mass shooting in Atlanta that killed eight including six Asian American women, Chang helped lead a Detroit rally in support of the victims.

DETROIT – A large group marched through the streets of Detroit, calling for an end to violence against the Asian American community Sunday. Six of those killed were Asian women. READ: As virus-era attacks on Asians rise, past victims look backAdDuring the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans jumped nearly 150% with about 3,800 incidents reported. “As Asian American women, we wonder what are the places that are safe for us?”More than a hundred people showed up for the Stop Asian Hate vigil in Downtown Detroit. You can reach out by email or call the Hate Crimes Unit at 313-456-0200.

View of the Detroit River on Oct. 10, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.DETROIT – Michigan lawmakers have re-introduced legislation intended to protect waterways and public health by enhancing accountability of private dock owners. Last year, the Defenders exposed the unpermitted riverfront business going on at Revere Dock, which ultimately resulted in a dock collapse, spilling contaminated soil into the Detroit River. READ: Seawall damage puts Detroit River at risk, city issues tickets that are not being paidAdAbout a month after the Revere Dock collapse, another dock collapsed in St. Clair County. The legislation was introduced by Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Beverly Hills) and Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor). Last year, the Defenders exposed the unpermitted riverfront business going on at Revere Dock, which ultimately resulted in a dock collapse, spilling contaminated soil into the Detroit River.

DETROIT – The Local 4 Defenders discovered another Riverfront business operating with a long list of violations on their seawall. Last year, the Defenders exposed the unpermitted Riverfront business going on at Revere Dock, which ultimately resulted in a dock collapse, spilling contaminated soil into the Detroit River. UPDATE: New Michigan legislation would reinforce accountability of private dock ownersThe city of Detroit issued 1,054 tickets. Sen. Stephanie Chang, who represents the district by the Riverfront, said she is worried we are going to see high water problems along the Detroit River. “Especially thinking about the fact that so many of us get our drinking water from the Detroit River.

Michigan Gov. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP)LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed five Senate bills and two House bills into law Tuesday. “Every Michigander deserves access to clean water, especially during a global pandemic,” Whitmer said. House Bill 5481This bill amends Article 26A of the Occupational Code to align with recently enacted federal regulations concerning Appraisal Management Companies.

DETROIT Elected officials from the federal, state and local level sent a letter Wednesday to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Police Chief James Craig and the Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) calling for an independent investigation into use of force by Detroit police against protesters. The letter was signed by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Sen. Stephanie Chang, Detroit City Council President Pro Temp Mary Sheffield (District 5) and City Councilor Raquel Castaeda-Lpez (District 6). In addition to a duty to intervene when other officers are using excessive force, officers cannot use chokeholds or fire a weapon from moving vehicles. A lawsuit was filed by Detroit Will Breathe and 14 individuals, seeking a temporary restraining order enjoining the city of Detroit and the Detroit Police Department from using certain tactics. They alleged that police responded to protests with excessive force and violated their first and fourth amendment rights.

DETROIT The owners of the 91-year-old suspension bridge across the Detroit River asked the Michigan Department of Transportation to allow trucks carrying flammable, chemical or corrosive materials to cross the bridge. An estimated 10,000 trucks cross the Ambassador Bridge every day and bridge owners are pushing for a change to allow trucks carrying Class 3 Flammable liquids and HAZMAT Class 8 Corrosive substances to be transported over the 4-lane bridge. We dont need to be adding potential hazardous material slips onto the bridge or into the river, Chang said. His ferry is allowed to transport trucks carrying hazardous materials and admits this change would affect his business. Meantime, the Wayne County Commission unanimously voted to urge Michigan officials to block the bridge from allowing the HAZMAT to be transported.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) The Michigan Senate unanimously approved a bill Thursday that would require police to be trained on implicit bias and de-escalation techniques to minimize the use of force more than a week after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests. The legislation would also mandate, starting in 2022, that officers complete annual continuing education. Michigan is among six states without such a requirement, according to a 2017 report. We must change this, the bill sponsor, Democratic Sen. Jeff Irwin of Ann Arbor, said while choking up. The measure, which was passed just a week after its introduction in the Republican-led chamber, was sent to the House for further consideration.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan lawmakers announced a bill package that would give all residents the chance to obtain state identification cards or driver’s licenses, even if they can’t prove legal presence, according to a news release. The bills are called The Drive SAFE (Safety, Access, Freedom, and the Economy) bills, and would apply to residents who meet the definition of having residence in Michigan. "I am proud that such a broad-based coalition has come together to support driver’s licenses for those who cannot prove their legal residence. It is time to update Michigan’s laws to enhance safety on the road, grow our agricultural economy, and protect human dignity,” Chang said. They also ensure that all members of our communities can continue making valuable contributions to our home and economy without fear.”