Black Legislative & Community Knowledge

Actor Eric Dane passed away at age 53 after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), less than a year following his April 2025 diagnosis. The California native gained fame portraying Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy and Cal Jacobs on Euphoria, along with roles in productions like The Last Ship, Charmed, and various films. During his final months, Dane devoted himself to fundraising and advocacy efforts for ALS research, joining the board of Target ALS and helping campaigns exceed their financial goals. He died surrounded by his wife Rebecca Gayheart and their two daughters, Billie and Georgia, prompting an outpouring of tributes from former co-stars who remembered his humor, kindness, and intelligence.

President Trump has stated that within approximately 10 days, it will become clear whether the United States will successfully negotiate a deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program or resort to military intervention. While American and Iranian representatives have reportedly made progress during recent discussions in Switzerland, the US has simultaneously increased its military presence in the Middle East, deploying additional forces and equipment to the region. Iran has warned the United Nations that it considers American military installations legitimate targets if they are used to launch attacks, though Tehran maintains it does not seek armed conflict. Bipartisan members of Congress are pushing to invoke the War Powers Act to prevent military action without legislative authorization, though such efforts face uncertain prospects for passage.

A devastating avalanche near Castle Peak in California's Sierra Nevada mountains killed eight skiers and left one person missing and presumed dead from a 15-person guided backcountry skiing group. The victims, primarily women from the Bay Area, Idaho, and Tahoe region, were part of a close-knit group of friends who regularly skied together, with many having known each other since university. The incident, which occurred during California's popular "ski week" holidays, represents the deadliest avalanche in the state's modern history. Recovery efforts have been hampered by continued severe winter weather conditions, including heavy snowfall and dangerous whiteout conditions, forcing authorities to delay body extraction operations into the weekend.

Michigan regulators have approved a $242.4 million electric rate increase for DTE Energy, which amounts to roughly half of what the utility originally requested and will raise residential bills by approximately 4.1 percent starting in early March. The approved increase will add about $4.93 monthly to customer bills and follows another substantial rate hike granted just two months earlier in January 2025. DTE claims the additional revenue is necessary to fund infrastructure projects including converting a coal plant to natural gas, building battery storage systems, and decommissioning old power facilities. Consumer advocates have criticized the commission for approving a return on equity rate that exceeds the national industry average, arguing it prioritizes shareholder profits over customer affordability and encourages the utility to focus on capital-intensive projects rather than reliability improvements like tree trimming. # Key Takeaways

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched investigations into three Michigan school districts—Detroit Public Schools Community District, Lansing School District, and Godfrey-Lee Public Schools—to examine whether they are providing instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity without offering parents the ability to opt out their children. The investigations stem from Michigan's November 2025 revision of health education standards that incorporate LGBTQ+ topics into required health classes, which the DOJ suggests may violate Title IX and a recent Supreme Court ruling protecting parental religious rights. The DOJ is demanding extensive documentation of materials related to gender and sexuality topics across all grade levels and has threatened to withhold federal funding if districts fail to comply. These districts receive higher percentages of federal funding than wealthier districts, making the threat of losing such support particularly significant for their operations.

Detroit will host the combined MDEX x XPONENTIAL 2026 event in May, bringing together the Michigan Defense Expo and the world's largest autonomy and uncrewed systems conference at Huntington Place. The unprecedented convergence is expected to attract over 11,000 attendees, including Department of Defense officials, defense contractors, robotics innovators, and manufacturers working across ground, air, and maritime technologies. Michigan's often-overlooked defense manufacturing ecosystem contributes approximately $30 billion annually to the state economy and supports more than 166,000 jobs, making it the nation's largest producer of defense ground vehicles. The event will provide direct access to federal procurement opportunities, particularly benefiting small and minority-owned businesses seeking defense contracts. This gathering positions Detroit as a national hub where automotive heritage, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and defense modernization intersect.