Employees at the Exclusive Brands Marijuana & Cannabis Dispensary have been striking for over a month. They say they’re expected to work more without any additional pay and that when they express their concerns, their hours are cut. Employees are attempting to join the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which already represents cannabis workers in Michigan, but they say Exclusive refuses to recognize their union.

Emily Hull, a striking budtender at Exclusive Brands in Ann Arbor, and Megan Carvalho, the national campaign coordinator for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union’s cannabis program, joined the show to discuss the working conditions at the dispensary and the state of the strike.

The Metro contacted the head of Exclusive Brands’ Ann Arbor facility. We have not heard back.

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More stories from The Metro

When we started working on MichMash this week, it was past the Oct. 1 deadline and a state budget for the 2026 fiscal year had yet to be passed. In this week’s first episode, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben speculate when a budget might get passed and what would happen in the meantime.

Then early Friday morning, Michigan lawmakers finally passed the budget — 3 days late. So in this bonus episode, Cheyna and Alethia discuss the details of the budget with Crain’s Detroit Senior Reporter Dave Eggert.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Michigan lawmakers pass 2026 state budget

After months of waiting and two missed deadlines, the 2026 state budget has finally passed. Michigan lawmakers agreed early Friday morning to add about $1 billion to road and bridge improvements, increase school funding, and decrease funding for some other programs. The budget also includes a new 24% wholesale tax on marijuana.

Now the budget is headed to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk, allowing her to finally fulfill her famous promise to “fix the damn roads.”

For more information and a breakdown of how this budget affects Michiganders, check out WDET’s political talk show MichMash. A bonus episode was released the same day as the budget to explain the details.

Additional headlines for October 3, 2025

District 3 residents organize “Stop the Violence” march

Residents of Detroit’s District 3 have organized a “Stop the Violence” march this Saturday (Oct. 4).

Alita Moore, executive director of the North Central Block Club Association, says the march is in response to a recent uptick in violence in the neighborhood.

“Our youth, our seniors, are very, very concerned. And so, before something like the National Guard comes in, we wanted to — on a local community level — show solidarity with our neighborhood police officers, with the people that work with us right here,” Moore says.

Moore hopes the event draws attention to a part of the city that feels neglected. The march will start at Farwell Recreation Center at noon.

Tigers advance; Lions prepare for Sunday matchup

Everyone is talking about the Tigers. Yesterday, the team beat the Cleveland Guardians in the wildcard round and is now heading to the American League Division Series, where they’ll face the Seattle Mariners. First pitch is tomorrow at 8:38 p.m. EST at T-Mobile Park.

Meanwhile, about four hours south of metro Detroit down I-75, the Lions face the Bengals in a Sunday afternoon matchup at 4:25 p.m. They’re coming off a dominant win against the Browns, 34–20. Their record is currently 3–1, putting them at the top of the NFC North.

Applications open for Detroit Legacy Business Project

Applications for the Detroit Legacy Business Project close on Monday, October 6 at 8 a.m.

This program is for businesses that have been serving the city for 30 years or more. Available grants include:

• One $50,000 grant
• Fourteen $15,000 grants
• Five $5,000 grants
• Ten $2,500 grants

For more information, visit detroit.gov/opportunities
.

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is suing the federal government on behalf of eight people currently held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The civil rights group argues that these undocumented immigrants — many of whom have lived here for over a decade or were brought here as children — are no threat to the public.

33-year-old Jose Daniel Contreras-Cervantes is a Mexican national and has been in custody since a Macomb County traffic stop back in August. He has leukemia that requires daily medication.

Lupita Contreras is an American citizen and Jose’s wife. Their three children are also citizens. She says he’s not getting the care he needs.

“For 22 days, Jose did not receive his medication, which he is to take daily for his leukemia,” Contreras said. “Lapses in his medication and medical treatment can cause severe symptoms, including damage to his vision, infections and the loss of his life.”

Contreras-Cervantes is currently held at the newly-reopened North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin.

The ACLU wants a judge to release the eight detainees while their immigration cases go through the court.

The Trump Administration ended a bond program for people awaiting their hearing. The Department of Justice and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are opting to jail undocumented immigrants, oftentimes seeking to deport them without due process.

Many times, immigrants showing up for scheduled court hearings have been taken into custody.

ACLU of Michigan Senior Staff Attorney Miriam Aukerman says judges should have the final say over how these people are detained.

“In this country, due process is fundamental,”Aukerman said. “We don’t just lock people up and throw away the key. Rather, judges decide who should be behind bars. That is true for citizens and non-citizens.”

Another man, Fredy De Los Angeles-Flores, has lived in the U.S. for 15 years, but not legally. However, he is the sole caregiver of his 13-year-old U.S. citizen son.

The ACLU of Michigan has already successfully petitioned to get one man, Juan Manuel Lopez-Campos, released on bond after being detained at the Monroe County Jail.

For the Macomb County Sheriff’s office, Commander Jason Abro told WDET that it is common practice for deputies to inform Customs and Border Patrol when an undocumented immigrant is taken into custody. In Contreras-Cervantes’ case, he was pulled over for speeding, but arrested for not having a valid driver’s license.

Commander Abro says the Macomb County Sheriff’s office is not actively aiding ICE investigations and are not a part of the federal Section 287(g) immigration enforcement program.

Aukerman says the change in policy is meant to punish people who are seeking a better life in the U.S.

“This directive is specifically designed to force people to give up their claims for immigration relief and leave their families behind,” Aukerman said.

“The cruelty of this new directive is not an accident. Cruelty is the point.”

“Let us pray,” intoned Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) shortly after midnight.

She got directly and succinctly to the point with her morning invocation after the Senate gaveled in a new session day.

“Dear God, help us pass this budget,” she said. “Amen.”

And, with or without divine guidance, more than two days past the deadline, the Michigan Legislature very early Friday morning finally approved a bipartisan budget for the new fiscal year.

Anthony, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, acknowledged the rocky going between a Senate controlled by Democrats and a Republican-led House.

“I think there were a lot of missed opportunities to compromise in a civil way, but we did get there,” she said. “I just think it just took too long.”

The roughly $80 billion budget is about the same amount as the last fiscal year’s. It increases K-12 funding slightly, among other things, and cuts economic development incentives that were championed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The budget will preserve universal free school breakfast and lunches, dedicate all sales taxes on fuel to roads, lift income taxes on overtime wages and tips and raise an estimated $1.9 billion annually for roads once it is fully implemented, which will take several years.

The state’s fiscal year began at midnight on October 1 and, officially the state was without a budget for a few hours until the Legislature adopted and Whitmer quickly signed an extension.

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said he does not regret missing the October 1 deadline to get the budget deal he wanted.

“I think this budget is really about value for the dollars, whether it passed before or after,” he said. “But I’ll just say that this year, if I had surrendered to the Democrats and allowed all that pork in this budget, the voters would not have preferred that budget.”

Democrats were equally chagrined and held Hall liable for deadline pushing and uncompromising demands. The shutdown, they said, was an avoidable embarrassment.

Keeping the budget in balance will rely partially on revenue from a controversial new wholesale tax on marijuana, with anticipated revenue pegged at $420 million. The debate over piling a new tax on the voter-approved legal pot industry almost stalled the budget.

Senator Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) said that level of revenue is an illusion as the new tax will likely drive a stake in Michigan’s legal marijuana industry.

“The more the public hears about this, the more the public hears about how this is going to drive a huge number of customers back into the illicit market, how this is going to turn away the money that’s coming into Michigan from other states like Ohio and Indiana, it’s getting less and less support,” he said.

Irwin said he thinks the new cannabis tax could be susceptible to a court challenge for running afoul of Michigan’s voter-approved initiative that legalized marijuana in the state.

The budget bills now go to Whitmer’s desk. With the extension, she has until Wednesday to sign them.

Detroit is overflowing with talent, and this week’s lineup of events proves it. From bands to comedians, from visual artists to storytellers, you’ll get to soak it all in at these eight showcases.

Plus, a cultural convening with an exclusive discount for WDET listeners. Read on to learn more.

Upcoming events

CONTAINER Tour Kickoff

  Cadillac Square Park in Detroit

  Friday, Oct. 3

  Free

A showcase of Detroit talent featuring live music from La Cecille, a DJ set from Darryl DeAngelo Terrell, and fashion activations from Ali Evans, Nabeela Najjar and Taylor Childs. The event goes from 5–9 p.m. and admission is free.

Comedy at the Congregation Second Anniversary Show

  The Congregation Detroit

  Friday, Oct. 3

  $18–$20

A comedy night celebrating two years of the Comedy at the Congregation series, hosted by Sarah Lynn. This month’s comedians are Drew Harmon, Alana Gonzalez, Rio Riojas and Tim Reaburn. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 online or $20 at the door.

Troupe Vertigo with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

  DSO Orchestra Hall

  Friday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 5

  $20–$119

An acrobatics performance backed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, featuring selections from Star Wars, Star Trek, Disney’s Up and more. Tickets start at $20 and there will be four performances throughout the weekend.

Freak Fest 3

  Downtown Ypsilanti, various locations

  Friday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 5

  $0–$15

A celebration of all things freaky, featuring three days of live music, local vendors and Halloween vibes across multiple Ypsilanti venues. Most of the festival is free and open to the public, but events at Ziggy’s have a $15 cover.

15th Annual Hamtramck Neighborhood Arts Festival

  Hamtramck, various locations

  Saturday, Oct. 4

  Free

A community-organized festival highlighting Hamtramck’s creative community. Participating artists host audiences in unconventional spaces like their home studios, front porches, parks and coffee shops. Admission is generally free and open to the public, but donations are welcome to keep the festival going.

Seen/Scene: Artwork from the Jennifer Gilbert Collection

  The Shepherd in Detroit

  Sunday, Oct. 5 through Saturday, Jan. 10

  Free

An exhibition featuring the work of 36 contemporary artists from Jennifer Gilbert’s private collection. The exhibition is curated by Cranbrook Art Museum Chief Curator Laura Mott and seminal artist Nick Cave, and it explores themes related to how we see each other. An opening celebration will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Shepherd, featuring artist talks, a film screening, interactive workshops and retail pop-ups.

Detroit Story Fest

  The Detroit Opera House

  Thursday, Oct. 9

  $25–$35

A curated night of performance art and storytelling by Detroit artists, reporters and community members. This year’s theme is “No Small Wind Is Blowing,” highlighting stories about immigration, transition and the invisible forces that inspire movement. Stories begin at 8 p.m., and WDET’s Waajeed (host of The Boulevard) will keep the party going with a DJ set after the show.

TéMaTé Institute’s 2025 Convening for Dance & Culture

  The Andy Art Center and Detroit School of Arts Ford Theatre

  Saturday, Oct. 18 through Sunday, Oct. 19

  $95–$120 ($45 with WDET discount code)

An annual two-day convening that celebrates African diasporic traditions and their enduring impact on culture and community through dance workshops, community classes, a signature concert and a vendor marketplace. This year’s theme is “Ritual: Rhythms of Life & Legacy,” drawing on ancestral wisdom, movement and storytelling to illuminate the importance of preserving traditions while creating space for innovation. WDET listeners can get discounted tickets using code WD3T25 before Thursday, Oct. 9.

The City of Dearborn says new absentee ballots will be mailed to residents after a printing error was discovered. 

City Clerk George Darany says the original ballots included the name of a city council candidate who dropped out of the race. 

Darany says people should throw away the old ballot and fill out the new one. Voters who have already submitted their ballot or those who do not send in the correct ballot will have their ballot ‘duplicated’—which does not mean counted twice. 

“So in other words, we will have two people assigned to remove the ballot and put it into the duplicate new ballot, so everything they chose would be transferred to the new ballot,” says Darany.

Voters should receive the new ballots in the next ten days. 

Early voting begins in Dearborn October 25.

Additional headlines for Thursday, October 2, 2025

  Mosques encouraged to increase security

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, Michigan chapter is encouraging local mosques to step up protection after an individual threatened to burn down a mosque in Dearborn Heights this week. 

CAIR Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid says he’s concerned in light of the political climate and the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc on Sunday. 

“We encourage all mosques in the state of Michigan to review the care community safety kit an to make sure that they have the property security measures for the Friday congressional prayers.” 

Walid says he hopes Dearborn Heights Police investigate the threats at The Islamic Institute of America as a potential hate crime. 

He says several mosques in Michigan have received threats in recent weeks. 

 Detroit Public Schools fills District Board of Education seat

The Detroit Public Schools Community District Board of Education voted not to start a lengthy selection process to fill a vacant seat and will instead offer the seat to the runner up of the last special election.

Current board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo is expected to resign and start as the city of Detroit’s next Ombudsman.

During a special meeting the board recommended leveraging the finalist from the July 2025 vacancy process, because it has been less than 90 days since a thorough, transparent, and public search was conducted. 

Local business pitch competition

The Arab American Women’s Business Council and the New Economy Initiative are announcing their 2025 Pitch Competition. Local Small Businesses and entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas and compete for seed money. Cash prizes between $1000 and $3000, and a grand prize of $5000 will be offered.

The application deadline is October 17. Eligible applicants must be in the ideation phase or have a business less than five years old.

The event will take place at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn on November 19. Visit the Arab American Women’s Business Council’s Facebook page for more information and to apply.  

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It’s the home stretch for Detroit City Council candidates with election day only about a month away.

On the city’s northeast side incumbent Scott Benson faces a challenge from a life-long resident of Council District 3, Cranstana Anderson.

She’s a former UAW local official and administrator who works from home preparing taxes.

Anderson says she wants to change how city government operates on the eastside.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Cranstana Anderson: For instance, the rainfall sewage fee. They call it a fee but it’s actually a tax. If people want to build around their homes and they put more cement down, there is nowhere to absorb the rainwater. So your drainage fees are higher. A lot of churches experienced it because they made parking lots or created more sidewalks. Anything that is not grass or trees to absorb, that rainfall becomes an additional charge.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: If you were elected to council, how would you address those kind of problems?

CA: I would first have to see how we get out of something that we got into. I really believe Detroit not having control over the water has led to these types of actions by leadership. The water bill used to be less than what it is every month now, even every three months. So, it seems like that’s a long-term consequence of them giving control of it to the Great Lakes Water Authority.

QK: There’s been a lot of talk about a “financial cliff” that Detroit could be facing because federal funding and some other money is running out. Some of the mayoral candidates have talked about increasing revenue by perhaps raising certain taxes on things like events downtown. Do you think that that’s a way to go?

CA: I do believe that we’ve given out enough tax abatements and incentives for those businesses downtown to be a contributor into paying a higher tax, if that’s what’s going to help the neighborhoods. Because originally, that’s what downtown was getting built up for. It was to change the dynamics of the way downtown looked, to change the dynamics of economic growth in Detroit and build-up downtown. But it was also supposed to contribute to building up the residential communities, making sure those who have retired, bought their home, worked their 30 years, are not left out. And that’s what we want to focus on, not leaving those who have already paved the way for us to stabilize the community be forced out by business or investors. I believe in gentrification versus nullification. So if it’s nothing, then gentrification sounds pretty good when it’s nothing.

QK: I still hear lots of concerns about crime, not just on the northeast side, but throughout the city. If you were on council, how would you try and help address that?

CA: I would try to create some different policies about how we retain our public safety officers. I believe when they were given the option to live outside of Detroit, that’s when we had more crime created. The crime rate is just at a flat line right now. I don’t see the quality of policing in Detroit, in my area and in many other areas, the way it used to be. When I grew up, relying on police was the route to go to keep the community safe. But now, to engage with them, to build a certain amount of trust with them, and have none of our officers that want to live in Detroit, that says a lot about their policing.

There’s a lot that needs to be done. But I want to make sure we look right.

QK: You’ve mentioned that you’d like to see more political accountability. Do you think that’s lacking at the moment with some of the Detroit officials?

CA: Yes, especially mine, in my district. I think we’ve compromised our office.

QK: You’re talking about Detroit City Council member Scott Benson. There had been some allegations made about bribery charges. But federal authorities said that they had closed that case. And Benson said he and his staff came up completely clean. So, in your view, wouldn’t that kind of clean his slate in terms of that?

CA: No, not with me. Because I’m analytical. I’m from Detroit. And I know everybody who is in prison is not guilty and some of those who are guilty are still walking around.

QK: In any political campaign it is often hard to beat an incumbent. And you’re the challenger in this one. What do you say to people in District 3 if they ask why they should vote for you for council?

CA: Because I understand exactly the hardships that they’re going through. I am a person that’s just like them. And I will fight harder for them. The people who live there, who built there, who are maintaining their property and shopping in that area, doing business in that area, should be entitled to good service. There needs to be some type of resources made available that help these residents qualify for the investors that we want to come into our community.

As far as jobs go, you have the Work First program. But the jobs pay minimum wages, $15-$16 an hour. That’s just not a fair wage. We’re supposed to live off 30% of our income. How do we manage that? Affordable housing is $1,200 and your wages are $1,500. What does that calculate up to? That calculates up to a struggle.

One of the things that hasn’t been invested in is the blighted buildings in my community. A lot of schools shut down. And no one’s talking about doing anything with them except maybe utilizing them as training spots for the police or other public safety departments. These are buildings in the community that used to educate. And we believe, not just myself but a lot of residents, that we can turn these buildings into community hubs where they teach about things like drones, auto mechanics. We don’t want those buildings torn down. We want to utilize those buildings to put back into the education system what they took away. Creative arts. Let the residents, the children, tap into their natural talents or introduce them to the skills that they don’t know they have. Those are places that we can renovate and make into state-of-the art facilities. To make sure that we have the resources not 50 miles from us, not across town, but right here in our own community, where our children can actually walk to school. There’s a lot that needs to be done.

But I want to make sure we look right, so that we don’t invite the wrong type of activity into the community. Get rid of what we do have that’s not a positive influence in our community. Our children are becoming a product of their environment. We say we want to help them, but we have an overpopulation of alcohol stores. We have a population of marijuana dispensaries. It’s legal and a lot of people voted for it because they were tired of people going to jail for marijuana, which is understandable. But it’s something we need to go back to the drawing board about to make sure that it’s regulated properly, that our children don’t have such easy access to it. It’s really hurting us. And in order to build a community up, you have to eliminate the things that take them down.

More election coverage

Updated 12:00 p.m. ET, Friday, October 3, 2025.

Funding for arts and culture grants in Michigan is preserved in the state budget for fiscal year 2026.

Last week, Governor Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and House Speaker Matt Hall announced they had agreed on a framework for the state budget and it would be passed before October 1. The state budget was passed early Friday morning, with state funding for arts and culture grants preserved.

Last month’s budget proposal passed by the Republican-led State House eliminated all funding for arts and culture grants from the state.

The entity that administers arts and culture grants for the state is the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). In 2025, MACC grants awarded totaled over $10.5 million.

The council distributes grant funds to arts and culture programs throughout the state, providing funding for things like K-12 arts programs, cultural festivals and museums.

To better understand what arts and culture grants from the state fund, Cary Junior II spoke with Lauren Ward, director of the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan. They spoke on Thursday, before the final state budget had been passed for fiscal year 2026.

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When Mike Duggan was sworn in as Detroit’s mayor more than a decade ago, much of the city was in the dark. Four out of every 10 streetlights didn’t work. His administration rebuilt the grid and relit neighborhoods block by block.

Blight became another target. Crews tore down thousands of abandoned houses that posed safety risks. With hundreds of millions in federal relief, Duggan stabilized the budget and funded neighborhood programs. Meanwhile, the city’s violent crime rate eased: just over 200 homicides last year, the lowest number since the mid-1960s.

Other markers point to momentum. Detroit’s population has inched up for two years in a row — rare for a city that has seen decades of decline. Moody’s even restored Detroit’s investment-grade bond rating. 

Duggan highlights these milestones when he calls himself “a fixer.”

But Detroit’s recovery is uneven.

Roughly one in three residents lived in poverty last year — the highest rate since 2017. The city has yet to fully address an estimated $600 million in property-tax overassessments that forced many families from their homes.

Housing, overall, remains scarce. A city-commissioned study estimates Detroit needs more than 40,000 additional affordable rental homes for households earning under $25,000 a year — a 45,200-unit gap as of 2021.

The broader picture is mixed: while downtown investment is visible, many neighborhoods still face population loss and a lack of basic infrastructure.

Still, compared with the Detroit Duggan inherited in 2014, the city holds more promise today, and much of that transformation happened under his watch.

Now Duggan wants to take his record statewide. He’s running for governor of Michigan in 2026 as an independent — and asking voters across the state to buy into his version of Detroit’s turnaround.

The mayor joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how he thinks his strategies can scale statewide.

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More stories from The Metro

On Sunday morning, a gunman rammed a pickup truck decorated with American flags into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc. He opened fire on the Mormon congregation and burned down the building.

5 people, including the shooter, are dead. The FBI says it’s still investigating a motive.

Kris Johns is a Burton, Michigan resident running for a seat on his local city council. He had an interaction with the suspect, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, just days before the attack while canvasing houses ahead of the November election.

Johns says he didn’t realize that the man he spoke with was the suspect, until he saw photos of Sanford after the shooting.

“I do not remember him giving his name,” says Johns, “so the Sanford name I did not connect.”

He says Sanford came across as warm and genuine at first but adds that his line of questioning quickly shifted to questions about the Mormon religion. By the end of the conversation, Johns says Sanford told him he thought Mormons were the Anti-Christ.

“I’ve seen people more animated and angry about football teams,” says Johns. “His behavior, and this is 100% speculative, was indicative that he’s felt about this for a long time.”

Johns says he felt many of Sanford’s views seemed to be formed during a time he lived in Utah.

Anyone who has information that could help the FBI in their investigation is encouraged to reach out to the Bureau at their online tip portal or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Detroit is known for its cars, but it’s also known for creating a lot of space for those cars. 

Wide roads with many lanes cross the city and its suburbs.

But there’s a real push from Detroit planners to change that — to make our streets more compatible and safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and to slow down motorists. 

Three years ago, Detroit published a “Streets for People” report about how to improve its streets. 

And earlier this week, a city official told The Metro that Detroit plans to make a series of truck route restrictions in Southwest. That regulation is meant to prevent big trucks from navigating neighborhood blocks. 

Producer Sam Corey spoke with Wayne State Urban Planner Eric Bettis about why Detroit has wide roads, and whether the city is trying to durably change that.

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More stories from The Metro

During the Great Depression, auto workers organized a march from Detroit to the Ford Rouge Factory in Dearborn. Thousands of people took to the streets to fight for jobs when nearly half of workers in Detroit were unemployed. The event is now known as the Ford Hunger March, and it was one of the most significant events leading to the creation of the United Auto Workers union. 

Friends of the Rouge and the Fort Rouge Gateway Partnership joined forces to construct the Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park to celebrate those who fought for workers rights and commemorate that pivotal moment in labor history. 

The first phase of the park project was completed in 2020 and construction for the second phase of the project started in mid-September. 

Paul Draus, a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a board member of the Friends of Rouge joined the show to discuss the importance of this park and the history it honors. 

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More stories from The Metro

Last month, I got the chance to interview Dr. Jane Goodall ahead of her sold-out speaking engagement at the Fisher Theatre.

The ethologist and conservationist died at the age of 91 on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Jane Goodall Institute.

She opened up her two-night stand with a warm embrace of the city: “I think Detroit is happy I’m here,” she joked, to applause and laughter.

Dr. Goodall’s life has a lot to unpack. Throughout her nearly 90-minute time on the stage, her insatiable curiosity for the world was on full display. 

From her time forging a reputation as the world’s foremost expert and advocate for chimpanzees after spending decades studying them in the wild in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park to her global conservation efforts today, she approached each topic with detail and grace; like someone who was clearly not done doing the work she had dedicated her life to.

It’s a story of inspiration, which Dr. Goodall used to help reassure the next generation that there’s still work to be done.

“Go to your community and what you care about,” Dr. Goodall told me during our interview pre-show. “Get involved. If you want to make a difference, you can in your community. It’ll make you feel good. It’ll inspire other people.”

You can read my full interview with the late Dr. Goodall below, and listen to it above—including Dr. Goodall’s attempt to teach me how to “pant-hoot,” a noise that chimpanzees use to identify themselves to other chimps in the wild.

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The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: You’re holding a stuffed animal. Tell me about this.

Jane Goodall: This is Mr. H. He’s 35 years old, given to me by a man called Gary Horn, who went blind when he was 21 in the US Marines decided to become a magician. Children don’t realize he’s blind, and then he’ll say, “Something may happen in your life. Never give up. There’s always a way forward.”

So he thought he was giving me a stuffed chimpanzee for my birthday, and I made him hold a tail. Gary, chimps don’t have tails. So he said, “never mind, take him where you go. You know my spirit’s with you.” So he’s an example of the indomitable human spirit.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: And I know these have been part of you talking to the next generation, the youth about conservation and the work that still needs to be done still.

Jane Goodall: It needs to be done more than ever before. We are continually destroying the natural world—and not only are we part of it, we depend on it. The food, water, fresh air, clothes, everything. But we depend on healthy ecosystems and one by one by one, we are destroying them.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: People right now, I think feel a little hopeless. I talk to people a lot, “what can I do, what can still be done?” I’m sure you’ve had moments in your career where you’ve felt that way, but you didn’t stop. So what would you wanna say to people that are feeling lost, confused, not so hopeful?

Jane Goodall: I speak to hundreds of them because they all come and say that to me and I say, you know, we have an expression. “Think globally, act locally.” It’s the wrong way around because if you think globally, you become depressed, you can’t help it. Now it’s grim time we’re living in, so, but go to your, in your community, what do you care about there? Maybe you don’t like the letter, maybe you don’t want the the city council to build yet another supermarket.

See what you can do about it. Get people to help you. You find you make a difference that makes you feel good, so then you want to make a bigger difference. Then you inspire more people and then you realize around the world there are people just like me, and then you dare think globally.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: How have you and your relationship changed with these efforts? Because I’m sure you felt very strong and ready to go when you were younger, how has that evolved as you’ve gotten older—with your relationship, really with the natural world and the work you’re doing?

Jane Goodall: Well, you know, when I was little, I wanted to do nothing except live in Africa and study animals. And I did that for many years.

And then when I realized the plight of chimps across Africa, numbers dropping forests being destroyed, um. I realized that I needed to leave Gombe, a place I love and see what I could do. And so that led to the Jane Goodall Institute starting a program to alleviate poverty and the people who were cutting down the trees just to make some money from charcoal or timber or something like that.

And that program is working. It’s now in six African countries where different chapters of JGI work to conserve and study chimpanzees.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: What would be that one message you would want to give to people to keep that hope up as they deal with climate change and a lot of regulation, especially here in the United States, being rolled back beyond.

Just think locally what? What is a piece of advice that can maybe give us some fuel to keep fighting like you are?

Jane Goodall: Well, we have a program for young people from kindergarten through university called Roots and Shoots. Which began with 12 high school students in Tanzania. It’s now in 76 countries with members from kindergarten through university.

And the main message every single day you live, you make some kind of impact. You get to choose what sort of impact you make, and that’s a message for all of us. We all make a difference every day, and by making the right choices. What do you buy? How was it made? Did it harm the environment? Was it cruel to animals like factory farm?

Is it cheap ’cause of unfair wages? Then look for a more ethical alternative, and it might cost a bit more, but you will value it more and waste less.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: Tell me a little bit about what goes into these talks and what people can expect.

Jane Goodall: Well, what people can expect is a sort of look back over 91 years, what’s changed?

We are living through dark times. People are losing hope. Why should we have hope? How can we have hope? And also, in between all of that, it’s, you know, we, we need a new attitude to the environment. We need to understand where part of it and depend on it. We need to understand that animals like us have personalities, minds, and emotions.

We need to start thinking about how we treat them in the wild and domestic animals. We need to think how eating a lot of meat is destroying the environment all over the world. Because these billions of animals in factory farms have to be fed. Huge areas of land are cleared to grow food for them. More food is grown for animal than for starving people, which is shocking.

And water. It takes a lot of water to change plant-animal protein. And they all produce methane gas in their digestion. And that’s a very virulent greenhouse gas. So, you know, I think the main thing is for people to start thinking. About their own environmental footprint, what they can do, the choices they make each day.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: So much of the work has been holding a mirror up to ourselves and our relationship with the natural world as well as chimps and other animals. Yes. Relationship. What can we take away today from chumps? Is there a lesson we need to be thinking about?

Jane Goodall: Well, there’s a lesson in the way that the mothers treat their young. The mothers, the good mothers have the same quality my mother had. They’re supportive of their young ones, and because we’ve now been studying them for 65 years, we know that the chimps who had supportive mothers never mind whether they were high ranking or low ranking. If they supported their child, then the child will grow up to be a better mother.

And if a male, a higher position in the male hierarchy. We can also learn that they’re pretty good at resolving conflict. And we can also realize, which is a bit of a shock, but they have a dark side, can be brutal, aggressive, and kill, but they can also be compassionate and and altruistic.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: That’s in all of us. Hopefully

Jane Goodall: That’s the point. We, they’re just like us. We have a dark side. We have a lighter side, we have a different kind of intellect. We should be able to suppress that dark, aggressive side. We are not doing a very good job right now.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: I love that… And I was tipped off that you can perform something called a pant-hoot?

Jane Goodall: Mm-hmm.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: What, what is this? Explain this and, show it to me if you can.

Jane Goodall: You mean listen to it? I can’t show you.

Ryan Patrick Hooper: You can show me, but we can hear it on the radio.

Jane Goodall: Yeah. Well, chimps don’t live in a group. They live in scattered units, which sometimes come together. And so they need to maintain contact with each other.

And so each chimp has an individual pant-hoot. So if you hear it on the other side of the valley, you know, oh, there’s mom. So [performs pant-hoot]

Ryan Patrick Hooper: Dr. Jane Goodall, thank you so much. Thank you.

State and national budget updates

Michigan leaders have avoided a state government shutdown, even though the governor has not yet signed a budget by the midnight deadline. Lawmakers in Lansing reached the framework of a budget agreement late last week but released little information because many details had yet to be worked out. They’ve approved a bill to fund state government for one week to give them time to finalize their deal.

The federal government failed to reach a budget deal by its midnight deadline, resulting in a shutdown. About 30,000 federal employees live in Michigan, but it’s not clear right now how many might be affected. U.S. Mail service will continue as normal, and Social Security checks will be delivered. TSA agents will continue to work at Metro Airport because they’re considered essential workers, but they will work without pay. That could lead to longer lines at the airport. It’s not immediately clear what other service changes might affect Detroiters.

Additional headlines for October 1, 2025

Truck restrictions

The City of Detroit is announcing new restrictions today on truck traffic in Southwest Detroit. The area has dealt with semi-trucks traveling through neighborhoods for years to get from I-75 to the Ambassador Bridge. The travel clogs streets and adds to pollution in the area. The city says there will be new truck routes to keep commercial avenues freed up, and police will increase their enforcement. The new rules take effect on Monday. Truck traffic in Southwest Detroit should be further alleviated when the Gordie Howe Bridge opens next year. That structure will allow heavy trucks headed to Windsor to move directly from I-75 onto the bridge without traveling through neighborhoods.

I-75 cap

The Downtown Detroit Partnership is holding a public meeting tomorrow to discuss the future of I-75 downtown. The organization is working with the City of Detroit and the Michigan Department of Transportation to consider ways of connecting the downtown area to nearby neighborhoods. The collaboration is looking at the feasibility of placing a cap over I-75 between Third and Brush.

The plan calls for a series of parks over the freeway, which would provide space for residents, similar to the plazas over I-696 in Oak Park. The online public meeting takes place tomorrow from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. There’s more information at DowntownDetroit.org/i75cap.

Dodge Fountain

The City of Detroit is shutting down the Dodge Fountain in Hart Plaza for the rest of the year. The Construction and Demolition Department is working to make sure the structure is properly winterized so that no damage occurs during the cold weather. The fountain did not operate properly for several years, but it was repaired in 2024. The water will be turned off for the winter, but the city says the fountain’s lights will continue to operate. The fountain will return to warm-weather operations in the spring.

Tigers win on Tuesday

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians yesterday in their American League Wild Card game. Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal threw 14 strikeouts for the Tigers. Game two in the best-of-three series is scheduled to take place this afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland. First pitch is at 1:08 p.m.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

We talk about the roads often on The Metro. From reducing truck traffic in Southwest to the impact of I-375 on Detroit’s historic Black neighborhoods, yet, who’s making sure these roads and highways are clean of trash? 

In 2022, According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, it cost taxpayers in the state nearly 8 million dollars for crews to pick up trash along state roads. And according to MDOT the price tag would be higher if it were not for programs like Adopt-A-Highway and dedicated volunteers to clean stretches of highway.

So what does it look like when a young artist gets involved and brings the community with him to clean up roads in Detroit?

All Notes is a creative and community platform blending music, social impact, and digital media founded by Detroit-based artist TommyPAPI.

Through the initiative, the Afro-Caribbean musician hosts livestream performances, neighborhood cleanups, and resource drives, connecting artists of all disciplines through support.  

Tommy received the spirit of Detroit for The Highway Cleanup project in September 2025. He joined The Metro to speak about the award and giving back to the community he calls home. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or NPR or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

Meet the local music scene on MI Local! This week, I welcomed two unique in-studio guests, both of whom exclusively premiered new music for WDET listeners ahead of upcoming release dates and forthcoming concerts. With MI Local, not only will you stay in the loop, you’ll be ahead of the proverbial curve!

Early on in the show, we were joined by the Ypsilanti-based alt-rock/emo group Riot Course, premiering their brand new song “Stranger.” I chatted with the group about their origins, their sound/style, and a bit about what distinguishes their latest material from their previous release, “Skin Deep.”

Riot Course is performing on Friday, October 10 at Olympia Skate Shop to celebrate the release of their newest EP, “Before You Can Say Knife.”

Notably, Riot Course has also been a vocal advocate for public broadcasting, donating proceeds from previous shows to NPR, and keeping a link to donate on their website. We discuss that, as well, of course!

Later on in the show, the five-piece indie-rock group known as Rose St. Germaine joined me in-studio to premiere their new song “Haunt Me Baby,” which is officially out October 1. The lead singer and songwriter, Emily Rose Seward, is also known as Rose St. Germaine—but similar to, say, Sade, it’s also the name of the band. 

Now, if you’re reading this in time, you can catch Rose St. Germaine tonight at the Outer Limits Lounge, where they’ll celebrate the new single and quite likely dip into some spooky vibes and Halloween-adjacent aesthetics!

Stream the show above to hear my interview with the band, and Emily Rose’s curious journey from former teenage organist prodigy to dynamic indie-rock balladeer, who also happens to have  a penchant for performance art and intense punk-garage energies.

Other tidbits include some brand new local tracks by The Matthew Smith Group, The Quitters, and a look ahead to shows you can catch featuring groups like Cherry Drop and the Lonesome Skeleton Band!

Stream the show up top for two weeks following the air date and find the full playlist below! 

• “Cut the Line” – Cal In Red
• “The Mood is Everything” – Reggi Roomers
• “Stranger” – Riot Course
• “Comet Hyakutake – Via Mardot
• “Harvest Moon” – Lonesome Skeleton Band
• “Hitched” – CRAFTMATIK
• “Watch Me Fly” – Gar Den Boi
• “Disintegrating World ” – The Matthew Smith Group
• “Yeah (You)” – The Quitters
• “Loaded” – Cherry Drop
• “Haunt Me Baby” – Rose St. Germaine
• “You Will Always Love Me” – Rose St. Germaine, live in WDET Studios
• “Too Long” – Rose St. Germaine 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington is bracing for what could be a prolonged federal shutdown after lawmakers deadlocked and missed the deadline for funding the government.

Republicans supported a short-term measure to fund the government generally at current levels through Nov. 21, but Democrats blocked it, insisting the measure address their concerns on health care. They want to reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s mega-bill passed this summer and extend tax credits that make health insurance premiums more affordable for millions of people who purchase through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans called the Democratic proposal a nonstarter that would cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion.

Neither side shows any signs of budging.

Here’s what to know about the shutdown that began Wednesday:

What happens in the shutdown?

Now that a lapse in funding has occurred, the law requires agencies to furlough their “non-excepted” employees. Excepted employees, who include those who work to protect life and property, stay on the job but don’t get paid until after the shutdown ends.

The White House Office of Management and Budget begins the process with instructions to agencies that a lapse in appropriations has occurred and they should initiate orderly shutdown activities. That memo went out Tuesday evening.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day of the shutdown, with the total daily cost of their compensation at roughly $400 million.

What government work continues during a shutdown?

A great deal, actually.

FBI investigators, CIA officers, air traffic controllers and agents operating airport checkpoints keep working. So do members of the Armed Forces.

Those programs that rely on mandatory spending generally continue during a shutdown. Social Security payments still go out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.

Veteran health care also continues during a shutdown. Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will be open, and VA benefits will be processed and delivered. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.

Will furloughed federal workers get paid?

Yes. In 2019, Congress passed a bill enshrining into law the requirement that furloughed employees get retroactive pay once operations resume.

While they’ll eventually get paid, the furloughed workers and those who remain on the job may have to go without one or more of their regular paychecks, depending upon how long the shutdown lasts.

Service members would also receive back pay for missed paychecks once federal funding resumes.

Will I still get mail?

Yes. The U.S. Postal Service is unaffected by a government shutdown. It’s an independent entity funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars.

What closes during a shutdown?

All administrations get some leeway to choose which services to freeze or maintain in a shutdown.

The first Trump administration worked to blunt the impact of what became the country’s longest partial shutdown in 2018 and 2019. But on Tuesday, Trump threatened the possibility of increasing the pain that comes with a shutdown.

“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them,” Trump said of Democrats. “Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”

Each federal agency develops its own shutdown plan. The plans outline which workers would stay on the job during a shutdown and which would be furloughed.

In a provocative move, the Office of Management and Budget has threatened the mass firing of federal workers in a shutdown. An OMB memo said those programs that didn’t get funding through Trump’s mega-bill this summer would bear the brunt of a shutdown.

Agencies should consider issuing reduction-in-force notices for those programs whose funding expires, that don’t have alternative funding sources and are “not consistent with the President’s priorities,” the memo said.

That would be a much more aggressive step than in previous shutdowns, when furloughed federal workers returned to their jobs once the shutdown was over. A reduction in force would not only lay off employees but eliminate their positions, which would trigger another massive upheaval in a federal workforce that’s already faced major rounds of cuts due to efforts from the Department of Government Efficiency and elsewhere in Trump’s Republican administration.

What agencies are planning

— Health and Human Services will furlough about 41% of its staff out of nearly 80,000 employees, according to a contingency plan posted on its website.

As part of that plan, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would continue to monitor disease outbreaks, while activities that will stop include research into health risks and ways to prevent illness.

Meanwhile, research and patient care at the National Institutes of Health would be upended. Patients currently enrolled in studies at the research-only hospital nicknamed the House of Hope will continue to receive care. Additional sick patients hoping for access to experimental therapies can’t enroll except in special circumstances, and no new studies will begin.

 

 

At the Food and Drug Administration, its “ability to protect and promote public health and safety would be significantly impacted, with many activities delayed or paused.” For example, the agency would not accept new drug applications or medical device submissions that require payment of a user fee.

— The National Park Service plans to furlough about two-thirds of its employees while keeping parks largely open to visitors during the federal shutdown, according to a contingency plan released Tuesday night. The plan says “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors.”

The plan also allows parks to enter into agreements with states, tribes or local governments willing to make donations to keep national park sites open. The park service has more than 400 sites, including large national parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon, national battlefields and historic sites.

Sites could close if damage is being done to park resources or garbage is building up.

Many national parks including Yellowstone and Yosemite stayed open during a 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term. Limited staffing led to vandalism, gates being pried open and other problems including an off-roader mowing down one of the namesake trees at Joshua Tree National Park in California.

— Smithsonian Institution: Museums, research centers and the National Zoo will remain open through at least Monday.

Impact on the economy

Phillip Swagel, director of the Congressional Budget Office, said a short shutdown doesn’t have a huge impact on the economy, especially since federal workers, by law, are paid retroactively. But “if a shutdown continues, then that can give rise to uncertainties about what is the role of government in our society, and what’s the financial impact on all the programs that the government funds.”

“The impact is not immediate, but over time, there is a negative impact of a shutdown on the economy,” he added.

Markets haven’t reacted strongly to past shutdowns, according to Goldman Sachs Research. At the close of the three prolonged shutdowns since the early 1990s, equity markets finished flat or up even after dipping initially.

A governmentwide shutdown would directly reduce growth by around 0.15 percentage points for each week it lasted, or about 0.2 percentage points per week once private-sector effects were included, and growth would rise by the same cumulative amount in the quarter following reopening, writes Alec Phillips, chief U.S. political economist at Goldman Sachs.

This report was written by AP’s Kevin Frecking

Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Joey Cappelletti, Will Weissert, Fatima Hussein and other AP reporters nationwide contributed to this report.

Michigan lawmakers approved a plan early Wednesday morning to fund state government for another week as they finalize a spending agreement for the new fiscal year. The state’s previous budget had run out at midnight.

The extension buys more time to avoid a partial government shutdown, when non-essential services would stop running.
Passing a balanced budget for the next fiscal year by October 1 is a constitutional requirement in Michigan. State officials announcing the funding plan did not specify what legal tactics would be used to extend state spending without running afoul of the state constitution.

Last week, legislative leaders and Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the framework for a state budget deal. They hoped it would pass before the old one expired.

Speaking to reporters a little before 2 a.m. Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said that agreed-upon deal still stands. But the details hadn’t been hashed out and it wasn’t ready for a vote in time to make the state’s constitutional deadline for adopting a budget.
“I think the important thing to remember is that we were able to come to an agreement even in a time like this with divided government. We will be keeping government services open. The people of Michigan will still be able to get what they need from their government for the next week despite this minor delay,” Brinks said.

The week-long spending plan totals roughly $1.5 billion. It covers funding for state departments, but not K-12 schools, which began their new fiscal year in July without knowing how much money to expect from the state.

Representative Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) said the holdup is unfortunate.
“It wasn’t the ideal situation. Would it have been better if we’d passed it on July 1? 100%. I wish we had. That’s something that we as a government, we need to be better at,” he told reporters after the House agreed to the deal.
“As drafting continues, I’m grateful to legislators on both sides of the aisle for their work and I am ready to conduct a final legal review and sign it into law after they send me the budget,” Whitmer said in the statement.

One of the next steps in the budget process will involve holding a Senate Appropriations hearing on each of the earmark spending requests lawmakers submitted under a resolution passed in the chamber on Monday.

The process also could involve holding votes to pass road funding legislation that the Republican-led House and Whitmer had pushed for this entire process. A part of that road funding deal, which would raise taxes on marijuana sales, could see opposition from at least some members of the Democratic Senate majority.

Regardless, Brinks said staff will still have much more work to do on the backend, even after final details of the budget plan get worked out.
State Representative Jim DeSana (R-Carleton) said this has been a very frustrating budget process.

“You could even say it’s broken and that representative government is really not working for the people right now,” DeSana said.
A statement from Whitmer’s office released shortly after 4 a.m. said she had signed the spending extension into law. “The continuation budget keeps state government open as the budget is finalized and passed by the legislature, ensuring Michiganders have uninterrupted access to government services, and state employees continue to get paid,” the statement said.

The government funding extension will last until October 8.