The city of Detroit is using money from the American Rescue Plan Act to help residents with disabilities make their homes more accessible.

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The Detroit Home Accessibility Program — a joint project of the city of Detroit, CHN Housing Partners and Detroit Disability Power — dedicates more than $6 million in ARPA funds to home modifications for eligible residents to add ramps or lifts, widen entrances, modify handrails, or add alarms to the entries and exits of their home.

“Detroit has more than 129,000 disabled residents. Members of this large, diverse and important constituency deserve the ability to fully engage in all that our City has to offer,” said Ani Grigorian, disability access consulting manager at Detroit Disability Power, in a news release. “This program is an important step towards greater accessibility, and therefore increased well-being.”

Homeowners who live in single-family homes who receive social security disability benefits, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Children’s Healthcare Services benefits or Veterans Administration disability benefits can still apply.

The program is expected to provide accessibility upgrades to at least 250 homes.

Applicants must also have homeowner’s insurance and be current on property taxes or in a payment plan. There are income requirements for participation. For more information, visit chnhousingpartners.org/Detroit/dhap or call 866-313-2520. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024:

• Mason K-8 Academy opened its newly renovated and stocked school library today. The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) chose Mason to receive 18,000 new books from the Council of Great City Schools and Scholastic.
• Cass Tech students who live in Hamtramck and “Banglatown” – an area close to Hamtramck – are asking DPSCD to provide bus transportation to the school. Education nonprofit 482Forward organized student and adult members to take their appeal to tonight’s school board meeting. 
• The Detroit Food Commons will host a concert series this fall. The Freedom Sounds fall concert series kicks off Sunday, Sept. 22 with jazz percussionist and Jazz at Lincoln Center alum Ali Jackson. Bassist and composer Marion Hayden will perform Oct. 27; and on Nov. 24, multi-genre percussionist and food justice advocate Aisha Ellis will perform. The series is curated by violinist and flutist Michelle May. The events, held in the Mama Imani Humphrey Banquet Hall on the second floor of Detroit Commons, cost $25 to attend with funds going towards Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network’s community programs. 
• The Hamtramck Parks Conservancy has a new director of programming and communications. Alicia Chiaravalli has a background in environmental science, play design and sustainability. She will be responsible for developing recreation programs, coordinating volunteers and community partnerships for the conservancy. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is lifting some restrictions for transporting certain hazardous substances across the Ambassador Bridge this fall.

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MDOT will ease restrictions on transporting fuels and materials for batteries beginning Oct. 29. The bridge’s owners requested the looser restrictions, saying it can respond quickly to a fire or spill. 

MDOT commissioned a technical study  in June 2021 to evaluate the risks associated with transporting restricted materials on the Ambassador Bridge from Porter Street in Detroit to Canada, the state reported. MDOT subsequently collected more than 80 letters from elected officials, business owners and community members, many expressing support for the looser restrictions.

Restricted materials will only be transported during off-peak hours, under the supervision of vehicle escorts, according to the state.

Other headlines for Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024:

• The city of Detroit is holding informational sessions this month to teach local nonprofits how to apply for grants to expand or improve their programs.
• Detroit is also offering free estate planning workshops to residents during the month of September.
• The Brightmoor Artisans Collective is recruiting volunteers for its Beautification Day event Saturday, Sept. 7. 
• The Paradise Wellness Academy is hosting a free Community Health Education series this month, featuring live cooking demonstrations and tips for preparing nutritious meals, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Sept. 12, 19 and 26. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The Sierra Club’s Detroit Outdoors program sent a group of Detroit high school students to Yosemite National Park in July. They went to meet Shelton Johnson — a Detroit native, Cass Tech grad, Yosemite park ranger and expert in the history of Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks. The Buffalo Soldiers were Black Soldiers who fought in the Civil War. They later became some of the first park rangers.

The Detroit Outdoors program is a collaboration between the Sierra Club, the city of Detroit, the YMCA of Metro Detroit and local organizations that serve youth.

The partnership began with the re-opening of Scout Hollow at Rouge Park — the only campground within Detroit’s city limits. It has grown to include programs that get students outdoors for skiing, hiking, camping and rock climbing throughout the state and around the country. The Detroit to Yosemite trip is just one of the excursions the organization has offered to students this summer.

Listen: Garrett Dempsey on Detroit to Yosemite

The trip coincided with the celebration of National Buffalo Soldiers Day on July 28. I accompanied the students as they traveled to Yosemite to camp, hike and rock climb.

Cass Tech grad found happiness in school’s Outdoor Adventure Club

Detroit Outdoors supports student-led Outdoor Adventure Clubs in schools in Detroit and Hamtramck.

Madelane Martinez is a recent graduate of Cass Tech and the outgoing president of the school’s Outdoor Adventure Club. She was one of the students who visited Yosemite. Martinez says the program and its staff helped her develop a deep love of the outdoors and for climbing.

Listen: Madelane Martinez says she ‘found happiness where she didn’t know to look for it’ in Outdoor Adventure Club

Connecting Black and Brown youth to the outdoors

There were eight students, two teachers and five outdoor trip leaders who traveled from Detroit to Yosemite. But Black and Brown people who work in the outdoors through variety of roles came from Alaska, Colorado and California to spend time with the students.

Phillip Henderson is the executive director of Full Circle Expeditions and has been a leader in mountaineering for three decades. He traveled to Yosemite for the trip and spoke with WDET after the youth had spent the day rock climbing and rappelling.

Listen: Phil Henderson talks connecting Black and Brown youth with the outdoors

On this episode of the Detroit Evening Report, stories include this week’s excitement at the Democratic National Convention around the Harris-Walz presidential ticket; Michigan’s launch of a new statewide “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition and more.

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Dems rally around Harris, Walz at DNC

The Harris-Walz ticket is creating a sheen of excitement at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. And some notable metro Detroiters are part of it.

That includes long-time Democratic activist Reverend Wendell Anthony. He says Harris’ status as the first women of color to head a major party presidential ticket is re-invigorating Democrat’s ability to get out the vote for the general election.

“This is Freedom Summer Two…that’s what I call it,” he said. “Freedom Summer One was 60 years ago. Black folk and white folk went south to Mississippi to help register people to vote, because they couldn’t vote. They went volunteering. Now people from all across the country are coming, volunteering, because they want to preserve freedom, democracy and the right to vote still.”

Anthony claims former President Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to challenge the election in states like Michigan if he is not declared the winner in November. 

Applications open for PitchMI

Applications are officially open for PitchMI, a statewide “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition created to help solve Michigan’s transportation troubles.

The state’s Growth Office will invest $100,000 in one innovative solution that transforms the way Michiganders get from point A to point B safely, affordably and efficiently. PitchMI is meant to spur entrepreneurial problem-solving, connect innovators with capital and create a ripple effect to accelerate more innovation, according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The competition is scheduled to take place Thursday, Oct. 24, during the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification’s conference at Newlab in Detroit. Applicants for PitchMI must be available to participate in-person. Its open to start-up companies with 51% of their employees in the state of Michigan. Solutions should be demonstration-ready with working prototypes. 

For more information and to apply, visit growingmichigan.org/opportunities. The deadline to apply is Monday, Sept. 16. 

Detroit to unveil Joe Louis Neighborhood Stories

The city of Detroit will unveil its Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Stories signage project this week.

Ten signs will be placed along the Joe Louis Greenway telling the story of the Midwest-Tireman neighborhood. The city used residents as Story Gatherers to collect oral histories from long-time neighborhood residents. Those stories were turned into signs designed by the firm Good Done Daily.

A ribbon-cutting is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. Thursday at 8034 West Warren Ave., Detroit, with light refreshments on offer. Parking is available on McDonald Street. 

HBCU Student Invitational Film Competition and Festival

The HBCU Student Invitational Film Competition and Festival takes place at Michigan Central next week.

Black filmmakers attending HBCUs will screen their films from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m on Friday, Aug. 23, with contest winners announced on Saturday, Aug. 24. The grand prize is $10,000.

This is the first time the event will be in-person. Autumn Sun, the group organizing the festival, was founded by Detroit native Bruce Clifton. The film screenings and panel discussions are free, but the award ceremony and gala on the 24th require tickets. For more information, visit autumnsunfest.org. 

Annual ‘Fun in the Park’ event returns

Residents of Detroit’s District 7 are invited to Stein Park from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, for the second annual Fun in the Park event. The free, family-friendly event will feature food, games, music, activities for all ages and more. 

Stein Park is located at 18899 Chicago St., Detroit. The rain date for the event will be Saturday, Aug. 24.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Grand Rapids-based Perrigo Company is issuing a voluntary recall of a store-branded infant formula.

“Premium Infant Formula with Iron Milk-Based Powder” may have Vitamin D levels above the maximum allowed. The recalled product was shipped to Michigan CVS stores and retailers in 12 other states.

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Perrigo has notified the affected stores and requested the products be pulled from shelves. There have been no reports of illness attributed to the elevated levels of Vitamin D, which were found during routine product testing.

For the vast majority of infants, short-term consumption of the affected formula is not likely to cause health issues — but in infants with kidney conditions or impaired kidney functions, there is a higher risk for complications.

If infants experience any symptoms while using the product, caregivers are urged to contact a physician and report to the Federal Drug Administration.

More headlines for Aug. 12, 2024:

• Michael Jackson-Bolanos will not be retried on two charges stemming from the murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll
• Michigan’s Crime Victim Compensation program has provided over $5M in benefits to more than 1K crime victims since expansion
• Nonprofit Detroit Institute for Children changes name to Boldli
• Students from Detroit and Southfield participating in Mobile App Pitch Competition

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The city of Detroit has created a new payment program for those behind on their water bill. 

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The “EasyPay” program is an interest and penalty free program without income requirements. It replaces the 10/30/50 program previously offered by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department .

Residents can enroll by paying a $10 deposit and a portion of their overdue bills on top of their regular bills over the course of 36 months. Once enrolled by phone or online, the customer has up to 10 days to make the deposit.

Demeeko Williams, director of Hydrate Detroit – a nonprofit that advocates for Detroiters experiencing water shutoffs – praised the city’s EasyPay program.

“This is a great program. It’s instrumental in making sure that if you do have any problems with paying your water bill, you can get assistance, you can get help,” said Williams.

The city of Detroit plans to have 30,000 people on the program by October. To enroll, visit detroitmi.gov/easypaywater.

Other headlines for Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024:

• The state is looking for residents to participate in the Michigan Racial Health Equity Think Tank.
• A new study by the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity has found that Michigan is able to fund a paid family and medical leave program. 
• The Detroit Public Theatre is hosting a performance of alumni of the Shakespeare in Prison program Aug. 17-18. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.