When who we are and what we believe in conflicts with the traditions that we’re raised in, life broadly leaves us three choices: we can change who we are to fit the tradition, we can leave the tradition behind, or we can try to change the tradition to fit our ideals.

That last choice requires courage. Change is not easy, and when it comes to a tradition like religion, many become upset when people start tinkering with how things are done. 

But that’s exactly what Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie has been doing. The rabbi who runs an alternative Jewish synagogue in New York City grew up in Israel under a lineage of orthodox rabbis. But Rabbi Lau-Lavie and his congregation at Lab/Shul don’t practice orthodox Judaism, they’re doing something unique and experimental. 

The new documentary, “Sabbath Queen” explores the life of Rabbi Lau-Lavie and more. Tomorrow, the rabbi will be at an event at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit. The film will be screening Sunday at the DIA. 

Sandi DuBowski is the filmmaker. He spoke with Cary Junior II.

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Michigan mass transit agencies are waiting to find out how much money they will get from the state in 2026.

Lawmakers have until October 1 to approve a budget and send it to Governor Gretchen Whitmer to sign.

Transit proposals are similar

The governor, the state House, and the state Senate have all approved $226 million for local bus operating revenue. The House budget proposal adds $60 million in new revenue for transit systems that serve more than 100,000 people. The Senate plan includes $15 million in new funding.

The Michigan Public Transit Association analyzed all three budget plans. It says bus systems would lose an average of 5 or 6 percent in state funding if the $226 million figure is approved.

SMART, Southeast Michigan’s regional bus service, gets about a quarter of its funding from the state. General Manager Tiffany Gunter says the governor’s proposal would cost SMART about $8.6 million.

“We obviously don’t know where those cuts would come from directly today,” Gunter says. “This would have a horrible effect on the region’s ability to move mobility forward.”

Cuts jeopardize improvements

Gunter, who became SMART’s GM in August, says state budget cuts threaten plans to improve customer service. That includes expanding the Flex program, which lets people in about a dozen communities schedule shuttle rides seven days a week.

“We wouldn’t be able to move forward with those improvements to the service and those enhancements, because we just wouldn’t have the funding to do so,” she says. “We’d be looking at areas where we could pull back service instead.”

While the House proposal is more generous than either Whitmer’s or the Senate’s, Gunter says the devil is in the details. To get a share of the extra $60 million, a transit system must get at least 10% of its revenue from rider fares. Gunter says SMART’s farebox recovery ratio is 4%.

“43% of our riders are either seniors or people with disabilities, and those individuals pay a half fare,” she says.

Most funding comes from regional tax

60% of SMART’s revenue comes from a regional transit millage, which enables the agency to offer fare discounts.

Gunter says her goal is to ensure that SMART buses are safe, convenient, and reliable.

“We’re not just moving people here,” she says. “We know that what we do every day gives people access to opportunity.”

SMART says it carries an average of almost 11 million riders per year.

When Brook Banham was in art school, he wanted students to have the same chance to compete as athletes at other schools. He wanted the rallies and the merch. 

He started Sketchbattle in 2012 to give automotive designers some of that experience. But the competition, first held in underground spaces during the Auto Show, had a grungier feel and came to be known as the ‘Fight Club of Design.’

Banham says Sketchbattle has become one of the places automakers look for designers. 

And now, he wants to do that with sneakers.

“The first sexiest thing in industrial design is car design, I think.” Banham says. “The second is shoe design… I wanna own the two industries.”

On September 19th, Sketchbattle will host its first sneaker design battle. The event is being produced in collaboration with the Pensole Lewis College of Design.

Pensole is a shoe design-focused school and the only Historically Black College in the state.  Its founder, Dwayne Edwards, has a long history in shoe design and design education.

Banham says when he reached out to design colleagues about doing a sneaker battle, everyone said Dr. Edwards was the person he needed to get on board.

“He was like ‘yes, absolutely. Let’s get these kids hired!'”

Applications for the Sneaker battle close September 10th. Applicants have to submit 3 designs: 1 each for Nike, Air Jordan and Converse. 

Banham says there are lots of prizes for designers who do well in the battle, including custom-designed sneakers and cash prizes. But, he says, the event is really about making connections and getting jobs.

Detroit is undergoing changes. You can see it as you drive around. From the murals to the development and redevelopment of particular areas, Detroit can be the model for what it looks like to create a more inclusive city for all. 

And with Detroit being the only U.S. city with a UNESCO Design City designation, it’s natural for Detroit to be at the forefront of major changes that include a creative flair.

UNESCO or The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization promotes international cooperation in various fields to build peace and sustainable development worldwide.

Over the next month, Detroit Month of Design will celebrate 10 years as a UNESCO city of design, with more than 95 events featuring more than 500 creatives in the city.

SustainACity is one of those events. It’s curated by Asia Hamilton, the founder and director of Norwest Gallery of Art. Hamilton is also the Climate Resilience Program Manager for the City of Detroit. 

She spoke on The Metro about what a reimagined Detroit could look like with environmental health at the forefront.

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

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Public art isn’t limited to Detroit-proper. Smaller cities surrounding Detroit are often known for their charm or cozy vibes, yet the love of creative pursuits are just as important as those vibes. 

Now, there’s a new mural festival coming to the downriver area. Paint The Park is a 2-week-long festival that is bringing large-scale murals to downtown Allen Park. It runs September 1–13, 2025. 

Two guests joined The Metro to talk about the first Paint the Park and what makes Allen Park special to its residents: artist and founder of The Mural People Michelle Tanguay, and Director of Allen Park Downtown Development Authority Ben Hughes.

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Looking for something fun to do this week? Metro Detroit is packed with free festivals, family activities, and cultural events — from art fairs and workshops to live music and delicious food. 

Drop-In Workshop: Doodle Art

Detroit Institute of Arts

Wednesday 8/20 – Sunday 8/24

Free with general admission

*General museum admission is FREE for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties.

Many people doodle as a fun, spontaneous way to express ideas. Grab some drawing materials and see where your creativity takes you! Event time varies; check the website for details. 

Novi Taco Fest

44275 W 12 Mile Rd d134, Novi, MI 48377

Friday 8/22, Saturday 8/23 and Sunday 8/24

Tickets start at $7 online. Military free with proper ID.

Get ready for a weekend of flavor and fun at the Novi Taco Fest! Enjoy authentic Mexican-American dishes, sip refreshing margaritas, and celebrate Hispanic culture with live music and entertainment all around.

Back-to-School JAM!

Motown Museum on Rocket Plaza

Saturday 8/23

Free

The Motown Museum and Enjoy Detroit are hosting a Back to School Jam with free school supplies, live performances by local artists and Lyric Project singer-songwriters, giveaways, and family fun. Supplies are limited, so come early to enjoy the music, treats, and positive vibes to kick off the school year.

SIP and Beyond: 2025 Summer Alumni Performance

Detroit Public Theatre, 3960 3rd Ave, Detroit, MI 48201

Saturday 8/23 – Sunday 8/24

Free with RSVP.

This weekend, celebrate the powerful work of Shakespeare in Prison at the Alumni Performance at Detroit Public Theatre. Experience stories of resilience, creativity, and community as former ensemble members share their voices on stage.

Hazel Park Art Fair

Green Acres Park – Hazel Park, MI

Saturday 8/23 and Sunday 8/24

Free

The Hazel Park Art Fair is back! Free and family-friendly in Green Acres Park with local art, live performances, tasty eats, and a craft beer tent. Don’t miss this celebration of creativity in Hazel Park!

In this episode of The Detroit Evening Report, we cover the latest in federal funding cuts, a bill that would expand support for new mothers and more.

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EPA cuts funding for energy accessibility program

Michigan’s Solar for All program has lost its funding. It provided grants to organizations working to make solar power accessible to low-income residents across the state so they might lower energy costs and improve environmental impacts.

The state-funded residential and community solar programs used federal funds from the Environmental Protection Agency. Director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Phil Roos, announced today the EPA has canceled that funding.

Roos says the programs were set to save thousands of Michigan families an average of $400 a year in energy costs, and create 700 jobs. He says EGLE is working with the state Attorney General’s office to determine next steps.

The state had already awarded grants to Hope Village to provide 10 homes in Detroit and Highland Park with rooftop solar, to the Intertribal Council of Michigan for solar projects for a dozen homes and a community building, and to the North End Woodward Community Coalition for a “solar neighborhoods” initiative. EGLE has awarded almost $14 million of the $156 million in federal funding it was promised.

Lansing considers expanding maternal support program

State legislators today considered a bill to expand a program that supports pregnant and new mothers. RX Kids gives pregnant women $1,500 before they give birth, and $500 a month for the baby’s first six months. It started in Flint and spread to Pontiac and the eastern Upper Peninsula.

Program director Dr. Mona Hanna says the program is designed to run efficiently with few overhead costs, and to be easily scaled and replicated for communities across the state.

New DCFC stadium name announced

The Detroit City Football Club has revealed the name of its new stadium in southwest Detroit. AlumniFi Field will seat 15,000 people when it’s finished. AlumniFi Credit Union is the team’s financial partner. The stadium is set to open in 2027.

Disability dance event comes to DIA

Danceability is returning to the Detroit Institute of Arts this week. The event is free and provides a space for all bodies to enjoy dance in community. Organizers are inviting the whole community to attend this “afternoon of disability joy” Thursday from 1–4 p.m. in in the DIA’s Great Hall. Attendees are invited to wear shades of blue to “embody the sea and sky.” Cellist and composer King Sophia will provide the music. Cara Graninger will facilitate. For more information and to register, visit detroitdisabilitypower.org/danceability.

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

In this episode of The Detroit Evening Report, we cover an upcoming exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts centered around Indigenous artists. Plus, where to hear jazz in the Avenue of Fashion this weekend.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

DIA announces Native American exhibit

The Detroit Institute of Arts has just announced that it’s hosting a Native American exhibit in September. According to the museum’s website, “The Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation” exhibit will feature 60 U.S.-based Anishinaabe artists in the first major exhibition on Native Americans at the museum in 30 years.

The artwork will feature jewelry, basketry and painting. Additionally, there will be pottery and woodworking displays.

The exhibition has been curated with an advisory council of Ojibwe, Ottawa and Potawatomi artists. Gallery text will include Anishnaabemowin, a language of the Indigenous communities in the Great Lakes.

People can see the exhibition Sep. 28, 2025 through April 5, 2026.

Jazz on the Ave returns

Mike’s Fresh Market and the University Commonwealth are hosting a block party this weekend. The 17th Annual Jazz on the Ave festival is a customer appreciation block party on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion, located on Livernois Avenue.

The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 2 from noon to 8 p.m., featuring live music, free food, bounce houses and a parade at 4 p.m. It will also include a car show by Community Services LLC. Jamal Abro, owner of  Mike’s Fresh Market, says this is a way to thank the community.

Learn how to build a rain garden

The City of Dearborn is partnering with nonprofit Friends of the Rouge to host a rain garden workshop next weekend.

Regina Sistrunk is the Community Development Compliance Officer for the City of Dearborn.  She says in a news release that rain gardens are a holistic way to prevent rainwater from entering the sewer system each year. Participants will learn how rain gardens reduce flooding and support wildlife.

The workshop is funded through Dearborn’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds. The “Rain Gardens 101” class takes place on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 10–11 a.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. To register, visit therouge.org.

COVID vaccines still recommended

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recommends getting the latest COVID-19 shot every year.

Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, says she wants to dispel misconceptions and confusion about the shot, after the CDC stopped recommending it for healthy children and pregnant women.

“Our recommendations at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, after reviewing all of the data and guidance, have not changed. We continue to recommend the COVID vaccine for everyone aged six months and older, including those who are pregnant.”

Dr. Bagdasarian says the state’s recommendations align with national medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

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

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

A new collaboration between the Detroit and Windsor public libraries is shining a light on local creatives of all ages and backgrounds.

Libraries were once buzzing community spaces for families and book lovers. But the rise of audiobooks and online book sales has shifted how people use them, leaving libraries in Windsor and Detroit looking for new ways to engage.

The two cities share a rich, intertwined history dating back to the mid-1800s, and their library services have evolved over time. One recent initiative is Pagination, a literary arts zine from the Windsor Public Library that features flash fiction, poetry, collage art, and more from creators in both Windsor and Detroit.

Now, the two library systems have partnered to publish a free print and digital magazine celebrating the voices of local artists across the border. Joining The Metro to talk about the project are Pagination editor David Konstanino of the Windsor Public Library and Jennifer Nobles, lead librarian at the Detroit Public Library.

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Detroit marks 8,000th demolition under Proposal N

The City of Detroit recently celebrated its 8,000th demolition under Proposal N. The proposal was a voter-approved $250 million bond to remove blight across the city. About a decade ago, there were 45,000 vacant land bank homes. The city used $265 million in federal funding to complete the first phase of the demolitions in the most populated neighborhoods.  

Other headlines for Monday, July 21, 2025

47 artists bring life to Detroit’s alleys

Detroit’s Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship office is opening nine art alleys. The Art Alleys feature mosaics… sculptures… and murals created by 47 local artists. The Detroit Arts Alleys Initiative is a project that hopes to renovate alleys into community spaces through public art. It’s also a part of Mayor Duggan’s Blight to Beauty campaign.  

EGLE seeks input on Line 5 pipeline permit

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy or EGLE, has opened public comment for a permit related to work on the Line 5 project in the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel would replace a 70-year-old Line 5 oil and gas pipeline on the lakebed. Indigenous communities… say the Line 5 project trespasses through protected tribal land… which is used for livelihood… cultural and spiritual practices. Native communities and environmental activists also say the pipeline will have catastrophic consequences in the Great Lakes region if it ruptures… citing multiple leaks from the previous pipes. People can make a public comment from July 16 to August 29 about Enbridge Energy’s bid to work on the Line 5 tunnel project.  

Two virtual meetings will be held regarding the project… one as an informational session… and the other is a public hearing to collect comments on the record. People can also leave a comment online on EGLE’s public notice page.

West Nile detected in Michigan, no human cases yet

Health agencies report new cases of West Nile and similar viruses in mosquito samples around Michigan. Wasthenaw County health officials confirmed a positive sample of Jamestown Canyon virus, and Kent County reported three samples of West Nile virus from routine mosquito surveillance.  

No human cases have been found in Michigan so far this year. The uptick in mosquitoes is typical for this time for year but health officials are asking people to take precautions like using repellent and removing standing water around homes.  

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

A new play from Arab American playwright Andrea Assaf is exploring the concept of “moral injury” and the devastating effects of drone warfare.

“DRONE” tells the story of a U.S. military drone pilot “who is not allowed to talk about [the violence] he’s witnessing, and the effect that silencing has on his mental health and daily life,” Assaf told WDET. 

The pilot’s story is juxtaposed with testimonies from three drone strike survivors — based on real-life testimonies from witnesses and survivors of U.S. drone strikes.

“I’m a person who makes art to cope, to heal, to process, to express, so that I don’t hold all that in by myself, and so that I can create spaces to talk about these things; to break those silences, to get communities to talk together about things in a way that makes it a human story and not just a news story,” she said.

Assaf joined The Metro to share her perspective about these unseen moral injuries and her inspiration behind the play. “DRONE,” presented by the Arab American National Museum, will run July 31 and Aug. 1-3 at the Detroit Public Theatre, 3960 3rd Ave., Detroit.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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The annual Ann Arbor Art Fair — one of the largest juried art fairs in the country — will attract nearly half a million visitors to downtown Ann Arbor later this month.

The three-day event,  set for July 17-19, spans about 30 city blocks with approximately 1,000 artists participating. 

Frances Todoro-Hargreaves, interim executive director of the Ann Arbor Art Fair, joined The Metro on Monday to discuss the history of the event and what to expect this year. Brian Delozier, one of the featured artists at this year’s fair, also joined the program.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Jensen McRae joins us in the studio for songs from her second release, “I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!” Starting her career just before the pandemic, Jensen is now reflecting on life and love in her late 20s.

Also featured, some songs from the COVID Summer of 2020, and in-studio archives from The Head & The Heart in 2013, Nilufer Yanya in 2018 and Kathleen Edwards in 2002!

See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Acoustic Café Playlist for June 29, 2025

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “Back At The Start” – Patty Griffin
• “Fly” – Patty Griffin
• “Sioux Falls” – Wild Horses
• “The Darkness Gets The Best Of You” – The Devil Makes Three
• “Human Touch” – Kathleen Edwards
• “Mercury” – Kathleen Edwards (2003 in-studio performance)
• “Savannah” – Jensen McRae (in-studio guest)
• “Novelty” – Jensen McRae (in-studio guest)
• “My Darling My Dear” – Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’
• “Eggs In The Morning” – aron!
• “Punisher” – Phoebe Bridgers (June, 2020)
• “That’s The Way The World Goes Round” – Norah Jones (June 2020)
• “A Bus Ain’t A Home” – Luke Tyler Shelton
• “Living And Dying And In Between” – CAAMP
• “Rushmere” – Mumford & Sons
• “Butchered Tongue” – Hozier
• “Chase Me” – Nilufer Yanya (2022 in-studio performance)
• “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” – I’m With Her
• “Robin’s Egg” – Iron & Wine + I’m With Her
• “After The Setting Sun” – The Head And The Heart
• “Let’s Be Still” – “After The Setting Sun” – The Head And The Heart (2013 in-studio performance)
•  “Dopamine” – Jon Vinyl
• “Let Me Be Wrong” – Jensen McRae (in-studio guest)
• “Praying For Your Downfall” – Jensen McRae (in-studio guest)