AAA has integrated its roadside service with two popular navigation apps, Waze and Google Maps, to alert drivers when they’re approaching an auto club tow truck.

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The goal is to warn those using the navigation apps to slow down and move over when they see an emergency vehicle stopped ahead, as required by state law.

AAA spokesperson Adrienne Woodland says the alerts could save lives.

“Tragically, about two emergency responders are killed every month, and thats far too many deaths,” Woodland said. “They occur because drivers are either not paying attention or do not realize they’re approaching someone on the roadside.”

AAA responds to over 30 million calls for roadside assistance across the country, amounting to about one call every two seconds.

Woodland says if someone’s car or truck breaks down, they should stay inside the vehicle if it’s safe and wait for help to arrive.

The auto club expects a record number of people to travel over the holidays, predicting that more than 119 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday and New Year’s Day.

Reporting by Pat Batcheller, WDET News

Other headlines for Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024:

• The Michigan Muslim Community Council will continue its “Days of Ihsan” campaign on Dec. 25, partnering with local organizations to hand out holiday gifts and food to over 300 low-income Detroit families.
• Detroit’s homicide rates have dropped drastically again this year, with the Detroit Police Department reporting the city is on pace to break last year’s record of lowest homicides since 1966.
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill Monday that will extend the maximum length of time Michigan workers can receive unemployment insurance benefits by six weeks.
• Most city of Detroit offices will be closed beginning Christmas Eve for the holiday season and will reopen on Thursday, Jan. 2. Normal Police, fire and bus services will be provided.  Garbage, bulk and recycling will not be picked up on Christmas or New Year’s Day. Friday’s collection will take place on Saturday.  

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

Detroit unveiled the final designs for the first three Solar Neighborhoods on Thursday.

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Each neighborhood provided input on the landscaping for the solar fields in their area. Neighbors chose between trees, decorative fences, and whether to plant urban farms or wildflowers beneath the panels. 

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says community input on the design was the top priority. 

“We are not going forward unless each of these neighborhood associations signs off on a neighborhood agreement with the design of the solar fields that they want,” Duggan said. “This has been a neighbor driven project from the beginning.”

Construction for the fields is expected to begin in spring of 2025. 

 Other headlines for Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024:

• Detroit now has its very first rage room, where people can destroy objects like old electronics, glass, or furniture as a means of therapy for releasing pent-up anger or frustration. The business, called the Damage Zone, is a recipient of the city’s Motor City Match program.  
• A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by a Muslim worker against U.S. Steel can move forward. Jalal Muflihi says while working at the company’s Great Lakes location he faced harassment and retaliation and was denied access to training and advancement. U.S. Steel had asked the court to dismiss the charges, arguing there was not enough evidence. Muflihi, a Yemeni American, says coworkers called him a terrorist and a shoe bomber – and that management was aware of the harassment and took no action. He filed the suit in 2022.
• The Detroit Parks and Recreation Department is recruiting youth for its basketball and Olympic handball programs in the new year. The Get Bucketz Basketball program provides four weeks of fundamentals on basketball for 7-14 year olds. The program is $25 and will be held at the Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers Rd. Handball sessions will be held at the Tindal Activity Center at 10301 W & Mile Monday evenings starting Jan. 27. The department says handball is like combining soccer and basketball. The four-week program is for 8-12 year olds and costs $10. Register for both programs at dprdathletics.com. 

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

Visit Detroit published Detroit’s first Michelin Green Guide this week, highlighting the city’s top cultural attractions.

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Detroit is the 10th U.S. city to get a designated Michelin Green Guide. The guide will spotlight the city’s best visitor experiences from art and culture to architecture, music, neighborhoods and more.

The French manufacturer, which also rates restaurants and hotels, gave the Detroit Institute of Arts its highest honor — three stars. That puts the DIA on par with the Louvre in Paris. Michelin’s Philippe Orain says Detroit is a great city with a great history.

“It’s a very rich destination, and you can spend more than four days when you travel to Detroit. So that means that the city deserves a guidebook,” Orain said.

Michelin also awarded three stars to the Henry Ford Museum, Cranbrook, and the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit. The Green Guide is printed in French, but an English version will be available soon.

Other headlines for Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024:

• The city of Detroit declared a cold weather health emergency this week and is opening library branches and recreation centers as warming centers to help residents get respite from the cold. 
• People of Palmer Park  are looking for volunteers for their free WinterFest Multicultural Holiday Celebration this Sunday, Dec. 15.
• The Livernois Winter Festival is happening this Saturday, Dec. 14. Lucania Lavish Couture is hosting the event to draw traffic to the Livernois Avenue of Fashion.
• Dearborn Heights named its first ever Arab American Muslim Police Chief. Deputy Chief Hussein Farhat will take the post of Interim Police Chief, effective Jan. 6. 

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

A new book released last month highlights various celebrities and their unique connects with the city of Detroit.

Titled “Motor City Famous: Celebrity Homes, Graves, and Little-known Locales,” the book from author Steve Platto features 113 lesser-known notable people with Detroit connections, from Lucille Ball and Robin Williams to Christie Brinkley and John Hughes.

Platto told WDET he had always had an interest in genealogy, history and celebrities. What started as a research project on his family history soon turned into a sort of scavenger hunt for celebrity connections to the city of Detroit.

“I was watching this Robin Williams documentary called ‘Come Inside My Mind,’ and in it, it had mentioned that he had gone to [Detroit] Country Day,” he said.

After some digging around online, Platto came across the Bloomfield Historical Society, which listed a 40-room mansion on the corner of Opdyke and Woodward in Bloomfield Hills. It was originally owned by a man named Theodore McManus, and after a few sales, was purchased by Robin Williams’ family.

Platto found out that unfortunately the home burned down some time in the ’80s, so he couldn’t visit, but some piece of the home remained.

”If you were to go there, there’s a stone wall that goes all around that corner of Opdyke and Woodward, and that was the original stone wall that surrounded the house when it was first built,” he said.

Platto posted this information on his Facebook page and garnered a bunch of interest. So, he went looking for more celebrities. Fans of his posts suggested he turn his findings into a book. And so, he did.

“It just kind of snowballed, and before I knew it, I had like…113 different people that came out of Detroit.”

The book includes well-known connections like Eminem, Stevie Wonder, and Tim Allen. But also some more obscure connections, like Jack Kerouac.

Platto said he wanted the book to be more than just a list of names and addresses.

“I wanted to actually track down what that tie was, where that house was, what the address was, any little back story that had to do with the tie to Detroit. So kind of putting on the Sherlock Holmes hat and finding out all these different things was really kind of the fun part of it,” he said.

Not every discovery made it into the book, however.

“There was a couple, actually, that I found out about after the manuscript was turned in,” Platto said. “I found out Snoop Dogg lived here for a couple of years in 1986 and 1987 and he worked the breakfast shift over at the McDonald’s over on Greenfield and Eight Mile.”

Platto will be signing books at Dearborn Music from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Use the media player above to hear the full interview. 

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover a new online dashboard for residents to track complaints against Detroit police; a Detroit-based meat company launching a national ground beef recall due to possible E. coli contamination and more.

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New dashboard aims to improve Detroit police oversight

The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners launched a new online dashboard this week to track citizen complaints against police in the city. The Detroit Free Press reports the dashboard will provide data including the number of open and closed complaints, type of complaints and the number of allegations attached to each incident, as well as the race and gender of the police officer and those who filed the complaint against them. The dashboard can be found on the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners website. 

Book highlights celebrity connections to Detroit

A new book highlighting various celebrities and their unique connects with the city of Detroit came out this month. In the book, titled “Motor City Famous: Celebrity Homes, Graves, and Little-Known Locales,” the author Steve Platto lists various celebrities with known ties to the city like Joe Louis, Stevie Wonder, and Eminem. He also highlights some new connections like Lucille Ball, Tony Hawk and Iggy Pop. Platto will be hosting a book signing from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, at Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, and at Paperback Writers & Weirdsville Records in Mount Clemens from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Detroit company recalls ground beef for E. coli risk

Approximately 168,000 pounds of ground beef products from a Detroit-based meat company are being recalled due to possible E. coli contamination. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Wolverine Packing Co. recalled both fresh and frozen products that were shipped to restaurant locations nationwide. The affected fresh products have a “use by” date of Nov. 14, 2024 and the frozen products are labeled with a production date of Oct. 22, 2024. 10 22 24. All the products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 2574B” inside the USDA mark of inspection. For more information visit fsis.usda.gov.

Hope for the Holidays at Second Ebenezer Church  

The Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit is hosting a turkey giveaway for its 10th annual Hope for the Holidays event. Distribution will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at the church, located at 14601 Dequindre Rd, Detroit. The church will also host a food distribution event from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 6602 Walton in Detroit. 

Detroit Trivia Night

The city of Detroit Youth Affairs Team is hosting Detroit Trivia Night at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, with the city’s historian Jamon Jordan. Participants can test their knowledge of the history of Detroit. The event will take place at the Jospeh Walker Williams Recreations Center at 84331 Rosa Parks Blvd. 

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

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Thursday that more than 300 locations across the state now have free contraception resources available through the “Take Control of Your Birth Control” program.

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Resources include over-the-counter birth control pills, emergency contraception, condoms, and family planning educational resources. Participating locations include community partners, local health departments, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) offices, and federally qualified health centers in every county of the state.

Michigan families are encouraged to visit michigan.gov/takecontrol to find an interactive map of participating organizations and learn more about how to access these resources.

“The goal of this program is to ensure individuals, regardless of their circumstances, have access to tools that allow them to make their own decisions about their health and future,” saidDr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive, in a statement. “We want to make sure individuals who need and want these tools can easily obtain them. This campaign reflects the state’s ongoing commitment to ensuring equitable access to reproductive health services.”

Visit Michigan.gov/takecontrol for more information and to find participating locations near you.

Other headlines for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024:

• Detroit will host a “reverse vending machine” in Campus Martius this holiday season through Dec. 8. The Giving Machine allows people to donate items to people worldwide and in the Detroit area. Visitors can donate a variety of items including clothing, hygiene items, meals, livestock and more.
• Detroit City Council members Latisha Johnson and Gabriella Santiago-Romero are hosting their quarterly meeting with the equitable development task force at 5:30 p.m. next Thursday, Nov. 21 via Zoom. The meeting will cover what the task force has been doing to address the needs of underserved Detroit neighborhoods. Reach out to either councilmember Johnson’s or Santiago-Romero’s offices to get more information on how to attend.
• The Detroit Justice Center is hosting a free community screening of “Coldwater Kitchen,” a film that highlights the culinary training program for incarcerated residents at Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan. The film follows chef Jimmy Lee Hill and three of his students as they navigate the challenges of incarceration and reentry. Dinner will be catered by Chef Dink of Coldwater Kitchen and the Green Mile Grille. The free event will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 at the LOVE building, 4731 Grand River Ave., Detroit.

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

A new “experiential entertainment” venue is coming to downtown Detroit.

Real estate firm Bedrock has partnered with Cosm to offer a “shared reality” venue to create a brand new way for Detroiters to experience sports, music and art.

The venue will feature an expansive 12K resolution dome screen — 87 feet in diameter — immersing fans in a shared virtual reality that simulates them being courtside, pitch-side, or in the front row of a concert at famous destinations.

Detroit will be the company’s fourth location, said Jeb Terry, president and CEO of Cosm.

“Detroit is a city with passionate, diverse fan bases,” he said. “When you experience the energy downtown, it’s clear that Detroit is the ideal location for our Midwest anchor.”

Cosm aims to provide a range of price points to make the venue accessible to all, ensuring it becomes a go-to destination for Detroiters. VIP experiences will be offered with amenities such as in-seat food service and exclusive views.

The new venue will be part of a multi-level market hall district by Bedrock, designed to bring 24/7 entertainment to Detroit. Cosm promises daily programming that spans live sports, music events, immersive art and more.

Cosm is expected to open in 2026.

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover a historic new bakery, a new way to pay taxes, the start of the holiday season and more.

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Filipino bakery opens in New Center

Detroit’s first and only Filipino bakery celebrated their grand opening on Thursday. JP Makes and Bakes is in New Center on Woodward and Grand Boulevard.

Owner and pastry chef Jonathan Peregrino is a first-generation Filipino American. He says in the short month he’s been open, he’s already received many thanks from the community for bringing Filipino and Asian cuisine into the city.

“There are no Filipino bakeries,” he said. “I personally was driving to Chicago or Toronto to get the Filipino baked goods that I missed that were plentiful in California and Seattle.”

Peregrino received a $60,000 grant from Motor City Match to expand his bakery.

Filipinos are Michigan’s fourth largest Asian American ethnic group, with over 41,000 residents.

City to accept cryptocurrency

Detroit residents will soon have the option to pay taxes and other city fees using cryptocurrency through the service PayPal. The payment option will become available in mid-2025 along with additional improvements to the city payment services.

The city is also looking for blockchain entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas for innovative blockchain applications that can enhance transparency, improve data security and streamline public services.

Only three US states — Colorado, Utah and Louisianna — accept cryptocurrency for state payments. Detroit would become the largest US city to offer this option.

DTW opens sensory-friendly room

The Wayne County Metro Airport in partnership with Delta Airlines unveiled a new multi-sensory room today. The room is designed to provide a calm, supportive and safe environment for those with sensory sensitivities and cognitive disabilities.

The room features calming colors, sounds and activities, such as a tactile toys for children and a bubbling water sculpture. The room is located in the McNamara Terminal across from Gate 36.

Detroit’s Christmas tree arrives

Crews placed Detroit’s Christmas tree in the heart of Campus Martius this week. The 66-foot-tall tree comes from Manton, a small town in northern Michigan’s Wexford County.

The tree will be adorned with 25,000 LED lights and sparkling bulbs on Nov. 22 during the city’s lighting ceremony from 4–9 p.m. The ceremony will feature hot chocolate, giveaways, food trucks, shopping and a visit from Santa. 

Upcoming environmental events

The Environmental Interpretive Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn is hosting a series of events in November:

• Thursday, Nov. 14: Nature Photography Walk. Participants are asked to bring their own cameras and accessories. Photos taken on the walk may be featured in a photography showcase in April.
• Tuesday, Nov. 19: Nature Walk for Mental Health. Includes brief guided meditations and a raffle.
• Friday, Nov. 22: An Evening Owl Prowl with the Naturalists. Participants will listen for owls on the walk, followed by a short presentation.

For more information, visit umdearborn.edu.

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

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover decreasing crime in the city of Detroit, Michigan doctors reducing maternal mortality rates and more.

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Crime is down in Detroit

Detroit and federal officials are highlighting the use of American Rescue Plan Act funding in decreasing crime in the city. Mayor Mike Duggan said that investing the money into things like helicopters and freeway cameras have helped reduce drag racing and highway shootings. 

White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden received a tour of Detroit helicopters, scout cars and the Real Time Crime Center on Tuesday. She says she was excited to see Detroit use the ARPA funds in strategic ways. 

“We were really encouraging states and localities and cities to use those dollars for investments to keep people safe,” Tanden said. “And many communities did that, but Detroit has really led the way in effectively using those dollars.” 

Since 2021, Detroit has seen a 30 percent reduction in homicides. 

New program to improve maternal health

A group of Michigan’s top maternal health doctors asked themselves a big question: what’s the best way to reduce the state’s maternal and infant mortality rates? Their answer is a new program that will be open to all pregnant women in Michigan. It’s called SOS Maternity. 

Doctor Sonia Hassan of Wayne State’s maternal-fetal medicine department helped lead the effort. She says the program will provide standardized maternal health interventions across many of Michigan’s top health care providers. But she says it will also tackle other frequent barriers to care like the lack of transportation. 

“(Transportation) is the leading cause of women not able to come to the hospital or to the clinic for their visits. It’s a real struggle for a lot of people. So we will offer that to everyone.” 

Dr. Hassan says each SOS Maternity participant will also get a “patient navigator” to help manage all aspects of their care. 

Rides to the polls

A group of nonpartisan groups are offering discounted and free rides to the polls for residents. This comes after a ban on hiring transportation to polling locations was lifted in October last year.

• Ride share company Lyft is offering 50 percent off one ride to or from the polls with the code VOTE24.
• The Detroit Bus Company is offering free rides on its buses, and with volunteers in their own cars in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck.
• The SMART bus system will offer free rides all day on Nov. 5.
• The Detroit Almunae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is also offering free transportation services during the early voting period and on Election Day.

For a complete list of organizations offering rides, visit MichiganVoting.org. 

Detroit poet releases new book

A new book takes traditional nursery rhymes and reinterprets them to address issues affecting black communities. Poems like “One, two buckle my shoe” are reimagined as “One, Two, No Sudden Moves.”

The poems tackle themes of racial violence, activism and social justice. The book, titled “One, Two, No Sudden Moves,” was written by Detroiter Rhonda Greene. A free book launch and exhibition will be held Thursday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Northwest Gallery of Arts in Detroit. The event will feature a live reading, and a chance to meet the artists who provided illustrations for the book. 

Diwali in Detroit

Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, begins today! The annual festival symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. There are a number of events happening across metro Detroit to celebrate, including a fireworks show in West Bloomfield at the Sri Balaji Temple at 3325 Middlebelt Road at 6:00 pm. 

WDET’s Nargis Rahman contributed to this report.

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

Michigan is anticipated to play a critical role in the upcoming presidential election, and the state’s 12th Congressional District could significantly impact voter margins.

The district — encompassing portions of Detroit, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Southfield and more — is known to be heavily Democratic, with a large Middle Eastern population. It’s current representative is incumbent U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who’s been very vocal about the government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. She’s even called for a ceasefire and arms embargo.

Political analyst Dale Thomson, from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, says while Tlaib has not endorsed a candidate, her position could influence voter turnout.

“We’re looking at small margins of victory in the state of Michigan. Most likely for the… for whoever wins the president. And so every vote you can get matters,” Thomson said.

Tlaib headed a campaign to vote “uncommitted” during the primary in protest of the Biden administration’s continued support of Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

Thomson adds that if a significant amount of Tlaib’s constituents stick to staying uncommitted, or decide to vote for another candidate other than Harris, that could pose a problem in terms of margins of victory.

“In a heavily Democratic district, the Democrats want to turn out as many of those voters as possible so that they can overcome margins in the opposite direction in heavily Republican districts,” Thomson said.

Tlaib is running for reelection of her seat in the 12th District against Republican challenger James Hooper. He’s a political newcomer, whose rhetoric is very similar to presidential candidate Donald Trump’s, Thomson says.

“He is the sort of, what we might classify as an election denier,” Thomson said. “He’s very much focused on Second Amendment rights of pro-life. He advocates for abolishing the Department of Education.”

With Michigan expected to come down to a narrow margin, turnout in the 12th District could have a broader impact beyond the congressional seat, making it one to watch in the run-up to Election Day.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues.

The general election is taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. For the latest election information, visit WDET’s Voter Guide at wdet.org/voterguide.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is still on schedule to replace thousands of lead service lines by the end of the year.

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DWSD is using an artificial intelligence learning tool from BlueConduit that predicts the location of lead service lines in the city.

The department was in Pingree Park this week — a neighborhood the tool predicts has at least 70 lead lines.

Director Gary Brown says the software helps them choose which areas they should hit first to make the most impact.

“This is a neighborhood with a lot of kids. It’s a a disadvantaged community,” Brown said. “Economically, it has been ignored for a long time. So this is why we’re here and not in Rosedale Park or Palmer Woods or Sherwood Forest.”

The department is on track to replace 10,000 lines by the end of 2024.

Other headlines for Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024:

• Dearborn’s Public Health Department is working with the University of Michigan’s Environmental Law and Sustainability Clinic to review the city’s environmental policies.
• Detroit Homeowners have until Nov. 1 to apply for property tax assistance to avoid risk of foreclosure. The 2024 HOPE application deadline was moved from early December to November to give the city of Detroit Property Assessment Board time to reach applicants with incomplete submissions so they can ensure they have a fair chance at receiving the benefit. The last Healthy Home Resource Fair where residents can receive on-site HOPE application assistance is 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Perfecting Church on Detroit’s east side.
• Daybreaker and Civic Responsibility Project are hosting a dance party in New Center Park this Saturday to “get out the vote” this election season. Called the “Purple Tour,” the event will feature special guests Wanda Sykes, NFL star Tyrann Mathieu, Anthony Ramos, Dancing with the Stars Julianna Hough and more.  

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

There’s a new mental health center located inside the Islamic Center of Detroit.

ICD held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday for its faith-based My Mental Wellness center, which is open to all.

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It’s believed to be the first mental health center inside a mosque in the U.S. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says ICD has come a long way from its humble beginnings.

“ICD is now the center of this community, and I’ve been here for food programs. I’ve been here for youth programs, been here for recreation programs, and now opening of a mental health clinic is going to serve the whole community,” he said. “It’s just a terrific day for Detroit.”

The clinic provides free on-site and virtual therapy and counseling sessions, as well as ASL services, career coaching, annual health fairs, and initiatives for the special needs community.

My Mental Wellness has served 200 people so far. ICD hopes to add additional health care services for the community in the near future.

For more information, visit mymentalwellnessicd.org.

Reporting by Nargis Rahman, WDET

Other headlines for Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024:

• Detroit is looking for a new top cop. Police Chief James White is set to become the CEO and president of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network after the group’s board of directors voted to appoint him to the role at their meeting on Wednesday.
• The Michigan Education Justice Coalition Youth Collective is hosting its second virtual statewide candidate forum on Monday, Oct. 21, called Student Strong.
• Six local Black tech founders have been awarded a total of $120,000 in grants from the “Community Regrant” program from Black Tech Saturdays and Rocket Community Fund. Each recipient received $20,000 for projects that will help bridge the digital divide in the city of Detroit.
• The Wayne County Treasurer’s Office and the city of Detroit are hosting a foreclosure prevention seminar for seniors and individuals with disabilities on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Perfecting Church, 7616 Nevada Ave., Detroit. Call 313-244-0274 to schedule an appointment and Lyft Service to the event. 

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

On this episode of the Detroit Evening Report, we cover a new grant program in Dearborn to help homeowners fund front porch and step repairs; the groundbreaking of Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament’s new Holy Paws Dog Park and more.

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Dearborn offering free front porch repairs

The city of Dearborn is offering free front porch and step replacement to some residents. The program is funded by federal grants through the end of October. To be eligible, the property must be an owner-occupied, single-family home with a valid certificate of occupancy. Applicants must have lived in the home for at least one year. If you do not have a valid certificate of occupancy, you must have lived in the home for at least five years. Applicants must also be up to date on property taxes, utilities, water bills and insurance. For more information, visit Dearborn.gov. 

Public meeting on prescription costs under Michigan Medicaid plans

Michigan residents are invited to take part in a virtual meeting about prescription drugs covered under Michigan’s Medicaid health plans. The meeting will be hosted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) with the purpose of allowing the public, stakeholders and other interested parties to comment on the list of prescriptions and associated costs. The meeting will take place from 9:30 a.m.-noon on Monday, Oct. 14, via Zoom.  Those unable to attend can submit questions via email to MDHHSCommonFormulary@michigan.gov by Oct. 9, 2024.

State dedicates funds to address teacher shortage

More than 160 school districts in Michigan are receiving $175 million dollars in grants to help address the teacher shortage. The money comes from the Michigan Department of Education and will go toward the state’s Grow Your Own Initiative. The initiative helps increase the number of certified teachers in areas of shortage. Each district receiving an award is partnering with one or more state approved preparation providers such as colleges. Detroit Community Schools, Dearborn City School District and Eastpointe City Schools are among the local districts receiving funds.

Create crocheted creatures at Parker Avenue Knits

Parker Avenue Knits is hosting an Amigurumi Workshop this month. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of creating small knitted or crocheted creatures. The workshop will be held over two days: Oct. 12 and 26. The shop says beginners are welcome. The cost is $30. For more information visit parkeravenueknits.com.

Holy Paws Dog Park breaks ground

The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament has broken ground on their new Holy Paws Dog Park. The park is a collaboration between the church, the City of Detroit Beautification program, and neighbors. The church is hosting a pet blessing at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6 at the park, located on the corner of John R and Belmont. Blessings and other treats will be passed out as well as St. Francis Holy Cards and a gift card drawing. 

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

Libbi Urban, a former maintenance electrician, is running as a Democrat for Michigan’s 5th Congressional District. Urban spent 31 years in the steel industry and believes her experience as a union representative qualifies her to bring meaningful change to the district.

“For 15 years, I was an elected official for our United Steelworkers local,” said Urban. “I helped negotiate better pay, healthcare benefits, pension increases, and retiree healthcare for over 100,000 people. If I could represent that many people, I thought I could do that for our district as well.”

Listen: Democrat Libbi Urban aims to flip Michigan’s 5th Congressional District seat

Urban’s platform focuses on addressing the rising cost of living, safeguarding Social Security and Medicare, and protecting healthcare freedoms. She said that these issues resonate deeply with voters.

“The cost of food, gas and housing is a big one,” she said. “We want to cut high prices and corporate greed. People shouldn’t have to decide whether to buy their prescriptions or feed their family.”

Urban also took aim at her opponent — Republican Rep. Tim Wahlberg who currently holds the seat — claiming that while he talks about similar issues, his voting record tells a different story.

“He’s voted against all of these issues at one time or another during his legislative career,” Urban explained. “I listened to the people I represented in the union, and I plan to do the same across this district. I’ll take their concerns to Washington and fight for them.”

Urban also wants to protect family farms, and ensure they stay in the family. It’s an issue that hits close to home for her.

“My grandfather had a couple of farms, and we had to sell them because of inheritance taxes. It was devastating to us,” she said. “I want to make it easier for younger people to afford land and get into farming.”

Despite the 5th Congressional District being heavily Republican, Urban remains confident.

“I would have never put my name on the ballot if I didn’t believe I was going to win,” she said. “The people in the 5th District want change, and I am that change.”

On this episode of the Detroit Evening Report, we discuss recent honors given to the city of Detroit for two “blight to beauty” projects in the city; a new tentative deal between UAW and Ford for Tool and Dye workers at the automaker’s River Rouge complex and more.

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

From blight to beauty

The city of Detroit has received multiple awards for excellence in design for two “blight to beauty” projects — the new Jason Hargrove Transit Center and the redesign of Roosevelt Park in front of the Michigan Central Station. Roosevelt Park received the 2024 President’s award from Keep Michigan Beautiful. And the Hargrove Transit Center received the Best Regional Project from the Engineering News Record.

UAW, Ford make tentative deal 

UAW Local 600’s Tool and Die unit at Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge plant has reached a tentative agreement with the automaker. The union announced Thursday that it secured a deal that will strengthen job security by protecting against the impacts of advancements in 3D printing. The deal also eliminates a wage disparity for skilled trades. Roughly 500 UAW members still need to vote to ratify the deal, which if approved, could set a new standard for skilled trades at Ford, the union said.

“The members at the Rouge Complex understand the power of strength in numbers,” said UAW Vice President Chuck Browning in a statement. “They stuck together and showed Ford that they were willing to stand up if necessary to win what they deserve.”

Detroit Fire hosts leadership roundtable

The Detroit Fire Department held a Fire Leadership Roundtable for departments across metro Detroit and Windsor. The event was designed to build partnerships, discuss best practices and encourage training collaborations and resource sharing between departments. Detroit Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms says the event opened up lines of communication between fire and emergency response departments and helped build strong relationships.

Detroit/Metro Black Tech Talent Survey results

The Detroit Regional Chamber  and Mich Auto are hosting a virtual event at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, to unveil the findings from the Detroit/Metro Black Tech Talent survey conducted this fall. The survey assessed the recruitment and retention of Black tech talent in the city. The chamber will share the results of the survey and moderate a panel of industry leaders and innovators to discuss strategies for building a more inclusive tech ecosystem. Visit the Detroit Regional Chamber website for more information and to register.

‘Girls in the Graveyard’ at Elmwood Cemetery

The Outlier Collective is hosting “Girls in the Graveyard” a celebration of Detroit women at Elmwood Cemetery, on Saturday, Oct. 19. Guests will experience a guided tour of the women buried at the cemetery with Elmwood’s Director of Education Amy Elliot Bragg, followed by treats provided by Sister Pie. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased in advance at Eventbrite.

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

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan will assume control of Detroit’s QLINE service this month.

Since construction of the railway began in 2014, the plan has always been to eventually transition it from the nonprofit M-1 Rail to a public entity, according to RTA Executive Director Ben Stupka.

“And when the RTA was established around the same time, it was always kind of thought and planned that the RTA would be that entity,” Stupka said.

This change opens the service to new sources of state and federal funding.

“As a government entity, the QLINE is now eligible for state and federal transit funding, which will help stabilize operations moving forward,” Stupka said.

QLINE riders will not see significant changes in service. Fares will remain free and hours will remain the same. The only visible update may be the addition of the RTA logo on streetcars.

Stupka added there are no immediate plans for expansion. “Our focus remains on delivering efficient service, but we are committed to exploring future options,” Stupka said.

Ridership has increased more than 25% this year over 2023, with over one million riders last year.

The RTA also operates the Dax Airport Express and D2A2 Ann Arbor Express as part of its growing portfolio of transit services for Southeast Michigan.

A recent University of Michigan study has found that Black Americans experiencing stroke symptoms arrive at hospitals nearly 30 minutes later than their white counterparts.

This delay significantly impacts their access to timely, life-saving stroke treatments, which are only effective within a short time frame after symptoms appear.

Emergency medical services (EMS) were also less likely to notify hospitals of these patients’ conditions ahead of time, further contributing to delays in care, according to the study. These disparities were most prominent in counties with higher poverty rates, lower educational attainment, and limited access to transportation.

Regina Royan, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at U-M and one of the study’s lead researchers, said that equitable health care should extend beyond the hospital setting.

“What we’re trying to draw attention to is that we need to be thinking about before the patient even arrives at the hospital,” Royan said. “We need to make sure that from the minute they call 911 or even earlier, from the minute symptoms start, that stroke care is equitable.”

Royan said the therapies available for stroke are highly effective  — but only for a limited time after symptoms begin, making quick arrival at the hospital crucial for positive outcomes.

“There has been significant effort to make health care equitable inside hospitals, but it’s time to bring those efforts outside the hospital as well.”

– Regina Royan, assistant professor of emergency medicine, University of Michigan

The study highlights the need for greater public education around recognizing stroke symptoms — such as facial drooping, difficulty speaking and weakness in one side of the body — and the importance of calling 911 immediately. Royan also called for increased attention and resources to improve pre-hospital stroke care in underserved communities.

“There has been significant effort to make health care equitable inside hospitals, but it’s time to bring those efforts outside the hospital as well,” Royan said.

The research underscores the importance of addressing disparities in pre-hospital stroke care to ensure that all patients, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, have equal access to timely, effective treatment.

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Royan.

The landscape of voting in Michigan has evolved significantly, with expanded early in-person voting, enhanced absentee ballot tracking, and permanent absentee ballot registration now available.

As voters prepare to head to the polls again in November, a new monument in Detroit commemorates the long journey toward voting rights for all.

The dedication ceremony for the Civil Rights Monument took place at Viola Liuzzo Playground, located at the corner of Winthrop and Trojan on Detroit’s west side. The monument honors Viola Liuzzo, a Detroit woman inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who traveled to Alabama to participate in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. Tragically, Liuzzo was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Lowndes County. Before her departure, she asked her friend, Sarah Evans, to care for her five children if anything happened to her—a promise that Evans kept.

The monument features images of Liuzzo and Evans with the inscription “Sisters in life…Sisters in struggle,” and on the opposite side, it lists the names of Detroiters who answered Dr. King’s call to support the Selma marches, including notable figures like Rosa Parks and John Lewis.

Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge, a civil rights activist and historian, described the monument as a “teaching monument,” intended to educate the public about the events of 1965.

Collette Mezza, also a member of the Viola Liuzzo Park Association, emphasized the significance of each name on the monument.

“They each have their own remarkable story, and what inspired them to go down to Selma in 1965, and many of them are still alive and many of them continue their activism like Dorothy,” Mezza said.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who attended the ceremony, said everyone today has an opportunity to continue the fight for voting rights.

“Let us all recommit to continuing on that legacy as a new generation of foot soldiers who are marching forward for democracy teaching about the past and being clear-eyed about the present challenges and the work we must do to preserve that sacred promise of democracy for everyone.”

The event concluded with a ceremonial march around the park, echoing the marches of 1965 and honoring those who fought for voting rights.

Henry Ford Health has broken ground on its $2.2 billion hospital expansion — the largest health care investment in Detroit’s history.

The new hospital facility will span over one million square feet on West Grand Boulevard and include more than 400 private patient rooms. The expansion will also feature a 75,000-square-foot emergency room — more than double the size of the current ER, along with 28 state-of-the-art operating rooms.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan hailed the project as a rebirth of health care in the city.

“For most of my life, the hospital systems have bailed on Detroit and put their investments in the suburbs,” said Duggan. “Today, we are seeing one of the finest hospitals anywhere in America being built here in the city of Detroit.”

The 20-story patient tower will house Shirley Ryan AbilityLab on the top three floors, providing neurorehabilitation services. This partnership, funded in part by Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Rocket Companies, is a personal endeavor for Gilbert, who credited the Chicago-based facility with aiding his recovery after a stroke in 2019.

“When I had a stroke back in 2019, my life changed dramatically, but thanks to the support of family, doctors, therapists and staff at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, I began my rehab journey with strength, confidence and optimism,” Gilbert said.

To further support the community, the Gilbert Family Foundation has pledged $10 million to assist Detroit residents with limited or no insurance coverage for rehabilitation services.

Henry Ford Health’s President and CEO, Bob Riney, emphasized the expansion’s significance, stating, “We are setting the stage for Detroit to become the national, academic, medical headquarters.”

The hospital campus expansion will also include an 185,000-square-foot shared services building, a 1,500-space parking structure, and a 46,000-square-foot Central Energy Hub. The new development will eliminate the need for natural gas, reducing pollution and promoting a healthier environment.

The expansion is part of a broader community-driven initiative to transform the New Center neighborhood into a vibrant, walkable district. In partnership with Michigan State University and the Detroit Pistons, the development will include mixed-use residential buildings, green spaces and recreational areas.

The project is expected to open in 2029.