A recent report from the state health department says big federal spending cuts threaten Medicaid benefits for 700,000 people in Michigan.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order in April asking the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to conduct a study into how Medicaid cuts would affect Michiganders.

The report found that Michigan could lose $1.1 billion dollars a year in funding. Michigan hospitals could also lose billions of dollars, resulting in  hundreds of millions less for nursing homes.

“Medicaid provides a lifeline to 2.6 million Michiganders, and the huge, proposed cuts will terminate coverage for our neighbors, family, and friends who need it most,” said Whitmer in a statement.

Republican leaders say Medicaid is off the table, but many budget experts say GOP spending targets can’t be met without touching health care. 

Other headlines for Wednesday, May 7, 2025:

• The United Auto Workers union held rallies in Trenton and Warren this week to demand Stellantis move production work to the U.S., and Michigan in particular.
• Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero says she is certified to appear on the August primary ballot. The city elections department disqualified her over a late fee it said she failed to pay.
  Santiago-Romero contested the penalty, saying she did pay it, and that her disqualification was due to a clerical error.
• Construction crews have begun building the Detroit Grand Prix racetrack around the Renaissance Center. Race organizers say it’ll take about a week less to set up for the race this year thanks to a new wall and fence design. The races runs May 30 through June 15.

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

On this episode of Detroit Evening Report Weekends, we listen to the first story in WDET reporter Nargis Rahman’s series Shustho.

The four-part series explores the barriers Bangladeshi women face in accessing high quality health care, and efforts to bridge those gaps.

Michigan is home to the third largest population of Bangladeshis in the U.S., most living in the metro Detroit area.

Throughout the Shustho series, Nargis explores a number of challenges that make it hard for Bangladeshi immigrants to access health care, including cultural competency within the medical profession and access to adequate insurance.

The first story is focused on language barriers. Nargis speaks with organizations advocating for Bangla-speaking patients, community members who serve as advocates, translators and educators and medical professionals working to increase awareness.

Stay tuned to DER Weekends to hear the entire four-part series in May.

Listen to the episode using the media player above.

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A gathering on the Belle Isle Bridge this weekend is aimed at combatting violence against Black women.

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The “Black Men Unite to Fight Against Our Women and Girls” campaign is being organized in response to recent cases of violent attacks on Black women.

Minister Troy Muhammad is one of the organizers of the event. He says the Belle Isle Bridge was chosen as the campaign launch site in remembrance of Deletha Word, who was beaten by a man on the bridge after a traffic accident in 1995. Word died after either jumping from the bridge to flee the man or being thrown from the bridge.

The group plans to offer conflict resolution and domestic violence prevention classes and produce billboards and public service announcements in the future.

Each man in attendance will be asked to be responsible for five other men. Men will gather at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, on the island side of the bridge. 

Other headlines for Friday, May 2, 2025:

• Cinco de Mayo is on Monday but Detroit will celebrate Sunday with the 60th annual Cinco de Mayo Parade in Southwest Detroit. The parade begins at noon at Patton Park and will end at Clark Park. 
• As the Cinco de Mayo Parade winds down Sunday, the Blessing of the Low Riders revs up at the Motor City Dance Academy. The annual event showcasing lowrider cars and bikes will take place from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, and feature live music and dance performances, food and art vendors, and the blessing of vehicles. 
• Jazz vocalist Penny Wells will perform at the Detroit Historical Society’s Jazz in the Streets of Old Detroit series next Thursday, May 8. Proceeds from the event help support the work of the Black Historic Sites Committee.  

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

The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills is offering free admission on Thursday in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, also known as Yom HaShoah.

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Each year on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the museum invites the community to take part in “Unto Every Person There Is a Name,” an international memorial project that pays tribute to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust by reading their names aloud.

Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Holocaust Center

“There are millions of names that have been collected over the years of those who were murdered in the Holocaust,” said Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Zekelman Holocaust Center. “Over the course of the day, we’ll read, really only a couple 1,000. I mean, it takes to read, you know, six million names would take a year more.”

The Holocaust Center will also host remembrance events on Sunday, April 27, including a commemoration attended by Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans, featuring candle lighting, poetry and prayers.

For more information about upcoming remembrance events, visit holocaustcenter.org/events.

Other headlines for Tuesday, April 22, 2025:

• The Detroit Department of Transportation announced Monday that it is expanding services including increasing frequency of buses on 13 routes and expanding weekend hours on 17 routes.
• Detroit’s Southeastern High School has been named one of three winners of the SME Education Foundation Bright Minds Student Summit, alongside Lincoln Senior High School in Ypsilanti and Hazel Park’s Roosevelt INVEST High School. 
• Tiff Massey’s “7 Mile and Livernois” exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts closes in just a few weeks. On May 9, the museum will host “7 Mile and Livernois After Dark,”a closing celebration featuring live performances from DJs KESSWA and Donavan Glover. 

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

Former State lawmaker Adam Hollier is running for Congress again, challenging incumbent Shri Thanedar in next year’s Democratic primary election.

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This is the third time the Detroit Democrat has run against Thanedar for the 13th Congressional District seat, which includes portions of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park and Grosse Pointe.

“I’m going to earn your support because people making decisions for our community should be a part of our community. I have a lot to say about where our representatives should be doing to actually improve our lives, building more homes, getting a break on childcare, and finally, a tax cut for real people, not the millionaires and certainly not the billionaires,” he said in his announcement Monday on social media.

Hollier filed to run against Thanedar last year and had many big-name supporters. But he failed to file enough valid petition signatures to get on the ballot.

“We screwed up — [I] trusted someone I shouldn’t have to help get our campaign on the ballot. The end result was, I let people down,” Hollier said in his announcement. “…and I’m pissed about it.”

Hollier also ran in 2022 but finished behind Thanedar in that crowded primary race. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, April 15, 2025:

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week. She says the declaration is just one part of an effort to address the systemic disparities in health care that lead to higher risks of death for Black women during pregnancy and childbirth.
• Detroit’s young entrepreneurs are invited to a kickoff party on Wednesday at the Love Building for NextUp313. The program is run through City Council Member Mary Waters’ office and is focused on making residents between the ages of 18-30 aware of entrepreneurial opportunities, including small business development.
• The Detroit Historical Society is hosting the Honorable Robert L Wilkins for a talk about his 2016 book, “Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture.”  The free event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, April 19.
• Detroit’s District 3 residents are invited to a block club workshop focused on sharing skills to organize and run a block club at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, at the SAY Detroit Play Center, 19320 Van Dyke Ave. This week’s focus will be on preparing to participate in the Motor City Makeover. 

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

The federal government has terminated the visitor status of four international students at Wayne State University and several other universities throughout the state.

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WSU President, Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy, says the school discovered the move while checking its Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.

She says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not notify the university or the students before terminating their status. Espy says the school is working with those affected and is advising all international students and staff to consult visa and immigration resources.

Several universities across the country — including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, Saginaw Valley State University and Grand Valley State University — have also reported that immigration records were removed without notice.

Ari Harris, a spokesperson with CMU, told WCMU Public Media their affected students will have to re-apply for admittance or leave the country, as the university cannot reverse the terminations.

“This is of course, is very frightening for those students and the reasons that they were terminated are, are not always clear to them or to us,” she said, affirming that neither the university or the impacted students received notification of those status changes.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

–WCMU student reporter Blace Carpenter contributed to this report. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, April 8, 2025:

• Local police, state lawmakers and Detroit officials endorsed legislation to create a new public safety and violence prevention fund. The bipartisan bills would take a portion of sales tax revenue and let cities and counties use it to reduce violent crime. State House leaders say they plan to hold a vote on the bills next month. 
• The state is offering more than $18 million in grant funding to up to 25 agencies or organizations helping homeowners with weatherization and energy efficiency. 
• The city of Detroit’s Returning Citizens Task Force is hosting a Second Chance Employment & Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at the St. Suzanne CRC Resource Center, 19321 W Chicago St. The event promises attendees an opportunity to meet with employers who are hiring and connect returning citizens to career resources.
• People for Palmer Park is hosting a Doggie Health and Wellness Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. The team from the park’s Unleashed Dog Park and the Michigan Humane Vaccination Clinic will offer health checks, microchipping and low cost vaccinations, as well as free doggie goody bags, a buffet of dog treats, raffles and giveaways. 
• Palmer Park’s volunteer organization is also planning the “Trash and Treasure Hunt” to celebrate Earth Day later this month. Volunteers of all ages can do some forest clean up while searching for “Aziza Fairies.” There will also be live music, art installations and a chance to build a fairy door, bird house or butterfly art. 

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

The city of Detroit is inviting residents to take part in a series of “policy workshops” this month as part of its master plan for the future.

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Plan Detroit is three-phase planning process informed by resident feedback that is expected to conclude with implementation of the new collaborative policies by 2026.

According to the city, the Michigan planning enabling act (MPEA) recommends cities update their master plans every 10 years, and Detroit’s master plan has not been comprehensively updated since 2009.

The upcoming events are intended to provide an “interactive” opportunity to work with city planners to create practical policies that address real concerns for Detroiters.

Sessions will take place at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, and at 5:30 p.m. April 14-16.  All sessions will be held at the Joseph Walker Williams Community Center at 8431 Rosa Parks Blvd., Detroit. Topics will include Neighborhoods & Housing, Open Space & Environment, Arts & Culture; and Mobility & Jobs.

For more information and to register to attend, visit plandetroit.com. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, April 1, 2025:

• Detroit firefighters are trying to find out what caused an apartment building on the city’s west side to explode. The Detroit Fire Department is also apologizing for an emergency alert that went out to cellphones throughout metro Detroit around 6 a.m. Monday morning notifying people about the blast. 
• American Forests says its urban tree planting partnership in Detroit has helped add more than 25,000 trees to the city since 2021.
• Billionaire Dan Gilbert’s real estate empire is growing. Rocket Companies has acquired competitor Mr. Cooper Group Inc. in an all-stock deal worth about $9.5 billion. Last week, Rocket bought another competitor, Redfin, for roughly $1.7 billion.
• Gas prices rose sharply overnight, with AAA Michigan reporting drivers paid an average of $3.25 a gallon for regular unleaded — 10 cents more than yesterday.

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