This week on MichMash, host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben discuss bills introduced both in the Michigan House and Senate aimed at curbing distractions in the classroom by limiting cell phone use in class.

Also, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox stops by to talk about his motivation behind running for governor.

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

In this episode:

• Competing bills in the state Legislature to restrict cell phone use in schools
• Former Michigan AG Mike Cox joining the gubernatorial race
• Cox’s recent comments on X about Congressman John James

Lawmakers in Lansing are debating policies to help curb cell phone use by students during school time.

Both the state House and Senate are moving competing legislation to limit cell phone use in the classroom. The Senate bill passed 28-9 last week. In the House, a more restrictive bill advanced out of committee Wednesday that would prohibit cell phone use in schools based on grade level and other factors.

“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has called for the Legislature to act on this issue,” Roth said. “What the final versions of these bills look like and what she actually ends up signing — if anything — remains to be seen.”

Cox announced his candidacy for governor last month, joining Republicans U.S. Rep. John James, state Sen. Aric Nesbitt and former U.S. House candidate Anthony Hudson.

The former Attorney General — who served from 2003-2011 — previously ran for governor in 2010 but lost in the Republican primary. He says he was motivated to run again because “there’s a real hunger for leadership and change.”

“The Michigan that I grew up in, that my parents came to, has fallen behind so many other states,” Cox said. “Now my granddaughters in Hernando, Mississippi go to schools that perform better than the schools in my neighborhood in Livonia, Michigan. That’s a civil wrong, that’s immoral, and that’s absolutely wrong to our children and to the residents of our state.”

He also spoke to his growth in experience since he last ran for governor.

“Since then…I started my own business. I went from $400,000 in my first year in business to $30 million now in about 12 years,” he said. “It was fun and a lot of anxiety at first because I have never been in the private sector before. I think it really rounded me out as a candidate.”

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are seeking the Democratic nomination in the August primary. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is also running as an independent.  

The general election will be held Nov. 3, 2026.

–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

More from WDET:

• The Metro: Should cell phones be restricted in Michigan schools?
• Detroit Evening Report: Former Michigan AG Mike Cox announces bid for governor
• Rep. John James seeks GOP nomination for Michigan governor

For over 70 years, the Michigan Department of Education has annually selected a teacher of the year. The winner then serves as a representative and advocate for teachers across the state.

Last week, Cory Rosser  — an alternative education teacher at Quest High School in North Branch, Michigan  — was named the 2025-26 Teacher of the Year. Now in his 22nd year of teaching at Quest, Corey teaches social studies and Imagine Learning courses for students in grades 10-12.

Corey joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss the Teacher of the Year honor and his approach to creating an engaging environment for students in class.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

More stories from The Metro

Detroit Public School Community District is hosting its 56th annual “Evening of Fine Arts” at the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, highlighting students’ achievement in the arts over the past year. 

The annual event was created to give students an opportunity to perform on grand stages like the Fox Theatre, while showcasing their artistic ability and various arts disciplines offered by the district.

More than 700 middle and high school students will be performing this year, featuring everything from visual art and dance to music and theater.

Andrew McGuire, deputy director of performing arts at DPSCD, joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more about the event. He was joined by William Perkins, a junior vocal music major at the Detroit School of Arts, who spoke about the experience of performing at the Fox.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

More stories from The Metro

Michigan has now moved to universal blood lead testing for children under six years old through universal testing. 

Lead is a naturally occurring toxin that harms children, impacting their health and development.  

Angela Medina, care coordination section manager at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), said children can get assistance if they have elevated blood lead levels.

“Previous to universal testing, Michigan was considered a targeted testing state, meaning all children that are enrolled in Medicaid should be tested for lead at ages one and two, and all other children not enrolled in Medicaid should have a conversation, their parents should have a conversation with health care providers about certain risk factors to determine if they’re at risk for lead exposure, and if they are, then they should be tested,” she said.

However, now with universal testing, the requirement is now that physicians test all children at ages one and two, regardless of their insurance.

Children with elevated blood lead levels, at 3.5 micrograms per deciliter or higher, are eligible for MDHHS services and through other local health departments to lower the blood lead level.

That includes in-home nursing case management to educate families about nutrition and safe cleaning, and connecting with the lead Safe Home Program for an environmental investigation to identify the source of exposure to remove it, she explained.

The new changes expand the coverage for all children under 6 years old to get tested, including those on all insurance plans.

“The only way to know if you have an exposure to lead is to have your blood tested, and the only way to treat is to remove that exposure source. If a child is being exposed to lead, it’s very important that we go through these processes to identify and remove that exposure so they can continue to grow and develop in a healthy way,” she said.

She said children should get tested at 12 months, and then again at 24 months.

“This is typically when exposure levels peak for most children. So both of those testing intervals are very important to make sure the child continues not to be exposed to lead,” she expanded.

Medina says the new expansion of coverage will allow more kids to get tested.  She said this is preventative health service under the federal Affordable Care Act.

“It must be covered without any additional co-payments or co-insurance charges,” she said. “Most private insurance is covered by the Affordable Care Act, and Medicaid also covers blood lead testing, so insurance companies should cover the cost of the blood lead test the children are receiving.”

She said if you have a child who’s never been tested for lead and they are under the age of six, talk to your health care provider about getting tested.  

For more information, visit michigan.gov/mileadsafe. 

Experts say nearly half of all child injury deaths happen during the summer months. 

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

That statistic earned the phenomenon the nickname “the 100 deadliest days of summer” or “summer trauma season.” 

This month, the nonprofit Safe Kids Worldwide  is teaming up with safety advocates across the country to launch the second annual Safe Kids Month.

Sadiqa Kendi, chief medical officer for Safe Kids Worldwide, says the most common injuries affecting youngsters come from motor vehicle crashes. 

“We know that a child, if they don’t fit the seat belt well — and many times, they won’t until they’re between eight and 12 years old, and sometimes older — they really need to be in a booster or seat for that seat belt to work effectively,” she said.

Kendi says other injury related deaths occur from improper use of safety equipment such as life jackets and helmets. 

She says most of those fatalities are preventable, which is why the organization developed a child safety checklist to cover five key safety areas: car, water, sleep, home and play.

Safe Kids Worldwide’s High Five Child Safety Checklist can be viewed on their website at safekids.org. 

Other headlines for Thursday, May 1, 2025:

• For the first time in the city’s history, Dearborn will not have a primary election in August, the Detroit Free Press reported. The city clerk says there are not enough candidates running to make a primary necessary.
• The city of Detroit is breaking ground on the $28 million Russell Woods Senior Living Community on Friday on Dexter Avenue. Developer Fabiola Fleuranvil promises the units will be “deeply affordable” for residents.
• Detroit has commissioned 43 artists to establish art installations in nine city-sponsored “art alleys” across Detroit. It’s part of the city’s Arts Alleys initiative, an effort to create vibrant community spaces to celebrate local culture and showcase local talents. Installations have begun and muralists will begin painting this month.  

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

There are more women attending college in the U.S. than men, enrollment data shows. 

And more women have college degrees today than men of the same age. Research shows the more education a person gets, the lower their chances are of living in poverty.

Today on The Metro, we’re having a conversation on why boys are struggling with two people who are working to help Black boys find success right here in Detroit — Black Male Educators Alliance Founder Curtis Lewis and Bottom Line Executive Director Danielle North.

We’re looking at this approach through the Black lens because while all boys are struggling, Black boys are falling behind the most. 

We also asked listeners:

“Why do you think boys aren’t going to college at the same rate?”

Adelia in Detroit said: “There are a couple of discussions about this matter centered around Black boys and men, and their traumas inflicted upon them through centuries and years. And even as recent as days and months, centered around white domination and supremacy…and so that’s the root that has to be kind of rooted out and try to capture it and heal our young men, and our grown young men and our grown older men of color in America.” 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

More stories from The Metro

Tens of thousands of immigrant children — including hundreds in Michigan — came to the U.S. fleeing gangs, human trafficking or trying to re-unite with family members.

Nonprofit groups supplied attorneys to help keep the children here, some so young they need a teddy bear to calm them when they testify in immigration court.

But the Trump administration is halting federal funding for the effort, apparently defying the courts to do so.

That’s hitting the nonprofit Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) hard.

Christine Sauve, manager of policy and communication for MIRC, told WDET the group has to make severe cuts in key areas.

Listen: Michigan Immigrant Rights group shares repercussions of federal funding cuts

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Christine Sauve, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center:  We did lose federal funding for two of our programs. One is the help desk in immigration court. We had previously received a stop-work order on that program. There was a court order for us to return to services and then just last week, the federal government terminated the contract completely. There is continued litigation on that. However, the funding has been terminated for now. The other program is our unaccompanied children’s program. We provide legal representation and “Know your rights” information to all immigrant children in Michigan in court proceedings. Unfortunately, that program had received a stop-work order. Then it was lifted too. But the contract was terminated at the end of March. There was litigation filed in that case as well. And unfortunately, to date, the Trump administration has not followed the court’s orders. Payment has not been made for those services, and due to the financial pressure from the loss of both of those contracts, we’ve had to lay off 72 staff in our five offices across the state. We will still have our small help desk team, five individuals operating outside of the Detroit immigration court. We have 49 staff remaining distributed in our five offices across the state.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: In terms of what the administration is supposed to do according to the courts, have they ordered them to fund you guys and they are simply not?

CS: In the unaccompanied children’s case, the hearings are ongoing. But after the last judge’s order to return to services, the government has not complied with those orders. There has been no payment and no communication with the contractor. We are a subcontractor for the services. There’s been no communication, no follow through, no intention shown to provide payment for the services. So without the federal funding coming in we were left with very difficult pressures to continue our services as best we can. What we do know is that under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, a bipartisan act passed by Congress decades ago, it acknowledged the unique vulnerability of children and actually codified the federal government’s obligation and responsibilities to ensure that unaccompanied children have legal representation so they’re not facing that risk of deportation without due process, without a chance for a fair hearing in court.

“Most unaccompanied children are eligible for permanent status and other forms of relief under current U.S. law. But they can’t access that relief without an attorney to help make their case in court. It’s so heartbreaking because children just cannot meaningfully navigate immigration court alone. We don’t expect children to do that in any other court process in America.”

– Christine Sauve, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center

There was a recognition that it could not be a fair hearing if the child did not have an attorney or representation. Most unaccompanied children are eligible for permanent status and other forms of relief under current U.S. law. But they can’t access that relief without an attorney to help make their case in court. It’s so heartbreaking because children just cannot meaningfully navigate immigration court alone. We don’t expect children to do that in any other court process in America.

QK: At times some unaccompanied kids try to get a sponsor in the U.S., perhaps a family member, after they arrive here. There’s concerns from some sponsors now about doing that going forward, because some of their own personal information could be revealed that didn’t used to have to be. How is that process unfolding?

CS: The Trump administration had authorized information-sharing between agencies. There’s something known as the “foundational rule” for the unaccompanied children’s program. It previously stated that information about sponsors’ immigration status could not be shared with other federal agencies, in particular Immigration, Customs and Enforcement. This administration has changed course to permit sharing of sponsor immigration status with law enforcement, specifically for the purposes of achieving their goals of mass deportation. They are looking at all avenues to do so. And unfortunately, it affects some of the most vulnerable of our community members, the children who are placed in those homes. They’ve been placed with family or relatives that they know and trust. Removing the sponsor would affect the health and outcomes for the child as well. So that is challenging our work right now.

QK: With your current situation, while you still watch what’s going on with the litigation that’s underway, where do you guys go from here? How badly understaffed are you? Is it going to affect your mission tremendously as you go forward?

CS: The capacity will be lowered but we will not stop representing the children that we currently have in our caseload. We currently have 800 cases that are still proceeding. We’ll have a small team focusing on those cases for the next nine months to complete as many of them as we can. But unfortunately, we won’t be able to accept any new children’s cases for the foreseeable future. We have done a fair amount of fundraising. But there’s a reason that public funded services exist and it is because often other entities are unable to provide that level of funding. We have been very busy over the past couple of months reaching out to as many foundations and private donors as possible to raise the funds to have this small team continue over the next nine months. I don’t think with the current funding we have available at the moment we could continue that beyond nine months.

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

Crowds at Detroit Metro Airport recently cheered and sang as four children from Gaza arrived in wheelchairs. The children are amputees and are among thousands in Gaza who have lost limbs from Israeli bombardments. 

Now, they face severe, life-altering injuries. 

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has made that tiny part of the world — which is roughly the same geographical size as Detroit — home to the highest number of amputee children per capita. 

The World Health Organization says this crisis of child amputees is especially dire because these kids have little access to medical care. Israeli air strikes have decimated what was an already fragile medical system. Many children who have lost their limbs must have surgery without anesthesia, according to the United Nations. 

Steve Sosebee is trying to do something about that. He orchestrates complex plans to evacuate and treat Gazan kids through his organization HEAL Palestine — including the four children who arrived at Detroit Metro Airport on April 13. 

He joined The Metro on Tuesday along with HEAL Palestine volunteer Yasmeen Hamed, a Dearborn Heights mother who has opened her home to multiple young Palestinians who have arrived in the U.S. for treatment after experiencing intense pain and trauma.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, April 15:

• Cutting the ribbon on new affordable housing in Southwest Detroit
• A professor’s thoughts on reforming DEI at universities
• WDET celebrating the life and legacy of Judy Adams at Garden Theater this weekend
• Gov. Whitmer talks tariffs at the Detroit Economic Club

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

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

Last school year, the number of Michigan students who missed more than 10% of school days was among the highest in the nation, at nearly 30%. The rate among Detroit students was more than double that. 

Wayne State University researchers Jeremy Singer and Sarah Lenhoff argue schools alone cannot solve the problem. They say local and state leaders must enact policies that address some of the roots causes of chronic absenteeism, like poverty.

Their new book, “Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism: Why Schools Can’t Solve It Alone,” urges school and government leaders to focus less on what happens in schools and more on the many systemic factors that make getting to class tough for students and their families. 

Singer, a professor of teaching at Wayne State University and associate director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity and Research, joined The Metro to explain.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 14:

• New series explores health care education, access for Bangladeshi women
• Detroiter tapped to lead National PAL’s youth mental health and wellness program
• New campaign demands accountability, systemic change for survivors of child abuse
• Highland Park is replacing its 115-year-old water system

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

New music from Michael Kiwanuka, Stereolab, Turnstile, Peach Pit (who will be in town later this spring on May 25 at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre) and more, plus throwing it back to Black Sabbath, Joe Bataan, Fugazi, Sonic Youth… have a listen!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for April 8, 2025

• “80 Days” – Σtella
• “Wind Parade” – Jordan Rakei
• “Call My Name” – Joe Bataan
• “Slim’s Return” – Madlib
• “Liquid Love (feat. Sylvia Cox)” – Roy Ayers
• “Save Me” – Britti
• “Wednesday Morning Atonement” – Curtis Harding
• “Planet Caravan” – Black Sabbath
• “You Ain’t The Problem” – Michael Kiwanuka
• “Floating Parade” – Michael Kiwanuka
• “Someone To Love You” – SAULT
• “Last One Standing” – Monophonics & Kelly Finnigan
• “Aerial Troubles” – Stereolab
• “NEVER ENOUGH” – Turnstile
• “Argument” – Fugazi
• “Incinerate” – Sonic Youth
• “Uno Punto Uno” – Women In Jazz & Rosa Brunello
• “GOOD TIMES (Sofia Kourtesis Remix)” – Jungle
• “Buschtaxi” – DJ Koze
• “Foam” – Royel Otis
• “Am I Your Girl (Dance Version)” – Peach Pit
• “Speechless (feat. Magdalena Bay)” – TV Girl & George Clanton
• “The Look” – Metronomy
• “Villain” – Annahstasia
• “Spinning” – Julia Holter
• “Right” – David Bowie
• “Sympathy for the Devil” – Rolling Stones
• “The First Day of Spring” – The Gandharvas
• “Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix)” – Pixies
• “Optimistic” – Radiohead
• “Together” – Misha Panfilov Sound Combo
• “But I Might Die Tonight” – Cat Stevens
• “Why Don’t You Do Right? (Suonho Remix)” – Bev Lee Harling
• “Red Clay” – Jack Wilkins

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

More than 250 felons sent to prison for life with no chance of parole for crimes committed when they were 18 years old must have their sentences reviewed under a decision released Wednesday by the Michigan Supreme Court.

The unanimous 6-0 decision expands an earlier ruling that lifers convicted of first degree- or felony murder when they were younger than 18 are entitled to resentencing hearings. (Justice Kimberly Thomas recused herself from the case because she was involved in it before joining the Supreme Court in January.) “

The same will now apply to 18-year-olds.

“And at that resentencing, they’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate to the circuit court that they are rehabilitated and capable of rejoining society,” said attorney Maya Menlo with the State Appellate Defender Office.

She told the Michigan Public Radio Network that life without parole still remains an option.

“The prosecuting attorneys in each county will review the cases and will decide whether they want to pursue a sentence of life without parole, but we expect that that sentence will be extremely rare.”

Special Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Timothy Baughman said now prosecutors have to make some decisions on these cases.

“Prosecutors are going to have to look at them and determine, are we just going to accede to a resentencing to a term of years or is this one of the cases that we want to have a hearing on and argue that the defendant should still get life without parole? So there’s a lot of decisions that are going to have to be made by prosecutors,” he said.

The defendant is John Antonio Poole, who was 18 years old in 2002 when his uncle paid him $300 to shoot a man because his girlfriend owed him money. Poole is now 42 and being held at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia.

In a related case, the state Supreme Court will rule soon on whether to expand the ruling to include lifers sentenced for crimes committed as 19- and 20-year-olds.

Organizers and volunteers of the Muslim Foster Care Association (MFCA) hosted a buffet-style meal and celebration for its third annual Ramadan iftar, bringing Muslim foster youth and families together.

Iftar is the meal where Muslims break their fast during Ramadan.

There was a row of savory food from the halal restaurant Sukho Thai in Dearborn Heights, and a table full of sweet treats like knafeh and enormous Macadamia cookies.

MFCA Co-founder Sameena Zahoor welcomed the attendees. 

“I want to thank the families and the foster parents and the families are helping the foster parents and the foster youth that are here today,” she said.

Many Muslims spend time fasting, praying, and doing extra worship with a community during Ramadan. However, many Muslim foster children in Michigan end up spending Ramadan in non-Muslim foster homes — alone. 

MFCA wanted to provide a space for the youth to be in community with others.

Salifu Mahmoud previously lived in a non-Muslim home as a foster youth since resettling from Ghana about three years ago. He now lives in independent housing in Canton. 

He says fasting during Ramadan is an important part of his religious practices.

“Living with someone who is not like Muslim, like foster care, it’s kind of hard in Ramadan,” he shared.

Mahmoud says his former foster care provider was unaware of his religion or obligations during Ramadan — such as waking up early to eat suhoor, the morning meal before fasting, or praying Taraweeh in congregation at a mosque during Ramadan nights. 

This year Mahmoud is staying with a Muslim family during Ramadan, allowing him to experience the familial and communal practices of the month.

“Since I moved to America, this is my best Ramadan,” he said, reflecting that it reminds him of his Ramadans in Africa. “They [his Muslim foster parents] treat me like their kids, showing me love.” 

At the iftar, Tonja Baker, a therapist who works for Whaley Children’s Center in Flint, came to learn more about MFCA.

“I was connected through this program for one of our youth at the campus, and managed to be able to bring her down and have her enjoy, you know, Iftar, and be able to just meet and greet with the other families that are here,” she said.

It’s important for the staff to learn culturally competent care to provide services or Muslim youth, Baker said, and the center tries to link Muslim youth to mosques in the area, but resources are scarce.

In addition to the iftar, MFCA passed out Ramadan 215 baskets filled with goodies like dates, halal marshmallows, and a Target gift card to Muslim foster youth in Michigan. 

Shereen Abunada, director of operations at MFCA, says she’s been working to increase the number of Muslim foster parents, but many are feeling burnout.

“That happens when parents have a placement that doesn’t go as well as they had hoped,” she said.

There are about 10 licensed Muslim foster families for the state’s 250 Muslim foster youth, 50 more than last year.

Abunada says the number of Muslim youth in the system has increased. In anticipation of potentially changing immigration policies, resettlement agencies recently expedited travel for Muslim foster youth from West African countries.

“So we’ve had an influx of about 50 to 70 youth that have just recently arrived in the in the past couple months,” she said.

Abunada says unaccompanied refugee minors feel vulnerable.

“A lot of them are also just the fear of being deported, the fear of being targeted. A lot of these kids are just by themselves, kind of going back to their own, their home countries, or trying to find other places to be,” she said.

Abunada says organizations and agencies are working to protect the children.

Hosting the iftar was one way to create a community for the foster youth, as they navigate the next steps in their journeys.

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