The recent pause in SNAP benefits has pushed hunger back into the headlines. Families who were already stretching every dollar suddenly had to stretch the impossible. At the same time, grocery stores, stadiums, airports, and restaurants were still throwing away food that could have fed them.

Jasmine Crowe-Houston has spent years thinking about that contradiction, and she built her company, Goodr, to close the gap. 

The idea is simple but radical: hunger is not about having too little food. Instead, it is about wasting too much of it, and failing to get it to the people who need it.

Goodr is her answer. It is a tech-driven system that turns surplus food into meals, waste streams into climate wins, and food access into something dignified. 

What started in her one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta has now grown into a national model that keeps millions of pounds of food out of landfills and puts millions of meals on dinner tables.

Jasmine Crowe-Houston joined Robyn Vincent to discuss how the SNAP pause has magnified the urgency of feeding Americans—and what scaling the system she has built really looks like in American cities.

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.

More stories from The Metro

For more than half a century, Helen “Mother” Moore has been a familiar sight at Detroit school board meetings, whether she is at the microphone, in the hallway rallying parents, or being removed by security after a showdown with the board.

Today, at 89, Mother Moore is still at it. She has helped lead court fights over the state’s management of Detroit’s schools, challenged emergency managers and charter expansion, and pushed for literacy to be recognized as a civil right. 

She also helped launch Let’s Read, a volunteer-driven literacy program created with the Detroit school district. Along the way, Moore has mentored generations of parents to also fight against classrooms with broken heat, missing textbooks, and teacher shortages.

Because, as Mother Moore once put it at a school board meeting: “Education is how we get free.”

This weekend, the Dexter-Elmhurst Recreation Center reopens in her honor. The newly renovated Helen Moore Community Center sits in the west side neighborhood where she nurtured her organizing. It is a brick-and-mortar monument to a woman who has spent decades insisting that Black children should not have to leave their communities to find opportunity.

Moore joined Robyn Vincent to discuss the moments that shaped her and why she keeps fighting. 

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.

More stories from The Metro

From design to fashion, all art can act as a vehicle for larger themes impacting society. Some art makes you laugh and puts you in whimsical mood, while some are built on justice.

Local experimental theater A Host of People prides itself in being a collective that brings justice to the forefront, making sure all people see themselves on stage.  The theater company explores a range of topics in their productions, including how American politics intersect with personal lives. 

Recently, A Host of People got a permanent location on Detroit’s West Side, further cementing its mission in a city that has no issue fighting back against injustice.  

Sherrine Azab is the co-director of A Host of People. She spoke with The Metro’s Tia Graham about the move and using theater to speak justice to power. 

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.

More stories from The Metro

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, Michigan chapter, reports an increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sightings in metro Detroit.

CAIR-MI officials say community members have seen ICE vehicles in Wayne County. ICE also announced an increase in enforcement in the area.

CAIR-MI advises community members to be vigilant and aware of their rights, including asking to see a warrant and remaining silent except to request an attorney. The civil rights organization says people should have emergency contacts memorized and plans in place for their family members in case of an emergency. 

Additional headlines from Monday, November 17, 2025

Hamtramck Elections

The Wayne County Board of Canvassers decided Friday not to count 37 ballots from Hamtramck’s mayoral race found in the city clerk’s office the day after elections. The board still has to count 120 cured ballots in the race, which could swing the vote in either direction.

Mayoral candidate Adam Alharbi sued opponent Hamtramck City Councilman Muhith Mahmood alleging residency fraud. The votes will be certified by tomorrow November 18.  

Closing parishes

The Archdiocese of Detroit announced a two-year process to reconstruct parishes in Southeast Michigan.

Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger said over the weekend that there has been a decline in Catholics attending Mass, in ordained priests and “participation in the sacraments.” The changes include downsizing from 200 parishes which once served 1.5 million Catholics to today’s population of about 900,000 worshipers, half of whom he says are not baptized nor attend Mass regularly.

Weisenburger says there are also several aging church buildings and a shortage of priests. The new structure will move from a Families of Parishes model to a “pastorate” model, grouping one or more parishes into a single pastor’s team.

Parishioners will have opportunities to share their input through two listening sessions at each parish. The new changes will be announced in early 2027. Changes will take place by July 2027. Restructuring can be monitored at restructuring.aod.org.  

Keith Center grant to expand AI tool 

Wayne State University Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights received a $350,000 grant to expand a disinformation tool.

The VERDAD: Verifying and Exposing Disinformation and Discourse AI-powered tool monitors U.S.-based ethnic radio stations for disinformation for Latino media. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded the grant to develop and enhance the tool. The expansion includes adding more states and adding languages including Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Vietnamese.

The award-winning journalist Martina Guzmán founded the tool. Guzmán says the tool works as a civil rights safeguard to empower voters. Since the VERDAD tool’s inception last year, more than 320 academics and journalists have registered to use the tool.  

Healing asthma event  

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Michigan chapter, is hosting a program for people with asthma.

HEAL Asthma MI is a free program to help Michigan residents with resources and tools. Participants must be medically diagnosed with asthma, be 18 and up and face challenges to getting fair or equal health care.

To sign up, contact 248-406-4254 or email aafahealasthma@gmail.com. 

Free turkeys

The Islamic Center of Detroit is hosting a Turkey distribution this weekend.

The distribution takes place Saturday, Nov. 22, from 1-4 p.m. The mosque is providing halal turkeys. The Islamic Center of Detroit also has a food pantry open every Saturday from 2-5 p.m., located at 14350 Tireman Street in Detroit.  

The Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance, in collaboration with the Oak Pointe Church, is hosting a Turkey Giveaway on Monday, November 24 at 10 a.m. People can pick up a free turkey at the Brennan Pool Building at 21415 Plymouth Road in Detroit. First-come first-served.  

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Two men have been charged with alleged terrorism-related crimes after federal authorities made arrests and seized weapons last week from a storage unit in Inkster and a home in Dearborn. 

According to a 72-page criminal complaint unsealed in federal court, the men had allegedly scouted areas in Ferndale. The individuals were charged with allegedly receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism. 

FBI Director Kash Patel announced arrests on Friday but no further details were provided then. Over the weekend, Michigan defense lawyer Amir Makled, representing one of the detainees, disputed the FBI allegations. 

Additional headlines from Monday, November 3, 2025

Detroit voters  

Detroit’s mayoral candidates are in the final hours of their campaign before voters choose the city’s first new mayor in a dozen years. The election features the Reverend Solomon Kinloch against long-time City Council President Mary Sheffield. 

Kinloch argues Detroit officials like Sheffield have not done enough to fight poverty or extend development from the city’s core business districts to its outer neighborhoods. “And the question becomes: do you to move forward with a manager and an administrator that wants to maintain the status quo and look out for downtown, and forget about the rest of the town?”

Sheffield counters that programs she initiated helped Detroit move past bankruptcy and lure new investment across the city. 

Sheffield says she will push for more affordable housing, better schools and safer streets in Detroit’s neighborhoods. 

– Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter

The Department of Elections and the Department of Transportation will provide free bus rides in Detroit tomorrow to encourage people to vote. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Dearborn wards

Dearborn voters will vote on Proposal 1, deciding whether they want wards in the city.

Dr. Ronald Stockton, a professor emeritus of Political Science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, says creating wards is challenging, as many people may run for office within each district. “So it’s not as if a ward can just have a bunch of leaders get together and say, ‘Okay, this is our nominee.’ That’s not the way it’s going to work.” 

Each ward would represent about 15,700 people. If passed, the changes would create seven-districted city council and two at-large seats. Opponents say it would create division in the city of 110,000 people.

Organizers of the group Dearborn Wants Wards say districted elections will reduce barriers for people to run for office and allow for better representation. If passed, the changes will not go into effect until 2029. 

Dearborn WORKS

Officials joined the city’s first business opening under the Dearborn WORKS program on Friday. Sewing Your Life is a new sewing school on Dearborn’s Southend opened by a graduate of the program “Dearborn Women’s Opportunity to Realize their Knowledge and Skills” or Dearborn WORKS. The initiative is a joint effort by the City of Dearborn and the Arab American Women’s Business Council (AAWBC), aiming to empower and train local women entrepreneurs. 

Owner Nasim Alghuzzy will be teaching free sewing classes for up to 50 women at a brick-and-mortar training school as part of the grant program. After completing the free training, she can operate as a for-profit business. Applicants for the free courses can sign up at Dearborn.gov/BusinessResources. Classes begin Nov. 17th. 

ICE – Center Line

Rising Voices organizers are asking the city of Center Line not to train local law enforcement to act as immigration officers for ICE. The city stopped using the program in 2012, which led to racial profiling and lawsuits.

The Asian American-focused nonprofit community advocacy organization is asking the city and police to rescind any potential agreement. 

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Update: Just hours after this segment aired, the Michigan Senate passed a measure that would put $71 million toward food assistance. Supporters say it wouldn’t take effect by Nov. 1 or cover all SNAP benefits, but it would help food banks bridge the gap in the meantime. The measure still needs approval from the House. (Reporting by Colin Jackson, MPRN)

The politics of food is personal, especially now.

It’s day 30 of the federal government shutdown, and key programs are grinding to a halt. One such program is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps more than 40 million Americans keep food on the table.

In Michigan, roughly 1.4 million residents rely on those benefits to stretch their grocery budgets. The federal pause means November’s payments could be delayed — a disruption that would ripple through the entire food system. Families will face the prospect of empty dinner tables, while local grocers, food co-ops, and urban farms brace for reduced spending. 

In Detroit, one person working to keep the city’s food systems healthy amid the uncertainty is Amanda Brezzell, co-founder and creative director of Fennigan’s Farms, an urban agriculture and community design studio devoted to food access, sustainability, and resilience.

Brezzell joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to describe what she’s hearing from residents and what advocates are doing in real time.

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.

More stories from The Metro

Three teenagers and a four-year-old were killed in a string of deadly shootings in Detroit during the summer. In response, Mayor Duggan and Police Chief Todd Bettison announced plans to ramp up enforcement of the city’s curfew policy and more than double the penalty fees.

The city fines parents of teenagers who stay out past curfew hours without adult supervision. Officials say fines will encourage parents to step up and help reduce the violence, but experts argue this approach doesn’t work and that it could cause more hardship for families. 

Caitlin Cavanagh is a developmental psychologist who teaches in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. She recentaly wrote a piece in The Conversation, “Detroit parents face fines if their children break curfew − research shows the policy could do more harm than good.” She joined the show to discuss the impact of the fines and potential alternative solutions.

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.

More stories from The Metro

Detroit has always run on women’s strength: holding families together, organizing blocks, running the quiet machinery of care. 

Now, the city is giving that strength a formal voice.

The Detroit Women’s Commission is a new group in the mayor’s office. They’re meeting monthly to discuss challenges women face in Detroit. And how to improve the lives and experiences of women calling Detroit home. 

It’s getting started at an interesting time. Detroit could have its first woman mayor in November, a mayor that this commission would be working with. 

Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Detroit Documenters Colleen Cirocco and Noah Kincade to learn more about Detroit’s Women’s Commission.

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, YouTube, or NPR or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

The attorneys representing young people in Detroit’s courts say their pay hasn’t kept pace with their purpose.

They haven’t received a raise in more than three decades.

Wayne County juvenile attorneys handle neglect and delinquency cases. They represent kids and families in crisis, but unlike public defenders, they are independent contractors who receive a set fee per hearing and no benefits.

Juvenile attorney Marc Shreeman says the pay is about $500 for a preliminary hearing and pretrial appearance, roughly half of what similar attorneys earn in nearby Oakland County. 

Shreeman says low pay, coupled with rising caseloads, is having an impact. In 2019, roughly 120 attorneys were taking juvenile cases in Wayne County; now, there are fewer than 60. 

The dwindling number of juvenile attorneys and stagnant pay come as Detroit faces a rise in youth violence compared with last year, and a higher number of teens being caught with firearms. City officials have responded by strengthening curfew enforcement and raising fines for parents of minors found out after hours. 

WDET contacted multiple county officials for comment.

The Wayne County Executive’s Office did not respond.

A representative for the Wayne County Court Administration, which distributes pay to juvenile attorneys, said in an earlier statement that the department is “working closely with Wayne County to address potential funding options” and that staff have met with the Ways and Means Committee to discuss the issue.

WDET also contacted Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch, who chairs that committee, but did not receive a response.

Juvenile attorney Shreeman joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss the work of public defenders in a time when young people are facing more danger.

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.

More stories from The Metro

The thousands of domestic violence calls Warren police receive annually are pushing law enforcement to act differently, to move faster and meet survivors where they are.

In May, city police launched Operation Cycle Break, a new program designed to close the gaps in how domestic violence cases move through the system. The goal is fewer repeat calls, and fewer incidents overall. The effort brings together the Warren Police Department, prosecutors, a nonprofit that supports survivors, and researchers at Wayne State University.

Detective Sergeant James Twardesky and Captain Brent Chisolm of the Warren police department are the architects of Operation Cycle Break. They joined the show to explain the initiative. 

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.

More stories from The Metro

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value,” former President Joe Biden used to say. 

What he meant was that budgets aren’t just numbers on a page. They represent the things that we prioritize, the stuff we want expanded, and the work we want to shrink. 

The 2026 Michigan state budget took some time to sort out, but late last week a $75.9 billion budget was finally passed. 

Robyn Vincent spoke with Zach Gorchow, the president of Gongwer News Service Michigan to learn more about what the state budget reveals.

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, YouTube, or NPR or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Kristen Ford plays songs from her seventh album”Pinto.” First inspired by seeing Ani Difranco as a teenager, Kristen’s new record is her first for Ani’s Righteous Babe Records label!

Also, we dip into the archives for songs from Lady Blackbird, ZZ Ward and Mon Rovia, all recorded this year, Grant Lee Phillips in 2000 and much more!

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 September 28, 2025

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “Returning To Myself” – Brandi Carlile
• “Cherokee Louise” – Joni Mitchell
• “Foreign” – Britton
• “She Explains Everything To Me” – David Byrne
• “Big Love Ahead” – Mon Rovia (in-studio performance)
• “Lonely Avenue” – Jon Batiste w/Randy Newman
• “White Man’s Dream” – Kristen Ford (in-studio guest)
• “Wild Heart” – Kristen Ford (in-studio guest)
• “Fast Like You” – Hazlett
• “Rosalee” – Molly Tuttle
• “No More Love Songs” – Bette Smith
• “Lioness” – ZZ Ward (in-studio performance)
• “Atlantic City” – Bruce Springsteen
• “Keep A Picture” – Margo Price
• “I Listened (Every Night)” – Blood Orange
• “Let You People Down” – Fruit Bats
• “Man On A Boat” – Lady Blackbird (in-studio performance)
• “Mockingbird (unplugged)” – Larkin Poe
• “Blame It On God” – Jacob Banks
• “Little Men” – Grant Lee Phillips
• “You’re A Pony” – Grant Lee Phillips (in-studio performance)
• “My Key To Gramercy Park” – Rachael & Vilray
• “Grrrl In The Mirror” – Kristen Ford (in-studio guest)
• “Whiplash” – Kristen Ford (in-studio guest)

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org.

Negotiations continue in Lansing in an effort to complete a state budget before an October first deadline.  Failure to do so would mean a partial government shutdown. 

Such an action could prompt a closure of state parks, including Belle Isle.  Secretary of State offices could close, and even Detroit’s casinos could be affected. 

The state has not yet said what its plans are if next week’s deadline is not met.  Democrats and Republicans have not been able to reach a deal on key issues such as road funding. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Flood Watch 

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties until Wednesday evening.  Steady rain is expected and could possibly be heavy at times. The weather service says some areas upstream could see one to four inches of rain. 

If you’ve experienced flooding in your area in recent months, it might be a good idea to check your basement periodically over the next few days.  Make sure to place important items out of reach of possible flood waters. 

Kimmel returns

Detroiters got a chance to see the Jimmy Kimmel show again last night.  WXYZ-TV aired the program. 

Kimmel’s show was suspended last week after the late-night comedian make remarks concerning political reaction to the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.  In response, several stations around the country decided not to air the show and the ABC network followed suit. 

The network says it temporarily suspended the show to keep from inflaming a delicate situation.   Kimmel said last night that he did not mean to make light of Kirk’s death. 

Kimmel’s show airs in Detroit weeknights at 11:30 p.m. on WXYZ-TV. 

Tigers collapse 

The Detroit Tigers are looking like they may have a hard time making the Major League Baseball playoffs. 

At one point during the summer, the team had a 14 game lead in the American League Central.  But now Detroit is on a seven-game losing streak, and has lost 9 of its last 10 games. 

Cleveland beat the Tigers 5 – 2 Tuesday night, allowing the Guardians to grab a share of first place in the division.  The Tigers and Guardians play again tonight and tomorrow in Cleveland. 

There are just 11 games left in the regular season. 

Lions celebrate victory

And the City of Detroit continues its celebrations after the Lions’ win on Monday Night Football this week.  The team posted a decisive 38 – 30 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.  After the game, Lions quarterback Jared Goff praised the team’s tenacity. 

“It was a good representation of what we want to do and I thought again being able to kind of springboard off of that last week and do it again –in a different fashion, though.  More running the ball.  More ground and pound.  Obviously, D-Mo having the night he had is incredible.  I think we displayed that we can win in different ways.” 

“D-Mo” is running back David Montgomery, who ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.  The Lions now have a record of two wins and one loss. 

They host the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon.  Game time is 1 pm. 

If there’s something in your neighborhood you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org.  You know how much we love hearing about Detroit 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.