Over the holidays, we’re sharing some of the stories Detroit Evening Report hosts produced for the radio this year. Today we hear a story from Sascha Raiyn.
Terees Western is an artisan perfumer and owner of the business FragranTed. Sascha Raiyn spoke to her about her work and about one title she uses, “scent docent.”
Western says she explains the experience of scent the way a docent at the DIA might explain a work of art.
Detroit Public Library branches are hosting holiday break events throughout this week.
Offerings include card-making and Kwanzaa craft sessions, video and board gaming and storytimes. The Sherwood Forest Branch will host a family New Year’s Party Tuesday from 4-5pm at 7117 West Seven Mile Road.
Come Play Detroit is bringing Broomball to Downtown Detroit in early January and tomorrow is the last day to register to play.
The co-ed league hits the ice at Campus Martius Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Teams can register for $1100 dollars with a $100 deposit. Individuals can play for $120. The Broomball leagues runs through January and February. For more information visit comeplaydetroit.com.
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Dearborn’s Department of Public Health has been awarded a $101,000 grant to advance firearm safety. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services funding supports collaborative efforts to educate gun owners on safe handling and storage.
Dearborn Mayor Abdulllah Hammoud says firearm injury prevention is a public health and safety priority.
The city’s health department will distribute firearm safety kits, including gun locks, lockboxes, and educational materials. Dearborn Chief Public Health Officer Ali Abazeed says the grant supports evidence-based education and access to safety tools.
Additional headlines for Monday, Dec. 22, 2025
Michigan Chief Medical Executive makes Standing Recommendation regarding children’s vaccines
Bagdasarian shared that public health experts are not in agreement with new federal vaccine recommendations, prompting the announcement. One of the recent changes was dropping the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth and removing the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women.
Bagdasarian’s Standing Recommendation was made with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Immunization.
She says the recommendation does not supersede clinical judgment. She also asks health care providers to make vaccines accessible by removing barriers for patients.
Bagdasarian says vaccines keep people safe and potentially save lives.
EGLE renews license for hazardous waste facility
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has renewed the license for a hazardous waste treatment and storage facility in Detroit for the next 10 years.
Hazardous Waste Management Facility Operating License to EQ Detroit Inc., which does business as US Ecology Detroit South, was issued the license after regulatory review and a public comment process. Several people strongly opposed the facility because it emits strong odors leading to health concerns like asthma. The facility also has a history of clean air violations.
EGLE renewed the license, adding new requirements, such as expanding air and groundwater monitoring. The facility must replace six tanks beginning in January 2026 and install odor control equipment by the end of Dec 2027.
Tunnel in southwest Detroit
The Great Lakes Water Authority has started building a sewage relief system near the Rouge River in Southwest Detroit. Crews will spend at least two years digging a tunnel to carry excess stormwater to an underused retention and treatment center. Chief Operating Officer Navid Mehram says the $87 million project should reduce the risk of flooding and sewage backups during heavy rain.
“So this is an example where we’re making an investment in our existing system by rerouting some flows, so that we can leverage an existing facility that wasn’t receiving all the flow it can treat.”
Mehram says the project will not increase customers’ sewage bills. He says state and federal funding will help pay for the tunnel.
New tech firm in town
Detroit is getting a new high-tech security and AI solution firm, Eccalon. The defense tech company will create 800 new jobs ranging from $25-100 per hour.
The facility will have manufacturing operations, training programs and an innovation center.
The company’s headquarters is moving from Maryland to become a part of the tech innovation in Detroit. Eccalon will be located at the Bedrock-owned Icon building at 200 Walker Street.
Eccalon Chairman and CEO André Gudger says the new headquarters will develop cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing and automation.
The company hopes to open early next year.
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A recent study by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) found that 46% of adults aged 45 to 59 reported feeling lonely in 2025, compared to 35% of adults aged 60 and up.
Heather Nawrocki is Vice President of Fun and Fulfillment at AARP.
She says there are risk factors for lonely people.
“It’s important to keep an eye out for people around you that you know are spending a lot of time alone. They are going to be at a higher risk than someone who’s not. Mental and physical health challenges are also a big one,” she says.
Nawrocki says people who have physical health challenges may have difficulty getting out of the house to meet people in real life.
She says people who live in lower-income and rural areas also have higher risks for loneliness.
Get on the phone?
People can feel lonelier during the holiday season.
Nawrocki says the study found adults 45 and older are engaging with fewer people in social settings.
She says, however, that those who use technology usually have positive outcomes.
“What the study shows is 6 in 10 really rely on tech, those who are not lonely. And they actually say they have more friends as a result of technology,” she says, although it depends on each person’s individual experience.
Nawrocki says social health is just as important as mental and physical health to create the happiest, healthiest, longest life possible.
AARP offers 14,000 events online and in person nationwide for people to connect at aarp.org/connect.
Gender disparity
She says men have higher rates of loneliness compared to women.
“They’re just not getting out of the house as much. They don’t have as many close friends and they’re not joining community organizations, clubs or pursuing interests with others the same way as perhaps they did before,” she says.
The social interactions one can make doing volunteering, for example, are a great way to combat feelings of isolation.
Nawrocki says it’s important to check on friends and loved ones to rekindle relationships for social health, which also impacts health, happiness, and longevity.
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Arab American candidate Abbas Alawieh has announced that he’s running to become the next state senator in District 2. The newly drawn district includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit.
Alawieh says he is running to uplift people’s voices.
“I want to become a state senator that wields the power of a movement of people that will come together around this campaign to say, hey, District 2 is here to play. We’re going to show up with our values, with our leverage, with our people power.”
Alawieh previously worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representatives Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib. He also served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Cori Bush.
Alawieh also co-founded the Uncommitted National Movement, which aimed to pressure then Presidential candidate Kamala Harris to address U.S. policy on the war in Gaza.
Additional headlines from Monday, December 15, 2025
Inaugural Rising Voices Artist & Creatives Cohort
The Asian American civic engagement nonprofit Rising Voices has launched a new project.
The Rising Voices Artist & Creatives Cohort will sponsor four emerging creatives next year. Each artist will receive $2500 and a mentorship to create pieces for a gallery exhibition in July. The theme will be “Revolution, Resistance & Joy.”
The deadline to submit an application is Feb. 1. Winning artists will be announced in March, with work time between April and June.
Dearborn bus safety
The City of Dearborn and the Dearborn Public Schools unveiled a new bus safety program today. The program detects and penalizes drivers who illegally pass school buses.
About 40 million drivers in the U.S. illegally pass bus stops annually, leading to 2,200 violations.
School buses in the city will be equipped with “BusPatrol” technology which uses stop-arm enforcement cameras to record violations and report them to the Dearborn Police Department.
The new features are part of an effort to increase traffic patrols and educate the public about how to keep children safe as they’re getting on and off school buses.
Hospitals make a call on vaccines
Several Michigan hospital systems reportedly plan to disregard federal recommendations and continue giving infants the hepatitis B vaccine.
A federal advisory panel said earlier this month that doctors should wait to vaccinate babies against hepatitis B unless their mother tested positive for the disease.
Health experts warn that will lead to an increase in childhood liver disease. Evidence shows giving newborns the vaccine early is safe and has drastically reduced hepatitis B in kids.
The Detroit Free Press reports that Corewell, Henry Ford, McLaren, Munson and the University of Michigan health systems will continue to give the vaccine to children within the first day after they are born.
The City of Detroit has opened warming centers to help residents escape the bitter cold. City officials say residents can escape the frigid conditions during the day at Detroit’s recreation centers and public library branches. Overnight shelter is also available.
Those in need should call the Detroit Housing Resource Help Line for assistance at 866-313-2520 or online at detroitmi.gov.
People can also go to a Detroit police precinct.
Weather forecasters say the potentially life-threatening sub-zero wind chills are expected to abate later this week.
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Seeking mental health care is complicated for many American Muslims due to cultural expectations and stigma. Oftentimes, Muslims believe troubling issues should be resolved within the family or through an imam.
Mosques around the U.S. are working toward destigmatizing therapy in Muslim communities to make it more accessible.
Danish Hasan, health director at the MY Mental Wellness Clinic in Detroit, says part of that work requires overcoming barriers to access.
“We have a little bit more stigma than some of the other communities,” he says.
When praying isn’t enough
Sabrina Ali is a stay-at-home mother and former teacher who grew up in a South Asian home in Canton, a multicultural suburb of Detroit.
She learned from a young age that she couldn’t talk about all her problems with her immigrant parents.
“It was like they just came from a totally different world… and for them it was like, ‘Well, what do you have to be depressed about? Like, you’re 13, you have a good home, you have a good family, like you have food on the table,’” she says.
Ali says her parents meant well, and suggested she pray more to resolve her internal struggles, “to be more religious, essentially, quote, unquote, whatever, whatever that meant to them,” she shares.
Ali says over the years when she felt distressed, she would pray. But one day, she realized she needed to go to therapy after having recurring nightmares.
So she started going to a free counseling program at the University of Michigan, Dearborn – the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which offers free counseling services for full-time students. Ali says she learned about the program through her work with student groups on campus.
She says that although Muslims may feel “God is testing them” with a struggle, challenge, or test, it’s also important to take action.
“Maybe God is testing is me, but even my decision, the path towards making the decision to seek professional help, I think, in a way, was also a test, you know, because what is the saying, ‘trust in God, but tie your camel’, right?”
For many young Muslims, accessing CAPS is a private entryway to seek counseling services without having to tell your parents.
Destigmatizing therapy
Many American Muslims have grown up learning going to therapy is shameful and problems should be kept private. When there is conflict, they usually go to an imam first for advice.
Imam Mohamed Maged, resident scholar of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, also known as the ADAMS Center, says he realized 25 years ago some people needed more support.
“Sometimes they ask for us to pray for them, and we do provide that spiritual support, but I realized that some of them really might be suffering from mental health issues and they need somebody to help them,” he says.
To bridge this gap, ADAMS Center opened a Mental Health Program about 13 years ago. The program offers some mental health services inside the mosque, but also contracts to 17 providers through subsided services for 12 sessions.
They also serve the community at large.
Magid says showing people that imams and therapists are working together goes a long way.
“When you tell them this is a partnership between me and a mental health provider, both of us who can help you, they feel relief,” he says.
In partnership with existing community
In California, there are similar services provided at the Maristan clinic. It’s a holistic mental health clinic that is a part of The Muslim Community Center- East Bay, a faith based organization and mosque.
Founder Rania Awaad, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, School of Medicine, says mosques are community gathering spaces.
“To have the mental health services is a major pro. It’s built in. It’s within the same institution that they’re already attending and that they trust,” she says.
Awaad says her research shows that many American Muslims want mosques to have mental health centers, while others want counseling services in a stand alone space for more privacy.1
Along with therapy provided by a Muslim therapist, in some cases people can request Islamic psychology, or the integration of faith into therapy.
Religion can provide structure for mental well being
For example, a patient who has obsessive-compulsive disorder exploring an Islamic psychology session might include learning about Islamic regulations for wudu or ablutions as a way to cope with religious compulsions.
“How much time, and how many limits of how much to wash, how many times to pray or redo your prayers,” Awaad explains.
Providers can point to a hadith, or a teaching of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to draw the point home.
“Bringing in, well here’s the Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu Salam, that says no more than three washings in wudu,” she says.
This concept of having therapists placed inside the mosque is gaining traction.
MY Mental Wellness Clinic
Last year, the Islamic Center of Detroit began offering mental health services through the new program called the MY Mental Wellness Clinic, a youth-led initiative that began in 2016 through psychoeducation workshops.
Danish Hasan is the health director of My Mental Wellness Clinic which officially opened last year at the Islamic Center of Detroit to offer free counseling services.
Last year Hasan welcomed a crowd of state dignitaries and community members during the opening ceremony.
“We’re gathered here today to celebrate a vital initiative that has the power to transform lives in our community, the launch of our new mental health clinic,” he says.
Hasan says the clinic hopes to remove barriers and normalize taking care of ones’ wellbeing. He says the clinic began through youth initiatives to tackle mental health. Now, about half of the patients are the youth.
“The idea with this project is to be visible, to be present, to be accessible in an affordable for those that we serve,” he shares.
The clinic offers free mental health services to area residents, mosque attendees and has branched out to work with local institutions.
Similar clinics can be found around the U.S.
As more people seek therapy, Muslim providers are finding new ways to meet people where they’re at.
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plans to invest $38 million in housing support for Michigan residents recovering from substance abuse disorder. The funding is a part of the allocated Substance Abuse Disorder prevention measures for harm reduction, treatment and recovery services.
The state recently found about 7,500 people left treatment without stable housing. The funding will support about 3,400 recovery housing beds by 2028—a 40% increase.
Michigan will receive $1.8 billion from opioid settlements by the year 2040. Half of the funding will be distributed to the State of Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund while the other half will be distributed to county, city and township governments.
The Michigan Association of Recovery Residencies survey found that providing recovery housing assistance helped people get and keep a job as part of their road to recovery.
Additional headlines from Monday, December 8, 2025
Health insurance
There’s about a month left to apply for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is reminding Michigan residents to purchase health insurance by Dec. 15 to have coverage by Jan. 1. People who apply after that by Jan. 15 will not get coverage until Feb. 1.
DIFS Director Anita Fox says people should shop around for the most cost-effective plan with the best coverage. People can visit healthcare.gov or call 800-318-2596 for assistance.
Heather Nawrocki is the Vice President of Fun and Fulfillment for AARP. She says people have fewer friends and their social networks are smaller than they used to be. She says men have higher rates of loneliness compared to women.
“They’re just not getting out of the house as much. They don’t have as many close friends and they’re not joining community organizations, clubs or pursuing interests with others the same way as perhaps they did before.”
Nawrocki says the study also found people are volunteering less frequently, leading to less social interaction.
She says it’s important to check on friends and loved ones to rekindle relationships for social health which also impacts health, happiness, and longevity.
Film Detroit event
Film Detroit is hosting a free film experience this month.
Attendees will learn how to build video production skills, including how to create trailers and teasers. People will also be able to sing karaoke with the Karaoke Kingz.
They will have access to onsite film resources and permit support. The event takes place Dec. 22 from 5-8 p.m. at the Northwest Activities Center located at 18100 Meyers Rd.
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Wayne State University Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights received a $350,000 grant to expand a disinformation tool, “VERDAD: Verifying and Exposing Disinformation and Discourse.”
The AI-powered tool monitors U.S.-based ethnic radio stations for disinformation in Latino media.
VERDAD Founder and journalist Martina Guzmán says the tool will expand to all 50 states in multiple languages and also globally.
“Oftentimes, people think there’s going to be like, this commercial that’s complete disinformation. And what happens is on Latino radio stations, on ethnic radio stations, people have talk shows. And on those talk shows, it is often those people that host the talk shows that are spreading disinformation,” she says.
Guzmán says the tool began monitoring Latino radio stations in battleground states ahead of the 2024 election.
“We felt that the election would be won or lost in those states at the time. And that was the capacity we had that we could do these eight battleground states and maybe a few more,” she says.
The grant was awarded to the Wayne State University Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to expand its reach of languages and locations.
Guzmán says the tool works as a civil rights safeguard to empower voters.
“The tool records 24 hours a day, and once it hears misinformation, right? And it hears it based on hundreds and hundreds of disinformation keywords that we’ve uploaded into its system. And once it hears one of those words, it begins to really focus… it has an analysis component,” she says.
Since the VERDAD tool’s inception last year, more than 320 academics and journalists have registered to use the free tool on Verdad.app to write articles and research trends of LatinX voters.
The tool will add several languages, including Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Vietnamese to inform voters.
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says there are now over 1,000 registered doulas in Michigan.
Dawn Shanafelt is the Director of the Division of Maternal & Infant Health for MDHHS. She says that’s twice the number of doulas the state department hoped to register by 2028.
“Numerous doula trainings were approved by MDHHS and the Doula Advisory Council, as well as the cost for taking those trainings and the time it takes to attend the trainings was also reimbursed through the Doula Initiative,” she says.
Doulas are non-medical trained birthing assistants.
Shanafelt says birth doulas provide benefits for expectant moms and babies, from reduced birth complications and medical interventions to postpartum care, especially if the care is provided early in the pregnancy.
“Improved mental health, reduced incidences of postpartum mood and anxiety disorder, and then really importantly, overall a satisfying birth experience in labor, birth and postpartum experience,” she says.
People can choose a birthing assistant doula based on county or specialty through the Doula Registry, which has 700 Medicaid-enrolled doulas.
MDHHS says the state also hopes to improve birthing outcomes for Black and Indigenous families, who have higher mortality and morbidity rates compared to other populations.
She says the state is hoping to increase the number of doulas in special populations that could benefit from a birthing assistant, including Black, Indigenous, and immigrant populations.
MDHHS says in fiscal year 2026, they will provide, “one Spanish-language training, one Arabic-language training and one Indigenous doula training,” and take on others upon request to The Doula Initiative team.
Beginning in December, MDHHS will also expand identity options to include Indigenous doulas.
“Culturally competent health care allows doulas to most effectively meet social, cultural and linguistic needs, and culturally congruent care improves health outcomes and helps reduce racial and ethnic health disparities,” says Shanafelt.
Currently, there are 60 Spanish-speaking doulas and 14 Arabic-speaking doulas listed on the registry.
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Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield announced plans to redevelop the vacant Packard Plant today. The former auto factory near West Grand Boulevard and East Palmer has been empty for more than 60 years and became a symbol of the city’s blight— sometimes attracting outsiders to take pictures of its crumbling walls.
The city demolished portions of it to make way for new development, including a new 400-thousand square foot manufacturing center.
Part of the changes include reactivating 28 acres of the former site for a public, private and philanthropic partnership. The changes include adding 42 affordable housing units, Detroit’s first indoor skate park and creative community programming areas. There will also be two acres of indoor and outdoor public spaces.
The project is estimated at $50 million. The Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation is the nonprofit partner and fiduciary. The project is expected to be completed by 2029.
Additional headlines for December 1, 2025
December starts cold
December starts cold with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below normal this week. The National Weather Service’s winter outlook for southeast Michigan calls for temps close to normal and above-average precipitation. Meteorologist Trent Frey says La Niña, a cool patch of water in the eastern Pacific Ocean, could bring us more rain and snow.
“It is important to note that every La Niña is unique. So like I said. The odds are kind of tilted towards the wetter signal, and there isn’t really a tilt for temperatures. But since it is unique each season, you know these outcomes aren’t necessarily guaranteed.”
On average, Metro Detroit gets 45 inches of snow each winter. 29 inches fell last winter. It’s been eight years since we saw above-average snowfall.
Reporting by Russ McNamara
Detroit teens detained by ICE
Detroit teens recently hosted a press conference to call for the release of two classmates from Western International High School from ICE detention. The detained teens and two of their parents were picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials last Thursday morning and are now being held in a Texas detention center, reports Chalkbeat Detroit. Students say they are worried about going to school or being outside due to the recent surge of detentions. ICE arrested the four individuals while they were sleeping, despite them having pending asylum cases. Students at the press conference also called on officials to do more to protect students, including having an immigration attorney on retainer at the school to help students.
Rising Star Scholarship
An armored vehicle company is offering its “Rising Star” scholarship. The scholarship will support two students pursuing secondary education in engineering or business, finance, or law. It aims to recognize students who demonstrate strong academic performance and leadership skills in engineering and business. Each scholarship is $2500. The scholarship is open to students enrolled full-time in an accredited university in the U.S. or Canada. Students must have a 75 percent average with valid citizenship, residency or study permit requirements and write an essay. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2026. Winners will be announced in March 2026. For more information, visit https://inkasarmored.com/inkas-rising-star-scholarship-program/
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The National Poll on Healthy Aging found many older adults have disabilities. However, they do not identify with being disabled, nor do they request accommodations, in part due to stigma.
The poll found 19% of adults 50 years old and older have a disability but, they are less likely to ask for accommodations.
Dr. Michelle Mead is a professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Family Medicine at the University of Michigan.
She says many older adults look at disabilities as a natural part of aging rather than a disability, and don’t want to be stigmatized.
“Even though the groups who are 65 and older are more likely to actually have a disability, they were less likely to identify as having one,” she says.
The survey is part of the National Opinion Research Center, conducted at the University of Chicago for the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan.
Mead says despite older adults not seeking accommodations, half of older adults may legally qualify for accommodations, especially for those who are 65 and up.
“This is what the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, Section 504, and this other legislation was about doing. It’s about including, providing opportunities, ensuring that a functional limitation, a diagnosis or impairment doesn’t stop people. But the stigma is that it still does,” she explains.
Mead says older adults face stigma and barriers to living healthy lives.
“The stigma is one built into our society. We have ageism that says it’s bad to get older. That does not value the various skills and strengths that you learn and the different ways of doing things that are required through experience,” she explains.
Clinician support
The survey hopes to educate clinicians on how to serve older adults better.
“Many of the individuals with disabilities, I know, are fantastic problem solvers. They have to be. But unfortunately, the world still isn’t set up to work with, to consider, to involve people with disabilities. So, until that happens, we need to develop workarounds,” she shares.
The University of Michigan Center for Disability Health and Wellness, where Mead is the founding director, created several tip sheets for clinicians to gather relevant information to serve older adults with disabilities.
“I think what I’m hoping to do with this research is to increase awareness about the importance of asking the right questions, developing processes to allow the best care to occur, and making sure that we connect the dots to both reduce healthcare costs and improve lives,” she says.
The poll surveyed over 3,800 adults 50 and up by phone and online.
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says there are now more than a thousand registered doulas in Michigan. That includes 700 doulas who take Medicaid.
Doulas are trained non-medical professionals who provide birth assistance, including emotional and physical support, and help families navigate the birthing experience.
Dawn Shanafelt is the Director of the Division of Maternal & Infant Health for MDHHS. She says the state has surpassed its goal of registering 500 doulas through the Doula Registry by 2028, doubling that number as of last week.
“What’s next for the program is to continue to support our existing doulas that are part of the registry. So the one thousand plus doulas. And then we are really focusing on enrollment and recruitment of doulas in areas where the number of doulas that are available for families is lower, and then also for special populations.”
Shanafelt says that includes populations that speak a language other than English, Indigenous populations, and teenage parents.
She says having doula-assisted births reduces birth complications and medical interventions, shortens the duration of labor, and increases breastfeeding support. Babies also tend to have healthier birth weights.
Additional headlines for Monday, November 24, 2025
MDHHS launches more On-the-Go food pantries
MDHHS has added a mobile food distribution site in Hamtramck, partnering with Forgotten Harvest.
The On-the-Go popup pantry will provide food pick-up for people who schedule appointments. There are options for fresh produce and grains and culturally appropriate foods such as halal or kosher options.
MDHHS says they will select and offer similar mobile food pantry options in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties every month. The next one in Hamtramck will be held tomorrow Tuesday, Nov. 26 at the MDHHS office located at 12140 Jos Campau St. in Hamtramck.
A Hamtramck-based artist residency program is receiving a $175,000 award.
Entry Points is a program which offers housing and studio space for returning citizens who were formerly incarcerated juveniles. The nonprofit is receiving the 2025 J.M.K Innovation Award. The award is given by the J.M. Kaplan Fund to 10 awardees for their work in tackling social justice, environmental conservation, and heritage preservation.
Entry Points was created by artist-activist Jonathan Rajewski and writer and former juvenile lifer Kyle Daniel-Bey through Hamtramk Free School, an alternative educational organization that facilitates creative writing and art workshops in Michigan prisons, working with juveniles who were sentenced to life without parole.
Entry Points helps returning citizens reintegrate into public life, including presenting their work publicly.
EGLE awards grants to limit runoff
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is awarding $2.9 million to several groups to reduce pollution in waterways.
The Nonpoint Source Program grants will fund eight projects aimed at eliminating runoff at nonpoint sources which come from farms, urban areas and construction sites.
This occurs when there is rain, snowmelt, or when the wind carries pollutants into waterways. The grants will help repair waterways to reduce sediment, nutrients, and bacteria.
If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org.
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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.
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.
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