Happy New Year! As holiday festivities wind down, there’s still plenty to do in metro Detroit. Here are 5 ways to spend this weekend, from wintery walks to heated rivalries.

Upcoming events (Jan. 8–15)

Winter Trivia at CHALET 313

  Campus Martius in Detroit

  Thursday, Jan. 8

  Free

An indoor trivia night on the second floor of CHALET 313 in Campus Martius Park. Guests can warm up with hot cocoa while answering trivia questions for a chance to win fun prizes. Winter Trivia takes place every Thursday from 6–8 p.m. starting this week and going through Feb. 19. No registration is required.

Lantern-Lit Snowshoe Hike

  Mitchell State Park in Cadillac

  Friday, Jan. 9

  Free

A self-guided hike through Mitchell State Park’s Heritage Nature Trail, illuminated by over 100 lanterns. After the hike, participants can warm up with hot chocolate by the bonfire. Snowshoes are available to borrow on a first-come first-served basis, but hiking boots are usually sufficient for this one-mile trail. The path is open every Friday night through January and February.

“Father Mother Sister Brother” Screening

  Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts

  Friday, Jan. 9 through Sunday, Jan. 11

  $9.50–$11.50

An award-winning film starring Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett. “Father Mother Sister Brother” is a delicate portrait of family dynamics, following three stories united by their focus on relationships between adult children and their aging or lost parents. Screenings take place on Friday at 7 p.m., on Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Detroit Roller Derby Home Teams Double Header

  Masonic Temple in Detroit

  Saturday, Jan. 10

  $0–$22.19

A high-energy roller derby double header featuring all Detroit-based teams. First, D Funk will face off against the Detroit Pistoffs at 5 p.m., then the Grand Prix Madonnas will take on the Devils Night Dames at 7 p.m. All ages are welcome, and refreshments are available for purchase. Doors open at 4 p.m.

Total Eclipse of the Chart: ’80s Chart Toppers

  Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall

  Saturday, Jan. 10 through Sunday, Jan. 11

  $20.95 and up

A live performance by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra featuring some of the biggest hits of the 1980s, including songs by Whitney Houston, Madonna, Journey, Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, Eurythmics, The Police, Cher, Tina Turner and more. Performances start at 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Limited tickets remain.

Choosing the right tree to plant that will thrive long into the future just got easier.

Michigan’s tree canopy is changing due to climate change. Whether it’s due to invasive species, flooding and drought, or extreme heat, some species will do better than others.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently released a 57 page species selection guide that rates species for climate change resiliency and hardiness using characteristics like size, shade and rainwater absorption.

Lawrence Law is an urban and community forester and partnership coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He led the development of the Michigan Communities Tree Species Selection Guide.

He says some species that are ubiquitous in Southeast Michigan, like Silver Maple (rated 1 of 10), are poor choices compared to lesser-known ones like Kentucky Coffeetree (rated 10 of 10) due to climate adaptability.

“I have seen so many good examples of Kentucky Coffeetree in the area. It’s just a powerhouse. You can get cultivars that are seedless and it’s like boom, plant and forget, almost.”

Law spoke with David Leins on The Metro about how people can use the guide to choose the right tree for their yard or right-of-way.

WDET’s Detroit Tree Canopy Project is supported by a grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 

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 Michigan Department of Natural Resources has cleaned up most of the tree damage from last winter’s historic ice storm in the northern Lower Peninsula.

But crews are not done yet.

Many broken limbs still dangle from treetops, while fallen branches block backroads in many counties.

DNR fire management specialist Nate Stearns says debris shut down more than 3,000 miles of state forest roads at one point. Since then, they have fully or partially reopened most of them.

“We’re at 366 miles of impassable roads and 169 miles of partially closed roads, so we’ve made some really good progress,” he says.

Fire danger looms in 2026

Fallen timber remains on the ground in some hard-to-reach areas, providing potential fuel for wildfires. Stearns says that hasn’t been a problem this year, but it could cause trouble next spring.

“As that dries out and starts to decay, it’ll be like tinder for starting a campfire,” he says. “And any fire that does start on state land could give responders a more difficult time with access and fire intensity.”

Stearns says property owners in the northern Lower Peninsula and the eastern U.P. should consider composting or chipping wood debris instead of burning it. He says that will reduce the risk of wildfires.

More work to do

The DNR took a break from cleanup during Michigan’s firearms deer hunting season. But crews will try to pick up as much debris as they can before heavy snow forces them to wait until the spring to resume.

The ice storm also caused widespread power outages in 12 counties. The Federal Emergency Management Agency granted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s initial request for disaster aid. In October, she asked for more assistance, but FEMA rejected it.

Last month, a highly invasive insect was spotted for the first time on the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s campus. The Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC) identified the spotted lanternfly, a sap-sucker that has been making its way across the U.S. since 2014. 

The first confirmed colony in Michigan was found in Oakland County in 2022. 

Program and natural areas manager for the EIC Rick Simek says that spotted lanternflies don’t usually kill their host trees outright, but as their numbers grow, so does the damage they can do to the environment as they feed.

Environmental harm

Infestation weakens the host tree’s ability to withstand disease, drought, and other pests.

“They have been known to kill off the saplings of a couple of native tree species,” says Simek. He lists black walnuts and maples as examples. 

Simek said that the spotted lanternfly’s dietary habits are especially hard on fruit-bearing plants, like the river grapes that provide nutrition for birds in the EIC’s natural area. 

The spread of the spotted lanternfly poses trouble for Michigan’s produce, predicts Simek. “Lanternfly infestations can cause real harm to grapes, both cultivated and wild… [which is] cause for  serious agricultural and economic concern.”

Thankfully, the spotted lanternflies do not bite or pose direct harm to humans. However, the sugary “honeydew” that they excrete attracts mold, wasps, and other pests. 

Squish and scrape

What should you do once you identify a spotted lanternfly?

“One of the control methods—I’ve seen actual videos on this, it’s fairly commonly practiced—is to squish them!” says Simek. “Just make sure to become familiar with what lanternflies look like before squishing, but they are easy to identify.”

Also, it’s good to remove their egg masses, which look a bit like chewed gray-brown gum, advises Simek. And definitely check for hitch-hiking lanternflies while entering and exiting natural areas. 

Fall is the season to look for and remove egg masses before they hatch in spring. 

Vigilance helps slow the spread

It’s important to reduce the spotted lanternfly’s ability to reproduce and spread as much as possible. 

“One of the things we don’t want to see here on campus, of course, is for it to become a breeding area that produces lanternflies that can spread around the area even more,” says Simek. Thankfully, the EIC is well maintained and better prepared for invasive visitors.

The spotted lanternfly’s preferred host, tree of heaven, has been regularly removed from the Environmental Interpretive Center’s grounds for years. Tree of heaven is a particularly entrenched invasive plant that comes from the same region as the spotted lanternfly. As a favorite food source, it is a marker of where to look for the insect. 

Additionally, birds and bats are beginning to recognize spotted lanternflies as a food source. The near 121 acres of the EIC’s natural center helps support those populations. Though, Simek notes, its being theorized that spotted lanternflies become less appetizing after eating tree of heaven. 

That’s one more reason to be diligent about removing the invasive plant. 

Report sightings

The spotted lanternfly’s impact on the tree canopy at large remains to be seen. 

The DNR says all sightings by the public should be reported. 

So far, spotted Lanternflies have been seen in Wayne, Oakland, Lenawee, and Macomb counties.

“It’s the new invasive kid on the block,” says Simek. “We’re probably going to see them more and more, and then we’re all going to find out what their impacts are.”

Hamtramck’s race for mayor is over—for now.  The Wayne County Board of Canvassers has certified the results of this month’s contest. 

Adam Alharbi has won the election for mayor by just six votes.  The outcome of the contest was controversial, with more than three dozen ballots thrown out after they were found in the office of City Clerk Rana Faraj. 

Losing candidate Muhith Mahmood tells WDET that he will ask for a recount.  He says the 37 ballots should not have been ignored. “Canvassers denied a legitimate 37 votes.  That is concerning, because this is not the 37 people who made a mistake.  Since the race is so close to each other, they could find a way to count this ballot.”   

Incumbent Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib did not seek re-election.  He was nominated by President Trump to become the next U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Dearborn protests 

Anti-Islamic protesters clashed with Dearborn residents Tuesday. 

Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Anthony Hudson initiated the protests after he called for an end to Sharia law governing Dearborn – even though there is no Sharia law governing Dearborn.  He has since backtracked on this statement.

Muslim residents came out to stand up against anti-Islamic sentiments.  Shouts were exchanged and in some cases there was shoving.   One man reportedly tried to set a Quran on fire. 

At a City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Mayor Abdullah Hammound said there’s room for all faiths to live together peacefully in Dearborn. 

Belle Isle Zoo demolition 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is tearing down the remains of the Belle Isle Zoo. 

The zoo was closed in 2002 when the city of Detroit decided it was too costly to operate.  Animal enclosures and other buildings at the site have been empty since then. 

They’ve been overgrown by weeds and vines.  Officials say the remaining structures posed a danger.  The DNR says most of the site will be returned to nature, although some parking spaces for other island attractions will be placed there. 

Muirhead retires 

Long-time public relations expert Georgella Muirhead is retiring.  She currently works at the 98Forward PR firm.  But she worked for years in the administrations of Mayors Coleman Young and Dennis Archer, helping to get their priorities out to the public. 

She left her government office in the late 90s to begin the public relations firm Berg, Muirhead and Associates with famed Coleman Young spokesperson Bob Berg.  They sold the firm in 2016.  Good luck in your retirement, Georgella! 

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