A Michigan attorney is preparing to help people across the state and country restore their gun rights under a long-dormant federal process that could be revived as part of the Trump administration’s push to strengthen Second Amendment protections.
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East Lansing video game arcade Pinball Pete’s describes itself as “an easy-going, inclusive environment where retro vibes meet genuine hospitality,” according to its website. However, a local woman alleges that when it comes to hiring, the business — a fixture in the community since 1977 — is anything but inclusive. East Lansing resident Melissa Rill, […]
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That creamy Reese’s peanut butter cup dissolving on your tongue. The next crunchy Dorito you’re reaching for before you’ve swallowed the last one. The first sip of an ice-cold Coke, with a mix of syrup and carbonation; it hits like relief.
Your brain’s reward center is supposed to keep you alive, but a major new study from the University of Michigan, Harvard, and Duke says the food industry learned how to use it against you — engineering products with the same science as cigarettes.
The playbook is this: optimize the craving, accelerate the reward, and make it nearly impossible to stop.
Ultraprocessed foods now make up roughly 60% of what Americans eat. San Francisco has sued 10 major food manufacturers over the harm.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said these foods are poisoning Americans, but he has stopped short of regulating them.
In Detroit, 69% of households face food insecurity and researchers describe the city as a food swamp, where drive-throughs, party stores and gas-station snack aisles vastly outnumber places to buy fresh produce.
Detroit’s numbers make the question sharper: What happens when engineered food is all that’s there?
Ashley Gearhardt, clinical psychologist, addiction scientist at the University of Michigan, creator of the Yale Food Addiction Scale and lead author of the study, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss this and more.
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Young people’s brains are changing.
Research shows social media activates the same dopamine-driven reward pathways in the brain as addictive substances. The scroll, the like, the notification — each one is a quick hit of pleasure that keeps you coming back.
The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that teens who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety, and the vast majority of American teenagers use social media. More than a third say they use it “almost constantly.”
The platforms keep us sucked in so long that we now have new terms for our interactions with these devices, like “doomscrolling” and “brain rot.”
Now, the courts are getting involved. In Los Angeles, a jury is hearing claims that Meta and YouTube deliberately designed their platforms to get children addicted. In New Mexico, the state attorney general is suing Meta for allegedly failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation.
In Michigan, legislators are cracking down on phones in schools. This month, Michigan banned smartphones in the classroom, affecting students in the fall.
State Representative Mark Tisdel, a Republican representing Rochester Hills, sponsored the cell phone ban. He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how he believes lawmakers should stand up to Big Tech.
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This story is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday about whether state or federal court will have the final say on the future of the controversial Line 5 pipeline, which carries crude oil and natural gas liquids […]
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Michigan’s bitterly cold winter has many staring down high energy bills — the highest in the Midwest. These rising costs have kept utilities on people’s minds.
Some recent headlines have, too.
Last week, a federal judge fined DTE Energy $100 million for polluting the air around Zug Island.
DTE Energy said in a prepared statement it is “extremely disappointed in the court’s ruling and its negative implications on the domestic supply of coke to the U.S. steel industry.” The company said it plans to appeal to the 6th Circuit Court and maintains it “has been operating within the limits of the valid original state permit – both today and during the time period in question.”
Two days later, state regulators approved another rate hike for DTE — a $242.4 million increase that will add roughly $4.93 to the average residential monthly bill starting March 5. DTE said the investment is delivering results, pointing to what it called its most reliable year in nearly two decades.
“Since 2021, DTE’s electric bill growth has been among the lowest in the country compared to other states,” said Matt Paul, president and chief operating officer of DTE Electric. “Our actual bills remain below the Great Lakes region and national averages.”
That same week, DTE posted over $1.5 billion in operating earnings — more than $100 million higher than the year before. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called the pattern “a never-ending cycle of rate hikes.” She said the system should be questioned when a utility projects record profits while asking customers to pay more.
In other energy and environmental news, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on the future of Line 5 — the 73-year-old oil pipeline running through the Straits of Mackinac.
Meanwhile, communities across the state are in revolt over data centers that could consume more electricity than entire cities. DTE has said that data center contracts are separate and that residential customers will not subsidize their rates.
So given all this, today we’re asking: who is in charge of utility costs and safety in Michigan? And when things go wrong, who is accountable? Nick Schroek has some answers. He is dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, a leading expert in environmental law, and served as a special assistant prosecutor during the Flint Water Crisis. He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro.
Editor’s Note: DTE Energy is a WDET sponsor.
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Michigan lawmakers from both parties expressed alarm Tuesday over growing allegations of toxic mold, medical neglect, drug trafficking, sexual abuse, and systemic failures at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
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After nearly 40 years supporters across the globe remain committed to advocating for Temujin Kensu’s release. While maintaining hope that he will eventually see freedom, some of Kensu’s staunchest defenders say they face an uphill climb to overcome Michigan politics and obstacles not related to the facts of his innocence, to help Kensu receive justice. “There is an abundance of corruption in Michigan politics… that keeps Kensu in jail,” says Debbie O’Sullivan of Australia. After learning about Kensu through an […]
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This is the ninth installment in “Exploring Integrity: Reviewing Wrongful Conviction Remedies,” a series examining the impact of conviction integrity units on the American judicial system’s rate of wrongful conviction. Presented by the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism, the investigation is supported by Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over his four decades in a Michigan prison, […]
The post For nearly 40 years, Temujin Kensu said he is innocent. Will he ever be free? appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
Momentum is finally building to address longstanding and systemic problems at Michigan’s only women’s prison as state lawmakers, local elected officials, and activists demand answers about mold, medical care, a recent death, and the treatment of a woman whose health has rapidly declined.
The post New push for accountability at Michigan women’s prison appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
In this episode:
For the fourth time since the 1960’s…Michigan voters will get the chance to hold a convention on whether or not they want to do a complete overhaul on the constitution. This week on MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben and Zach Gorchow discuss all the things this convention could change to Michigan’s constitutional laws. They are joined by Lynn Liberato who is the author of Michigan Con-Con 11: Women and State Constitution-making in 1961.
Most Michiganders will have no recollection about a ConCon because of its rarity but it has the potential to change a lot of things. Liberato said that the last ConCon in 1961 was the culmination of 20-40 years of non-partisan efforts with groups like the League of Women Voters in Michigan. Liberato encourages voters to think deeply about a decision to have another ConCon. “By the time we got to 1961, we were operating under a constitution that was over 100 years old. Michigan changed from an agricultural society to a manufacturing mecca. Is that comparable to us in 2026 from the 1960’s?”
Michiganders will have a chance to vote on whether or not we have a ConCon in the 2026 midterm elections.
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The head of DC Water, whose agency oversees the sewer line that collapsed and spilled more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River last month, previously played a prominent role in the Flint water crisis.
The post DC Water chief tied to Flint water crisis lawsuits now leads utility behind Potomac sewage spill appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
A new statewide poll shows Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson opening up a narrow lead in Michigan’s 2026 governor’s race, while independent candidate Mike Duggan is losing ground, even after allies and pro-Trumpers poured seven figures into boosting his campaign.
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In 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed one of the most aggressive clean energy laws in the country — requiring Michigan utilities to hit 50% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% clean electricity by 2040. That plan assumed federal policy would be moving in the same direction. Things like federal tax credits, Environmental Protection Agency regulations, and infrastructure money for electric vehicles were anticipated to follow.
But that’s not what’s happening now. Last week, the Trump administration revoked the EPA’s ability to regulate pollution.
What does that decision mean for Michigan? What does it mean for DTE and Consumers Energy, which are both tasked with transitioning to clean energy sources instead of relying on things like natural gas?
Liesl Clark is the director of climate action engagement for the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. She also used to run the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
The Metro‘s Sam Corey spoke with the director about the president’s actions and what she would recommend the state do now.
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If you live in southeast Michigan, chances are you have a DTE story — the kind where your food spoiled during an outage, your pipes froze while you waited for power, or the number on your energy bill last month spurred disbelief.
The data backs up that frustration. According to a report from the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, the state ranked last in 2023 for average time to restore power after an outage, taking roughly 12 hours per incident —more than double that of any neighboring state.
Energy rates, meanwhile, continue to climb. DTE Energy has filed four rate increase requests with the Michigan Public Service Commission in five years. In 2024, the company cut power to approximately 150,000 customers for nonpayment, according to a report from the Center for Biological Diversity. That same year, DTE paid more than $607 million in dividends to shareholders while its profits surged 41%.
Now, a grassroots effort in Ann Arbor is trying to change the equation.
The group Ann Arbor for Public Power has launched a petition drive to put a question on the November 2026 ballot: whether to establish a governing board for a future city-owned electric utility. The group needs approximately 6,500 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
If approved by voters, the measure would not immediately purchase DTE’s infrastructure. Instead, it would create a nine-member public utility board to lay the groundwork for an eventual transition away from the investor-owned utility. A separate vote would be required in the future to authorize the actual acquisition of DTE’s poles and wires.
Michigan already has roughly 40 municipal utilities in cities like Lansing, Traverse City, Holland, and Wyandotte. But none of them were formed by acquiring infrastructure from a private utility. Ann Arbor would be the first city in the state to attempt it. Organizers believe success there could open the door for other Michigan cities, including Detroit, to follow.
Sean Higgins, president of Ann Arbor for Public Power, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss why his group believes public ownership is the path to cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable energy for Ann Arbor residents.
DTE Energy has not responded to WDET’s request for comment about this effort.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
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The price of water has been steadily rising in Southeast Michigan. Now, one of the steepest rate increases in the Great Lakes Water Authority’s decade-long history is up for a vote.
GLWA is proposing roughly a 7% water rate hike and a 6% sewer rate hike for the fiscal year starting July 1 — the second straight year exceeding the 4% cap the authority held for its first decade. GLWA says the money is needed to replace aging infrastructure: 83.6 miles of transmission main are past their useful life, and the system is largely funded by ratepayers.
At the authority’s January board meeting, residents pushed back. A GLWA representative acknowledged that 155,000 Detroiters are already enrolled in water assistance programs, roughly one in four residents.
Noah Kincade, who leads Detroit Documenters for Outlier Media, joined Robyn Vincent to break down what’s driving the increase, how rates are set, and what residents can do.
Listen to the full conversation above.
Residents can contact state lawmakers about Senate Bills 248–256, which address water affordability, or call We the People of Detroit’s water hotline at 1-844-429-2837. The GLWA board holds its public hearing and vote on Feb. 25 at the Water Board Building (735 Randolph St., Detroit) and via Zoom. Last year, public testimony led the board to reduce its proposed hike before the final vote.
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The Bangladeshi ambassador to the United States visited Hamtramck Saturday to meet with Bangladeshi Americans. Tareq Md Ariful Islam joined a town hall at the Gates of Columbus Banquet Hall to discuss U.S. – Bangladeshi relations.
Michigan Bangladeshis hope to get a permanent consulate office in Michigan to service the thousands of Bangladeshis in the state. In October 2025 the Advisory Council in Bangladesh, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, approved a proposal to open a consulate office in Michigan. It’s one of five offices scheduled to open around the world. People applauded as Ambassador Islam announced plans are moving forward to open the consulate office in Detroit.
The Embassy has provided mobile consular services over the years.
A celebration of life memorial service was held for Arab American activist Ismael Ahmed yesterday at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. Ahmed passed away on Jan. 31.
Speakers included Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and business leader Nasser Beydoun, who shared personal memories during the celebration of his life.
Friends talked about his commitment to public service and the arts. Ahmed co-founded the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services and the Concert of Colors. He also led the Michigan Department of Human Services under former Governor Jennifer Granholm. Ahmed hosted two music shows on WDET including This Island Earth.
-Reporting by Pat Batcheller
Some candidates for governor discussed their education plans during a Michigan Education Association forum in Detroit. They generally agreed schools need more counselors and other support staff.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, says schools do need more money. She also says the state should stop relying on a per-student funding model.
“Different needs meet different communities. And, as I’ve talked to educators around the state, the number one thing that keeps coming up is just that, that an x amount of money for a student in Muskegon is not going to be the same as x amount of money or the same amount of money for a student in Iron River. The needs are different. The cost model needs to be different.”
Democrat Chris Swanson, Republican Mike Cox, and now-independent former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also participated in the forum.
Dearborn Night of Innovation
The City of Dearborn is accepting applications for the Night of Innovation Pitch competition. The event is presented by the American Arab Chamber of Commerce. Five businesses will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges to compete for monetary awards. First prize is $25,000; second place is $10,000; and third place is $5,00 dollars for seed funding.
The City of Dearborn’s Director of Economic Development Jordan Twardy says the pitch competition is a way to showcase entrepreneurial talent in the city. Dearborn residents and business owners can apply by Feb. 27 by visiting BetOnDearborn.com.
The Night of Innovation will take place at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center May 12 from 5-8 p.m. The event is free for people to attend.
The City of Hamtramck Community & Economic Development Department is hosting an information session about the Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax. People will learn how to apply for NEZ tax abatements.
The Coffee, Tea and NEZ session is on Feb. 23 at Kitab Cafe in Hamtramck. The event is available for two sessions; one at 12 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m.
Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 oil tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac would permanently damage wetlands and harm an area of deep cultural and historical importance to Indigenous tribes, prompting renewed criticism from pipeline opponents, according to a new federal environmental review.
The post Army Corps report warns of permanent wetland and cultural impacts from Line 5 tunnel appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
Most everyone wants students to have good teachers. But how do we adequately prepare educators, and keep them in the profession?
That’s a pressing question as teacher retention drops in Michigan. And it’s the most pressing in school districts with more poverty.
Ten years ago, only a handful of Michigan school districts reported permanent teaching vacancies. Today, that number has exploded: more than 150 districts now have jobs they can’t fill.
Some in the state are trying to fix this.
Jack Elsey leads the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative. His nonprofit is launching a collaboration with some public universities in the state to change the way teachers are trained, and to keep them in the field. He spoke with Robyn Vincent.
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