Detroit is often broken into two camps: Downtown and the neighborhoods. 

At last night’s state of the city address, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield declared she was investing in the latter. 

Between cash assistance for pregnant moms, potential pay increases for city employees, new initiatives to help young people, and plans for more affordable housing, Sheffield signaled she doesn’t want to have two separate, unequal classes living in Detroit. She wants everyone to thrive in the city. 

But Detroit has big problems, including homes that need repairs, poor public transit and generational poverty. With federal funds drying up, Sheffield’s administration will need to find a way to pay for all of its services. 

How does she plan to do that? And, what kind of coalition is she building to help her?

Donna Givens Davidson is the president of the Eastside Community Network and of the co-host of the Authentically Detroit podcast. She also was part of Mayor Sheffield’s transition team. Givens Davidson spoke with The Metro‘s Cary Junior II.

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Many of the systems designed to keep us safe sometimes harm the most vulnerable among us. That’s often true of people who face financial hardship.

Detroit’s 36th District Court is trying to stop that from continuing. Chief Judge William McConico is running a court-wide amnesty program through April 2, waiving all late fees, penalties, and warrant costs for adjudicated cases when the original fine is paid.

McConico spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about this, bail reform and controversy surrounding one of his judges.

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Tens of thousands of metro Detroiters took to the streets to take part in another “No Kings” protest, where they opposed President Donald Trump, recent policies on immigration, war with Iran and more. 

No Kings marches took place in cities across the country. WDET’s Russ McNamara was on the ground talking with folks in metro Detroit about what motivated them to speak up and get out. He spoke with The Metro‘s Cary Junior II about what he found.

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About one month ago, Israel and America struck Iran. Now, Israel has enmeshed itself in more violence. 

In Iran, about 1500 people have been killed. Over 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon. Settler violence against Palestinians has been ratcheted up in the West Bank. And, in Israel, as of one week ago, a dozen Israelis had been killed from Iranian air strikes. 

Israel says it is attacking the Iranian regime and Hezbollah in Lebanon to remove existential threats from the region.

In the midst of all this, a man drove a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. The attacker killed himself before he hurt anyone at the synagogue besides one security officer. He was grieving family that had been killed in Lebanon by Israel.

How are metro Detroit Jews processing this moment? And, what do conversations about domestic and foreign politics look like at this time?

Aaron Bergman is a rabbi at Adat Shalom, a synagogue in Farmington Hills. He spoke about all this with producer Sam Corey.

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It’s a medical mystery with destructive elements. Our cells divide and grow with unstoppable force. They seize surrounding tissue. They invade from within. 

That’s how cancer works. And cases of younger people getting cancer — folks under the age of 50 — have been growing. Someone born in 1990 is now four times more likely to get rectal cancer, and two times more likely to get colon cancer than someone born in 1950. 

Why? And, what is it like to be a doctor in metro Detroit fielding these cases?

Dr. Thomas Kelly is a gastroenterologist at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about different dietary and environmental factors that may be contributing to rising cancer rates.

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Artificial intelligence is all around us. AI can now create videos and provide analysis — it’s even able to code. What makes artificial intelligence so weird is that it’s not mechanistic like a light switch or a power button. Instead, AI can make decisions on its own. 

So, where should we be using it? And, where should we be limiting its use? 

Penelope Tsernoglou is a Democrat representing East Lansing in the state House who has been regulating AI. She helped to outlaw the use of AI to create deepfakes, and supported legislation that would ban employers from using AI to make decisions about wages, and hiring and firing workers. Tsernoglou also wants to prevent AI from determining claims in the healthcare marketplace.

Yet she also sponsored legislation to make it easier to construct data centers in Michigan.

For someone skeptical of artificial intelligence, how should we be considering the construction of data centers, which would greatly advance the technology? Rep. Tsernoglou spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about this and more.

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One of the most popular programs in the City of Detroit is community violence intervention. It’s a policy that tasks neighborhood residents with intervening in disputes to reduce gun violence and mitigate harm. Many say it’s working. 

That’s because it’s attributed with helping to significantly reduce homicides — which continue to fall in Detroit. 

Now, the city is trying to institutionalize community violence intervention work and programs like it. That’s why Detroit created a new department: The Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety. 

What is the scope of the office’s responsibilities? And, how does it believe it can target and alleviate the roots of violence?

Teferi Brent is the office’s first director. He spoke with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent.

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These days, when it rains, it much more often pours. That’s due in large part to climate change. Heat waves are longer, winds are stronger, and rains are heavier. 

Meanwhile, much of metro Detroit’s infrastructure is old. And, combined with the downpours, it has led to more flooding. That’s true on Hines Drive in Wayne County; it’s true in East Dearborn; and it’s true in Jefferson Chalmers, or the “Venice of Detroit.” 

In 2021, the eastside neighborhood was declared a “high-risk flood zone” by FEMA after heavy rains flooded many basements and roads. 

The City of Detroit recently announced a $1 million pilot program to repair or replace sea walls for low-income residents to protect them from flooding. What do people in the neighborhood make of this plan? What do they need to protect their neighborhood?

Blake Grannum is a longtime Jefferson Chalmers resident. She spoke with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent about that and more.

The Metro reached out to Detroit Council member Latisha Johnson, who represents Jefferson Chalmers. Her office did not respond to our request for comment.

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The war in Iran — and the regional fallout — is continuing. 

Without Congressional authorization, President Donald Trump and Israel launched strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, and other military leaders of the current regime. And now, over a thousand people have died in this war.  

Iran has retaliated, launching military strikes across the region.

There is no clear path to peace. Neither Israel nor America have signaled that either have much interest in creating stability or democracy in Iran. 

Yesterday, we spoke with a Middle East scholar about what’s happening in Iran, and some of the different perspectives of the 92 million people living there. But there are a lot more voices to consider. What do folks from the diaspora who live in our region make of the situation? 

Layla Saatchi is an assistant Professor of Teaching at Wayne State University. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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Detroit has a housing problem. But in this city, compared with others across the country, the issue isn’t about a lack of housing — it’s the fact that too many existing homes need critical repairs.

Tens of thousands of Detroiters live in substandard housing. The stock often has leaky roofs, electrical problems — things that, if they’re not functioning, make a home unlivable. 

The city has spent tens of millions of dollars on home repairs. But that number is not nearly enough to meet the need, which totals over $1 billion.

Briana Rice is a civic life reporter at Outlier Media. She’s among the reporters who worked on Outlier’s “Beyond Repair” series. It explores Detroit’s home repair crisis. 

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People voted for President Donald Trump, in part, because he promised to shake things up. Change is happening in many spaces, including those related to public health.

In Michigan, and across the country, fewer people are getting vaccinated, more people are sick, and less individuals have health insurance. Life is also different for people who lead local public institutions. 

Kate Guzman is the Oakland County Health Officer. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about the current measles outbreaks, the rise in flu cases, and what she’s doing to try to keep people healthy during President Trump’s second term in office. 

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What does it take to start over?

For thousands of people leaving Michigan prisons every year, it can come down to one piece of plastic: A photo ID.

This month, the Michigan Department of Corrections hit a milestone, having distributed thirty thousand government-issued IDs to incarcerated people since 2020.

That matters, because without an ID, you can’t get a job, sign a lease, open a bank account — you can’t even prove you’re you.

One in five people who leave Michigan prisons end up going back. The state says that’s the lowest it’s ever been. But what does a second chance actually look like when you walk out the door with so little?

Rick Speck knows this firsthand. He was released in 2014 after 15 years in prison. He didn’t have an ID. Now, he’s the deputy director of Nation Outside — a Michigan reentry nonprofit run by those who were formerly incarcerated.

He spoke with Robyn Vincent about his experiences and what our state and culture would look like if we believed more deeply in second chances.

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When someone is in distress, who should respond to the call for help? Police officers or social workers?

After the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement, police departments reformed. Throughout the country and around Michigan, police hired mental health professionals — or co-responders — to respond to 911 calls, alone or with cops. 

Now, the question of who should take the lead on distress calls has become all the more pressing. Last month, this query was thrust into the public eye once again. That’s when Ypsilanti residents became upset after a SWAT team had a 30-hour standoff with someone they say was experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Hillary Nusbaum is a co-responder supervisor for the Oakland Community Health Network. Her organization partners with Oakland County police departments by having co-responders work alongside police officers. 

Producer Sam Corey spoke with Nusbaum about what a co-responder does and when they should be called to take action on a 911 call. 

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Grocery stores offer colorful produce aisles, where pyramid-shaped mounds of apples, oranges and lemons sit waiting for your inspection.

In that moment, you might wonder — how did the prices on those apples and oranges and lemons come to be? Who decided on that particular number?

Food prices are influenced by many factors. And in recent years, the numbers have been going up.

In 2022, food prices increased by almost 10% — the largest increase since 1979. And while they haven’t increased as much since then, fruits and vegetables are still becoming pricier. Lettuce, for example, is up over 7% since last year. Why? And how much have prices changed because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and immigration policies?

Bill Loupée is the COO of Ben B. Schwartz & Sons wholesaler, which operates out of Detroit. He spoke with Robyn Vincent. .

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On Wednesday, the Great Lakes Water Authority will vote on a nearly 7% water rate increase and a 6% sewer increase.

Last year, GLWA proposed an even bigger hike — close to 8% for water — but public testimony at the hearing pushed the board to lower it. Wednesday’s hearing is another chance for residents to weigh in. What’s driving these increases — and why does water keep getting more expensive?

Suzanne Coffey is CEO of the Great Lakes Water Authority or GLWA. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

On The Metro, we also spoke about GLWA rate hikes — and why utility costs are rising — with Nick Schroek, dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. You can listen to that conversation here.

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Across metro Detroit, some leaders’ stances against ICE have gotten firmer. 

The Detroit police chief is not allowing his officers to work with ICE. Last week, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor spoke with The Metro about his criticisms of the institution.

Now, in Southfield, federal and state lawmakers are trying to stop ICE from opening an administrative office. 

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who is running to be Michigan’s Attorney General, has expressed concerns about ICE enforcement, and the presence of ICE agents in her jurisdiction. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about that and more.

The Metro contacted US Immigration and Customs Enforcement prior to this conversation. They did not respond with a comment by the time this aired.

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There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty in Iran right now. 

Protestors have faced a violent reaction from Iran’s political leaders, resulting in the death of thousands of Iranians. But the demonstrations, nonetheless, have continued — and not just in Iran. 

This past weekend, the Iranian diaspora and others — amounting to hundreds of thousands of people around the world — protested the Iranian government. 

The demonstrations occurred in Germany and Los Angeles and Toronto and across the river, in Windsor.

One of the people participating the ongoing protests is Mahshid Soleimani. She’s a PhD student at the University of Windsor and a leader of an Iranian student group on campus. She spoke about her perspective, as part of the Iranian diaspora, with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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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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How is the Trump administration doing overall at managing the economy? 

There are bright spots: inflation is down, unemployment is low, and the stock market is strong. But there are also concerns: Prices are still high in many areas, there’s been a hiring freeze across a number of industries, and most of the investments energy is are concentrated in artificial intelligence — not spread across a diverse range of sectors. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is traditionally pro-free market, pro-business, and conservative leaning — and that’s also true for their partner organizations around the country.

Faye Nemer is the CEO of the Middle East North Africa American Chamber of Commerce, which operates out of Dearborn. She told producer Sam Corey that she generally likes how the Trump administration is managing the economy. She thinks the tariffs are strategic. And while Nemer realizes small businesses are hurting, she thinks that’s likely to change as national policies will trickle down to everyone else.

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