Early voting underway in Detroit’s primary election

Early voting is underway in Detroit’s primary election. Voters can use an absentee ballot or cast their vote at one of the city’s eight early voting centers. Those centers are open this week from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Nine candidates are on the primary ballot vying to become Detroit’s next mayor. The top two vote-getters will go on to face each other in the November general election. Several candidates for City Council also appear on the primary ballot.

Early voting ends on Sunday. Detroiters can also vote in person on Primary Day, which is one week from today — Tuesday, August 5.

Heavy storms cause flooding across Detroit

Many Detroiters spent part of the evening cleaning up after heavy thunderstorms rolled through the area Monday afternoon. Rain amounts varied widely across the region, but some Detroit streets were temporarily flooded by heavy rainfall.

The I-96 westbound exit ramp to the Southfield Freeway was backed up with heavy traffic and closed for a short time after the storms passed. At Metro Airport, several roads were closed by flooding, forcing passengers to scramble to make their flights.

Meteorologists say an area near Romulus received nearly three inches of rain in just an hour.

Detroit launches first municipal start-up fund

The City of Detroit and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation have launched the city’s first municipal start-up fund. The fund will award 20 grants of $15,000 each and six additional grants of $50,000 each.

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation CEO Kevin Johnson says the grants will give new non-retail businesses a better chance to survive.

“Being an entrepreneur is a battle to survive. Ideas mean one thing, but when you can’t cultivate it to a point where it becomes a reasonable business, then we’re recycling old things that cause them to fail,” Johnson said.

Entrepreneurs must have been in business for at least two years and be based in Detroit to be eligible for the grants.

Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Gas prices drop in Metro Detroit

Gas prices are falling in Metro Detroit. The average price of self-serve regular is now $3.19 per gallon. That’s down three cents from last week and seven cents lower than a month ago.

The national average for gas is just over $3.13 per gallon.

Tigers trade for two pitchers ahead of MLB deadline

The Detroit Tigers have completed a trade just a few days before the Major League Baseball deadline.

The team was looking to bolster its pitching staff and received right-hand pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak from the Minnesota Twins. In exchange, the Twins received catcher Enrique Jiminez and a minor league prospect.

The Tigers needed pitching help with Reese Olsen missing the rest of the regular season due to a shoulder sprain. He could return for the playoffs.

Detroit currently holds a record of 62 wins and 46 losses and sits in first place in the American League Central.

Reforesting urban environments faces one significant yet overlooked hurdle: bringing residents to the table. 

Dr. Christine Carmichael recognized this when doing research in Detroit in 2013 with the Greening of Detroit. What she learned prompted her to create her urban forestry consulting group, Fair Forests, and write her book, “Racist Roots: How Racism Has Affected Trees and People in Our Cities – and What We Can Do About It”, which came out in 2024.

Today, Dr. Carmichael advises forestry efforts on national, state, and local levels on how to best address resident concerns and wants to make tree planting a positive experience for all involved.

Her work focuses on the unique roles community members, arborists, nonprofits, and governments play in urban forestry.

In her words, “How can we think about who has what type of power, and how can we share that better, and provide people with the resources they need to address all these issues around tree canopy?”

Carmichael emphasizes connecting with neighborhoods and learning their heritage narratives to see how they’ve experienced change over time.

How history shapes the tree canopy today

During the time of its peak population, Detroit had such a dense tree canopy that it was called “Tree City”. Then a combination of disease, invasive pests, and neglect killed half a million trees while magnifying injustices in the city’s landscape. 

A lot of people want to move on from the past, but failing to see the bigger picture avoids key issues that created our modern tree canopy.

“People are living in the present consequences of the past decisions,” Carmichael says, reflecting on how historic racist policies like redlining still impact rates of homeownership among Black Americans today. “And we need to change those decisions to make things better.”

A result of redlining in the city 

Carmichael says that when she started her work around a decade ago, the ties between redlining and reduced tree canopy weren’t proven. But foresters noticed that disadvantaged neighborhoods tended to have fewer trees and less healthy trees. 

Redlining was the 1930s policy of evaluating property as “hazardous” if its occupants were Black. Owners of redlined property were ineligible for government housing investment funds.

Redlined neighborhoods are often recognized as environmental justice areas today.

Environmental injustice can include the dumping of waste, the placement and lax regulation of polluting industrial sites by the city, neglecting to address infrastructural issues, and more.  Carmichael adds, ”A common way to think about it is that people are being treated unfairly and are not being meaningfully included in decisions about the environment that they’re living in.”

Having outsiders make decisions on what happened to the environment in these neighborhoods has negative consequences. Redlining segregated neighborhoods and denied people the help needed to care for their property.

It’s only logical that people lost trust in the city and outside organizations.

Not only are trees more vulnerable to disease and hazardous when they aren’t maintained properly, but the lack of tree canopy has an impact on people’s health. “So people experiencing higher heat-related issues, more air quality issues, mental health, cardiac,” Carmichael lists. 

Detroit as an epicenter

Carmichael said that Detroit and its near-monoculture of elm trees made it an epicenter for Dutch elm disease. 

When Dutch elm disease swept through the city at the same time as the ‘67 Rebellion, the mass removal of Elm trees with little notice was another injustice residents suffered.

It created a unique heritage narrative that Carmichael noticed among residents she interviewed. “Many, most of whom had lived during the 67 rebellion, had this feeling that the trees were removed because the government wanted to surveil neighborhoods from overhead in helicopters, not because the trees were diseased.” 

The consistent exclusion and lack of resources given to certain neighborhoods created environmental injustices that worsened as the city lost much of its population to white flight. The forestry department shrank, and diseased and dead trees were left to languish in residential areas.

When emerald ash borers struck in the 90s, more trees were lost and damaged. Again, residents were not as informed or engaged as they should have been. 

“It was more like a reactionary, oh, these trees are dying, we’ll just take them down,” says Carmichael. “There were limits to urban foresters’ understanding of how to manage those things. They were new threats, but I think there could have been a lot more proactive effort to organize with the community.” 

Despite being at the forefront of these ecological issues, Detroit missed an opportunity to address environmental injustice, according to Dr. Carmichael. The same failures can be seen in other urban environments that followed.

Detroit could have been an example of how to better protect the tree canopy with environmental justice in mind.

Modern approaches to inclusive urban forestry

As Detroit was less able to fund municipalities like forestry departments, neighborhood community groups stepped up to care for their lands. When nonprofits came onto the stage to fill the gaps left by forestry departments, there was a need to engage better with residents on the ground level that wasn’t being met at the time of Carmichael’s research.

Meaningful engagement between outside tree planting groups and neighborhoods requires a lot of funding. Carmichael credits the Inflation Reduction Act for allowing urban forestry groups to begin to make the necessary efforts to reduce barriers for the communities they work with. 

But now that funding is gone, and nonprofits have to work with fewer resources once more. That may mean that they can’t prioritize residents as much as they need to, as getting trees in the ground and similar metrics are what appeals to funders.

Still, Carmichael argues that it’s essential to look at reforesting efforts beyond the lens of efficiency and profit maximization. It’s not just about how many trees you can plant, the shade provided, and the carbon sequestered, but also about the people who will be impacted by those trees.

Those same people are paramount when it comes to long-term maintenance of the tree. If urban foresters can show them specific things to look out for, residents can make sure the trees stay healthy and don’t become hazards like they have in the past. 

“Essentially, it’s about educating,” says Carmichael. It’s not about the benefits of trees, as most residents already know all the good a tree can do; they just need support on making sure those benefits come without so many drawbacks. “The emphasis should be more on educating the funders about what activities are needed to both increase the canopy and support the residents.”

This story is part of WDET’s ongoing series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

Detroit’s mayoral candidates agree the city needs more affordable housing but have different ideas to solve the problem. 

Retired businessman Joel Haashiim says if he were mayor, he’d create a municipal building company to manufacture housing. 

“It’s a great industry,” he says. “It’s something where we can create 10,000 Detroit resident jobs.”

Haashiim also says it would diversify the city’s economy.

“We basically rely on the auto plants and the small service industries that maintain the local economy,” he says. “This will give us an opportunity to put billions of dollars into our city treasury, as well as in the community.”

Haashiim says he would also work with financial institutions to make buying a home more affordable.

“30- to 50-year mortgages are what we want to introduce into Detroit,” he says. “This will allow us to compensate for the high cost of building.”

If they build it, will people come?

By creating a larger number of affordable homes, Haashiim says he hopes to accelerate Detroit’s population growth. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city gained about 6,000 residents since the decennial head count in 2020. He says the key is to attract more business.

“We are an international city with no international companies,” Haashiim says. “I’m the only candidate who has done 15 international business delegations around this country, bringing in companies to this metro area.”

Haashiim says he would also invest in public projects and education to lure new residents to Detroit.

“We do want to bring in families,” he says. “We want to make sure we reach out to them as a city that’s interested in making sure that our children can compete in the 21st century.”

Haashiim is one of nine mayoral candidates on the Aug. 5 ballot. Arnold Boyd and Rogelio Landin are running write-in campaigns. The top two finishers in the primary will run against each other in November.

Mayor Mike Duggan is not seeking re-election. He’s waging an independent campaign for governor in 2026.

Learn more about upcoming elections with WDET’s 2025 Detroit Voter Guide »

What’s on your summer bucket list?
The nonprofit news organization Bridge Michigan asked its readers that question.

The result: a list of ten under-the-radar adventures you can complete right here in Michigan during the summer.

Bridge Michigan’s Laura Herberg is spending her summer checking off items on that list.

Recently, she visited Mount Arvon — the state’s tallest natural point — and shares what she found atop the peak.

Michigan Dreaming is a production of Bridge Michigan.

You can find photos of the memorial marker and a video of Laura hiking Mount Arvon at BridgeMI.com.

Detroiters face a pivotal primary election, and early voting is already underway. 

For the first time in a dozen years Mayor Mike Duggan is not seeking reelection.

The candidates vying to replace Duggan differ on the specific policies they want to pursue. But most agree one of Detroit’s pressing needs is increasing its supply of affordable housing.

Candidate DaNetta Simpson says she has a plan to address the situation that would help residents pay to fix-up their current housing. She says it’s just one of several issues driving her bid as an independent candidate for the top job in Detroit’s city government.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

DaNetta Simpson: What I would do, as far as the neighborhoods, is set up an insurance program for the residents to pay into for repairs for their homes. And we’re not going to go by income, only that they’re occupied and that they are on the tax rolls. All you have to do is show proof of ownership and pay a monthly or yearly fee. We will put all this money in one particular bank account, let it draw interest and then have it go to repairing our neighborhoods.

I will also freeze the property taxes while we’re doing these repairs. I will also grandfather the property taxes for people that’s been in the neighborhoods for more than 20–30 years.

Also, crime in our communities is out of hand. Gun control is out of hand. I want to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. Now don’t take me wrong, we do not want to take your firearms. We just want responsible owners. And there’s people out here that cannot own firearms.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: So, what would you do to keep them out of the wrong hands?

DS: I will have enforcement in public places to search for them. Or post signage stating that firearms are prohibited from being there when they’re carried by people that’s not licensed to have them. We need a gun trafficking law that will stop the drive-by shootings in the neighborhoods. I know we can’t control the way an individual thinks. But at least if we have a law on the books to prevent the shootings from happening; maybe they won’t commit those crimes in places like parks. Kids are getting killed at the parks, getting wounded at the annual fireworks display, in large crowds at concerts, bars. We can control some of that. And it’s time for us to make our public places safe. Fix up our neighborhoods as well and children will not see blight again.

QK: Detroit will be running out of the pandemic relief money that the city used for various projects. It’s been allocated. Just about every candidate running for mayor now says the city needs to find new sources of revenue. Do you agree with that? And where would you look to find new revenue?

DS: Yes, I do agree with that. But everyone in Detroit is not eligible for loans. So my program, insurance deterioration, will cover everyone. And this will bring in revenue for repairing the homes, gutters, porches, roofs, sidewalk repairs, your fences, your garages, etc. We got to get the homes fixed up and safe so people can be in livable conditions.

QK: As part of that, you’ve talked about instituting some new policies regarding trash pickup in the city?

DS: Yes, that can be revenue for the city as well. Because there are people out here who are not paying for trash pickup. I know apartment buildings have a different ordinance. But if everyone pays for trash pickup along with their occupancy certificates, that will help deter blight in the neighborhoods. Because when tenants have to vacate premises, they leave them full of trash. Some of them put the trash on the streets where it doesn’t belong. So, I feel that they need to pay for a trash fee.

QK: Some of the other candidates have mentioned possibly having to create some new local taxes, service taxes. Would you favor that kind of approach as well?

DS: No, I feel that we’ve been taxed enough. That’s the old way to do things, raising taxes, cutting here, cutting there. We need some new ideas. We can’t run the city the old way. They are still trying to run the city like when the taxes first started on properties. We can’t keep taxing the citizens.

QK: The person that’s been running the city for the last dozen years, Mayor Mike Duggan, is not going to be running it anymore. He’s not seeking reelection, he’s running for governor. When you look at what Duggan has done, do you see things that you want to build on? Or is there some other direction you think the city should go?

DS: The difference between him and I, is that he was previously a Democrat and I have always been an independent. I have suggested some of my ideas to his administration and he has followed them. Those ideas are criminal expungements and swapping the old jail for Dan Gilbert to buy the site to develop on. I have been a part of the change and I would like to continue that. And this deterioration insurance will be a change for Detroit.

QK: You have made a couple of runs previously for mayor. Is there something you see differently that you can propose this time than in your previous campaigns?

DS: I would say I still have the same ideas. But when you don’t have the money to reach the people, when you don’t have radio time, television time and you don’t have the money for mailings, then you can’t reach all the constituents like the other candidates can.

QK: So this time you think you’re getting your message out more widely?

DS: Yes.

QK: I typically ask anyone who is running for an office what their pitch would be in the end to voters. So what would you tell Detroiters? Why would you be the best candidate for mayor compared to all the others campaigning right now?

DS: Because I will show independent thinking. The others want to raise taxes. I have something to offer the citizens where we don’t need to raise the taxes. We just need to stand on our own two feet and we can fix our neighborhoods ourselves. I will be an independent thinker instead of a dependent thinker.

QK: Dependent on what?

DS: Dependent upon the old. And it’s not the old that will take us to the next level. We need fresh ideas in here.

Environmental groups gathered over the weekend to mark the 15th anniversary of an oil spill into the Kalamazoo River. The message they delivered: that the oil spill was a warning about what could happen if an oil pipeline running through the Great Lakes isn’t shut down.

Tent booths were set up to represent different groups that responded to what happened 15 years ago when Enbridge’s Line 6B burst. 1.2 million gallons of oil were recovered from that tar sands spill along more than 35 miles of the Kalamazoo River and one of its tributaries near Marshall, Michigan.

The Michigan Climate Action Network organized the event at Historic Bridge Park near Battle Creek. The site was chosen because it was part of the long stretch of contaminated shoreline.

Denise Keele, executive director of the Michigan Climate Action Network, said no one has forgotten the damage caused by Line 6B. That’s why they worry about Line 5.
“The message remains the same: to shut down Line 5 and no oil tunnel. We are here today on the 15th anniversary of the Kalamazoo River oil spill so that history does not repeat itself. We should learn from our mistakes.”

Keele added that another mistake is the continued use of fossil fuels, which she said is causing climate disruption.

Nichole Keway Biber, Mid-Michigan organizer for Michigan Clean Water Action and a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, pointed out that Line 5 is more than 30 years older than Line 6B was when it ruptured.

“The many places that 645-mile-long pipeline crosses over waters is close by to the Great Lakes, beyond just the absurdity of that four-mile-stretch beneath the Straits. That’s all a threat. That pipeline is over 70-years-old.”

Some of the environmental leaders who spoke included Sean McBrearty, coordinator of the Oil and Water Don’t Mix campaign. He talked about the negligence that led to the 2010 spill.

“This was entirely man-made. And it was only as big as it became because the negligence of the people who now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the federal government are asking us to trust the Great Lakes with.”

McBrearty said the devastating Line 6B disaster—one of the largest inland oil spills in the U.S.—sparked a movement.

“A movement that says never again are we going to let major corporations like Enbridge spill oil into our rivers. A movement that says we’re going to protect our Great Lakes. And make sure the same company responsible for this oil spill does not strike again, this time with a larger pipeline running more oil in the heart of the Great Lakes.”
Currently, the Michigan Department of

Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is taking public comments on permit applications submitted by Enbridge. The company wants to build a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac to house a new segment of Line 5. The existing pipeline sits on the lakebed connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

Beth Wallace, Great Lakes climate and energy director for the National Wildlife Federation, said EGLE is falling short in its responsibility. She said the agency should be reviewing not only the impacts at the tunnel’s entry and exit points but also the broader environmental damage tunneling could cause.

“Who are the decisions really serving? They’re not the people of Michigan. They’re not the tribes who have stewarded these waters for generations, and not the millions that rely on the Great Lakes.”

When asked what the groups are willing to do to stop Line 5 and the proposed tunnel, Wallace said that if EGLE does not do its job fully, the National Wildlife Federation will take the agency to court.

Nichole Keway Biber responded: “Our Indigenous people and our nations and our allies aren’t going to let this happen. We cannot. We cannot. So, if they want us to be up there camping out, and bring our drums, and bring our medicine, we’re ready to do that.”

Enbridge responded in a statement, saying it is committed to safeguarding the Great Lakes and welcomes the public comment process now underway.

EGLE is accepting public comments on Enbridge’s proposed tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac until August 29.

Lester Graham, reporting for Michigan Public News

EGLE welcomes new chief climate officer

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has appointed Alessandra Carreon as the new officer for the Office of Climate and Energy. Carreon previously served on the Michigan Public Service Commission as the first Asian American commissioner in Michigan’s history.

In her new role, she will lead the implementation of the MI Healthy Climate Plan, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and expanding renewable energy sources. Carreon begins the position next month.

Bill proposes FEMA basement repair coverage

A new bill introduced in the U.S. House would make basements eligible for FEMA repairs. Currently, basements are only covered if they include a bedroom, and FEMA typically does not cover mold or mildew mitigation after flooding events.

Flooded basements have long impacted Detroit residents. Donna Givens Davidson, president and CEO of the Eastside Community Network, says this bill is a step toward justice for communities that have endured decades of aging infrastructure.

“This bill brings us closer to addressing the cumulative impacts of racist public policy over the years in places like the east side of Detroit, where senior citizens, where low-income people, are already living in homes they cannot afford to repair,” Givens Davidson said.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Detroit introduced the bipartisan-supported bill. If passed, the bill would expand eligibility and coverage under FEMA’s Group Insurance Policy.

Reporting by Russ McNamara

Balkan House is closing

The Balkan House, a popular Bosnian-owned restaurant in Hamtramck, is closing its doors this year. Known for its döner kebab—a German street food made with lamb and beef—the restaurant has become a local favorite.

Owner Juma Ekic told the Detroit News that business at the Hamtramck location is dwindling, but she plans to focus on the thriving Ferndale location and her food truck, where her business is thriving.

Read more at the Detroit News

Youth Civic Night set for August 1

Detroit’s Department of Neighborhoods Youth Affairs Team is hosting a Youth Civic Night on Thursday, August 1, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event combines civic dialogue and creative expression with voter education.

The free event will take place at the Detroit Union Carpenters and Millwrights Skilled Training Center, located at 11687 American Street in Detroit. Attendees can enjoy refreshments and live music by DJ Tee Two Times.

Register on Eventbrite

Detroit rental compliance reminder

The City of Detroit has issued a notice inviting Detroit landlords to check if their homes have a certificate of compliance. Property owners can apply online for inspections and to obtain a certificate.

Last year, the City Council passed a law streamlining the inspection process for rental homes to improve safety and simplify the process.

All rental homes must pass an inspection and obtain a certificate of compliance. This year, the inspections will focus on the most severe safety issues.

For questions related to rental property inspections, residents can call 313-628-2451.

View the Landlord Quick Reference Guide (PDF)

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on demand.

It’s been almost two years since Hamas’ attack on Israel, and each day, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is getting worse. The latest concern is starvation. On Sunday, the United Nations issued a grim statement on the situation: “The entire population of over two million people in Gaza is severely food insecure. One out of every three people has not eaten for days. And 80 per cent of all reported deaths by starvation are children.”

The number of people killed trying to get food in Gaza continues to grow. Since May, NPR has reported that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces when trying to get food, often near aid sites run by an American contractor. 

Over 57,000 civilians and combatants have been killed in Gaza since the war started, October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza health ministry. There are still Israeli and non-Israeli captives being held by Hamas in that territory.

One word being used to describe the horror unfolding in Gaza is “genocide.” For a long time, Omer Bartov, a Jewish-Israeli professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, was averse to using the word to describe what’s happening against Palestinians.

But his views changed in 2024 when he says Israel’s tactics began to satisfy the United Nations definition of genocide. He joined The Metro to explain his thinking on how Israel’s role in the war constitutes genocide

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on-demand from the WDET app.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

In 2021 and 2023, parts of Southeast Michigan were inundated with rain. This led to storm and sewer water backing up into thousands of homes in Detroit, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights.

Those cities did provide some financial relief, but federal money was largely hard to come by.

Now, the Fix Our Flooded Basements Act seeks to provide federal disaster relief for basements. Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) doesn’t cover damage to basements or mold and mildew mitigation.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced the bill along with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Congresswoman Shontel Brown (D-OH).

“Water damage can ruin electrical systems, destroy heating and cooling systems, damage foundations and create long term health effects,” Tlaib said. “Especially the exposure of mold. It’s the biggest concern for many of us.”

The bill would also allow people to purchase flood insurance that would cover basement backups.

“The bill will also expand eligibility for FEMA group flood insurance policy,” Tlaib said. “It’s super important to ensure that FEMA would cover mold, mildew and moisture damage in basements.”

Donna Givens Davidson is the president and CEO of the Eastside Community Network.

Aging infrastructure on Detroit’s East side has led to basement flooding even from smaller storms, especially in the areas around the canals in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood. Givens Davidson says passing this bill would be a measure of justice to Detroiters.

“This bill brings us closer to addressing the cumulative impacts of racist public policy over the years in places like the east side of Detroit,” Givens Davidson said. “It’s where senior citizens, where low-income people, are already living in homes they cannot afford to repair.”

Candace Aaron lives in the Franklin Park neighborhood. She remembers the nightmare of helping her father after the flooding.

“There was a lot of water damage, mold damage to the windows, damage to some of the foundation on the house, the roof,” Aaron said. “So I went and applied for FEMA to see what services my father would be able to receive.”

It turns out the nightmare of the flooding turned into one of bureaucracy.

Aaron’s father was denied mitigation services, but eventually received limited help.

“It wasn’t enough to cover the damage,” Aaron said. “It was very extensive in the basement and on the outside of the home. So I think that this bill would do better.”

As for the chances of the bill’s passage in a sharply divided Congress, Rep. Tlaib doesn’t see an issue.

“I don’t see any controversy or any opposition to this,” Tlaib said. “I mean, obviously some of my colleagues who want to eliminate FEMA will not probably support this, because it expands more FEMA coverage, but many of the people that I know I’ve spoken to on both sides of the aisle shake their head immediately and say, ‘Oh, this is a good bill’.”

Detroit is just a few weeks away from a primary election that will decide the two final contenders to become the next mayor. WDET is listening to the voices of Detroit voters as part of our Citizen Vox project.

One of those voters is Jasmine Kay. She has several issues she hopes the next mayor will address.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Jasmine Kay: One would definitely be about like renting spaces and tenants rights. Just making sure that it’s equitable. Why am I getting luxury pricing but not getting a luxury space? So, I think that should definitely come up first just to make sure that people can be housed.

And the second would be like the education system. So like DPSCD. How are we actually making sure our students are being supported, and the teachers, the staff and the people who are doing that work that they have the safeguards and resources to properly do their job?

Sascha Raiyn, WDET News:  Are there any candidates that seem to be addressing those issues for you?

JK: I would say not at this time, because I like to take my time to really kind of see their policies and see what they’re saying in between that time.

SR: How much do you feel like your expectations for the next mayor are shaped by the work of the last mayor?

JK:  I would hope the initiatives that he did start, like removing blight and other things like that continue to be expanded upon. So I just hope that they would continue the good work that is really, actually helping the city to continue to do that and not let ego get in the way of ‘I’m going to tear it down, or I’m going to shut it down or stop it to reset it so that I can put my name on it.’

So, I just hope those programs and things that have been helping our city progress, they continue to do that, then they can sprinkle on their own little flavor in their next season. That this can be their claim to fame.

I would hope they would really listen to your people. First, because we’re here, we’re local. We are the ones being impacted directly by these policies and how it comes into our space. So, I would hope they just really listen to the people. Take a stand if something is really not with the vision of this country. If something is not right, that they would be bold enough to take that stand to do so. Just making sure we are protecting our people, because we’re right across from Canada. That’s a whole nother country. You know, Detroit, historically has been a place, like for the Underground Railroad, you know, of port of freedom. I like to, like do that. So I hope that they’re taking stands. They’re listening to their people.

SR: Is there anything you would like to say to people running to lead the city?

JK: Do your job for the people. Do your actual job for the people. What are our needs? And get it moving. Don’t over promise and under deliver. If there’s only one major thing you can do, then make sure it gets done. We have a tattered history with different mayors in this space. So, let that be a good reminder to actually do your job. Be involved. Let’s see your face more. Like, don’t be afraid of your people.

Detroit is just a few weeks away from a primary election that will decide the two final contenders to become the next mayor. WDET is listening to the voices of Detroit voters as part of our Citizen Vox project.

One of those voters is Dena Norris. She says she wants the next mayor to address issues that hit close to home.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Dena Norris: So, top of mind for me is senior security, you know, and more services for seniors. You know, as I travel down in age, I’m interested in those specialties. I’m also very concerned about affordable housing. It is outrageous the rents that, you know, people are being asked to pay and for so little.

I provide housing for senior women who are in temporary states of homelessness. And I know that they’re not going to find anything — it’s going to be very difficult for them to find affordable housing when they leave me. I like the concept of tiny homes. I think that is an excellent way to go. If we can have more communities of tiny homes… It’s a small thing, a big thing, you know, a small contribution, but a very big thing.

Sascha Raiyn, WDET News: Have you heard any candidates addressing the issues that are important to you?

DN: No, I haven’t. I listened to one forum, and I was impressed with a few of them. I don’t remember if they addressed those issues specifically, but I don’t think so.

They were talking about creating more jobs. Really important. We need that too. Everybody talks about, in every election, you know what they bring, what they’re going to bring. And then nobody brings anything. You know, if you don’t know how to operate economically, what can you really bring to the city?

You have great ideas. You know, I had great ideas once upon a time.

Great ideas are great ideas. Can you manifest them? Do you have the skills? Do you know how to work it? By the numbers, those are the important points.

SR: Do you see some enthusiasm, interest in this election right now?

DN:  I don’t. I don’t, you know, but I don’t feel any enthusiasm in the city for this election. Period. Maybe I’m not hanging out in the right places, you know, but I’m not feeling that energy.

Many people know what the mayor or city council does, but what about the other governing bodies in city government? Several groups play an important role in how the City of Detroit functions, like the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board or the Board of Police Commissioners. But what’s the difference between a board and a committee?

One of the best ways to learn what really happens in these meetings is to attend and take good notes. That’s exactly what the Detroit Documenters do every week. The Metro’s Jack Filbrandt spoke with Lynelle Herndon and AJ Johnson from the Detroit Documenters to break down the difference between boards and committees in Detroit.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on demand.

More stories from The Metro

If you played in a school band in the late 1970s or early 1980s, odds are you played Chuck Mangione. Maybe it was “Feels So Good,” maybe “Land of Make Believe,” maybe “Children of Sanchez.” But at some point, you put a horn to your lips, your fingers to the keys, or your sticks to the snare, and there he was — Chuck Mangione, waiting for you in the sheet music like an old friend with a mischievous grin.

There was something bouncy, ebullient, even effervescent in his music. Something unmistakably alive. And when he performed live, that same feeling surged through his flugelhorn and across the stage like lightning in a bottle. He did more than play the horn, he presented it, lifting it high in the air, like a priest raising the chalice. The notes that came out were more than jazz, they were joy, movement with sunshine and syncopation.

We remember the cool. The wide-brimmed hat. The sweeping mustache. The cover of Feels So Good itself became part of the cultural lexicon, a visual promise that what you were about to hear would make you smile. And it did.

But too many people forget the chops.

Before he ever became the smooth jazz superstar of suburban band rooms and easy listening charts, Mangione was a serious jazz man with a resume that would make purists pause. He took over the trumpet chair in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers during the 1960s, a role once held by Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. That’s not company you keep by being commercial. That’s company you earn through sweat and swing.

He came up in Rochester, New York, a product of a musical family. His brother, Gap Mangione, remains a legendary pianist and arranger. Chuck, in fact, started on piano himself before pivoting to trumpet and flugelhorn, often returning to the keys throughout his career. But it was that fat, warm tone on the flugelhorn that became his signature, a sound that felt like being wrapped in a blanket made of light.

When “Feels So Good” dropped in the spring of 1978, it hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the “Easy Listening” chart. For a horn-led instrumental to climb that high was nothing short of remarkable. And Mangione didn’t need vocals. That melody sang enough. It embedded itself in pop culture, used in movies, parodied on King of the Hill, and still spinning in elevators and grocery stores like it never left.

But for me, it was always “Give It All You Got.” That was my song.

Used as the official theme for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, it embodied everything right about Mangione’s aesthetic — bright, hopeful, strutting with energy but never losing its soul. It did more than uplift spirits. It lifted expectations. It made you want to be better. Practice harder. Push further.

“Give It All You Got” was the sound of sunrise optimism. The track’s tempo alone made you want to lace up your sneakers and chase greatness. The way Mangione and saxophonist Chris Vadala volleyed the melody, in harmony one moment, in call-and-response the next, was jazz conversation at its most inviting. Underneath, Charles Meeks’ bassline skated effortlessly between funk and fusion while Grant Geissman’s guitar laid down a rhythm so clean, Nile Rodgers would’ve nodded in approval.

It was fusion at its most pristine. A slick, TV-ready, sonically bright version of jazz that could live in Olympic ceremonies and detective shows and still feel authentic. And while purists may have scoffed, the people listened. The people responded. The people remembered.

Even now, I can’t hear those opening bars without being transported, a trumpet case in one hand, sheet music in the other, walking into another early morning rehearsal, head bobbing before the first note hit.

Chuck Mangione made smooth jazz cool before it got syrupy. He made jazz accessible without making it less. And he left behind not just a catalog of hits, but a generation of players who believed their instrument could mean something, could say something.

He passed early Tuesday this week, and the world got a little quieter. But his music? It still floats. Still rises. Still plays like the soundtrack to a brighter day.

Because Chuck didn’t just make us feel good.

He reminded us to give it all we got.

And somewhere between the joy and the groove, he gave us something that still sings.

In this episode of The Detroit Evening Report, we highlight a community sailing center that’s looking for help. Plus, a preview of this weekend’s sports and more.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sailing center seeks assistance

The Detroit Community Sailing Center is looking for support for its youth programs. The center’s mission is to spread the joy of sailing to communities who otherwise may not have the opportunity.

For years, the Challenge the Wind youth sailing program has taught hundreds of youth to sail. Staff say increased rent at the Belle Isle Boathouse, hikes in insurance premiums and increased boat maintenance costs have created financial challenges for such programs. To help them continue these efforts, visit sailingdetroit.org.

Arab and Chaldean Festival returns

This weekend, the 52nd Arab and Chaldean Festival is taking place at Hart Plaza in Detroit. On Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27 from noon to midnight, the public is invited to a free, family-friendly event that features a variety of ethnic foods, a cultural gallery and impressive Middle Eastern live performances. There will also be folk dancers, kid-focused activities and a fashion show. This is the largest Arab and Chaldean-American cultural event in North America. To learn more, visit arabandchaldeanfestival.com.

Shinedown to perform at LCA

Multi-platinum rock band Shinedown is stopping by the Motor City today with a performance at Little Caesars Arena. They are celebrating their album, Dance, Kid, Dance, that debuted earlier this year. English rock band BUSH and singer-songwriter Morgan Wade will open up the show. For more information, go to visitdetroit.com.

Tigers v. Blue Jays

The Detroit Tigers continue to face the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at Comerica Park as part of a four-game weekend affair. The Tigers lost to the Blue Jays 11-4 in a tough match up where the Jays turned up and didn’t look back in the 6th inning. The Tigers are still on top of the American Central Division with 60 wins and 44 losses. The Blue Jays are on top of the American Central East with 61 wins and 42 losses. First pitch for today’s game is at 7:20 p.m.

DCFC v. Westchester

The Detroit City Football Club faces the Westchester Soccer Club as a part of the USL Cup at Keyworth Stadium on Saturday, July 26. They are currently ranked third in Group D with two wins and one loss. The game starts at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN 2. For more information, visit detroitcityfc.com.

Public media loses federal funding

Government funding for public media has been eliminated. That means WDET will lose $500,000 in cash and in-kind support for 2026. If you believe in fact-based journalism, community voices and music with depth — now’s the time to stand up for it.

Become one of the 1,000 additional members we need to close the gap. You’ll be supporting programs like The Detroit Evening Report. Give now at wdet.org/support.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Lots of throwbacks for throwback Thursday, including Junior Parker, Ike & Tina Turner, Odetta, Ella Fitzgerald, Dramatics, Sister Nancy and more. Plus, new music from Kokoroko, Ruti, Dora Morelenbaum, Ben Kweller, Annahstasia and more.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for July 24, 2025

• “Together We Are” – Kokoroko
• “Maybe I Got It Wrong” – Ruti
• “Planet Caravan (feat. David Jimenez)” – Brownout & Brown Sabbath
• “A Melhor Saída” – Dora Morelenbaum
• “Taxman” – Junior Parker
• “Come Together” – Ike & Tina Turner
• “Hit Or Miss” – Odetta
• “Sunshine of Your Love (Live 1969)” – Ella Fitzgerald & Ernie Heckscher Big Band
• “Get Up And Get Down” – Dramatics
• “Bam Bam” – Sister Nancy
• “Police and Thieves” – Lee “Scratch” Perry, Bob Riddim & Xana Romeo
• “Ghetto Defendant” – The Clash
• “The Man Who Kept Bedstuy Warm” – musclecars
• “Hotel California (Spanish Mix)” – Gipsy Kings
• “Alone Again Or” – Calexico
• “Sunday” – Annahstasia
• “Enchantia” – Domenique Dumont
• “Yellow Moon” – Neville Brothers
• “Getting It Back” – Cymande
• “Take Yo’ Praise” – Camille Yarbrough
• “Sol” – musclecars
• “Para Chick” – Tania Maria
• “Dollar Store (feat. Waxahatchee)” – Ben Kweller
• “Love Buzz” – Shocking Blue
• “Archbishop Harold Holmes” – Jack White
• “Blues” – Geordie Greep
• “Highway” – Lewis OfMan & Empress Of
• “Tokyo Midnight” – Sababa 5 & Yurika Hanashima
• “Dirty Money” – Antibalas
• “Melodie Is A Wound” – Stereolab
• “Constellation” – The Circling Sun

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

This week on MichMash, gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II sat down with WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben to explain why he’s running for governor of Michigan and how his engineering background could help.

Plus, we take a look at fundraising progress from the rest of the gubernatorial candidates.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode:

• Why is Lt. Gov. Gilchrist running for governor?
• How much money have Michigan gubernatorial candidates raised so far?

Engineering change

Gilchrist graduated with two engineering degrees from the University of Michigan. Now as he runs to be the next governor of Michigan while still serving as lieutenant governor of Michigan, he views both jobs as serving the same purpose.

“I have one job, and that is to have as many conversations as possible with people across Michigan every single day … and then to take what they tell me and go make something happen,” he told MichMash. “People need a problem solver in office and that’s what I do as an engineer. I make systems work for people.”

Fundraising updates

All gubernatorial candidates, including Gilchrist, were required to report their first fundraising hauls this week. But despite this major milestone, the race is far from determined.

Democratic candidates include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. Benson has raised $3.5 million in the first six months of her campaign, Swanson has raised $1 million and Gilchrist has raised $750,000. 

While the Democratic field has appeared to settle, the Republican field seems more in flux. Former House Speaker Tom Leonard entered the race just a month ago, and a few weeks ago, 2022 Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Tudor Dixon announced she would not be running in 2026. Other candidates may still enter the race, and it’s possible that U.S. Rep. John James may back out of his gubernatorial bid amid pressure from President Donald Trump to maintain his congressional seat.

But for now, the main Republican candidates are Leonard, Senate Republican Leader Eric Nesbitt, James and former Attorney General Mike Cox. As the deadline to submit fundraising reports isn’t until 5 p.m. on Friday, we didn’t have all the data at the time this episode was recorded on Thursday afternoon. But we do know that Cox has raised $1.4 million and and that James moved $500,000 from his congressional committee to his gubernatorial committee earlier this month.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is also running for governor as an Independent, and his fundraising report had not yet been submitted at the time of this recording.

This week, we have local talent spotlights, unique shopping experiences, cultural celebrations and thought-provoking theater. Read on to learn more.

Local talent spotlights

On Friday, July 25, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity is hosting the 79th International Talent Hunt Demonstration at Huntington Place Convention Center in Detroit. The Talent Hunt Program provides exposure, encouragement and financial assistance to talented young people participating in the performing arts. Winners are awarded recognition and may be given college scholarships. Submissions in vocal music, drama, instrumental music, dance and art are welcome. The event goes from 6–8 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit oppf.org/talent-hunt.

Also on Friday, July 25, the City of Detroit continues their Summer Music Series with Motown in the Parks at Farwell Park, featuring sounds from B Williams and a live performance by Detroit’s “Queen of the Blues,” Thornetta Davis. There will be food trucks, games and more. Admission is free and the event goes from 5–8 p.m. For more information, visit @cityofdetroit on Instagram.

Join us on Thursday, July 31 at the Old Miami for the next installment of WDET’s comedy showcase, “What’s So Funny About Detroit?” Hosted by Ryan Patrick Hooper (host of WDET’s In The Groove weekdays at noon), this month’s show features three incredible stand up comedians: Sam Tallent, T. Barb, Brianna Blackburn, and Brad Wenzel. Doors open at 6 p.m. and guests are asked to bring their own chair or blanket for seating. Admission is $25 online or and $30 at the door, and proceeds directly support Detroit public radio. For more information, visit wdet.org/events.

Unique shopping experiences

Celebrate Detroit’s 324th birthday in the Cass Corridor on Saturday, July 26. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., there will be DJs, live music, family-friendly activities and great deals from your favorite local shops on Cass and Willis. For more information, visit midtowndetroitinc.org.

On Saturday, July 26, the Downtown Detroit Partnership continues their Music & Markets series at Beacon Park. This month’s event highlights house music and features a performance by WDET’s own Waajeed (host of The Boulevard Wednesdays at 8 p.m.) as well as an open-air market featuring goods by local makers. Food will be available for purchase from Lobster Truck and Little Bite Big Taste, and the Detroit City Football Club game against Westchester will be playing on the big screen. Admission is free and the event goes from 6–10 p.m. For more information, visit downtowndetroit.org.

Pewabic Pottery is having their annual Summer Seconds Sale this weekend. Guests can browse imperfect vessels, art tiles and architectural tiles, all available at steep discounts. Pewabic members get first pick on Saturday, July 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., then the sale opens to the public on Sunday, July 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Customers are asked to bring their own packing materials. For more information, visit pewabic.org.

Cultural celebrations

On Saturday, July 26, the International Institute of Clean Greens is holding its 3rd Annual Collard Green Cook-Off at Chandler Park. This event celebrates Black culture, community and culinary arts through collard green dishes from local Black-owned farms. In addition to the cook-off, there will be live music performances, community booths and family activities. Admission and your first plate are free, and the event will be held from 2–6 p.m. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

On the last Tuesday of every month, UFO Bar hosts Reel Love, a celebration of Black culture and storytelling through film, music videos and soulful soundscapes. The next edition takes place on Tuesday, July 29 and goes from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit @ufobardetroit on Instagram.

Thought-provoking theater

From Thursday, July 31 through Sunday August 3, Detroit Public Theatre is showing a new play commissioned by the Arab American National Museum, “Drone.” Written by award-winning playwright Andrea Assaf, the production explores the normalization of domestic and global violence and its effects on the human soul. It features live music, emerging technologies and artistic containers for public dialogue. The show begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10 on Thursday and $25 Friday through Sunday, with discounts for museum members, students and seniors available. For more information, visit arabamericanmuseum.org.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you listen to music on Spotify, you’ve probably come across AI-generated tracks—like the AI band VELVET SUNDOWN. But what you may not have noticed is that AI imposter songs are being uploaded to real artists’ pages—including one belonging to a country songwriter who was murdered in 1989, long before music streaming even existed.

Emanuel Maiberg, journalist and co-founder of 404 Media, recently published a story called “Spotify Publishes AI-Generated Songs From Dead Artists Without Permission”. He spoke with The Metro’s David Leins about how these AI imposters are showing up on Spotify—and what artificial intelligence is doing to reshape media and culture.

Jeremy Peters, Professor of Music Business at Wayne State University, also joins The Metro to talk about the lasting impact AI could have on the very culture of music.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on demand.

More stories from The Metro

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on demand.

A new collaboration between the Detroit and Windsor public libraries is shining a light on local creatives of all ages and backgrounds.

Libraries were once buzzing community spaces for families and book lovers. But the rise of audiobooks and online book sales has shifted how people use them, leaving libraries in Windsor and Detroit looking for new ways to engage.

The two cities share a rich, intertwined history dating back to the mid-1800s, and their library services have evolved over time. One recent initiative is Pagination, a literary arts zine from the Windsor Public Library that features flash fiction, poetry, collage art, and more from creators in both Windsor and Detroit.

Now, the two library systems have partnered to publish a free print and digital magazine celebrating the voices of local artists across the border. Joining The Metro to talk about the project are Pagination editor David Konstanino of the Windsor Public Library and Jennifer Nobles, lead librarian at the Detroit Public Library.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

The auto industry in southeast Michigan is showing signs of strain.

In May, Ford ended a major initiative to modernize its vehicles’ computing systems. The “Fully Networked Vehicle” project is estimated to have cost the company $10 billion before it was shut down this spring.

That decision had ripple effects for local suppliers. Bosch confirmed to The Metro that it laid off 160 employees from its U.S.-based “Mobility Cross-Domain Computing Solutions Division,” including staff from its Plymouth, Michigan office. Back in November 2024, Bosch had announced plans to eliminate 3,500 of these jobs worldwide by 2027.

Adding to the uncertainty are new tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump, the elimination of electric vehicle tax credits, and slower-than-expected EV sales in the U.S.—all of which have cast doubt on the country’s electric car future.

John McElroy, a longtime auto journalist and broadcaster, joined us to talk about the implications of Ford’s Fully Networked Vehicle shutdown and what lies ahead for EVs in the U.S.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on demand.

More stories from The Metro

Judge blocks Real Token from collecting rent on blighted Detroit properties

A Wayne County Circuit Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order against real estate investment firm Real Token, blocking them from collecting rent on hundreds of Detroit homes until the properties meet city codes.

The order is tied to the city’s largest public nuisance lawsuit in history. Detroit filed the suit earlier this month, citing blight violations at more than 400 residential properties owned by Real Token.

Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett says tenants will soon be instructed to pay rent into an escrow account starting in August.

“We will be doing direct door-to-door outreach, and will have specific direction for the tenants as to where their rent money should go in the next seven days,” Mallett said.

Paying into the escrow, he says, will protect tenants from eviction due to nonpayment.

The restraining order also blocks Real Token from pursuing evictions at any property without a certificate of compliance. The company was ordered to secure 58 vacant blighted homes and correct all code violations within 90 days.

Company owners Remy and Jean-Marc Jacobson released a statement blaming property managers for the conditions of the homes. Mallett dismissed that claim.

“These properties are in such a degraded state that there is no way that interested owners, no matter whom they farmed out the responsibility to, would not know that their tenants are living in substandard housing.”

Since filing the suit, the city has identified an additional 130 Real Token properties that also lack certificates of compliance.

Uber launches women-only ride option in Detroit

Uber is piloting a new feature in select cities, including Detroit, that allows women to match only with female drivers. Riders will be able to select the option when scheduling or ordering a ride on demand. Female drivers can also choose to accept only ride requests from women.

The change comes in response to Uber’s most recent safety report, which cited more than 2,500 cases of sexual assault and misconduct between 2021 and 2022.

Dearborn opens applications for women’s career program

Dearborn is now accepting applications for the second round of its WORKS program—short for Women’s Opportunity to Realize their Knowledge and Skills. The program is designed to help women gain employment and advance their careers.

Participants will receive financial literacy training, attend professional development workshops, and take part in an eight-week business boot camp. Applications are open through August 15, with the program launching in September. More information is available at dearborn.gov/BusinessResources.

People Mover station renamed as downtown redevelopment continues

The Detroit People Mover station once known for serving Joe Louis Arena is getting a new name: Water Square Station.

City officials say the name reflects the nearby development of hotels and luxury residences rising on the former arena site. The station will also provide access to the future Ralph C. Wilson Park, previously known as West Riverfront Park. Construction on the park is expected to wrap up later this year.

Federal immigration enforcement has ramped up under the Trump administration, leaving many in Detroit’s immigrant communities feeling anxious and unsettled. Policies have shifted the ground beneath them, especially in District 6, home to much of Southwest Detroit’s immigrant population.

Gabriela Santiago‑Romero represents that area on Detroit City Council. For her, the issue is personal. She’s a Mexican immigrant who grew up in the same neighborhood she now serves. Since enforcement efforts have increased, she’s been more present in the community, talking with neighbors about their rights and advocating for ways they can live with less fear.

Today, she joins us on The Metro to talk about the pressure, opportunity, and accountability shaping both her work and her community and what it means to take on issues deeply connected to her own identity.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on demand.

More stories from The Metro

The Trump administration is making changes in security procedures at the nation’s airports. Officials say new technology now allows travelers to pass through checkpoints without having to remove their shoes. And soon, they vow, passengers may be able to bring full bottles of liquid onboard aircraft.

But the new scanners needed to screen travelers are large and expensive. Some experts say the federal government must move cautiously.

University of Michigan Associate Professor Javed Ali was a senior analyst for U.S. Homeland Security in the years following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He says there were good reasons for checking shoes and liquid containers at airports.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Javed Ali: First there was the 9/11 operation, which was so big and broad and so sophisticated, getting trained pilots to commandeer airplanes and fly them into buildings. But that gap was closed pretty quickly. Then just a couple months later, by December 2001, we saw al-Qaida pivot to a completely different type of tactic using a single operative, Richard Reid, taking a flight bound for Miami from Paris with bombs in his shoes. That’s what led to the rule of having your shoes X-rayed up until very recently.

By 2006, al-Qaida continued to innovate and adapt and think about new ways to attack aviation, even though Osama bin Laden was on the run, in hiding, and the group was under serious pressure. Most of its senior command structure had been killed or captured, but they were still focued on attacking aviation bound for the United States. That’s what led to what was called in 2006 the “liquid bomb plot” against transatlantic planes leaving from Britain.

I was at Homeland Security from 2003–2007 and sort of lived through some of these moments. It was pretty significant and the threat was just off the charts in terms of al-Qaida’s relentless focus on attacking aviation. These international terrorist groups are very adaptive and they’re always looking for opportunities to try to plan or plot the next major attack against the U.S. homeland, even if they’re under significant pressure or their organization has been degraded. That certainly has been the lesson since 9/11. So there’s likely still some type of threat out there against global aviation.

But hopefully with these new measures that either are in place or will potentially be put in place for different types of threats, it will continue to keep the flying public safe. I’m making the assumption that there wasn’t a political dimension to these new measures. It was not just because we are in 2025 and people are tired of having to take their shoes off if they’re not in TSA PreCheck or some other trusted traveler program. But I can’t say that for certain. That’s just an assumption I’m making.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: How would you say the government should balance ease of traveling with ensuring that you’re secure while traveling?

JA: Maybe we’re at a moment where we can pull back on the screening of the shoes because there is a technological solution to that. It’ll be interesting to see if the liquid restriction rule also goes by the wayside. That was al-Qaida’s last major effort to attack the homeland, at least at the scale of the 9/11 attack. They tried to do that afterwards, but nothing at the scale of that August 2006 plot. And that was a close call. And with the al-Qaida folks who were involved in that, in Pakistan and in Britain, that was as serious as it could get.

Luckily, the worst case didn’t happen. But that’s why that rule is still in place for 20 years. The threat of terrorists trying to bring some kind of liquid explosives onto planes, even in small amounts, may still be high, even if the rule gets rescinded or adjusted moving forward.

QK:  You’ve discussed terrorist groups. But there’s always concerns over the “lone wolf” operatives or domestic terrorism. Any concerns about lessening current security procedures in regards to the possibility of homegrown terrorism?

JA: That’s a great question. In the post-9/11 era we have not seen what you and I would consider homegrown extremists or pure “lone wolves” or offenders try to conduct attacks against the aviation system here in the United States. It doesn’t mean that people haven’t thought about it, there may have been people who had the idea. But interestingly, in the post-9/11 era, the threat to U.S. aviation up until now has always been directed from groups overseas, first al-Qaida and then ISIS.

QK: As we are talking right now, you have just finished traveling by air and going in airports yourself. What do you think of the process? Was it a drawback for you to go through certain things and wait? Or were you willing and happy to go through that procedure in order to ensure there was as much security as possible?

JA: You might be asking the wrong person this question, because I was a former U.S. government counter-terrorism official. So I knew exactly why these rules and processes are in place, to keep the country safe. And that includes myself, when I was traveling on airplanes in my government years. And now that I’ve been out of government, I travel very routinely as well, including today when I left Detroit Metro Airport and landed here in Washington, D.C.  I never see this as an inconvenience, just part of the process we all have to live by. And, again, there are real threats out there that would like nothing more than for all of these rules to go away or create this perception that there are vulnerabilities that could be exploited. I also am in some of the trusted traveler programs too. So that is another thing that any person can apply for. If you’re able to get into those programs it expedites the process at the airports as well.

Wayne State University will field a women’s soccer team in the fall of 2026. It will be the school’s first new varsity sport in over a decade.

WSU’s Director of Athletics, Erika Wallace, says the first order of business is hiring a head coach this year.

“We’re looking at someone who has ties to the area for recruitment purposes,” she says. “We’re also looking at head coaching experience, assistant coaching experience, some club coaching experience as well.”

Expanding opportunities for women

Wallace reviewed the athletic program when she took the job and found a need for more women student-athletes. She says adding soccer will help WSU comply with Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education.

“Proportionality is one of the prongs that you look at,” she says. “We have to make accommodations in order to stay relevant and in compliance with Title IX.”

Wallace says this will attract more students to WSU.

“We’re the only school in our conference that doesn’t have women’s soccer,” she says. “People will want to come here and play.”

The support is there

Wallace says funding for the new women’s soccer team will come from the athletic department’s general fund as well as philanthropic donations.

She also says Detroit’s soccer culture will sustain the program.

“We have some of the best clubs in the country here,” Wallace says.

Wayne State has a partnership with Detroit City Football Club, which fields men’s, women’s and youth sides.

Wallace says WSU will make some upgrades to the soccer pitch behind Tom Adams Field before the women’s team starts play.

In 2023, the City of Detroit took over the duty of maintaining the land alongside its freeways from the State of Michigan. That includes cutting the grass on embankments.

With more than 240 miles of freeways in Detroit to take care of, director of the city’s General Services Department, Crystal Perkins, says maintaining the land along the road is a full-time job.

“We have been doing five cuts on the freeways a year,” said Perkins, “Along with litter pickup, we’re out here seven days a week.”

Complicating the task, Perkins says more than 80% of that land is a steep slope.  Those embankments are traditionally cut with heavy duty riding mowers, which do run the risk of tipping over, creating a potentially dangerous situation for operators working just inches from where cars are doing 70 miles per hour.

But the days of worrying so much about rider safety could become a thing of the past. Payne Landscaping, one of two companies the city contracts with, has started to use remote-controlled lawnmowers.

The new technology moves the operator off the frame and up the slope, where they control the machine with a handheld device. Perkins says that set-up is attractive to a new generation of lawncare professionals.

“The operators are more technical,” said Perkins. “So your young adults, your people who maybe like to spend a lot of time on videogames.”

There are a number of benefits to working with the remote-controlled mowers, which are more lightweight than ride-along equipment. Payne Landscaping director, Terry Payne, says it allows his employees to cut grass, even when it’s wet.

“You can cut in the rain with these,” Payne said. “The other mowers, you cannot cut. You’re going to leave tracks.”

That makes it easier for the city to maintain its five-cut-a-year freeway upkeep schedule. City officials say keeping the slopes well-manicured helps discourage illegal dumping.

Beyond the convenience, Payne says the user experience with remote mowers is better than it is with ride-along gear.

“You bounce a lot,” Payne said of old mowers. “It’s bad on your knees and different things. So this is more comfortable. You’re just walking behind it.”

Detroit officials would like to see more remote-controlled lawn mowers buzzing alongside major thoroughfares, but the technology isn’t cheap — costing more than $60,000 per mower. That said, Payne says it’s about the same price as the traditional riding equipment his company would be using otherwise.

Registered voters not casting a vote is a problem in the city, one that seems to be bigger here than in other Midwest cities. 

In Central Ohio’s Franklin County, the 2024 presidential election turnout was 66%. In Milwaukee, it was 85%. In Chicago, it was about 68% — and that’s the lowest it’s been in 80 years. But in Detroit, during the same election year, it was just 47%. 

Mara Ostfeld is the research director at the Center for Racial Justice and a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She joined The Metro on Wednesday to share insights into why some Detroit residents don’t vote, and how to increase voter turnout. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

The Detroit Police Department is asking city council to increase its enforcement of the city’s youth curfew. Fines for the parents of kids out past 10 p.m. is $75 and could go up to $200.  

This is a response to an increase in violence among young people, including several shootings this month.

The issue of teen violence recently came up at Detroit’s Board of Police Commissioners Community meeting. It’s also started a conversation about how to better support young people in Detroit. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt talked to Detroit Documenter Nadia Ziyad and Coordinator Lynelle Herndon about solutions that are being discussed at meetings and in the community. 

We also spoke with Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison last week about the changes to Detroit’s curfew fines. He said the fines are meant to encourage parent accountability and prevent those parents from greater problems down the road. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

The newly formed BIG3 professional basketball team, the Detroit Amplifiers, made their home court debut at Little Caesars Arena this past Sunday, July 20.

Created by actor, producer and music legend Ice Cube and other investors in 2017, BIG3 basketball is played at halfcourt, 3-on-3. 

The goal of the league is to highlight and support some of professional basketball’s talented players whose time within the NBA and other leagues have come to an end. 

George Gervin Jr. is the assitant coach of the Detroit Amps. He joined The Metro on Tuesday to talk about Sunday’s game and what’s on the horizon for Detroit’s newest pro basketball team.

The Detroit Amps’ next game is this Saturday, July 26, in Cincinnati against the Los Angeles Riot. It will be televised on CBS.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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Soul food is one of the most identifiable American cuisines. 

The dishes were crafted from the scraps that were left behind for Black people at a time when slavery was the law of the land. With a little ingenuity and a lot of determination, those leftovers became a main attraction for Black families and the rest of the country eventually caught on.

This weekend, collard greens will be placed center stage as Detroiters gather in Chandler park to celebrate the soul food staple. The 3rd annual Collard Green Cook-Off will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, bringing together food, culture and community.

Khary Frazier  is the founder of Detroit is Different, the organization hosting the event. He joined The Metro on Tuesday to share what’s in store this year and the importance of celebrating Black culture, community and culinary excellence in the city.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

The Trucks Off Our Streets coalition urged the Detroit City Council on Tuesday to enforce existing truck regulation laws while waiting for a route ordinance to pass. 

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Detroit was named one of the worst cities to live with asthma in 2024, and activists says a leading cause of that is the trucks driving through residential areas.   

Activist Simone Zagovac says a truck census in 2024 on Livernois counted 1,000 semi-trucks passing in one day on a road without any industry on it.   

“So every day, yesterday, today and tomorrow, 1,000 semi trucks are driving down those streets. In the last two years since we toured city administration staff, that means one million semi trucks have driven down Livernois,” she said.  

Zagovac told city council simple enforcement of existing laws against speeding, parking, and route restrictions of semi-trucks can greatly improve the health of residents.   

She advocated for the council to also consider zoning amendments to better separate industry and residential areas.  

Other headlines for Wednesday, July 23, 2025:

• A Detroit man is suing the city of Detroit and its police and fire departments for $100 million in damages over his wrongful conviction in 2013.
• Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey will be kicking off early voting with a block party celebration this weekend. The Block Party for Democracy will be held on Saturday, July 26, on Grand Boulevard between Second and Third streets to mark the opening of Detroit’s Early Vote Centers.  The party will feature DJs, local vendors, food trucks, and dog adoptions from the Michigan Humane Society.  Primary election day is Aug. 5.  
• Temperatures are expected to reach the mid to upper 90s on Thursday, July 24. Detroit is reopening their cooling centers. Residents can visit any Detroit recreation center or Detroit library during normal hours to beat the heat. The Northwest Activities, Patton, and Heilmann recreation centers will have extended hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.  

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

A tribute to the late great Ozzy Osbourne. An artist spotlight on Lars Bartkuhn and his excellent 2024 album “Nomad.”

Plus, new music discovery from The Marias, Ian Lampel, Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, Domenique Dumont, Sam Prekop and more.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for July 23, 2025

• “First Kalimba” – Lars Bartkuhn
• “Nobody New” – The Marias
• “Sexy Boy (Vegyn Version)” – Air
• “Babystar” – Matthew Herbert & Momoko Gill
• “Parque Rodó Thugs” – Ian Lampel
• “Con Altura” – Orquesta Akokán
• “Selenge” – Céline Dessberg
• “Mercy (feat. Dianne Reeves)” – Lakecia Benjamin
• “Baby Its U” – Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange
• “Amants Ennemis” – Domenique Dumont
• “Around The World” – Daft Punk
• “Roll Your Daddy Right” – John Lee Hooker
• “Nimerudi (Malcolm Catto / The Heliocentrics Remix)” – GOAT, MC Yallah
• “Living For The City” – Stevie Wonder
• “African Skies” – Lars Bartkuhn
• “Light Shadow” – Sam Prekop
• “Exile” – Swim Surreal & Zero 7
• “How Can We Mend a Broken Heart” – Kahil El’Zabar
• “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City (feat. Kameron Whalum)” – Zeshan B
• “Song for My Father” – Tenderlonious
• “Song For You (Mansionair Remix)” – Rhye
• “Baby Forgive Me (Young Marco Remix)” – Robyn
• “BACK ON” – SBTRKT
• “Because I’m Me” – The Avalanches
• “Never Lost” – Kokoroko
• “War Pigs” – Black Sabbath
• “Changes (Live Version)” – Charles Bradley
• “Planet Caravan (feat. David Jimenez)” – Brownout & Brown Sabbath

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

The Republican-led Michigan House Oversight Committee approved a slew of legislative subpoenas Tuesday directed at state departments, including the Attorney General’s office.

The oversight committee has aggressively used its subpoena power in this session to squeeze agencies in an executive branch controlled by Democrats.

The committee authorized two subpoenas demanding records related to the end of a criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s office into a Democratic Party fundraiser. 

Attorney Traci Kornak is a former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer was investigated for insurance fraud in 2022. The department set up internal firewalls due to Kornak’s relationship with Nessel, but GOP committee members say there appears to be evidence that Nessel was kept informed of progress on the inquiry and may have influenced the decision to drop it.

Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Twp.), chair of the oversight committee, said the subpoenas were necessary to help come up with improvements to Michigan’s campaign finance laws, but also hinted impeachment could be on the table.

“The House has the power to ability to impeach civil officers of the State of Michigan where corrupt conduct in office occurs,” he said. “In order to faithfully exercise its responsibilities in this regard, the House is entitled to investigate the Department of Attorney General’s decision to decline issuing criminal charges in this matter.”

Another subpoena asks for records and communications with the Department of State related to a campaign committee to include LGBTQ protections in Michigan’s civil rights law.

Tuesday’s round of subpoenas also includes records from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on its regulation of game ranches and its program for euthanizing Canadian geese as a wildlife control measure.

The committee demanded an in-person appearance by Michigan Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, who is a member of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet.

“House Republicans have raised serious questions for months about troubling reports involving MDHHS — including children sleeping on floors, young people being placed in unvetted out-of-state facilities, instances of welfare and Medicaid fraud, and taxpayer-funded services being extended to individuals without legal status,” said Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) in a written statement. “Our goal has always been to work collaboratively behind the scenes to investigate these concerns, but unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the cooperation we had hoped for from the department.”

GOP members of the committee accused Hertel and the MDHHS of stonewalling their inquiries and said she has declined multiple invitations to appear. A health department spokesperson said there was a scheduling conflict, but she was not dodging the committee.

“A subpoena was not necessary to compel the director to appear before the committee,” said MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin, sharing a letter where Hertel requested an alternate date and a list of topics to be covered in her appearance. 

Detroiter Duane Williams is suing the city of Detroit and the police and fire departments for $100 million in damages over his wrongful conviction in 2013.

Williams was sentenced to life in prison in connection with a fire that killed two people.

He spent over 11 years behind bars before a judge ordered that Williams be released last year due to the conviction being tainted by false and manipulated testimony. Williams’ attorney, Todd Flood, says investigators lied about a lighter found at the source of the fire that killed two people.

“It was an accidental fire. The fire started on a couch in that room where one of the decedents was severely intoxicated. He was a known smoker, and there was smoking materials found in that room, on that couch,” he said.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

“I’m a prosecutor at heart, I’m a law enforcement guy at heart; I’m a person that stands for integrity,” Flood said. “This shocks the conscience when you look at this lawsuit and you see the people that ultimately conspired to put Dwayne behind bars.”

Williams says he still has mental scars from his near decade spent in prison, describing the difficulties just walking down the street can bring.

“I just kept telling myself, don’t look back, because in prison, you don’t want anybody walking behind you, and you don’t know who it is,” he said. “But I wasn’t in prison. I was free, and I tried so hard not to look back, but I had to stop and look back. I couldn’t help it.”

He said his time spent in prison has also forever changed his relationship with his wife and family.

“People think that the court systems work. People think that the systems that are in place, the appeals process and all these other things, work,” Williams said. “But they don’t work when you’re the person in the system, and that’s sad, and I pray that we’ll find a way to fix that.”

City officials have not responded to the lawsuit and said they will not comment on pending litigation.

This week, Detroit-based singer-songwriter Mike Ward joined me in-studio to discuss his new album, “The Time That Remains.” We listened to a few songs from the record and Ward treated WDET listeners to a special live on-air performance.

Ward has been performing with and under the moniker of Psychosongs for years; his first studio album came out in 2018. Particularly since his 2020 album, “Darkness and the Light,” Ward has been exploring themes around hope and empathy during troubling times, along with the benefits that can come with sustaining said hope. Tapping into the classic vein of singer-songwriters like Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, Ward’s songs are also specifically never pollyannish, even if they’re defiant in their reach for positivity.

Ward is performing a couple of shows this weekend in Muskegon and Norton Shores, before returning to metro Detroit for a CD release show, celebrating “The Time That Remains” at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 3, hosted at the outdoor Ferndale venue known as the Gazebo.

On this week’s show, we heard two songs from Ward’s new album, including “Why Not?” and “Paycheck.” Ward also performed a live rendition of another new song, “Instrument for Good,” live in-studio.

Along with our chat with Ward, we premiered a lot of new music by local artists, including the new single from Ann Arbor power-pop trio The City Lines. Their new album, “Prescribed Fires,” comes out in September! We recently premiered The City Lines new music video for this single (read more here).

The Armed are a Detroit-based post-hardcore punk outfit that tends to remain mostly anonymous, as far as its membership, even while still performing live shows and creating visual content (like music videos); you can hear their cinematic and beautifully ominous trip of a new single titled “Sharp Teeth” on this week’s MI Local. We also heard the latest from Kalamazoo-based emo/punk trio saturdays at your place, and Detroit-based indie-rockers The Microplastics!

We checked-in on shows happening around the region, including the three-day music festival happening at The Outer Limits Lounge this weekend, known as their annual Stroh Down event. We heard from Zastava, a shoegaze-adjacent rock quartet (and former guests of MI Local) set to perform at the event. We also looked ahead to mid-August, when The Bling Pig hosts the annual Fuzz Fest, put on by longtime rocker Chris Taylor; we heard from the surfy-punk quartet known as Virga!

Don’t forget that WDET’s Sounds Like Detroit Showcase is coming up on August 14, hosted at Batch Brewing! Local R&B/neo-soul icon Beth is one of the featured performers, and we heard a song by her on this week’s show titled “Free.” Get your tickets for Sounds Like Detroit, here!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for July 22, 2025

• “Blood & Smoke” – The City Lines
• “Kid, You’re Wrong” – The Recital
• “Waste Away” – saturdays at your place
• “Sharp Teeth” – The Armed
• “Break Your Heart” – The Microplastics
• “Amy” – Ben Piper
• “Your Old Key” – Ethan Daniel Davidson
• “Station” – Zastava
• “Bierstadt” – Virga
• “Free” – Beth
• “Critical Violets” – Fred Thomas
• “Why Not?” – Mike Ward
• “Instrument for Good” – Mike Ward (live in WDET Studios)
• “Paycheck” – Mike Ward

Health care in Michigan is about to get more expensive.

According to a recent report from the health policy research group KFF, insurers offering plans through the Affordable Care Act will increase premiums by 15% next year, with some even proposing 20% hikes. Medicaid is set for $1.2 trillion in national cuts, including work mandates and higher fees.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also announced last week that she joined a multi-state coalition lawsuit challenging a Trump administration rule that would “create significant barriers to obtaining health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act.”

So, what does all this mean for you and your family’s health care costs?

Thomas Buchmueller, a health economist at the University of Michigan, joined The Metro on Tuesday to break down what’s changing, who will feel it first, and what Michigan can do to soften the blow.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

Detroit’s public schools board is interviewing candidates for its vacant seat this week.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Angelique Peterson Mayberry resigned earlier this month to complete Irma Clark-Coleman’s term on the Wayne County Commission. Clark-Coleman died in June.

Chalkbeat Detroit reports 16 people will be interviewed during special board meetings held July 21-24. The candidates include: Pageant Atterberry, Kenya Avant, Sonja Beasley-Hall, The Rev. Dr. Steven Bland Jr., Whitney Clarke, Jonathan Demers, Debra Duren, Dr. Bonnie Ferrell, Bessie Harris, Dr. Shinese Johnson, Brandy Mitchell, Aliya Moore, Ashley Pearson, Traci Ricks, Jeremiah Steen and The Rev. Curtis Williams.

Applications for the position were open to the public and closed on July 9. The board plans to score each candidate during interviews then vote to fill the seat on July 28. The candidate selected will serve on the board through 2026. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, July 22, 2025:

• Low income Consumers Energy customers can apply for up to $500 to pay past due energy bills through September 30. The State Emergency Relief funds are available to households with income within 150% of the federal poverty rate. Last year 540,000 customers shared more than 38 million dollars in energy assistance.
• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has launched a Faucet and Filter Safety Net Program. Eligible households may be able to replace a faucet or get a lead-reducing filter. Some residents may qualify for a home visit for a visual assessment of their plumbing or get assistance applying for the Medicaid Lead Abatement program. 
• The Lexus Velodrome was re-dubbed the Mad Track Arena on Monday. The indoor multi-sport complex first opened in January 2018 and partnered with the Detroit Lexus Dealers Association to offer bike programs. Detroit Fitness Foundation CEO Dale Hughes says thousands of youth in the city have learned to ride a bike, taken a spin on the Olympic-caliber indoor racetrack or become racers themselves. The arena features the only indoor velodrome of its kind in the U.S.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. He was 76.

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” a family statement from Birmingham, England, said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson’s disease after suffering a fall.

Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show “The Osbournes.”

The Big Bang of heavy metal

Black Sabbath’s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock ’n’ roll.

The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic metal tunes as “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” The song “Paranoid” only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band’s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.

“Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who’s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,” Dave Navarro of the band Jane’s Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. “There’s a direct line you can draw back from today’s metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.”

Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. “We knew we didn’t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,” wrote bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler in his memoir, “Into the Void.”

Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with “Blizzard of Ozz” and the following year’s “Diary of a Madman,” both hard rock classics that went multiplatinum and spawned enduring favorites such as “Crazy Train,” “Goodbye to Romance,” “Flying High Again” and “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.” Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.

The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. “Let the madness begin!” he told 42,000 fans in Birmingham.

Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon all did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar and more made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities.

“Black Sabbath: we’d all be different people without them, that’s the truth,” said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. “I know I wouldn’t be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.”

Outlandish exploits and a classic look

Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off the live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)

Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song “Suicide Solution.” The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC.

Then-Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne’s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. “You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,” the singer wrote back. “You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.”

Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty “God bless!”

He started an annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.

Osbourne’s look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw “13,” which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone’s “Take What You Want,” Osbourne’s first song in the Top 10 since 1989.

In 2020, he released the album “Ordinary Man,” which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. “I’ve been a bad guy, been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don’t wanna die an ordinary man,” he sang. In 2022, he landed his first career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album “Patient Number 9,” which featured collaborations with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan. It earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won five Grammys over his lifetime.)

At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024, Jack Black called him “greatest frontman in the history of rock ‘n’ roll” and “the Jack Nicholson of rock.” Osbourne thanked his fans, his guitarist Randy Rhoads and his longtime wife, Sharon.

The beginnings of Black Sabbath

John Michael Osbourne was raised in the gritty city of Birmingham. Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname. As a boy, he loved the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The Beatles made a huge impression.

“They came from Liverpool, which was approximately 60 miles north of where I come from,” he told Billboard. “So all of a sudden it was in my grasp, but I never thought it would be as successful as it became.”

In the late 1960s, Osbourne had teamed up with Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward as the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They decided to rename the band Earth, but found to their dismay there was another band with that name. So they changed the name to the American title of the classic Italian horror movie “I Tre Volti Della Paura,” starring Boris Karloff: Black Sabbath.

Once they found their sludgy, ominous groove, the band was productive, putting out their self-titled debut and “Paranoid” in 1970, “Master of Reality” in 1971, “Vol. 4” in 1972 and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” in 1973.

The music was all about industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures, along with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. “People think I’m insane because I am frowning all the time,” Osbourne sang in one song. “All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy/Think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t find something to pacify.”

The Guardian newspaper in 2009 said the band “introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power. Black Sabbath confronted the empty platitudes of the 1960s and, along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture.”

After Sabbath, Osbourne had an uncanny knack for calling some of the most creative young guitarists to his side. When he went solo, he hired the brilliant innovator Rhoads, who played on two of Osbourne’s finest solo albums, “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.” Rhoads was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982; Osbourne released the live album “Tribute” in 1987 in his memory.

Osbourne then signed Jake E. Lee, who lent his talents to the platinum albums “Bark at the Moon” and “The Ultimate Sin.” Hotshot Zakk Wylde joined Osbourne’s band for “No Rest for the Wicked” and the multiplatinum “No More Tears.”

“They come along, they sprout wings, they blossom, and they fly off,” Osbourne said of his players in 1995 to The Associated Press. “But I have to move on. To get a new player now and again boosts me on.”

Courting controversy — and wholesomeness

Whomever he was playing with, Osbourne wasn’t likely to back down from controversy. He had the last laugh when the TV evangelist the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart in 1986 lambasted various rock groups and rock magazines as “the new pornography,” prompting some retailers to pull Osbourne’s album.

When Swaggart later was caught with a sex worker in 1988, Osbourne put out the song “Miracle Man” about his foe: “Miracle man got busted/miracle man got busted,” he sang. “Today I saw a Miracle Man, on TV cryin’/Such a hypocritical man, born again, dying.”

Much later, a whole new Osbourne would be revealed when “The Osbournes,” which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this one-time self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to find the History Channel on his new satellite television or warning his kids not to smoke or drink before they embarked on a night on the town.

Later, he and his son Jack toured America on the travel show “Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour,” where the pair visited such places as Mount Rushmore and the Space Center Houston. Osbourne was honored in 2014 with the naming of a bat frog found in the Amazon that makes high-pitched, batlike calls. It was dubbed Dendropsophus ozzyi.

He also met Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee weekend. He was standing next to singer-actor Cliff Richard. “She took one look at the two of us, said ‘Oh, so this is what they call variety, is it?’ then cracked up laughing. I honestly thought that Sharon had slipped some acid into my cornflakes that morning,” he wrote in “I Am Ozzy.”

Thelma Riley and Osbourne married in 1971; Osbourne adopted her son Elliot Kingsley, and they had two more children, Jessica and Louis. Osbourne later met Sharon, who became her own celebrity persona, when she was running her father’s Los Angeles office. Her father was Don Arden, a top concert promoter and artist manager. She went to Osbourne’s hotel in Los Angeles to collect money, which Osbourne had spent on drugs.

“She says she’ll come back in three days and I’d better have it. I’d always fancied her and I thought, ‘Ah, she’s coming back! Maybe I have a chance.’ I had pizza hanging from my hair, cigarette ashes on my shirt,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 2000. They married in 1982, had three children — Kelly, Aimee and Jack — and endured periodic separations and reconciliations.

He is survived by Sharon, and his children.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has released the Get Housing Ready Guide.

It’s a checklist for local governments to attract more housing development and investment. The state still faces a shortage of 119,000 housing units.

MSHDA Director Amy Hovey spoke with WDET about what is causing the shortage, and how the guide can help communities address it.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Amy Hovey: In the state of Michigan, we’re still about 119,000 units short of where we need to be for our current population in the state. That shortage comes from a few different things. One, the amount of people that live in each housing unit has shrunk. Quite often there’s one or only two people in the home. So, even if your population is somewhat stagnant, like it is in the state of Michigan — if you have less people in each home, you’re going to need more homes. We’ve also had a big increase in second homes and short term rentals. It’s great that we have those. That has also led to a shortage of housing for people who live here permanently. So we need to create all kinds of tools to help with the development of housing. And this guide really just kind of highlights all the different things — whether it’s zoning changes, whether it’s financial tools, whether it’s planning, whether it’s knowing where you want the housing developed, and having land control and working with land banks. There’s lots of things that a local municipality can do to really be housing ready.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET News: What is the biggest obstacle that local governments are facing right now concerning attracting these investments?

AH: The cost of developing housing is really the biggest obstacle. Often in our state right now, the cost to develop housing far outweighs what Michigan families can afford. So we need everyone to come to the table to reduce those costs. Some of the suggestions we have look at their land use policy. How can they allow for a more dense housing structure? Meaning, like row houses or multifamily even for sale homes that make it more affordable to develop. Also allowing for smaller housing to be developed, which matches really what new families are looking for and also what they can afford.

I also think if local communities prioritize the development of housing, making sure that they’re reviewing plans quickly, that they have pattern books of plans they’ve already approved in the past, that they’re coming to the table and trying to make the process as easy as possible and as short as possible to get housing developed. You know, the longer it takes, the more expensive it is.

BT: I notice that particularly in Detroit, that urgency to build more housing, especially more affordable housing, we tend to lean more towards multifamily units — not necessarily single-family homes. I’m curious if the policy changes that you’re suggesting will help allow more single-family homes to be built.

AH: I do think so. I think the reason why you see a lot of multifamily being developed, particularly in Detroit, is that’s where a lot of the subsidy is geared towards. At MSHDA, we get a lot of money from the federal government that is just for multifamily. We don’t get as much assistance for homeowner for sale development.

And so really, there’s a couple things. One, we need the state government to step up and put more funding towards for-sale. We need local governments to rethink their neighborhoods, to make it more affordable for developers to come and develop for-sale housing. For example, in this guide, we talk about the housing TIFs (Tax Increment Financing) under one of the financial tools and incentives. We have seen developers across the state use that housing TIF tool to develop single family for sale housing. And so if you’re a community that’s willing to approve these housing TIFs, you’re more likely to attract these single-family kind of neighborhood developers into your community.