Detroit’s Poletown neighborhood is now home to a restored forest.  

Detroit Future City and Arboretum Detroit worked with community members, the city of Detroit’s Neighborhood Beautification Program and others to restore 1.3 acres of land back to nature. 

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Circle Forest is located along 12 Poletown city lots and will serve as a communal space for residents in the neighborhood. 

Arboretum Detroit Executive Director Birch Kemp and Park Maintenance Assistant Robyn Redding joined The Metro on Thursday to talk about the forest project and trail. 

The first step in the Circle Forest project was clearing 60 yards of garbage from the site, Kemp said.

“There’s this healing aspect that happens with liberating the land from garbage. And everybody who’s been a part of these volunteer work days has felt that, right?” Kemp said. “And planting a tree too, you feel like you’re actually doing something in this world [that] is very tangible, and we’re doing it together and basically building the Detroit we want to see.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Birch Kemp and Robyn Redding of Arboretum Detroit.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 17, 2024: 

• Detroit, like other cities around the country, is trying to reduce its emissions and ensure clean air, clean water, and safe green spaces for residents to explore. One recent step the city has taken to make Detroit more environmentally-friendly is  offering a new composting program. Patrice Brown, associate director of urban agriculture for the city of Detroit, joined the show to discuss the initiative.
• The fall colors are beautiful in Michigan. And while you’re admiring the trees, Michigan state officials are also asking people to keep an eye out for invasive Asian long-horned beetles, which pose a danger to trees — especially maples. To talk more about this invasive species, we’re joined by Axios Detroit reporter Annalise Frank. 
• For all you beer and Detroit Public Radio lovers out there, we’ve got something special brewing in honor of WDET’s 75th anniversary. WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper joined The Metro to talk about a new collaboration between the station and Batch Brewing commemorating the milestone. Our new WDET Beer – “It’s So Kölsch in the D” – will be unveiled at a special beer release party tomorrow night at Batch. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is holding annual community walks across the country this weekend, allowing people to remember loved ones who died by suicide while also working as a community to create more mental health support. 

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Over the past 10 years, the suicide rate has increased 16%. The vast majority of the suicide deaths were men, and most were firearm-related.

To discuss the Metro Detroit Out of the Darkness Walk taking place on Belle Isle this Saturday, volunteers Alicia Lyon and Max Olive joined The Metro.

Olive said the most challenging moment he faced in his life was when his cousin died from suicide, three years ago.

“And going through it at the time, it’s so difficult, right? You wonder how someone could think that way, why that would be an option. And it takes a lot to understand that that is something you’ll never understand,” Olive said. “And what you can do, and what I think it did really well for us, is it galvanized us as a family. So I’m closer with my cousins and my uncle now, more than ever. And I think so highly of him, and my involvement in this is a way to really honor Ryan. And he was such a gorgeous, hilarious soul and owned the room.”

You can register for the walk online ahead of time or in-person beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. If you or someone else needs support, a trained counselor can be reached by calling or texting the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with walk volunteers Alicia Lyon and Max Olive.

More headlines from Oct. 14, 2024: 

• New Detroit is a racial justice coalition that formed in response to the ‘67 rebellion. On Thursday, the organization is hosting its third annual Just Lead conference, recognizing community leaders and organizations that are working towards racial equity. New Detroit Director of Transformational Change Rebecca Irby and Director of Community Engagement Marshalle Favors joined the show to discuss the conference.  
• The Tigers lost to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, ending a miraculous season for the team. To help us recap the series and look ahead, we’re joined by Tigers staff writer for The Athletic, Cody Stavenhagen. 
• Womxnhouse Detroit is a collection of women creatives in the city who aim to spread their knowledge and crafts with interested folks while welcoming more people to the arts. This conversation is a continuation of an interview we did on The Metro last week featuring the co-founder of Women House Detroit Asia Hamilton, ceramics artist Michaela Ayers and fiber artist Cat Washington.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Tejano music, or Tex-Mex music, is a blend of different sounds and instruments from Mexico and other countries — like Poland and the Czech Republic. 

Martin Solis helped make Tejano music popular in Detroit with his band Los Primos. 

As a self-taught musician, he started playing the Bajo Sexto, a Mexican 12-string instrument from the guitar family, and developed his own unique musical style.

Solis wasn’t born here, but Detroit was his home. And the history of Southwest Detroit can’t be told properly without the inclusion of Martin Solis and Los Primos. Solis is the first person from Michigan to be inducted into the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame in San Benito, Texas, and the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame in Alice, Texas.

Martin Solis’ son, Frank Solis, is a local historian who’s preserving Tejano music in Detroit. He joined The Metro to discuss his father’s legacy.

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There were few recordings of Los Primos, but Frank found some lost treasures while cleaning out his father’s attic. He uncovered a bag of cassettes, filled with rehearsal recordings of the band.  

“(Jack White), he’d hear these Mexican bands, and that was my dad,” Frank said. “So he assigned his brother to clean them up with an engineer. They cleaned up the tapes, and the album came — his first and last album.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Frank Solis about Tejano music in Detroit.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 10, 2024: 

• A local author wants to spread the joy of reading, writing and stretching imagination. Mianne Adufutse is a graduate of Columbia College of Chicago where she studied fiction writing and poetry. Adufutse joined the show to discuss her new book, “Garbage Dump” – a dystopian fictional story set in Detroit. 
• The Tigers are red hot. They beat the Houston Astros in the wild card round and now lead the Cleveland Guardians 2-to-1 in the American League Division Series. The Tigers could win the series and move on to the next round if they win today at Comerica Park. Detroit Free Press Sports Columnist Shawn Windsor joined the show to talk about the team’s unpredictable run. 
• The holiest day of the year for the Jewish people starts tomorrow night. Yom Kippur goes from sunset to sunset and is marked by fasting, prayer and atonement. For Jews observing the holiday, that means apologizing directly to those they’ve wronged over the year. Professor and writer Susan Shapiro joined the show to talk about apology, forgiveness and why those two things are important to everyone, everywhere. Shapiro’s most recent book is titled “The Forgiveness Tour: How To Find the Perfect Apology.”

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Detroit native Tim Meadows is making a point to bring support to this year’s presidential election. The comedian is hosting Tim Meadows & Friends: Comedy Caucus at the Flagstar Strand Theatre in Pontiac on Saturday, Oct. 12.

The event, supporting Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Fight Like Hell PAC, will include stand-up comedy, live music and a call for people to register and vote in November. 

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Meadows recently spoke with The Metro’s Tia Graham about the event and the importance of voting — especially this election cycle. 

“This election is more than about just, you know, democracy or just another president,” Meadows said. “It’s about women’s rights to choose. It’s about our relationship to other countries; our relationship with each other in this country; and I just wanted…my hope is that we can ease up the rhetoric, and we can ease up and be empathetic towards each other a lot more.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with comedian Tim Meadows.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 8, 2024:

• Everyone in this country is expected to get a K-12 education, but funding that expectation falls on the many, not the few. That’s because schools get funded by federal, state and local institutions in America. And in Michigan, schools rely a lot on local millages for funding. So far this year, voters statewide have rejected about half of the 44 bond requests that have been proposed. To discuss this trend, Bridge Michigan Education Reporter Isabel Lohman joined the show. 
• The Michigan Department of Transportation is studying ways to make Gratiot Avenue safer for both drivers and pedestrians. It’s one of the most dangerous streets in the city. Metro Region Planning Manager Matt Galbraith joined The Metro to talk about the study and why Gratiot is so dangerous.
• Story Fest is an event that blends a range of different storytelling techniques — including live podcast journalism, first-person narratives, original scores and other unique performances. The Detroit iteration is coming to the Detroit Film Theatre this Thursday, and it’s not too late to grab your ticket. To talk about the event, Story Fest Producer McCardle Hankin joined the show along with WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter and Metro Times/Model D Media reporter Khan Santori Davison — who will both be presenting stories at the event.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly suggested that the benefit event was being held at the Redford Theatre in Detroit.

Detroiter James E. Wheeler collected 40,000 pieces of Black independent film memorabilia, preserving the history of what is known as “race films” and more. Wheeler died in 2022, but his kids Alima Wheeler Trapp and Ali J. Wheeler started The Black Canon to preserve and show the collection.

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The Black Canon, with support from the Redford Theatre, is hosting its first benefit Art of the Ages, on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Taylor’d Garden in Livonia. The event will include an exhibition of rare Black films dating back to the 1920s. Brunch will also be served.

Redford Theatre Programmer and volunteer John Monaghan joined The Metro on Monday to discuss the collection and how you can see part of it this weekend.

“It all starts with my friendship with James Wheeler, who is sort of a well known figure in Detroit, really, for the last 40 or 50 years as an activist, as a collector, involved in theater,” Monaghan said. “He passed about three years ago. And his kids, Ali and Alima, they’ve taken on this amazing project of cataloging and preserving all the stuff that he collected over the years. And I’m talking about a lot of stuff. This is a warehouse that’s filled with, I compare it to that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, maybe a little smaller. But it’s just, it’s full of books and records and posters and magazines, toys, dolls, photos, and a lot of 16 millimeter film.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Monaghan.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 7, 2024:

• The rural landscape of West Tennessee is undergoing a massive change. That’s because Ford is building a “BlueOval City” complex that spans six square miles and is expected to bring 6,000 jobs to the area. Last week on Created Equal, Stephen Henderson spoke with Mason, Tennessee resident and BlueOval Good Neighbors member Shannon Whitfield and Tennessee for All Statewide Coordinator Rebekah Gorbea.
• The College For Creative Studies recently launched a Practicing Design Center meant to not only provide work experience for students, but also advance design efforts for Detroit nonprofits and organizations. Vice President of Strategy and Communications at CCS, Olga Stella, joined the show to discuss how the program will benefit students, nonprofits and small businesses in the city.
• Vesey Lane Goods is a Detroit small business that sells crafted goods and personalized items. But it’s also a space for artists and educators to connect and grow a community. Owner Robin Wilson joined the show to discuss how the space is fostering community. Author Jean Alicia Elster will give a talk and book signing at the store from 2 to 3:30 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 12.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Both Baker’s Keyboard Lounge and Simmons & Clark Jewelers have kept their doors open for 90-plus years — largely due to their care for customers and the city. 

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Baker’s Keyboard Lounge

Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, located not too far from the famous Livernois Avenue of Fashion, first opened its doors in 1934. A who’s who of Jazz names played there, including Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane and many more. 

While the music is important at Baker’s, so is the flavor. It originally started as a beer and sandwich restaurant, but they now serve some of the best soul food in the city.  

Baker’s Owner Bill Smith joined The Metro on Friday to discuss what keeps people and musicians coming to the space. The venue is being honored at the Smooth Jazz Fall Fest at the Fox Theater on Saturday. 

Simmons & Clark Jewelers

Roughly one in four U.S. businesses fail within their first year of operation, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And for small businesses, the challenge of staying afloat can be monumental.

But that’s not the case with Simmons & Clark Jewelers, a family-run business that began in Detroit 99 years ago. Since 1925, the business has been handed down three generations — from fathers to sons — with the current owner Michael Simmons now carrying on the family legacy.

Simmons joined The Metro to talk about how the business got up and running and what’s kept it going these past 99 years.

Use the media player above to hear the conversation with Smith and Simmons.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 4, 2024:

• The second annual Preservation of Jazz Appreciation Ceremony is happening next week at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe. The ceremony will highlight individuals dedicated to celebrating and preserving Jazz music in Detroit. Creator of the event and local performer Sky Covington joined the show to discuss who’s being honored this year. 
• It’s also Detroit Documenter Friday on The Metro. The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) is in the hiring process for a new CEO. They’re down to two candidates, Detroit Police Chief James White and President of Team Wellness Michael Hunter. To discuss the role of DWIHN and the interview process, Detroit Documenter Clarissa Williams and Documenters Coordinator Lynelle Herndon joined the show.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.