The next polo champion or Olympian could be a Detroiter. 

Historically, horseback riding isn’t an activity you see often in urban settings like Detroit, but the local nonprofit Detroit Horse Power is trying to change that. They are working to make events like dressage and horseback riding more accessible to all people, especially young Detroiters. 

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On Monday, Detroit Horse Power broke ground on a state-of-the-art facility in the Fenkell-Linwood community on the city’s Westside. The 14-acre site will serve as a training center and offer a summer school program. 

Founder and executive director of Detroit Horse Power David Silver and Executive Director of Hope Village Revitalization and Detroit Horse Power Board Member Jeff Jones joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss what the new facility could mean for Detroiters. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Silver and Jones.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 23, 2024:

• Echoes from the Rust is a new art exhibit at the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery at Wayne State University. It’s taking a closer look at cities in the rust belt and the people who call them home. Curator Kemuel Benyehudah and artist Halima Afi Cassells joined The Metro to discuss.
• In Detroit’s 36th District Court, the largest district court in Michigan, three candidates are running for two open seats during a time when the court has seen major changes. The court entered into a bail reform agreement with the ACLU of Michigan that prohibits imposing high cash bail under most circumstances. This week, we’re speaking with the candidates to see where they stand on this agreement and how they would make Detroit’s justice system more equitable. In this episode, co-host Robyn Vincent spoke with Malaika Ramsey-Heath.
• Election Day is almost here and Michigan has become ground zero for the Harris and Trump campaigns. One Tuesday, former President Barack Obama came to Detroit to rally for Vice President Harris along with Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Eminem and Calvin Johnson. WDET Senior News Editor Quinn Klinefelter joins the show to recap the rally and talk about the election that’s 12 days away.

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

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover Barack Obama’s visit to Detroit, the start of a new season for the Pistons and more.

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

Obama campaigns for Harris in Detroit

Former president Barack Obama made a stop in Detroit last night. He spoke to thousands at Huntington Place as part of a presidential campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris. Obama criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for trying to divide the country.  

Both presidential candidates have visited Detroit in the past few weeks. Michigan is a key battleground state in the election, and both the Democrats and the Republicans are working to get out the vote in the last few weeks before Election Day on Nov. 5. Early voting is already underway in Detroit, and begins statewide on Saturday. 

AI to detect lead in Detroit pipes

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is using artificial intelligence to find lead service lines in the city. The mapping software uses data from the Environmental Protection Agency and other sources to identify homes most likely connected to the lead lines. Deputy Director Sam Smalley says the predictions have been extremely accurate, which helps keep contractors in concentrated areas.

City officials say the mapping tool has saved the department $185 million by predicting locations instead of digging up every water service line in the city. The department is on track to replace 10,000 lead service lines by the end of this year.

GM reports strong profits

General Motors is reporting strong profits for the third quarter of the year. The Detroit automaker had net income of $3.1 billion between the beginning of July and the end of September. That’s down 0.3 percent from the same period last year. The results beat Wall Street analysts’ average expectations. GM posted revenues of $48.7 billion, which is up 8 percent from the previous year. The company credits strong demand for its mid-size SUVs for leading the way to improved quarterly revenues. 

MDOT to meet tonight 

The Michigan Department of Transportation is holding a virtual public meeting this evening on plans to improve Gratiot Avenue in Detroit. This will be the fourth and final scheduled meeting on the topic. MDOT is looking at making changes along the road from downtown to Eight Mile, including making the route safer for pedestrians and improving transit options. The virtual meeting takes place at 5 p.m. You can find more information at Michigan.gov/M3PEL. 

Pistons start a new season

The Detroit Pistons open the 2024-2025 season tonight at home. They’ll play the Indiana Pacers at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons have a new coach and several new players after disappointing seasons last year and the year before. The team won just 14 games and lost 68 last season, holding the worst record in the NBA. The Pistons hired former Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff to improve the team. They’ve also added several veterans, including Tim Hardaway Jr., to bolster a roster of young players, such as Cade Cunningham. Tip-off tonight is at 7 p.m.  

WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley contributed to this report.

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

The campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris leaned into star power Tuesday night with a rally in Detroit featuring former President Barack Obama and Eminem.

The event leaned heavily into the narrative the Harris campaign has been pushing that Trump is both out of touch with working class people and possibly in cognitive decline.

Obama brought up lies Trump has told about the 2020 election being stolen, and false claims that FEMA funds were diverted away from hurricane relief.

Obama said it’s time to stop giving Trump the benefit of the doubt.

“We act like it’s okay. Or at least those who say they support him, they say well, you know, he’s just joking or it’s not that serious. Or, as long as we win, that’s how politics is played. No, it’s not,” Obama said.

Earlier in the speaking lineup, Democratic U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow referenced Trump’s recent comments calling some notable Democrats “the enemy within.”

“What does he mean about that? I assume he means anybody who disagrees with him,” Stabenow said.

In a press release ahead of the visit, the Trump campaign said it’s not worried about the Obama appearance, adding that it suggested Obama himself was out of touch.

Victoria LaCivita is the spokesperson for Trump’s campaign efforts in Michigan.

“You know things aren’t going well for Democrats when they have to fly in Barack Obama from his $12 million Martha’s Vineyard estate and his ‘high eight-figure’ Netflix production deal to campaign for Kamala Harris during the homestretch. And while it’ll probably be a slightly less unhinged affair than what other Kamala surrogates are doing to move the needle, an Obama visit isn’t going to convince Michiganders to vote for another four years of open borders, rising prices, and disaster at home and abroad,” LaCivita said in a statement.

With two weeks left until election day, the presidential race remains tight in Michigan, a key swing state. Tuesday’s rally in Detroit sought to bring enough excitement to the Harris ticket to break through the noise.

Speakers met the crowd with the popular Detroit greeting, “What up, doe?” Obama came on stage to Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself.’ And Detroit Lions legend Calvin Johnson Jr. gave the first speech to a packed room at the Huntington Place convention center.

Eminem said supporters need to volunteer with the campaign and knock on doors.

“There are still a lot of people who have not made up their minds about this election. And they’re not going to be convinced by another ad or another email. They’re going to get out and vote because of people like you and me. So, with that being said, politics is not a spectator sport,” he said.

Early in-person voting is already open in Detroit and will become available statewide on Saturday.

Both Harris and Trump will be back in Michigan later this week to continue rallying voters. That includes competing events on Saturday.