Nearly three years after a teenager killed four of his classmates in a shooting at Oxford High School, victims’ families are still looking for answers.

They want a review of how school officials acted leading up to the shooting, calling on Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, to do so this week.

Steve St. Juliana’s daughter, Hana, was among those killed in the Oxford High School attack. He says further action is needed to prevent future school shootings.

“This is about getting the truth out there,” says St. Juliana, “to create the counter measures to save our kids. This is not about identifying people to prosecute.”

The families are frustrated that a state review of procedures around the 2021 shooting has not taken place. They say they’ve had a hard time getting answers from the Oakland County prosecutor and state attorney general — accusing Nessel of retracting an offer to investigate over lack of probable cause.

Speaking to the media, Nessel countered that her offer to review has always been on the table.

“Now these offers were made to the school board and to the criminal investigation and prosecutions being handled by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and prosecutor. Our involvement on both fronts was soundly rejected,” she said.

While Nessel says she remains willing to help, she isn’t sure why Oakland County officials are now pointing the case at her.

“My authorities are not expansive beyond those that are already held by the county prosecutor and sheriff, who currently have the investigation, and have investigated this matter thoroughly for years and years now,” she said.

Nessel says her office can’t investigate without a referral from local authorities. She says she’s confused by Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard appearing in support of the Oxford family’s call to action, arguing that she’d need information from him to move forward.

In a statement, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she’s unaware of any action needed by her office to involve the attorney general.

Oxford families say they’re tired of the finger pointing.

This week on Visions, my playlist is all over the board. Between 1965 Sonny Rollins to 2024 Andy Milne, I cover some interesting ground.

Before I get into the music, definitely check out the interview I did during the first hour with Deanna Relyea, director of Edgefest, an annual avant-jazz festival happening this week in Ann Arbor. Deanna and I talk about how Edgefest started (it’s now in its 28th year!), which artists are performing at the festival, and what kind of music to expect. Happening this week, Oct. 16-19 in Ann Arbor, you won’t want to miss it.

I also give a preview of some artists coming to Ann Arbor, many of whom have already graced the airwaves through Visions!

The artists coming to Edgefest are Andy Milne, Myra Melford, Tomeka Reid, Detroit artist Kenji Lee, Sylvie Courvoisier, and William Parker. I also play selections from Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding, Sam Newsome, and the late Benny Golson.

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

Visions Playlist for Oct. 14, 2024

• “Outubro” – Milton Nascimento  & Esperanza Spalding
• “Mr. Clean” – Roy Hargrove
• “Jaki” – William Parker
• “Freedom Jazz Dance” – Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
• “Black Codes” – Wynton Marsalis
• “Le Pavot Rouge” (feat. Wadada Leo Smith, Christian Fennesz, Nate Wooley, Drew Gress & Kenny Wollesen) – Sylvie Courvoisier
• “Papounet” – Andy Milne and Unison
• “B.K.” – Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid & Mike Reed
• “The Strawberry” – Myra Melford
• “Three Little Words” – Sonny Rollins
• “In the Vein of Trane” – Sam Newsome Quintet
• “Empty Cup” – Kenji Lee’s Fortune Teller Trio
• “Voyage” – Benny Golson, Mulgrew Miller, Rufus Reid & Tony Reedus

The rural landscape of West Tennessee is undergoing a massive change. Ford’s “BlueOval City” electric vehicle manufacturing complex spans six square miles and is expected to bring 6,000 jobs to the area. That kind of economic development would be the envy of many states, including Michigan, but some residents are asking Ford to adopt a community benefits agreement.

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Rebekah Gorbea is the statewide coordinator for Tennessee for All and says some residents in West Tennessee are asking for Ford to engage in a meaningful dialogue with community groups, including BlueOval Good Neighbors. The proposed community benefits agreement outlines three main areas of concern: environmental protections, affordable housing and jobs and training for residents of the area. 

Ford expects the manufacturing complex to bring jobs and economic growth to the area. Gabby Bruno, Ford’s community relations director, says they are actively working with surrounding communities in West Tennessee and seeking resident input on the development. 

“Ford and Ford Philanthropy are committed to our community initiatives because we want residents in every community neighboring BlueOval City to benefit as the campus comes to life. I look forward to introducing our Good Neighbor Plan, developed with the help of resident input and the community leaders who make up our Equitable Growth Advisory Council.”  

“BlueOval City” is expected to produce 500,000 vehicles annually once it is fully operational, with recent estimates putting that start date to sometime in 2027. 

Guests: 

• Jamie Butters is the Executive Editor of Automotive News 

• Rebekah Gorbea is the statewide coordinator for Tennessee 4 All 

• Shannon Whitfield is a resident of Mason, TN and a member of BlueOval Good Neighbors advocacy group 

• Eloise Thompson is a resident of Mason, TN and a member of BlueOval Good Neighbors advocacy group 

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

DETROIT (AP) — Matthew Stafford led 31 fourth-quarter comebacks with the Detroit Lions.

On Sunday night, he nearly got one against them.

“There was a lot of adversity that we had to overcome,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “We gave ourselves a chance, but we just fell short.”

Playing behind a makeshift offensive line, Stafford, who played 12 seasons for Detroit, helped Los Angeles overcome a 17-3 deficit. His 9-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp gave the Rams a 20-17 lead with 4:35 to play, but the Lions ultimately won 26-20 in overtime.

After the Rams went ahead, the defense forced Jared Goff and the Lions into a three-and-out, giving Stafford the ball back at the 11-yard line with 4:10 to go.

Three plays later, he hit Demarcus Robinson for 6 yards on third-and-5 to keep the drive going. The Lions had to start using timeouts, and the Rams were close to clinching a Week 1 victory.

Stafford’s offensive line was riddled with injuries, though. A pair of holding penalties on backup tackle A.J. Arcuri cost the Rams in the red zone, including one that took a touchdown off the board. And on second-and-12 with 2:31 to go, a false start by Warren McClendon Jr., the other reserve tackle, pushed the Rams back 5 yards as they tried to close out the game.

Following the false start, Robinson took an end-around 7 yards, giving the Rams a third-and-10 from the 22 with 2:26 left, but Stafford narrowly missed Kupp on what would have been a massive first down.

“There were just some unfortunate things that happened,” Stafford said.

At the end of the game, the Rams were missing three starting offensive linemen — a position where they were already banged up — and No. 2 wide receiver Puka Nacua, who left with a knee injury.

Kupp did his part, catching 14 passes for 110 yards, but Stafford didn’t have Nacua when he was under pressure.

He didn’t blame the offensive line, though.

“We were already kind of thin up there, and I was proud of the guys who were playing,” he said. “They never blinked.”

After Stafford missed Kupp, the Lions extended the game. Goff drove them into position for the tying field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation, then Detroit won the coin toss in overtime.

Detroit took eight plays — seven runs and a pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs — to win 26-20 on David Montgomery’s 1-yard rush.

“This is an opportunity for us to move forward the right way,” McVay said. “Tonight was a good indicator of the mental and physical toughness of this group.”

McVay had no interest in second-guessing one of his bigger decisions. In the second quarter, with the game tied at 3, McVay went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Lions 23 instead of trying a 40-yard field goal.

Kupp couldn’t make the catch, and the Rams lost out on points that could have made a huge difference down the stretch in another close loss to the Lions.

“That’s why we came up short the last time,” McVay said, referring to the Rams kicking three field goals in a 24-23 playoff loss to Detroit in January.

McVay didn’t have updates on his offense’s injuries and wasn’t sure if Nacua had aggravated the knee injury he dealt with in training camp.

By Dave Hogg.