American politics has long had too many lobbyists and too much money fueling campaigns. But Donald Trump’s administration breaks records. The total net worth of billionaires involved with it amounts to over $382 billion, which is more than the GDP of 172 different countries.

Today on The Metro, we discussed how wealthy individuals are now influencing our politics, and how much of a change that is from past administrations.

Guests:

• Graeme Robertson – Professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies. His work focuses on political protest and regime support in authoritarian regimes.
• Bilal Baydoun – Director of Democratic Institutions at Roosevelt Forward, an advocacy affiliate of the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank. 

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

We also asked listeners:

“Should the government be run like a business?”

Christian in Grosse Pointe Park said: “I don’t think it’s black and white. I think we need to look at each individual situation and realize if we make it primarily like that we’re going to be opposing each other as opposed to working together to find tenable solutions to issues.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Tomorrow’s question: Should the U.S. government get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion? 

Join the conversation by calling 313-577-1019 or leaving us an Open Mic message on the WDET app. 

More stories from The Metro on Jan. 28, 2024:

• Black Bottom Archives is a community archive that’s committed to preserving Black Detroit stories, and the organization is celebrating its 10th year. 

• Being from Detroit has created a strong foundation for Emmy-award winning journalist and Fresh Air co-host Tonya Mosley. She joined the show to talk about her hometown and career.

• Detroit’s Adopt-A-Park program is asking groups like block clubs, churches, and nonprofits to become stewards of a city park. Executive Director of the Detroit Parks Coalition Sigal Hemy joined the show to discuss the magic of Detroit’s parks and what it means to adopt one.

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

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, K-12 students across the nation have been missing more school.

The percentage of chronically absent students — referring to those who miss more than 10% of school days — nearly doubled from 2018 to 2022, according to The Brookings Institution.

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

Last school year, Michigan recorded one of the highest rates of chronically absent students compared to other states, according to data from the state Department of Education. The rate among Detroit students was more than double that.  

Now through March, Detroit Public Schools Community District is giving high school students $200 gift cards every time they have perfect attendance for 10 school days in a row. That’s just one approach of many that schools are experimenting with to get kids back into the classroom.

We’ve addressed this topic before on the show. Today on The Metro, we took a deeper dive into the different approaches for combating chronic absenteeism with Nat Malkus, senior fellow and deputy director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute; and Sarah Lenhoff, associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Wayne State University.

Malkus noted how being chronically absent from school can cause a ripple effect in a student’s life that can affect them well into adulthood. 

“We know that kids who are chronically absent are less likely to read at the critical grade three, they’re more likely to struggle in middle school academically, they’re really less likely than their peers who attend regularly to graduate from high school, and the effects go into the future in the labor force as well,” he said.  

Lenhoff,  who also serves as the director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research, led a study on chronic absenteeism and says solutions to the issue can’t only come from the schools. She suggested that one way to curb it could be creating a stronger school-to-neighborhood social connection in communities. 

“If a parent, you know, has something come up and they can’t get their child to school then they have people to rely on in their neighborhood, they have a neighbor, they have maybe a senior who lives across the street, maybe a friend who’s going to the same school,” Lenhoff said. 

482 Forward Communications Lead Imani Foster also joined the conversation. She is one of the community members who helped in the research project. Monitoring attendance and school engagement is mainly left up to teachers, but she says this wasn’t always the case.

“I think most of the schools fired their attendance agents because they cut a lot of different positions,” Foster said. “And so the teachers are now asked to be attendance agents. Attendance agents were normally the ones that kept up with families, right, that made the calls home, that maybe even made house visits to check on if everything was OK. Now that’s a gap that teachers are trying to fill.”

We also asked our listeners:

“Should we pay students to go to school?”

Nick in St. Clair Shores said: “Personally, I missed a lot of high school my final year, and I skipped a lot to go work at Red Robin. I would pick up a lunch shift instead of going to math class. And I feel like if I was paid to be in school, I wouldn’t have done that.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation, and other stories from “The Metro.”

More headlines from The Metro on Jan. 27, 2024: 

• Since 1958, the Jim Dandy Ski Club has been working to lower barriers for Black kids and adults to get involved in skiing, and to bring them deeper into connection with a broader community. This Friday, the club is hosting its annual “Black Out” ski event, which is open to anyone, not just members. Miles Maxey, former president, vice president, and board member of the Jim Dandy Ski Club, joined the show to discuss the event and how the club has made snow sports more accessible.
• “Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music” is a new exhibit set to open at the MSU Museum on Feb. 4, that aims to explore Detroit’s role as the birthplace of Techno music and its connection to Afrofuturism.  The exhibition’s curator. Julian Chambliss, joined the show to discuss the project. We also spoke with John Collins, an important figure in Detroit’s techno culture, member of Underground Resistance and exhibition community curator.
• In President Donald Trump’s first term in office he made good on a campaign promise to cut taxes. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed by Congress and signed into law in 2017. The Biden administration did not roll back the tax cuts, so they are still intact. But a significant part of those tax cuts are set to expire at the end of this year unless Trump and Congress act to extend them. The Metro producer David Leins spoke with Bharat Ramamurti, senior advisor for economic strategy at the American Economic Liberties Project and former economic communications advisor for the Biden-Harris administration.

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

Money in politics has always been a crack in the foundation of our democracy. Citizens United, a Supreme Court ruling that overturned campaign finance laws by granting free speech rights to corporations, deepened that crack. 

But where does all that money come from? Good luck finding out. The campaign finance system we have in the U.S. is high on donations and low on accountability. In the most recent election, donations to presidential Super PAC’s surpassed $1 billion. 

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

Fifteen years after the landmark Supreme Court decision, we’re taking a close look at how Citizens United has changed American politics and asking where do we go from here? Is campaign finance reform on the horizon, or is it just a pipe dream? 

Daniel Weiner, director of elections and government programs at the Brennan Center for Justice, joined The Metro on Wednesday to help explain how dark money came to be so ingrained in our politics. 

“Dark money actually comes because the Supreme Court and the lower courts seem to have sort of assumed that all this money that they were allowing to be spent would be transparent, that the sources would be disclosed,” Weiner said. “But it turns out that at the federal level and in many states — including Michigan — the laws and rules that require disclosure really just didn’t contemplate this. They didn’t expect to have corporations spending unlimited amounts of money on politics, and they didn’t apply disclosure rules to those sorts of entities.”

The Citizen United ruling opened the door for dark money and mega donor influence in Washington. But its impact hits much closer to home, said Bridge Michigan reporter Simon Schuster, who also joined the conversation.

Schuster says the Michigan Supreme Court race saw millions of dollars in dark money donations.  

“In the Supreme Court races, the candidates generally receive substantially less funding than we see in the house,” Schuster said. “And as a result, the outside funding that we see for these campaigns becomes that much more potent, especially in the Supreme Court race this year.”

We also asked our listeners:

“Is there too much money in politics?”

Elisa in Grosse Pointe Park said: “The one thing that just really struck me this morning was the idea of campaign donations, political donations, and how a donation is usually seen as like a gift, like freely given, and how it’s such a different, a different case in politics. And you know, it’s really more like payment for services expected or services rendered.”

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation, plus other stories from “The Metro.”

More headlines from The Metro on Jan. 22, 2024: 

• On Sunday, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel began, leading to Israel’s release of around 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and Hamas’ freeing of three Israeli hostages. Metro producer Sam Corey sat down with Senior Director for the Jewish Federation of Detroit David Kurzmann to discuss how Jews in metro Detroit are reacting to the news. 
• Community Behavioral Health Administrator for Wayne County Tara King and Research Assistant and Project Coordinator at Wayne State University’s Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Alexandria Hughes joined the show to talk more about their collaborative project to place vending machines containing life-saving naloxone across Wayne County.
• If you’re looking to find some interesting reads, Wayne State University Press might be a place to start. Since 1941 the University Press has published over 2,000 titles that explore a number of topics. Senior Director of the Wayne State University Press Stephanie Williams joined The Metro to give us a sample of its offerings.

You can join the conversation on “The Metro” by calling 313-577-1019 or leaving us an Open Mic message on the WDET app.

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

Since the 1970s, our energy bills have been going up. Year after year, utility companies like DTE have been asking for rate hikes. But it’s not just them — utilities nationwide have been raising rates. 

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

The increasing energy cost comes at an interesting time in our country’s history. Many companies, states and organizations are trying to switch to clean energy sources. The state of Michigan is tasked with operating only on clean energy sources by 2040. That matters because utility companies supply most of the energy we use from natural gas. 

Today on The Metro, we discussed what it would look like for our utilities to run entirely on renewable energy and how to bring the cost down for consumers. 

Richard Hirsh, a history professor at Virginia Tech who’s written multiple books on American utilities, joined the discussion. He says the cost of electricity wasn’t always so high, and technological advances between the late 1800s and 1970 even decreased the cost. 

“As these generators and turbines got bigger, the unit cost, the cost per kilowatt hour of electricity, declined,” Hirsh said.“And regulatory commissions allowed utility companies to charge less or lower and lower rates for electricity.”

Solar projects are currently underway in several Detroit neighborhoods. The arrays owned by DTE will be used to power city buildings. Legislative and Political Director of the Michigan Sierra Club Christy McGillivray said one of the things we’re missing is community-owned solar. Attempts at making legislative changes were made, but it faced pushback from energy companies. 

“Utilities, specifically DTE and Consumers because they’re the biggest investor owned utilities, they roadblocked it the entire way,” McGillivray said. “And we were told multiple times that we were not going to see an expansion of distributed generation and community solar because of the amount of power and money that DTE has in Lansing.”

Managing Director of the Rocky Mountain Institute Mark Dyson added that public utility commissions play a crucial role in the transition to renewable energy and keeping costs low. 

“I think a lot of important action can take place at public utility commissions or public service commissions across the country to both empower consumers, like I was just saying, help let consumers save money by using their home energy devices and also protect consumers and shield them from volatile fossil fuel prices that — especially on cold days like today — can soar,” Dyson said. 

DTE did not respond to requests from The Metro’s producers to join the conversation. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation, plus other stories from “The Metro.”

More headlines from The Metro on Jan. 21, 2024:                   

• The city of Detroit has been working to build a friendly landscape for electric vehicles. This month, the city and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments received $15 million in federal funding to build a network of EV charging stations. Deputy Chief of the Office of Mobility and Innovation Tony Geara joined the show to explain Detroit’s efforts.
• “One of Them Days” is currently one of the highest rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes and a top selling movie at the box office. It’s also directed by Detroiter Lawrence Lamont. He sat down with Host Tia Graham to discuss Michigan’s film incentives, being prepared for the moment and how Detroit influenced his love for writing.
• The Lions were dominant this year. Their offense was nearly unstoppable and their defense battled through broken bones and season ending injuries to do just enough. On Saturday, their dominant season came to a sad grinding halt. The Lions lost to the Washington commanders 45-31 at Ford Field. Detroit Free Press Sports Columnist Shawn Windsor returns to walk us through the final chapter of the Lions’ season and to look ahead to next year.

You can join the conversation on The Metro by calling 313-577-1019 or leaving us an Open Mic message on the WDET app.

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

The project “Unequal Scenes” is using drones to capture aerial shots of cities worldwide.

The images offer bird’s eye views of urban areas — a vantage point that makes the unequal distribution of wealth in some communities painfully clear.  

In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, shiny gleaming buildings soar over crumbling shacks and huts. In the capital city of Nairobi in Kenya, pristine gated communities flank struggling slums. And here in Detroit, a brick barrier delineates the city limits from Grosse Pointe Park.

The Grosse Pointe side is lush and well-manicured, marked by stately homes. On the Detroit side, grass is overgrown, debris lines the street, and the buildings are dilapidated.

So what lessons can we learn by viewing these images? Photographer Johnny Miller joined The Metro to discuss his inspiration behind the project and why the images are so effective at visualizing inequality. 

Use the player below to listen to the full conversation, beginning at the 0:58 mark.

The North American International Auto Show — rebranded last summer as the Detroit Auto Show — has long been a harbinger of innovation within the auto industry, drawing as many as 800,000 visitors to the city in the past.

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

But attendance at the Detroit show — as well as other large-scale auto shows around the world — have been in decline in recent years, highlighting the changing dynamics automakers are facing in a post-COVID, largely digital-centric world.

WDET reporter Alex McLenon and Automotive News Executive Editor Jamie Butters joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss some of the reasons behind this decline in attendance and the changes they have seen over the years.

“I think when you think of the auto show, you think of the big different setups, the different flooring, different levels of cars, the turntables, the lights and stuff,” McLenon said. “That is noticeably less than it was like 15 years ago. But that shouldn’t really be news to anybody at this point. It’s kind of been like that for a while.”

Butters said a big part of the auto show has always been selling cars.

Related: Detroit Auto Show taking ‘hands-on’ approach to lure consumers in 2025

“At the auto show, they’re trying to give people experiences, right? If it’s not about the news, it’s about the consumers,” he said.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation, and other stories from “The Metro.”

More stories from The Metro on Jan. 14, 2024: 

• At one point, there were outdoor hockey rinks all over Detroit. But eventually, budgetary constraints came knocking and the city’s outdoor rinks were closed down. By 1992, there was only one outdoor rink left in the city  — at Clark Park in Southwest Detroit. Director of Clark Park Coalition Anthony Benavides was integral to saving the rink. He joined the show to talk about how they’re supporting young hockey players in the city. 
• Michigan students with the greatest needs are more likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers or educators who aren’t certified to teach particular subjects, according to a new report from The Education Trust-Midwest. To discuss the organization’s findings and Michigan’s teacher shortage, Director of Policy and Research Jen DeNeal joined the show.
• Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets. And one blood donation can help save more than one life. But medical experts say the blood supply is not diverse enough, lacking donations from underrepresented groups. Dr. Arun Shet, acting branch chief of blood epidemiology and clinical therapeutics at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, joined The Metro to explain the barriers that exist for people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds to donate blood.

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

Owning a home has been a symbol of achievement in this country for generations. It’s the most common way to accumulate wealth, but home prices surged during the pandemic and haven’t come down.

The cost of buying a home has made younger generations look at homeownership differently. Sixty percent of Americans don’t believe homeownership is worth the return on investment it once was, according to a Harris Poll. 

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

Today on The Metro, Thomas Sugrue, professor of social and cultural analysis and history at New York University, joined the show to discuss this trend and why the demand for homes is outpacing the supply.

“A lot of folks who have the good fortune of buying houses and getting mortgages on them when interest rates were low are hanging on,” Sugrue said. “They’re not letting go of their houses, because ultimately it would cost them to get new higher interest rates and move elsewhere.”

With all the additional costs that come with homeownership, there are a lot of homeowners in the city that may be better off renting, says Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City — an organization working to create more opportunities for residents to become homeowners.

“There are a lot more costs than just the cost of the home itself that goes into ownership — the maintenance costs, taxes, all of that,” Goss said. “But at the same time trying to find and trying to create pathways for long-term renters — so that people who are renting, you know, for five years, 10 years, or a lot of people who rent like that, they should probably be owners at this point.”

Use the media player above to hear to hear the full conversation, and other stories from “The Metro.’

More stories from The Metro on Jan. 13, 2024: 

• The Detroit to Traverse City passenger rail study has entered its second phase. Transportation Specialist with Groundwork Center Michael Goldman Brown joined the show to discuss the project and what’s been done so far.
• This March marks five years since the COVID-19 pandemic caused officials to shut the country down. While COVID-19 is still here, there are other viruses getting the attention of physicians this season as well, including Norovirus and the H5N1 Bird Flu. To discuss this, Wayne State University infectious diseases professor Dr. Teena Chopra joined the show.
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the city of Detroit $346 million to prevent basement flooding. Mayor Mike Duggan says some of the grant money will be used to repair outdated sewer infrastructure that led to severe flooding for many residents. Professor of Environmental Law and Interim Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Nick Schroeck joined the show to discuss.

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

There are challenges young people and their families are facing daily — often invisible ones. And no matter how you look at it, the same conditions don’t apply across the board. 

L.I.V.E. Outreach is a community organization working to empower Detroit youth to be the best versions of themselves. Right now, the group is on the hunt for funding to support its efforts to launch a mobile unit that will bring much needed support to young people and their families in the city. 

The organization’s founder, Malika Williams, joined The Metro last week to discuss the project.

She says they have already begun the process of retrofitting a 14-person bus into a mobile unit with the help of University of Detroit Mercy, which will provide everything from fresh fruit and toiletries to books, clothing and other household items residents may need.

“The transportation barrier has been another [problem] for our kids and our families,” she said. “So we want to kind of be able to pull up, you know, even if it’s at the park or, you know, at a school, at a library, where we know the families are. That way it wouldn’t limit us and also that will put us where our overhead is low.”

For more information about L.I.V.E Outreach, visit theliveoutreach.org.

Click here to listen to the full conversation from “The Metro” on Jan. 6, 2024, beginning at the 39:10 mark.

We’re a little over a week into the new year and there’s at least one thing that’s notable about it so far: It is COLD. 

The freezing weather we’re experiencing now is part of a broader cold front hitting the midwest and east coast. Winters have been getting warmer on average, due to climate change, but the nature of our changing climate means the weather shifts to the extremes. 

Today on The Metro, we heard from experts and listeners on how to best navigate the coldest months. 

Holli-Anne Passmore, an associate professor and department chair of psychology at Concordia University of Edmonton, joined the show to talk about the psychological benefits of connecting with the natural world, even in the winter.

“There’s also something called nature connectedness, and that’s about the quality of your relationship with the natural world,” Passmore said. 

Ian Solomon, founder of Amplify Outside and communications and engagement manager for the Detroit Parks Coalition, also joined the discussion. Amplify Outside works to remove barriers that prevent people from enjoying the outdoors. 

“The land moves with the seasons, the city does not. So you really have to give first, give yourself grace that you are expected to move at a pace that is unnatural,” Solomon said. “All of us are moving in an unnatural way right now, and we do it every year for four months straight. And so we have to first accept and say, I’m not the problem.”

We also asked our listeners:

“What do you enjoy doing in the winter months?”

George from Southgate said: “I am a winter person to begin with, I love the winter time. But I’m a retired soldier, and when I was in the army our uniforms improved tremendously because of the new technology out there that keeps you warm. Gore-Tex shoes for example, they’re waterproof, but they’re breathable so your feet don’t sweat.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation and other stories from “The Metro.”

More stories from The Metro on Jan. 10, 2024: 

• Beginning this week, Detroit high school students can earn $200 gift cards every time they have perfect attendance for 10 consecutive school days. The program runs through March and students can earn up to $1,000. Jeremy Singer, a professor of teaching at Wayne State University and associate director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity and Research, joins the show to talk about DPSCD’s new approach to combat chronic absenteeism.
• The Detroit Film Theatre is launching its winter season this week. Elliot Wilhelm has been the director of the DFT since 1974. He spoke with WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper about films to see at the theater this month.
• Last summer, the Michigan State Supreme Court ruled that former property owners are retroactively entitled to profits from tax foreclosure sales. This means if your home was foreclosed on from 2015 to 2020, you could be owed some cash. Detroit Documenters, Outlier Media and five community organizations are working to get this money back in Detroiters hands. Senior reporter Koby Levin and Detroit Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade joined The Metro to talk about the new project.

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

No matter how you look at it, the beautification of Detroit’s alleyways and building walls have helped change the perspective for visitors. 

But for native Detroiters, seeing walls adorned with art isn’t new, it’s just newly embraced. And the city aims to continue to embrace that artistry. 

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

The city of Detroit’s City Walls program in collaboration with Space Lab Detroit have selected 18 emerging artists to partake in its Detroit Artists Apprentice Program. The inaugural program will connect the 18 creatives with six experienced artists. The goal is to nourish and grow Detroit’s arts community. Mentors and mentees will work together through the year to create public works of art. 

Head of the city’s Blight Remediation Department Zak Meers and artist and mentor Ijenia Cortez joined The Metro to talk about the new program. 

Cortez was a mentee of artist Sydney G. James and she’s now a mentor in the program. 

“So I think it’s important also to let people know that no matter where your neighborhood is and what the history of your neighborhood, you’re important in your neighborhood and beautifying this neighborhood is important,” Cortez said. “You know, this space is important, and you should be able to see yourself here. So that’s what I try to do with murals.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

• Photographer Johnny Miller’s project “Unequal Scenes” uses drones to capture aerial shots of cities worldwide. The images are bird’s eye views of urban areas. And from these vantage points, the unequal distribution of wealth becomes painfully clear. Miller joined The Metro to discuss the inspiration behind his work.
• Detroit’s new Department of Transportation Director Robert Cramer joined the show to discuss how he hopes to improve the transit service. 
• Wayne State University Professor of Oncology Dr. Mohammed Najeeb Al Hallak joined the show to talk about the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory about the link between cancer and alcohol use.

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

It’s the new year — a time when we often reflect on the things we did well last year and — more often — the things we’d like to improve. 

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

Many make New Year’s resolutions to hit the gym more often, develop better work habits, or to be kinder or more generous to others. But embodying New Year’s goals takes practice, dedication and persistence. That kind of repetitive action we know as habits — something that we do again and again and again, until it feels like it’s part of us. 

But how do we get to that point? Andrea Spyros, a behavior design consultant with BD3 Solutions, joined the show to dig into this topic and give some reassurance and advice on becoming your best self in 2025. 

Spyros says success can be as simple as reframing your goals and thinking about them in a different way.

“Goals can also help us grow,” he said. “It’s really about who we become in the process of trying to attain that goal right, and how we experience ourselves.”

In the second hour of The Metro, we asked listeners:

“What are your goals for 2025?”

Carlos in Redford said he doesn’t have a resolution, but a word that’s helping him through the year. 

“I have just a one word mantra for the new year, which is intentionality — just doing things more intentional when you actually get to doing them,” he said. “It can be overwhelming when you want to do this, do that, do that, and the other thing. But for example, if you want to visit your parents more, just make sure when you do it that you’re more intentional on the type of quality time you’re spending.”

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation.

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

• Every day, we’re exposed to chemicals that can affect our health. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are of particular concern. They’re in everything from plastics and pesticides to personal care products. And they can alter how our hormones behave and lead to serious health problems and disease. Wayne State University Professor Christopher Kassostis studies these chemicals. He joined the show to discuss his work, helping us to better understand how endocrine-disrupting chemicals affect metabolic issues, like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• The Detroit Police Department released its year-end crime report and recorded the lowest number of homicides since 1965. It’s the second consecutive year homicides have dropped in Detroit. City officials point to a relatively new community violence intervention program as the reason why. In 2023, the city partnered with six community groups to reduce gun violence. Zoe Kennedy, executive director of Force Detroit — one of the partnering organizations doing this work — joined the show.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up and to honor him, Hamtramck’s Planet Ant theatre is presenting the musical “Nixon/King,” a fictional account of a meeting between President Richard Nixon and MLK Jr. in a Georgia prison. To talk about the musical and the perceptions of these two figures, Assistant Director and actor Dylan Mirisola and actor Itaysha Walker both joined the show.

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

Sometimes you want to go where everyone knows your name. That’s the kind of place that Temple Bar owner George Boukas has tried to establish. 

The spot for drinking and dancing sits on Cass Avenue in Detroit, and is known for its inclusivity, openness, DJ sets and longtime bartenders. 

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

That dream came crashing down in May, when Temple Bar partially collapsed. To help save the bar, Boukas and the bar’s manager raised almost $24,000 on GoFundMe and went through a seven month-long process with Detroit’s historic commission to make the proper repairs. 

Boukas joined The Metro to discuss the restoration process at the bar, which reopened in December. He says a sinkhole in front of the building that has been there for around 20 years is likely what caused the collapse. 

“It’s been repaired and re-repaired, but I don’t think it was ever really repaired properly,” he said. “And later on, my bartenders were telling me, you know,‘ You’re not here when it’s dead, but like when we’re here, and there’s just a few people, and there’s trucks driving down Cass, you can physically feel the building shake.’”

Listen to the full conversation using the media player above.

More headlines from The Metro on Jan. 6, 2024:

• The LIVE Outreach is an organization with the goal of empowering young Detroiters to be the best versions of themselves. The organization is currently looking for funding for a mobile unit to bring much needed support to young people and their families. Founder of the organization and published author Malika Williams joined the show to discuss the project. 
• Also on the show, The Metro team shares stories they’re following in 2025 and a few favorite conversations from 2024.

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

Grievances, we’ve all had them. Whether it’s traffic, the weather, people nagging at us, we’ve all felt the need to get some things off our chest. 

These are the things that we’re thinking about as we celebrate this year’s Festivus on Dec. 23. The holiday was created by Daniel O’Keefe and it later reached the masses when his son, Dan O’Keefe, would become a writer on Seinfeld. Part of the Festivus traditions is the “airing of grievances” — a time to come together and talk about what’s bothering you. 

On the show Friday, we spent some time airing our own grievances and hearing from listeners about theirs. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Later in the show we discussed what we’re grateful for. 

The Metro Producer Sam Corey shared that he has been disappointed in Detroit’s public transit. While Detroit now has the Detroit Air Express bus going to the airport, he’s hoping for more places to board DAX in the city. 

“It works pretty well. It’s fast, it’s on time, it’s affordable, it’s good. What’s the problem? You gotta get to the DAX,” Corey said. 

WDET reporter Bre’Anna Tinsley is peeved at bad drivers. She said if you’re exiting the freeway, keep it moving. 

“Stop signs that are on the service drives next to the exit ramp. There are people who will exit the freeway and stop at that stop sign,” Tinsley said. “And that stop sign is not for you. It is for the people who are already on the service drive because you, freeway exiter, have the right away. Stop stopping.”

Gratitude is not always easy to access, but we have a lot to be grateful for at WDET. Sometimes, we’re so caught up in our grievances, that we forget the things that others do for us and the little things that give us joy – the blossoming of flowers, the thoughtfulness of strangers, the orange-pink sunsets, the reminders that life can be beautiful and breathtaking. 

In 2024, WDET launched The Metro. Co-host Robyn Vincent said she’s grateful for our listeners and team that makes the show hit the airwaves every day.

“You all are just like these bright, shining stars in my life,” Vincent said. 

Co-host Tia Graham said she’s grateful for her family and loved ones. 

“[My family has] been great, really been there for me. I had a rough year, like I said, and whenever I was down, they were right there to pick me up,” Graham said. 

Executive Producer Dave Leins shared his love and gratefulness for his wife and one-year-old daughter. 

“I got to shout them out, because that’s what I’m grateful for. I mean, I can’t not be grateful for the moments where they’re laughing and even the quiet moments where she’s sleeping, it’s all been just so beautiful,” Leins said. 

In the second hour of The Metro, we asked listeners to share their grievances, as well as what they are grateful for.

John in Detroit said he’s grateful for people working to provide residents with high quality and affordable food. 

“The first one is Raphael Wright. He turned a liquor store in the middle of Jefferson Chalmers into a neighborhood grocery. And the second one is the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op, opened up on Woodward,” John said. “And they’re just two amazing opportunities to keep the money inside the city and have access to fresh vegetables.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on Dec. 20, 2024: 

• WDET Reporters and editors were working around the clock during some of this year’s most chaotic happenings. News Director Jerome Vaughn joined the show to help us look back on what happened in 2024. 
• The Lucha Libre style of wrestling has grabbed the masses, including those in Detroit. Joining us to discuss the wrestling style and why he’s in Detroit is Joshua Markuez, otherwise known as El Dragon. He is one of the several luchadors that’ll be featured in this year’s LuchaBoom! Holiday Limbo. 
• Host of WDET’s In the Groove Ryan Patrick Hooper spoke with Detroit stand-up comedian Brett Mercer about his new special, “Not special,” streaming on YouTube.
• Plus, Detroit Documenters Coordinator Lynelle Herndon joined the show for Detroit Documenters Friday to recap what took place at many local government meetings this year.

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

Content warning: The topic this hour includes mentions of sexual violence.

If you listen to rap and hip-hop, it’s hard to avoid hearing songs that P Diddy or Jay Z had a hand in making. But last week, both Sean Combs, aka P Diddy, and Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z, were named in a civil lawsuit. They’re accused of raping a 13 year-old girl at an industry event in 2000. They both deny the allegations.

Combs is currently being held without bail at a federal jail in Brooklyn until May of next year. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, which include sex trafficking and racketeering. Several appeals to release him on bond have been denied.

The trial has not yet happened, but that hasn’t stopped people from reacting to the allegations, some calling for boycotts of Combs’ and Carter’s music.

Roula David, owner of Spot Lite and UFO Bar in Detroit, joined The Metro to discuss the cases and whether it’s OK to separate the art from problematic artists. She says character checks are a part of the booking process at both venues. 

“There are multiple local famous DJs that we have said no to. We actually canceled a show for one particular artist that had transphobic comments on social media, and people came and asked us to not have the show,” David said. “We ended up switching the show and turning it into a fundraiser for the Ruth Ellis center.”

The concept of separating art from the artist is one that has proven difficult for many, says hip-hop journalist and historian Kahn Santori Davison,  adding that people’s fandom and celebrity complicates this more.   

“From just a fan perspective, we all choose what celebrities we choose to forgive and still allow to entertain us,” Davison said. 

T Barb is a comedian now based in Los Angeles, but forever a Detroiter. She is concerned about people being presumed guilty before the standing trial.  

“Of course, I do feel like R. Kelly was completely wrong. He should be locked up, but what I didn’t like was the public prosecution aspect, because I feel like those are things that should be in a court of law,” T Barb said. 

In the second hour of The Metro, we asked listeners:

“Are you going to avoid music made or produced by P Diddy and Jay Z amid the charges against them?

Shawn in Royal Oak said: “I think that if an artist shows that they have remorse and understand they did something wrong — stop the behavior, apologize even — then, you know, there’s no reason to ‘cancel them.'” 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on Dec. 18, 2024: 

• The Irwin House Gallery in New Center is hosting its 5th annual “Gifted V” art exhibit. Most art work costs between $40 and $500, allowing a lot of people to become art collectors. To discuss the art exhibit, and why art can make for a great gift, Irwin House Gallery Director Misha McGlown joined the show. 
• Now that Trump is returning to office, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over diversity, equity and inclusion programs all over the country. It has led to heightened concerns among the students and faculty at the University of Michigan. After rumors surfaced that the school would potentially defund DEI at the university, students rallied on campus to defend it. Here to give us an update on where the university stands and how its affecting students and faculty is WDET reporter Bre’Anna Tinsley. 
• Miss Eva’s is a brand new fixture to the Grandmont Rosedale Park community, which sits on Detroit’s westside. The owner, Jay Williams, wanted to make the venue special, honoring Detroit’s rich musical history and the artistic ancestors who helped make the music so great. Williams also chose the name Miss Eva’s to honor his grandmother, a lifelong Detroiter. Williams joined the show to discuss.

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

International travel is an easier concept to wrap your head around when you’re from Detroit. There’s a whole other country that’s only a short drive or boat ride away.  It takes less than 30 minutes on a good day to get to Canada. 

For many of the people who call Detroit home, it’s something that is often taken for granted, yet it’s the first time many have traveled internationally.

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

Jessica Nabongo is a writer, travel expert and Detroit native. Jessica was bitten by the travel bug after her first trip to Canada as a child. Years later she’s done something only a handful of people in the world have had the opportunity to accomplish. She’s been to all 195 countries and she’s the first Black woman to do so.

She joined The Metro on Wednesday to share her travel experiences. Nabongo’s parents are from Uganda and helped expose her to many different cultures and destinations when she was a kid, she said. 

“I think it removed fear, which I think a lot of people have around traveling, especially if you’ve never traveled internationally, there was just a lot of fear,” Nabongo said. “And also, like, I don’t have a fear of flying, like I’ve been flying since I think I was five or six. So those sort of, what I would consider to be fairly simple barriers, were removed for me from a pretty early age.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on Dec. 11, 2024: 

• Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield this week announced her plans to run for mayor next year, leaving many in the city wondering: Why in a city dominated by women in politics, has a woman never been elected mayor? To discuss the challenges and experiences women in Detroit politics face, former Detroit City Council member Sheila Cockrell and former state representative and current Detroit school board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo joined the show.
• Poet, author and community leader Rhonda Greene released a collection of popular nursery rhymes, “Are You Sleeping,” that are reimagined to teach lessons about police brutality and cultural awareness. Greene joined the show to talk about the book and her nonprofit, Heritage Works.
• WDET’s Jack Filbrandt went to Belle Isle on a freezing day last week and stepped inside the climate-controlled oasis that is the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, which reopened to the public this week. He talked to Belle Isle Conservancy CEO Megan Elliott and Amanda Treadwell from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about the recent renovations. 
• The Detroit News will announce the top 10 best new restaurants of the year tomorrow. WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper sat down with Detroit News Restaurant Critic Melody Baetens to get a preview of that list before it’s published.
• Navigating Detroit and our Metro area can be scary. The city itself has one of the highest pedestrian death rates and driving comes with its own risks. That’s because Detroit has some of the highest rates of fatal car crashes. Weather can make a lot of these statistics worse, with snow, rain and ice making driving all the more treacherous. To discuss how people can navigate the roads more safely this winter and what kinds of winter conditions to anticipate in the coming months, former WDIV Meteorologist Paul Gross and Gary Bubar from AAA joined the show.

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

When you don’t have hair that is seen as beautiful by the mainstream, it’s often hard to see the beauty in yourself. That’s exactly what inspired Detroiter Yelitsa Jean-Charles to create a brand of dolls with kinky, coily, curly hair for children of color.

The Healthy Roots Dolls CEO joined The Metro on Monday to talk about her inspiration behind the brand.

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

Jean-Charles said that growing up, she never had a doll with features that resembled her own. Healthy Roots Dolls represent a blend of Jean-Charles’ creative aspirations and entrepreneur spirit, and aim to promote self love among young people.

According to the Children’s Defense Fund, roughly 50% of young people in the U.S. are children of color, but Jean-Charles says those demographics are not reflected in most toy aisles. 

“(T)he industry only knows what the industry already does. And so I’m forcing them to learn how to mimic something different, something that hasn’t been represented,” Jean-Charles said. “And I spent a lot of time watching little wigs dry, like washing them with shampoo, using the conditioner, doing box braids, Bantu knots. So I spent a lot of time manually working with the hair myself, until I found the fiber that mimicked the experience I wanted kids to have the best.”

For more information about Healthy Roots Dolls, visit healthyrootsdolls.com.

Listen to the full conversation with Jean-Charles below, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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