A public service announcement featuring late Detroit civil rights attorney Bill Goodman is going viral on social media again.

The video was originally produced in 2021 by the Detroit and Michigan chapters of the National Lawyers Guild. It features Goodman and longtime legal partner Denise Heberle sharing blunt legal advice for protesters, political demonstrators or anyone confronted by law enforcement: to “shut the f*** up” until an attorney is present.

The video is gaining renewed attention on platforms like TikTok as conversations about civil rights rise in response to vast changes to federal policies and agencies take place under President Donald Trump. 

Goodman died in November 2023, after spending decades fighting racial injustice, constitutional violations, and systemic inequities. He co-founded the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit and worked on landmark cases, including representing Attica Prison inmates, victims of the Flint water crisis, and those wrongfully convicted in the Central Park jogger case.

Detroit civil rights attorney Jack Schultz was one of many young attorneys mentored by Goodman. He says Goodman “had this way of making things plain, no nonsense, and funny — but always effective.

“I love him a lot, and I just miss him,” he said.

The video, which contains strong language, can be viewed here. 

Southeast Michigan’s trees are facing growing threats from disease, pests, and climate change.

Zach Lacombe with Davey Tree Expert Company in Canton, says tree health issues are on the rise, affecting both residential and urban landscapes. Fungal infections, extreme weather, and environmental stressors are making trees more vulnerable than ever.

Common Tree Diseases in Michigan

Local trees are particularly susceptible to three major infections:

• Apple Scab – A fungal disease that weakens apple and crabapple trees, causing leaf loss and reducing their ability to absorb sunlight.
• Oak Wilt – A deadly vascular infection that spreads through beetles and root grafts, cutting off water and nutrients to oak trees.
• Dutch Elm Disease (DED) – A persistent fungal disease that has devastated American elm populations in Michigan for over a century.

“These infections often go unnoticed until it’s too late,” says Lacombe. He says thinning foliage, premature leaf drop, and unusual discoloration can all be warning signs of tree disease. 

Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns are also increasing the spread of tree pests and diseases, according to Lacombe. 

Milder winters mean fewer insect die-offs, allowing pests like the picnic beetle (which spreads oak wilt) to thrive. Stronger storms and heavy rainfall can cause tree root damage, increased fungal growth, and weakened trees. Road salt runoff forces trees to release moisture from their leaves, leading to drought stress and weakened defenses.

Preventative care and early intervention can go a long way, Lacombe advises.

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge has officially been recognized by the Old Growth Forest Network, a nonprofit dedicated to identifying and preserving ancient forests across the United States.

The designation applies to 32 acres of old growth forest within Humbug Marsh, a 405-acre site located just south of the refuge’s Trenton, Michigan visitor center. The marsh, which is considered the last undeveloped mile of the Detroit River along the U.S. mainland, contains trees estimated to be 300 years old.

“We know through historical records that the Humbug Marsh property [around 32 acres of it] has been relatively untouched for about 300 years,” said park ranger Alex Gilford.

The Old Growth Forest Network aims to recognize at least one accessible old growth forest per county in Michigan. 

Gilford says visitors to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge should look for two types of trees.

“Two tree species that are most notable when you go into that area anyone can see are our oak trees, white oak trees, and our shagbark hickory trees. These are really big diameter trees, they’re really old,” he said. 

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge spans from Ecorse to Toledo, managing over 6,200 acres.

Arctic-like cold has settled over Southeast Michigan, bringing dangerously low temperatures and wind chills to the region.

Metro Detroiters will experience wind chills of -10°F and below. The bitter cold will continue through the week, with highs staying below freezing into the weekend.

Meteorologist Steven Freitag of the National Weather Service said extreme cold like this poses serious risks.

“When the wind chills and temperatures drop to 0 or below, frostbite can occur in those thirty minutes on exposed skin… and hypothermia, of course,” Freitag says. “So [wear] a lot of protective clothing and obviously, you don’t generally want to leave your pets outside.”

Freitag says February temperatures typically reach the mid-to-upper 30s, making this cold spell well below the seasonal average.

Residents are advised to dress in layers, limit time outdoors, and check on elderly or vulnerable individuals. Freitag also warns that prolonged freezing temperatures could cause water pipes to freeze in homes with poor insulation.

Freitag says the cold is expected to gradually ease by the weekend, with temperatures beginning to trend closer to normal as March approaches.

WDET’s CuriosiD series answers your questions about everything Detroit. Subscribe to CuriosiD on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of CuriosiD, we answer the question:

“Does Gen Z know who Bob Seger is?”

Bob Seger is a Detroit rock legend, but do younger generations know his music today? WDET listener Alyse Nichols, of Port Huron, wanted to find out if Gen Z recognizes Seger or if he’s fading from the mainstream.

The short answer

While Seger’s music remains beloved by longtime fans — especially in Detroit — many younger listeners primarily know him through their parents’ playlists. Some Gen Z-ers are familiar with his bigger hits like “Night Moves” or “Old Time Rock & Roll,” while others draw a blank when they hear his name.

To get to the bottom of this, WDET’s Madison Ganzak spoke with Seger fans, music experts, and Detroiters of different generations.

An enduring legacy

Nichols grew up surrounded by Seger’s music thanks to her dad, a lifelong fan who has followed Seger’s career since his early days. 

“I’m a millennial, and a lot of my millennial friends and I — our dads are very into Bob Seger. So I’m just curious if Gen Z and the younger generations know who he is,” she said.

Ganzak, a Gen Z-er herself, admits that if it weren’t for her parents, she might not know much about Seger either.

But Nichols’ father isn’t your average Seger fan — he’s seen him live multiple times, well before the hometown hero shot to national fame.

“I know he saw him a few times in concert — back in the ’60s and ’70s at some bar up north, before he was famous,” she said. “So he’s loved him for a long time. Growing up, he would always play his music, and even now.”

Nichols believes Seger’s music still has themes that younger generations can relate to — if they would only give it a chance.

“I think his music is very much about storytelling, and traveling, and trying to figure yourself out. So I think it could definitely connect with something a younger person would like,” she said.

To get expert insight, Ganzak spoke with WDET’s Rob Reinhart, host of the WDET radio program Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music and Acoustic Café.

A changing landscape for music

Reinhart, a longtime fan of Seger, described him as “a wonderful artist, brilliant songwriter and personal hero.”

But when it comes to whether younger generations might connect with Seger’s music, Reinhart pointed out the differences in how we consume music now, compared to when Seger was in his prime.

“Music — especially now — literally with the touch of a button with your finger, you’ve got all of recorded history in your pocket, and it wasn’t that way back then,” Reinhart said. “You had to go and buy an album and then sit and listen to it and decide if it was relevant.

“Is Sinatra [still] relevant? I don’t know. Is Ella Fitzgerald relevant? Billie Holiday? I mean, depends who you ask, doesn’t it? You kind of find the right music for your moment.”

–Rob Reinhart, host of Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music and Acoustic Cafe

“Now,” Reinhart continued, “Is Sinatra relevant? I don’t know. Is Ella Fitzgerald relevant? Billie Holiday? I mean, depends who you ask, doesn’t it? You kind of find the right music for your moment.

And like, if people are ready to discover ‘Night Moves,’ — if they’ve ever had that experience — they will resonate with ‘Night Moves.'”

Detroiters weigh in

To gather more data on this very important CuriosiD question, Ganzak took to the streets to hear from other young metro Detroiters.

Nick Galinos, of Ann Arbor said that he likes Seger’s music, “but I think I haven’t listened to it enough as an adult.”

April Seltmann, of Pontiac said both her parents grew up listening to them.

“So, you know, Bob Seger was definitely in rotation,” she said.

Ganzak also spoke with Detroit singer-songwriter Ethan Daniel Davidson — son of Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson — about his unique past with Seger.

“My dad’s driver was Bob Seger’s bodyguard, so Bob used to come over for dinner when I was a teenager, and he and my dad would go to the basketball games together,” he said. “And then Bob used to come see my kind of crappy high school bands play back in the 80s, I was 16, 17 years old.”

“He was totally cool,” he added.

So is Bob Seger still relevant today?

It seems his music remains a thread in many Detroiters lives, passed down through families and rediscovered in new ways.

Whether or not Gen Z and beyond latch on to his legacy, one thing is clear: Seger’s music still resonates with those who take the time to listen.

We want to hear from you! 

If you’ve ever wondered about Detroit’s history, culture, or community, send us your question at wdet.org/curious or fill out the form below.

More from CuriosiD:

• What is the oldest bar in Detroit?
• What happened to Detroit jazz venue Strata Concert Gallery?
• What is on Boblo Island today? And what happened to the Boblo boats?

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is bringing sweeping changes, but privacy and environmental advocates are warning of the risks that come with it. 

Recently, President Donald Trump has rolled back former President Biden’s executive order on AI safety and oversight.

Critics, like the Sierra Club Michigan, argue this move weakens crucial safeguards regarding transparency, surveillance and environmental impact.

“There’s sweeping changes being made incredibly quickly, and I think that the rest of the country is struggling to even perceive what is happening right now,” said Christy McGillivray, legislative and political director for Sierra Club Michigan.

One major concern is the lessening of federal oversight of how AI is used to monitor civilians, according to McGillivray. 

“The Congressional Oversight Committee that monitored the federal government’s surveillance of Americans has been functionally hamstrung by the Trump administration,” she said. “And that is relevant to the conversation about the rollout of artificial intelligence and data centers, which is the actual material thing that builds artificial intelligence.”

AI data centers are massive facilities that provide the computing power for artificial intelligence. Companies like Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others are building these centers at an unprecedented pace, often without clear public disclosure about their locations, energy consumption, or environmental impact.

In Michigan, the debate over AI data centers is intensifying. Activists and environmental groups demand oversight of AI data centers ahead of new developments, such as Microsoft’s recent property acquisition in Kent County. According to McGillivray, St. Clair County residents are already organizing to resist data center construction in their communities.

“Folks in St. Clair County seem to not be particularly excited about it, so there are going to be interventions locally, at the local zoning decisions,” she said. 

Michigan could become a battleground for AI transparency, as environmental and civil liberties groups push for more public oversight. With AI advancing faster than the regulations meant to govern it, activists like McGillivray want lawmakers to act now.