On this episode of Detroit Evening Report Weekends, we listen to the third story in WDET reporter Nargis Rahman’s series Shustho.
The four-part series explores the barriers Bangladeshi women face in accessing high quality health care, and efforts to bridge those gaps.
In this story, we visit the Health Unit on Davison Avenue (HUDA) — the largest free health clinic in Wayne County — to learn about the services it provides to members of the community without health insurance.
Stay tuned to DER Weekends throughout the month of May to hear the entire four-part series.
Listen to the episode using the media player above.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
WDET took home 25 awards at the Society of Professional Journalists – Detroit Chapter awards banquet Wednesday night, including four First Place honors.
Former WDET intern Nia Harris poses with WDET Senior News Editor and Morning Edition Host, Pat Batcheller at the SPJ -Detroit Awards.
WDET staff took home 25 awards at the 2024 SPJ - Detroit Excellence in Journalism Awards.
Essential Music host Ann Delisi with veteran Detroit news anchor Devin Scillian at the SPJ - Detroit Chapter's 2024 Award Ceremony and Banquet, May 14, 2025.
News/Public Affairs Reporting
Second Place: Robyn Vincent, Tia Graham, Sam Corey, Cary Junior, David Leins – The Metro, Dec. 10, 2024
Third Place: Robyn Vincent, Tia Graham, Sam Corey, Cary Junior, Jack Filbrandt – The Metro, Nov. 18, 2024
Fourth Place: Cary Junior, Sam Corey, David Leins, Robyn Vincent, Tia Graham – The Metro, Dec. 9, 2024
Newscast
First Place: Pat Batcheller, WDET News 7:04 a.m. May 31, 2024
Second Place: Pat Batcheller, WDET News 5:04 a.m. Feb. 6, 2024
Third Place: Pat Batcheller, WDET News 5:04 a.m. June 6, 2024
Fourth Place: Pat Batcheller, WDET News 5:04 am July, 22, 2024
For the full list of SPJ Detroit’s Excellence in Journalism award winners, visit spjdetroit.org.
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
This week, we’ve got arts and culture events to get you in the Movement mindset ahead of the festival this Memorial Day weekend.
Plus, your chance to win tickets to the festival itself! Read on to learn more.
Music festivals
Cartoons & Stereo festival (put together by stoop lee) — Free skateboarding music festival with a pop-up skatepark, live music, a vintage clothing market, a 9-foot rim dunk contest and local food trucks. Performers include Zelooperz, Pink Siifu, stoop lee, Datsunn with LOCAL ORGANIC, Curtis Roach, Rob Apollo, Pia the Band, Shaii David and Leo Pastel. The event goes from 2-11 p.m.
Freak Press Ball — The Freak Press Ball returns to Spot Lite Detroit on Wednesday, May 21, for another star-studded performance from IANFINK.CPT. This 12-piece ensemble is led by keyboardist Ian Fink in collaboration with some of Detroit’s greatest performers and musicians, including Cecille, Salakastar, Jamiliah Minter, Salar Ansari, Sasha Kashperko, Dez Andrés, Marcus Elliot, Jake Shadik, Tim Shellabarger and Caleb Robinson, and WDET’s own Shigeto. The skilled and eclectic Saylem Celest will be on the decks alongside exciting young selector, Dej.y, followed by master producer and DJ Scott Grooves to close out the night. New Freak Press apparel, vinyl and other merchandise will be available for purchase as well as exclusive visual art by Scott Grooves.
Movement prep
Amp Fiddler Ave. unveiling — The city of Detroit has partnered with the Amp Fiddler Estate to honor late Detroit musician and producer Amp Fiddler with his own street name. “Amp Fiddler Avenue” will officially be unveiled at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 16 — the second annual Amp Fiddler Day — at the corner of 7 Mile Road and Revere Street. The unveiling will be hosted by WDET’s own Chris Campbell.
Vibe & Dye: A Movement Festival Prep Party at Detroit Dye House — Detroit Dye House is hosting a special tie dye experience and pre-Movement party at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. The event will offer opportunities to make summer festival apparel with a special phosphorescent dye that glows under a black light, with live music from DJ Darren Shelton.
Record and book fair at Spot Lite — Spot Lite Detroit will host a curated day of vinyl, books, local vendors, coffee and cocktails from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 22. The event is free to attend.
WDET x Movement — WDET is again partnering with Paxahau as an official media partner for Movement, returning to Detroit’s Hart Plaza for three days of electronic music over Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26. Want a chance to win VIP passes to this year’s festival? Make a donation to WDET from noon on Friday, May 16 through Wednesday, May 21 and you’ll be entered into the drawing! Learn more at wdet.org/movement.
Comic Con
Motor City Comic Con — Michigan’s largest comic convention returns to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi this weekend, May 16-18, featuring appearances from notable actors and celebrities including Bill Nye, Angela Kinsey, Rainn Wilson, Jeremy Renner, Sean Astin and more.
Bowie tribute
Blackstar Symphony at the DSO — David Bowie’s final album, “Blackstar,” will be reimagined on Detroit’s Orchestra Hall stage Thursday, May 22, for Blackstar Symphony — a celebration of and tribute to the late artist. Performed with the original “Blackstar” band, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra will bring the critically-acclaimed album to life alongside other Bowie classics like “Space Oddity,” “Life on Mars,” and “Heroes.” Tickets available at dso.org.
Outdoor activities
Labyrinth walk at Gabriel Richard Park — Set your intentions and join Detroit Zen Center for a guided walk through the labyrinth at Gabriel Richard Park from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. The event is part of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month. Register at detroitriverfront.org.
Movie night at the park — Enjoy the family classic “Inside Out” while spending time outdoors along the Detroit Riverfront at Milliken State Park next week. The free event, sponsored by Huron-Clinton Metroparks, kicks off at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 20. More info at detroitriverfront.org.
River Rouge cleanup — The city of Farmington Hills is hosting its largest annual volunteer cleanup event at Heritage Park on Saturday, May 17, for Rouge River Day. Volunteers are sought to help remove trash and debris from the river, clear invasive species, plant native wildflowers and maintain trails at the park from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Flower Day at Eastern Market — One of the most popular market days of the year returns to Eastern Market this Sunday, May 18, featuring flower vendors and growers from across the Midwest. Flower Day will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the market. Additional Flower Tuesday Markets are planned for May 20 and 27 in Sheds 5 and 6. Find more information at easternmarket.org.
Art exhibition
CCS Student Exhibition — Detroit’s College for Creative Studies is inviting the community to its annual Student Exhibition Opening and and Sale from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, May 16, showcasing more than 3,500 from students and alumni in various mediums. The exhibition will be on view and open to the public through May 30. Find more information at ccsdetroit.edu.
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WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
We’re just over a week away from Movement, Detroit’s annual electronic music festival. The event draws techno lovers from across the globe for three days of music, dancing, and for many people — heavy partying.
While Movement discourages and prohibits illegal or illicit drugs at the event, research from the National Institute of Health shows that electronic music festivals are typically “high-risk scenes for drug use.”
Passenger Recovery is a Hamtramck organization offering recovery and mental health support and sober programming for musicians and/or other individuals in the local music scene.
Bryan Wolf, director of programming at Passenger, joined The Metro on Wednesday to share some resources and outreach efforts planned for Movement weekend.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Wednesday, May 14, 2025:
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
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The muted complexes and concrete towers that paint the image of America’s public housing tell a deeper story. It’s a story of segregation, of communities trying to survive along the margins, and of money and power shaping neighborhoods.
In Detroit — as in many places — it’s a layered story, one that involves neighborhoods like Black Bottom and Paradise Valley — majority Black middle-class communities that were razed in the late 1950s in the name of “urban renewal.” Many of the residents who were displaced were promised better housing in public projects, but those promises rarely came to fruition.
But even in the most challenging times, many public housing residents have made the best of it, raising children, organizing neighbors, and demanding more. Now, a new museum in Chicago is illuminating those histories — not to romanticize them, but to confront them.
The National Public Housing Museum honors the people who made homes in a system stacked against them. It also asks: What should public housing in America look like today, and how can it be a place where people and families can thrive?
Lisa Yun Lee, executive director and chief curator at the museum, joined The Metro to help us answer these questions.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Wednesday, May 14, 2025:
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The Embassy of Bangladesh returns to Michigan for another mobile consular services pop-up. Plus, the City of Detroit is hosting the Detroit Senior Olympics. Read on to learn more.
The Embassy of Bangladesh is returning to Michigan for another mobile consular services pop-up. The next one will be held May 31 through June 1 at the Al Ihsan Islamic Center in Warren. The event will include walk-in services on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents from surrounding states are also welcome to attend.
The following services will be provided in the consular pop-up:
The City of Detroit is hosting an event for seniors next month. The Detroit Senior Olympics takes place June 9–14. Participants must be 49 or olderand can compete in categories like arts and crafts, baking, and sports. The event takes place at multiple locations. An awards dinner for competitors will take place in July. Register by Thursday, May 15 at tinyurl.com/detroitsenolympics.
Generational wealth workshop
Outlier Media is hosting a workshop this week on generational wealth. The workshop goes over how to build generational wealth for you and your family. Participants will also learn how to build credit, buy a home and become financially responsible. The workshop takes place this Thursday, May 15 from 5–7 p.m. at TechTown Detroit, 440 Burroughs Street. Visit outliermedia.org for more information.
Rising Voices meeting
The nonprofit Rising Voices is hosting monthly meetings. The next meeting will deal with issues of importance for Asian Americans, and will take place at TechTown Detroit on Thursday, May 15 from 6–7:30 p.m. Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month. Register at bit.ly/RVMonthlyMeeting.
Foster parents needed
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is raising awareness for Foster Care Month. About 10,000 kids are in the foster care system in Michigan — 200 of whom need permanent placements. MDHHS is looking for people to become foster care parents. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/HopeForAHome.
Elder care workshop
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding is hosting a workshop to share results of a new report on elders and housing. The webinar will go over Muslim family life and the responsibilities of caring for elders. Organizerswill discuss integrating the intergenerational care framework into schooling and housing, and increasing culturally competent services. The webinar takes place on Zoom on Thursday, May 22 at 1 p.m.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
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Last month, in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, high school students developed software engineering skills and designed video games.
Devaughn Washington is a 9th grade student who participated in the program. His team developed the game “Junkyard Mayhem,” where players find supplies in a junkyard and use it to fix up homes in a virtual Detroit-inspired world.
Washington joined The Metro to discuss the collaborative process of creating a game with a team of peers and what he learned. Director of the Taubman Visualization Lab Ishan Pal-Signh also joined the show.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Monday, May 12, 2025:
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If you haven’t heard yet, the Catholic church has a new leader.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost, was elected on Thursday to lead 1.4 billion Roman Catholics around the world. Interestingly, he’s from Chicago, which marks the first time the world has a pope from the United States.
In the 1970s, he attended a now-closed catholic high school in Southwest Michigan. On Saturday, he said he wants to focus on “loving care for the least and the rejected.”
Reverend Tim Wezner of the Archdiocese of Detroit joined The Metro to talk about the significance of an American pope and the pope’s influence beyond the Roman Catholic Church.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Monday, May 12, 2025:
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
On this episode of Detroit Evening Report Weekends, we listen to the second story in WDET reporter Nargis Rahman’s series Shustho.
The four-part series explores the barriers Bangladeshi women face in accessing high quality health care, and efforts to bridge those gaps.
In the second story, we meet several Bangladeshi American health care professionals working to provide culturally competent care to women in their community. Rahman explores how culture, relationships and education affect how Bangladeshi women experience treatment.
Stay tuned to DER Weekends throughout the month of May to hear the entire four-part series.
Listen to the episode using the media player above.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
City leaders joined with community members and stakeholders on Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of a new affordable housing complex at the historic St. Matthew School on Detroit’s east side.
Renamed The Residences at St. Matthew, the building had previously been vacant for almost a decade. Now the residence will offer 46 new affordable apartments with 36 one-bedroom, four two-bedroom and six studio units. Twenty-five of the units are reserved for permanent supportive housing for individuals who were unhoused. The rest of the units will serve folks making 30%-60% of the area median income.
The Residences at St. Matthew is part of the national Healthy Housing Initiative launched by Catholic Charities USA. The Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, who spearheaded the renovation, will have the residence serve both affordable housing needs and health services delivered through a partnership with Henry Ford St. John Hospital.
“This redevelopment represents the heart of Catholic Charities’ mission — to create hope, foster dignity, and build community,” said Paul Propson, CEO of CCSEM, in a statement. “We are proud to honor the legacy of St. Matthew’s Parish by helping meet a critical need for affordable housing in Detroit.”
Other headlines for Friday, May 9, 2025:
The My Mental Wellness clinic inside the Islamic Center of Detroit will host a mental health first aid training from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.
Southwest Detroit music venue El Club closed down Saturday due to what the general manager described as “police intimidation,” Detroit Metro Times reports.
The late Detroit funk and soul ‘ambassador’ Amp Fiddler is being honored on May 16 with his own street — Amp Fiddler Ave. The city of Detroit, in collaboration with the Amp Fiddler Estate, will reveal the street sign on the corner of 7 mile Rd and Revere St. All are welcomed to attend.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
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The National Institute of Justice reports that four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced domestic violence.
Lorna Elliott-Egan is the director of tribal government services and policy at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. She says there are about 4,000 open cases in Michigan of MMIPs.
“When we look at Native American data, we generally know that the impact is much more than the data reflects, because it’s not always easy to collect those numbers,” she said. “You can’t look at your neighbor and know whether they’re Native American or not, unless they tell you and are they enrolled in a tribe.”
Elliott-Egan says there is grant funding for domestic violence and crime victim programs for members of the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan.
“They have their own domestic violence programs, human services programs, health clinics, their own tribal police, and so each one of those tribes is working sort of off of a federal template to create a murdered and missing indigenous persons plan for When these things occur,” she said.
Elliot-Egan says the state is working on a resource hub for Native American residents to find information in one place.
The TRUE Community Credit Union is providing $75,000 over five years to the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) to set up a recovery center for substance use disorders.
The Hamtramck Drug Free Community Coalition is hosting its 16th Annual Hamtramck Health Hike from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 17. The first 400 people will receive freebies. Register at tinyurl.com/HealthHike.
The city of Warren is hosting its second annual Asian American & Pacific Islander Celebration from 12-3 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, at the Warren Community Center, 5460 Arden Ave. The event will feature music, food and vendors.
The supermarket La Jalisciense is expanding to Taylor, Michigan. The supermarket offers Mexican cafeteria style foods and groceries. The new store, La Jali, is an expansion of its Southwest Detroit store that’s been family run for over a decade. The new store is located at 9411 Telegraph Rd.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
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No matter who you are, being a parent is a tough job. There’s no one definitive playbook for how to best love and guide your kids.
And mothers are frequently the ones to care and nurture us, to keep us in line when it matters and to expose us to different people and places.
The former U.S. Surgeon General said last year that parental stress is a significant public health issue. But we know that, in addition to the challenges, there are a lot of joys that come with motherhood.
There are opportunities for creating stronger connections, for providing and maybe sometimes receiving care and for expanding love.
And as Mother’s Day is coming up, we’re looking at what a day in the life of a mom is like. Today on The Metro, two mothers from different places in our region share their perspective on motherhood and what it means to them.
Ambra Redrick runs the nonprofit Teen Hype in Detroit. She has two biological daughters and her husband has two children that she helps raise as well. Lori Goldman is a mom of four.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Thursday, May 8, 2025:
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May is Military Appreciation Month, and one nonprofit organization working to support veterans will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary.
Stack Up is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans’ mental health and wellbeing through video gaming. Stephen Machuga — the group’s founder and a veteran himself — served eight years in the army.
Machuga says he’s been a gamer all his life, and found the hobby really helped him unwind while he was in the army.
“Whenever I would come back in from patrol or get off of work while I was overseas, gaming was the thing I escaped with,” Machuga said.
Because of this, Machuga started sending video game consoles to units overseas to provide the same reprieve to someone else. Ten years later, the organization connects veterans and civilian supporters through gaming.
Stack Up primarily supports post-9/11 veterans — many of whom grew up with consoles and handhelds and are now navigating civilian life with those same devices in hand.
Machuga says video games offer a kind of “recreational therapy,” similar to programs like equine therapy or wilderness retreats.
“Happy veterans don’t kill themselves,” he said bluntly. “If we can disrupt that cycle — keep someone company overnight while playing Fortnite or just remind them they’re not alone — that’s what we’re here to do.”
A new survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association shows that 77% of veterans believe that video games have positive impact on their lives, with 86% saying video games help relieve stress and anxiety.
Stack Up offers multiple programs including supply crates for troops, game nights, and a 24/7 crisis intervention service known as the Stack Up Overwatch Program (StOP).
As for concerns that military shooters like Call of Duty might be triggering, Machuga says most service members aren’t phased.
“Ninety-nine percent of the military isn’t out there kicking doors,” he said. “But for those who are triggered — there are hundreds of other games. You don’t have to shoot anyone to play video games.”
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Americans are struggling to find affordable places to live. With the cost of living, gas and groceries going up, Detroit it is no exception. According to a report from the Detroit Justice Center, Detroit is behind in supplying affordable homes to residents.
Still, this is an issue city leaders have tried to address. For the better part of a decade, officials have invested millions of dollars into affordable housing projects. But the city is still unable to keep up with demand. Those efforts have only multiplied in recent years.
Julia Cardi, an investigative reporter for The Detroit News, has been covering affordable housing in Detroit. She joined The Metro on Wednesday to talk about the city’s past investments and the work that’s happening now to bring more affordable housing to the city.
Also, MiSide Community Impact Network President Sean De Four joined the show to talk about Campbell Street Apartments — Southwest Detroit’s new $18 million affordable housing development — ahead of the project’s ribbon cutting.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Wednesday, May 7, 2025:
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Housing policies are not just for the current time they’re created in. They produce laws and rules around housing that affects future generations, even if they weren’t intended to.
Detroit’s Black homeowners have faced systemic barriers due to predatory governance, which generates public revenue through discriminatory policies.
Professor Bernadette Atuahene, the author of “Plundered,” works at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, focusing on land stolen from people in the African Diaspora. Her research highlights the urgent need for housing reforms to address racial inequities in property ownership.
She joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss her years spent in Detroit trying to understand the way housing policies have prevented or overturned homeownership for many Black folks in the region.
Professor Atuahene will be speaking at a rally on Friday, May 16 at 3:15 p.m. at the Detroit Public Library’s Main Branch, 5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Michigan.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, May 6, 2025:
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It’s organized by Brenda McGadney, an expert in aging. As a social worker, her focus was gerontology. But she says her work did not prepare her to deal with the disease her mother struggled with as she aged.
Almost 3% of the population is affected by ‘hoarding disorder.’ It’s more common in people over 60 and those dealing with other psychological issues, especially anxiety and depression.
McGadney’s 94-year-old mother died after she fell in a home where she had been hoarding for many years. She shared her story with WDET’s Sascha Raiyn ahead of the event.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, May 6, 2025:
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Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
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Bees’ pollinating presence helps to ensure the vitality of our food systems.
The work of bees isn’t just happening in fields of wildflowers or quiet suburban gardens. Bees in urban neighborhoods also have an important role to play.
The nonprofit Detroit Hives has turned vacant lots into thriving pollinator habitats and community green spaces. That work includes planting pollinator-friendly trees in neighborhoods that need canopy, beauty and biodiversity. One of the group’s recent projects was at the Finney Community Arboretum and Botanical Garden, which they hope to transform into a thriving community space for pollinators and residents alike.
Detroit Hives Co-founders Tim Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey joined The Metro on Monday to discuss their work.
–Segment produced by WDET’s Amanda Le Claire.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
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Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Interlochen Public Radio on April 30, 2025.
At a giant dirt lot off a side road in Emmet County, the air smells sharply of pine.
Enormous piles of logs and branches sit around the property.
Terry and Nancy Chamberlin drag pine branches out of the bed of a black pickup truck and a small trailer — trees from their five-acre property in Alanson.
“We got hit real hard on this. We went out here — I think this is our 10th double trip down here in three days — and we’re just having a ball doing this,” Terry said. “And then I can start in the woods, which is going to take me two years to clean up.”
Debris from a massive ice storm at the end of March was strewn across the region. A lot of it fell on power lines, causing widespread outages.
But now, the same debris that knocked out the power a few weeks ago could be used to make electricity.
‘Doing the best that we can’
Utilities worked to clear much of the debris from power lines, and it was up to local emergency management teams and road commissions to figure out what to do with debris piling up around right of ways along the road and on private land.
So some set up these drop off sites, where people can bring branches and trees that were damaged or destroyed by the ice.
Lindsey Walker, who works in outreach for Emmet County Recycling, said they were able to pivot to collecting wooden debris. Usually, a company will come through to grind wood debris people drop off at the county’s waste facility into wood chips.
“We have to justify mobilizing these very expensive grinders and haulers of this material. And so every two years, we’re normally grinding our wood waste,” she said. “We need to have about 5,000 cubic yards on the ground at any time, and now we’ve got about 10 times the amount of that.”
Some established drop-off sites have been open around the clock, receiving debris by truck, trailer and even dump trucks.
“Having sites that are free and ample space for the public to bring debris is really important,” Walker said. “So this site has plenty of capacity for further debris, and then once we get that material ground, then we’re hauling, and so there’s this process of cleaning up sites as they go along. This is like us doing the best that we can with the resources that we have.”
Turning heat into light
Some of the woody debris might go to places like landscaping businesses to use as mulch. But they’re also selling it to biomass facilities nearby, which will turn that into energy.
“I like to use the little saying that we were green before green was cool,” said Tom Clift, the director of biomass operations at NorthStar Clean Energy, a company that runs four such facilities, including one in Grayling. “We’ve been in the renewable power business for a long time.”
NorthStar is one of the companies buying and burning that wooden debris from the storm. It uses that to create electricity. In all, the facility powers up to 38,000 homes. It works with another company, AJD Forest Products, to source and organize deliveries.
“All wood is graded by different levels,” he said. “Biomass levels are really looking at the [British thermal unit] of the wood. If it’s a higher quality BTU product they’ll pay more because it will burn better.”
Clift said they’re not cutting down trees for wood to produce that power.
“Any wood product that we use here was either going to be left on the forest floor, to turn into methane and be released on its own, or it’s other materials that would have gone to the landfill,” he said.
Dealing with forest management and debris after natural disasters is something other areas of the country have been trying to figure out as well, such as places in the southeast hit by Hurricane Helene.
But officials say this is an unusual issue in northern Michigan, which hasn’t typically faced the same kinds of disasters. Having biomass facilities in the region make dealing with debris in this way easier.
Not a new idea
Biomass refers to a range of fuels, from animal manure to trash to wood. Using biomass for energy has a long history. For instance, in the United States residue from wood pulp manufacturing has been a popular source of fuel for electricity over the decades, though that has declined, said Brent Sohngen, a professor at Ohio State University who studies the economics of forestry.
The relationship between biomass-fueled energy and climate is far from straightforward.
Lindsey Walker, with Emmet County Recycling, walks around one of the county’s debris drop-off sites. April 25, 2025.
Public health researchers and environmental groups have raised alarms about biomass for years, pointing to pollution from facilities, health issues and harm to nearby communities, which are often communities of color or low-income communities, according to advocates. Critics say framing of biomass energy as better for the climate is misleading; it can rely on logging, and burning matter like wood also emits greenhouse gases. And some argue the focus should instead be on cleaner forms of energy, such as solar.
There are situations where biomass-fueled energy will emit more carbon than it saves, Sohngen said — for instance, logging old growth trees for fuel. But in circumstances like the ice storm, biomass could be considered a carbon-neutral energy option, because that wooden debris would otherwise decompose over time, emitting greenhouse gases.
“The nice thing about taking that material and using it for electricity is that it creates electricity, and if you’re creating extra units of electricity from that material, then you’re potentially offsetting some other source of electricity on the system on the grid,” such as coal, he said.
Removing woody debris from the landscape to burn for electricity poses other issues. One example: Dead and dying trees provide a wide range of benefits that should be considered before removing them.
“There’s huge numbers of bugs that will basically use that wood material for growing themselves, and there’s animals or birds or other kinds of things that’ll use the bugs for their own life cycle,” said Sohngen. “It’s really important that, you know, we can’t just take all of the dead material out of a forest and expect a forest to function well.”
There may also be an increasing interest in biochar following disasters like Helene, he said. Biochar is an almost pure form of carbon made from heating up materials like plant matter, and can be spread out in farm fields or forests.
“What we found is that this biochar material has such a long life that it’s a way to lock up a lot of carbon in the forest system for many, many years — millennia, even,” he said.
At another drop-off site in Emmet County, Lindsey Walker walked around yet another mound of logs and branches. Biochar is on her mind as well.
“We rank it by highest and best use,” she said of dealing with the debris. “In my world of worlds, we would be making biochar out of this, because biochar has such value for composting operations, for water filtration, for sequestering PFAS. I mean, the opportunities for biochar are endless.”
But such operations aren’t an option right now, she said, so they turned to biomass and other uses, like mulch for landscaping.
For now, some debris drop-off sites will be open until things slow down, though others are closing.
Road commissions are asking people not to leave wood along right-of-ways. It’s also been a dry spring so far, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has some restrictions on burning in place and recommends that people check on burn permits and conditions in their area.
One Cheboygan road commission official told IPR they reached out to people in the timber industry to ask about selling the wood they’re collecting at sites. The only reply they’ve received so far came from a lobbying group, which said the wood chip market is flooded.
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