Pawchella is an upcoming festival back for its second year on June 7 and 8. The festival helps MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center raise funds to care for thousands of animals at their facility each year. They strive to bring second chances to our furry friends. Every ticket sold helps provide a safe home and essential care for a furry friend in need.

Joining us on The Metro is Nova Zorock, the events and communications manager for Metro Detroit Animals to talk about the event. 

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Movement began in 2000 as a grassroots tribute to Detroit’s role in the birth of techno — a massive event at Hart Plaza, with walls of sound pulsing the music of famous artists from across the globe.

Yet it also remains an acknowledgment that Detroit is at the center of it all. The festival has long honored the raw, electrified spirit of the city — where basement beats from the Belleville Three became a global language. 

Movement isn’t just a party. It’s a space where sound, struggle and innovation come together — and where Detroit keeps redefining the future of music.

Sam Fotias, director of operations at Paxahau — the organization that produces the Movement festival — joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more about what’s in store this weekend. And just a heads up that WDET will once again be teaming up with Paxahau as an official media partner for the event.

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New data shows the city of Detroit gained more than 6,800 residents in 2024.

The city’s population now tops 645,000, officials announced earlier this month, which is an approximate increase of about 25,000 people over the last three years.

Ashley Williams Clark,  vice president of Detroit Future City and director of the Center for Equity, Engagement and Research, joined The Metro to talk about what it’ll take to keep people coming to Detroit, and what the expansion means for the city.

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Literacy rates in Michigan lag behind the national average, with the pandemic making things even more difficult for students — both in Michigan and across the country.

A fairly new Ypsilanti nonprofit, Dzanc House, is working to support youth in Washtenaw County through literary and cultural arts programming and workshops.

To talk about the organization’s efforts to support youth literacy, Charlene Choi, director of programs and communications for Dzanc House, and Digital Coordinator Paola Ortega joined the show.

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For over 70 years, the Michigan Department of Education has annually selected a teacher of the year. The winner then serves as a representative and advocate for teachers across the state.

Last week, Cory Rosser  — an alternative education teacher at Quest High School in North Branch, Michigan  — was named the 2025-26 Teacher of the Year. Now in his 22nd year of teaching at Quest, Corey teaches social studies and Imagine Learning courses for students in grades 10-12.

Corey joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss the Teacher of the Year honor and his approach to creating an engaging environment for students in class.

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Former state Sen. Adam Hollier announced last month that he is again running for Congress to unseat U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit).

Hollier filed to run against Thanedar in 2024, but was removed from the ballot after the Wayne County Clerk’s Office said he failed to get enough valid petition signatures.

The Detroit Democrat joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the biggest issues he believes metro Detroiters in the state’s 13th Congressional District are facing, along with what inspired him to run again.

“I live in the 13th District, I have been born and raised in the 13th District, I’m raising my children in the 13th District,” Hollier said. “It is one of the poorest districts in the country, and what you should expect from your members of Congress — your elected representatives at any level — is that they are moving the ball forward. That they are making your life actually better. That they are delivering things that have a real impact, and that’s not what we’re seeing from Congressman Thanedar.”

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Detroit Public School Community District is hosting its 56th annual “Evening of Fine Arts” at the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, highlighting students’ achievement in the arts over the past year. 

The annual event was created to give students an opportunity to perform on grand stages like the Fox Theatre, while showcasing their artistic ability and various arts disciplines offered by the district.

More than 700 middle and high school students will be performing this year, featuring everything from visual art and dance to music and theater.

Andrew McGuire, deputy director of performing arts at DPSCD, joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more about the event. He was joined by William Perkins, a junior vocal music major at the Detroit School of Arts, who spoke about the experience of performing at the Fox.

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Detroit at Play is a workshop series led by the Taubman Visualization Lab at the University of Michigan. 

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.

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