Southwest Detroit native and entrepreneur Arnold Boyd is one of two write-in candidates competing against nine others in the city’s mayoral race.

Boyd, the founder of a school bus transportation company, launched his campaign in May and was one of the last to join the packed field of candidates facing off in the upcoming Aug. 5 primary.

Running on a platform of expanding skilled trades, making it easier to start a business, offering legal aid to senior citizens facing foreclosure and more, he says he would bring something new and different to the city.

“I’m running for mayor because I feel the city…all too often we vote for people that have name recognition or people that are career politicians,” Boyd said. “It’s time for the city to vote for people that come from their own.”

Boyd joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more details about his vision for Detroit and how he plans to achieve it.

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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The city of Detroit announced on Monday that it has received a credit upgrade from the credit rating agency Moody’s for the 11th year in a row. 

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Detroit’s rating went up one notch from Baa2 to Baa1 with a positive outlook, the city reported. The city’s financial resiliency and its operating performance over time were key reasons behind this year’s upgrade, Moody’s said in a statement.

Moody’s cited key projects underway — such as the new Hudson’s development, the expansion of Henry Ford Hospital’s campus, and the new Water Square development — as positives, adding that the city’s tax base has more than doubled in the past five years. 

The city’s credit rating hit an all-time low at Caa3 — considered “junk bond” status — in June 2013 after declaring bankruptcy.

“This is what happens when elected leaders set aside us-versus-them politics and work together,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement. “Our CFO team, department heads and City Council all have demonstrated tremendous fiscal discipline over the past 11 years to help bring us to where we are today and to lay a strong foundation for years to come.”

Other headlines for Tuesday, July 1, 2025:

• Residents on Detroit’s east side are speaking out about gun violence after two young people were killed at a city playground near Denby High School on Friday. Police are still investigation the shooting, which claimed the lives of 4-year-old Samir Grubbs and 18-year-old Daviyon Shelmonson-Bey and left another teenager wounded. No suspects are in custody.
• The Motown Museum has reopened its “Motown Mile” art installation along the Detroit riverfront with a new exhibition honoring the legacy of Motown Museum founder Esther Gordy Edwards, titled “Keeper of the Dream.”
• Detroit’s neighbors across the river are celebrating Canada Day on Tuesday, commemorating the country’s “confederation.” Windsor residents celebrated with a parade down Ouelette Avenue late Tuesday morning.
• Detroit is getting a new WNBA team. The league announced the new team on Monday. Tom and Holly Gores will be the controlling owners of the new franchise, set to play in 2029. Other expansion teams will also be launched in Cleveland and Philadelphia that year. Detroit’s previous WNBA team — the Detroit Shock — played from 1998 until 2009, winning three championships during that time.

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

Detroit mayoral candidate and City Councilman Fred Durhal III last week announced his strategic plan for improving the city, including cracking down on blight and implementing a more “equitable tax strategy.”

His plan emphasizes the importance of cutting taxes and red tape when necessary, reinvesting in communities and “main streets,” creating more affordable housing and expanding Detroit’s development authority to Midtown, Corktown and to Gratiot, near Eastern Market. Durhal also wants to see more thriving business corridors, more Detroit enterprises and more city residents.

He joined The Metro on Wednesday to expand upon the priorities laid out in his strategic economic plan for the city of Detroit.

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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The city of Detroit announced this week that its free community shuttle service, “The Connect,” will return next month with an expanded route and new features.

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The pilot program first launched last summer to help address the growing need for efficient, modern transit options in the area, according to the city.

The service will become available to residents beginning July 7, with plans to become fully autonomous after a four-week transition period. Trained safety operators will continue to monitor the operations to ensure passenger safety, the city says.

“Detroit has always been at the forefront of mobility innovation, and The Connect AV shuttle is another step toward making our city more accessible, efficient, and environmentally friendly,” said Mayor Mike Duggan in a statement. “With the transition to full autonomous operation, we are not just embracing the future of transportation, we are leading it.”

The program was brought back this summer thanks to a $1.67 million grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The shuttles will have expanded route offerings to loop Michigan Central, Downtown Detroit and East Jefferson Riverfront. They’ll run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday for the first four months and will revert to the regular hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. by November 2025.

Visit detroitmi.gov for more information about the program.

Other headlines for Friday, June 20, 2025:

• June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month and Chase Bank is teaming up with the Detroit Police Department to help seniors learn how to avoid scams through local workshops being held throughout the summer.
  The next workshop will be on July 3. Reach out to your local Chase Bank branch for more details.
• There is a major heat wave set to envelop Michigan and large parts of the U.S. this weekend into early next week, with temperatures expected to near 100 degrees. Many communities will be opening cooling centers to help provide relief for residents.
• Earlier this month, Michigan health officials closed three Oakland County beaches to swimmers due to dangerously high levels of E. Coli contamination, the Detroit Free Press reports. Eagle Lake in Waterford still remains closed, while Sylvan Lake and Elliott Lake have since been reopened. Visit EGLE’s MiEnviro – Beachguard website for the most up-to-date closure information.
• Club NYC and RELEASE Detroit are partnering to host a Choreographer’s Showcase at Big Pink Detroit on Thursday, July 31.

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

For a long time, one of Detroit’s biggest challenges was blight. Generational disinvestment and residential flight left about 80,000 homes blighted by 2014. Since then, the city has removed or rehabbed thousands of properties. But blight and disinvestment have given way to a different problem: housing speculation.

To make quick profits, speculators, often from outside Detroit, buy homes cheaply, rent them out, and invest little to nothing in upkeep.

The City of Detroit once filed suit against several major speculators but dropped the cases more than a year ago, leaving many to wonder what happened and what harm remains. Will the city resume efforts to hold them accountable?

Today on The Metro, Aaron Mondry, senior reporter at Outlier Media, explores how rent-to-own housing agreements can be exploitative. These deals often lack legal protections and leave buyers vulnerable to eviction if payments are missed.

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