For a long time the main focus of health was physical. It’s generally accepted that everyone should visit a doctor at least once a year. The same can’t be said about our mental health. But in many ways that’s beginning to change.

Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity to pay more attention. The increased awareness on mental health has shifted the way we think and talk about it—and it is literally altering the way an entire generation communicates with one another.

Terms you would typically only hear in therapy like “trauma,” “gaslighting” and “narcissist” are being used to refer to everyday experiences. Does the adoption of therapy terms in popular language help remove stigma around mental illness? Or does it dilute the terms’ original meaning?

Kristen Abraham, a professor and the chair of the psychology department at the University of Detroit Mercy, joined the show to explain how the mainstream use of therapy terms is changing our understanding of mental health.

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Inside a Michigan prison less than an hour from Detroit, 25 incarcerated men are doing something many people behind bars haven’t been able to do in decades. They’re working toward a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University, paid for in part by federal Pell Grants.

Congress blocked those grants for incarcerated students in 1994. It restored access in 2023. But as the Trump administration restructures the Department of Education, the future of that funding is uncertain.

The question at the center of this story: Can a college degree behind bars change who walks out — and is the country willing to keep paying for it?

Jonathan Roden has lived both sides of that question. He spent 23 years in Michigan prisons. While he was inside, the college path available to him was an associate degree through Jackson College. He wanted more.

He came home in August of 2023. Nine days later, he started at Wayne State. In December, he graduated from the Mike Ilitch School of Business.

Now he walks back and forth through those same prison gates, this time as a coordinator for Wayne State’s prison education program. Roden, a Michigan Justice Fund fellow for WDET, is opening doors for men who are right where he used to be.

He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro alongside audio from Carlton Banks, a student in the inaugural cohort at Macomb Correctional Facility. Banks was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1994 murder of a teenage Subway employee named Angela Garcia. He was 18. He’s now 48. Under a 2022 Michigan Supreme Court ruling, he expects to come home in 2028. He calls that prospect “a blessing, but not a celebration.”

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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In recent years, notable art theatres in metro Detroit have shuttered or completely changed the way they operate. 

Main Art Theatre which was in Royal Oak and Cinema Detroit which was based in midtown Detroit are recent examples. They both showed more niche, independent or foreign films you could not catch at a commercial movie theatre. The Main Art Theatre was demolished and replaced with apartments, and Cinema Detroit now operates as a pop-up. 

When theatres like them closed, John Monaghan and Kevin Maher became motivated to build a community that replicates the experience they provided.

The two started Motor City Cinematheque which is a series of art film screenings that will take place over the next few weeks. It supports independent, niche, art films and theatres in the metro area. John Monaghan joined the show to discuss their upcoming screenings and what they provide for the Detroit film community.

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The 13th district state Senate seat is open as Democrat Rosemary Bayer is stepping down after one term. There are several people running to represent the district that spans Northville, Plymouth, and West Bloomfield.

One of those individuals is Cecil George. The owner of a landscaping company, George has never before held public office. 

The Metro’s Sam Corey spoke to him about why he’s running.

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A common assumption shapes American crime policy: that the people most exposed to crime — victims, and the officers who respond to it — want the harshest punishment in return. 

The evidence says otherwise. 

Crime victims, in survey after survey, favor rehabilitation over punishment, roughly two to one. And now officers are saying something similar. In a new survey from the Alliance for Safety and Justice, 8 in 10 officers said things like community violence intervention would make their jobs safer. 

Officers want neighborhood programs. They want clinicians on certain 911 calls. They want job training, therapy, and addiction treatment instead of long prison sentences. Why is that the view from inside law enforcement? And if it is, why haven’t we built the systems to match?

Harvey Santana is the Michigan director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice. He’s based in Detroit. He spoke about all this with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent.

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The Howard Family Bookstore is a dream realized for Detroit native Jerjuan Howard. He created the non-profit aimed at supporting students with literacy and interpersonal communication skills as a part of his mission to better his community with the next generation at the center.

Howard is also the founder of the Umoja Debate League. In 2025, Jerjuan joined The Metro to talk about 7-2 Day, a yearly celebration his Puritan Ave. neighborhood. While chatting about the celebratory day, Jerjuan talked about his future plans for a bookstore. 

Fast forward a year, Howard Family Bookstore is open.

Howard currently acts as the city of Detroit’s director of Youth Affairs. Due to the position, he took a step back from the day to day operations. The management of the bookstore is handled by Jerjuan’s aunt, Jamie Howard. 

In this conversation, we listen in on a past conversation, learning about his goals. In the latter half, we hear from Jamie and learn more about the importance the shop holds in the community. Jamie says watching her nephew grow into the man he is today is no surprise.

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Some cities raise you. Detroit claims you. That’s true for so many who’ve called this city home. It starts early, with the way you walk, the way you talk or the particular pride you carry when you sport the city’s iconic symbols like the old English D on a hat or a Tigers jersey. 

Jeremy Xido knows this. He grew up in an unstable home. A family that lived nearby recognized his situation and took him in and raised him in his early years. Some years later, he and his biological family moved to a different part of town and he lost touch.

Xido is a white man who was embraced by a Black Detroit family. In his film “Sons of Detroit” he explores what happened to that family.

The film took Jeremy on a 10 year discovery, not just of self but of community, love and connection. It’s part love letter, part detective story in which Xido reckons with the love he has for the city he left behind.

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Last month, hundreds of Oakland County residents packed a Pontiac meeting room. They came to speak against a proposal that would put surveillance drones, built by a company called Flock Safety, into the hands of the county sheriff.

Police nationwide have used Flock cameras to run thousands of immigration-related searches on behalf of ICE.

Many residents did not get a chance to speak. Just before the discussion began, Commission Chair Dave Woodward held a vote to move public comment to the end of the meeting, after the contract had already passed.

When Commissioner Charlie Cavell asked for a roll call vote — to make every commissioner go on the record — Woodward denied it and moved on.

The drones were approved, 14-4.

After that meeting, residents launched a campaign to recall Woodward, and by late April, petition language was approved. 

Yesterday, Woodward appealed that approval in Oakland County Circuit Court. If a circuit judge upholds the petition language, organizers will have 60 days to gather roughly 9,000 signatures across Royal Oak, Birmingham, and parts of Troy.

Woodward has called the recall “a distraction.” 

He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss the recall effort, his business connections that have prompted ethical concerns, and whether he should have handled that April meeting differently.

Editor’s note: During this conversation, Woodward said some people involved in the recall campaign are advocating for political violence. The Metro reviewed the social media posts Woodward referred to. In one, a person supporting the recall effort praised Luigi Mangione — the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024 — calling him “the closest thing to a superhero we have.” A leader of the recall campaign says that supporter is no way affiliated with the campaign. 

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This weekend Detroit will experience a legendary performance. The Detroit Opera house is hosting Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan on Saturday, May 9. 

The ensemble has been performing for over a century and is considered to be the world’s best mariachi bands.

The style of music grew in popularity after the Mexican Revolution and has remained a representation of unity for the country and its people ever since. 

Martina Guzman, a journalist and the founder and program director of VERDAD, and Arthur White, the director of community and audience engagement at the Opera House, join the show to discuss Mariachi Vargas and the broader genre’s relevance today. 

Additional event details can be found here.

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High fuel costs are impacting everyone. One industry is being hit particularly hard. 

Truckers are seeing costs skyrocket as diesel costs have risen 41% since the start of America and Israel’s wars with Iran. 

Jim Burg is the President of the James Burg Trucking Company in Warren. He’s been moving steel in the trucking business for decades. While he says costs are rising really fast, at this point, he’s only been modestly impacted by them.

He talks about how he made his start in trucking and what he envisions for the future of the business with The Metro’s Sam Corey.

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One of the largest data center projects in the country is happening in Michigan, in the small farming community of Saline Township. Southwest of Ann Arbor, Saline Township is home to roughly 2,300 people.

Many of those residents did not want a data center. Their board voted against it, and their neighbors packed the meeting hall. Then the lawsuit came.

The companies are Oracle and OpenAI. Together, they are worth more than a trillion dollars. The township said it could not justify the fight, so it settled, and construction began.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer calls it the largest single investment in Michigan history.

It will use more electricity than an average nuclear reactor produces.

State lawmaker Morgan Foreman represents the district where it is being built. She says her constituents were not partners in this project; they were bystanders to it. She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how a small community of farmers and small-business owners ended up hosting one of the most consequential pieces of AI infrastructure in the country.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Many look at our politics and feel powerless. But they often skip over the decisions that are happening in their backyard, and turn to the actions in Washington. 

For many, that’s not the story in Oakland County. 

On April 8, hundreds of people showed up to protest surveillance technology. And because of the way that meeting was conducted, a number of people decided to organize to try to recall Oakland County Chair Dave Woodward. 

What happened at that April 8 meeting? What would it mean to recall the legislative leader of Oakland County? What might come of all this local political organizing?

Justine Galbraith is a leader of the I Am Oakland County campaign. Justine joined Robyn Vincent to discuss her attempt to recall Chair Woodward.

The Metro called and emailed Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward prior to this segment. He later responded and appeared on The Metro on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

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Some public health researchers are turning to a new kind of prescription to address the problem. It’s called “social prescribing.” According to former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Americans are in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, and it’s a problem that only seems to be getting worse.

Around 40% of Americans ages 45 and up report being lonely, which puts them at higher risk for all kinds of serious health concerns like dementia and stroke. 

Some public health researchers are turning to a new kind of prescription to address the problem. It’s called “social prescribing.”

Dr. Mary Henningfield is the executive director of the Wisconsin Research and Education Network at the University of Wisconsin. She joined the show to discuss why is loneliness so common, why it is difficult for people to overcome, and how “social prescribing” can help the healthcare can system address loneliness, instead of only its negative consequences.

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A month ago, gas in Michigan was just under $4 a gallon, and small business owners were already making changes to brace for what was coming.

In the month since, the average price has climbed to nearly five dollars, with some Michigan stations already past it. The squeeze that was just beginning a month ago has settled in. The U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran is in its third month, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and Midwest refineries are down.

For the small businesses that anchor metro Detroit, this is one more strain on top of an already heavy stack. Corner stores and landscapers are absorbing higher fuel costs to stay competitive. Restaurants are closing, and analysts say rising gas prices and declining consumer confidence are likely to accelerate the trend.

All of this comes after months of tariffs, rising healthcare premiums, and an unsettled workforce.

Mark Lee runs The Lee Group, where he consults with small businesses across Southeast Michigan. He spoke with Robyn Vincent on The Metro about what another month of pain at the pump is doing to the businesses he advises. Lee is also hosting his 12th annual Small Business Workshop on May 13 at the Corner Ballpark in Detroit — a free, half-day event for local entrepreneurs and business owners navigating exactly this kind of pressure.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Progressives won big at the recent Democratic nominating convention. Eli Savit for attorney general, and Amir Mackled for University of Michigan Board of Regents. 

There were cheers for progressive Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed, and there were boos for more moderate speakers like Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who is also running for Senate.

Progressives organized well, and now there’s a lot of energy at their backs. But some are concerned that they will struggle to win general elections. 

Adrian J. Hemond is one of those people. He’s a longtime Democrat and the CEO of Grassroots Midwest, a bipartisan grassroots advocacy firm. 

Producer Sam Corey spoke with him about the promises of progressive organizing, and the challenges that could await them come November

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There has been a lot of discussion in the recent years about the direction romance is heading. The marriage rate is lower than it was at the turn of the century, technology has shaped the way dating is measured, and people are embracing new forms of the practice.

Jessica Moorman, an associate professor of communication at Wayne State University, joined the show to discuss the state of today’s dating scene, how complicated it can be, and whether coupling should even be the goal.

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In November, voters will choose a new governor.

On the Republican side, the race is shaping up around Congressman John James and businessman Perry Johnson, who’s spending heavily out of his own pocket. 

Last week, one of their competitors became the first to drop out: former House Speaker Tom Leonard. He was running what most observers considered the most substantive policy campaign in the field.

As Speaker of the House, he ended Michigan’s driver responsibility fees, he worked with former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan on auto insurance reform, and he pushed to expand Michigan’s open records law to the governor’s office.

He says he left the governor’s race because it had gotten too negative — that he wasn’t willing to compromise who he was to win. It’s a striking claim. It’s also one worth examining. Leonard spoke about all that and more with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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When you call 911 in Detroit, who’s paying for the ambulance? It’s a question that’s tripped up the Detroit City Council twice in two years… and the answer goes to a vote this afternoon.

Detroit pays three private ambulance companies between $500,000 and $600,000 each per year. That’s to keep a guaranteed number of rigs staged in the city.

Those same companies can also bill you — or your insurance — when they pick you up. Councilmember Angela Whitfield Calloway has called that “double dipping.” But The Detroit Documenters pulled the original 2023 contract documents and confirmed: that is how the deal is written.

So what is Detroit paying for? And what does it say about American healthcare that a city has to cut million-dollar checks just to guarantee an ambulance shows up?

Noah Kincade, coordinator for Detroit Documenters, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to walk through what’s in the contracts and what’s at stake in a city council vote on the matter.

Editor’s Note: After this segment aired, the Detroit City Council voted 4-3 to send the ambulance contracts back to committee rather than vote on them directly. Council President James Tate was absent, and President Pro Tem Coleman Young II presided. Young, Scott Benson, Latisha Johnson and Denzel McCampbell voted to send the contracts back. Mary Waters, Angela Whitfield-Calloway and Renata Miller voted no. The Public Health and Service Committee will take the contracts up May 4 at 10 a.m.

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When political tensions are high, artists and creatives use their work to weigh in. In 1960’s Detroit, a poet and a painter, built a place for that work to live and be shared across the country and the world. 

In 1969, Ann and Ken Mikolowski taught themselves how to operate a printing press, and launched The Alternative Press in the Cass Corridor. For 30 years, the periodical published writings and poetry from their contemporaries that spoke to the political and cultural moment. 

Rebecca Kosick, an associate professor of comparative poetry and poetics at the University of Bristol, is recognizing those efforts in her new book “Dispatches from the Avant-Garage.” In it she details the Mikolowski’s story and their efforts launching The Alternate Press. Kosick joined the show to discuss the publication’s lasting impact.

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