Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover new incentives for utilities to improve reliability. Plus, construction begins on I-696 East.

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Reliability incentives announced for utilities

DTE and Consumers Energy could face significant penalties within two years for missing reliability targets. But they could also get incentives for meeting or exceeding those goals.

The Michigan Public Service Commission says it will impose penalties of up to $10 million on each of the utilities for failing to reduce the frequency and duration of outages after storms. But the companies could also be awarded the same amount of money for meeting or exceeding outage improvement targets.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel along with others say the order is a start, but the penalties aren’t high enough, and don’t begin soon enough. Both utilities say the order supports what they’re already doing to improve reliability. 

MDOT I-696 construction begins

Construction on the “Restore the Reuther” project began today, spanning across eastbound I-696 from Lahser Road to I-75.

MDOT Spokesperson Diane Cross says the two-year project is part of a larger reconstruction of I-696. She says about 100,000 drivers will need to take another freeway. MDOT’s detour takes drivers south on M-10 on the bottom of the Davidson, then back north on I-75 to get back on I-696 East. But Cross says drivers will take a few weeks to find the best alternative routes for themselves, including other local roads like 8, 12 or 14 Mile Roads. 

Survey shows adults over 50 benefit from work

A National Poll on Healthy Aging found 34 percent of Michigan residents over age 50 have jobs. The University of Michigan’s Jeffrey Kullgren is the survey’s director.  

“So we found among working adults, age 50 and older, work has positive impacts on physical health, mental health and overall wellbeing,” Kullgren says. “And interestingly, these outcomes are especially pronounced for working adults age 65 and older.”

Kullgren says people report facing barriers such as a lack of training and transportation, or having disabilities. He says employers can provide more time off for doctor’s appointments.  

Wayne State MFA thesis exhibition to open

A new exhibition opens Friday, March 7 at the Wayne State University Art Department Gallery. “BEYOND” explores the themes of transformation, identity and migration. The artworks feature images of water, landscapes and materials which represent resilience. Artists featured are Michael Brzozowski, Alyssa Grace Olson and Ross Owusu. 

International Women’s Panel

The Detroit Public Library is hosting an International Women’s Day: Storytelling Festival on Saturday, March 8. This free event takes place at the main branch of the Detroit Public Library from 2-4:30 p.m. That’s at 5201 Woodward Ave. Galleria Detroit, MI 48202. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

Detroit Youth Poetry Con

The Detroit Youth Poetry Con is hosting a free youth poetry showcase in Detroit this month. Participants will learn how to write poetry and connect with artists. The event is put together by InsideOut Literary Arts with the Wayne State University English Department and the NBA Foundation. There will also be special performances by InsideOut youth. 

The day-long event takes place on Saturday, March 15 starting at 9:30 a.m. Registration closes on Sunday, March 9. For more information, visit insideoutdetroit.org.

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

Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd has been selected as Michigan’s third poet laureate. Boyd is an award-winning author and retired professor of African American Studies at Wayne State University.

Dr. Boyd has authored 13 books, nine of which are poetry collections. Her works “Death Dance of a Butterfly” and “Roses and Revolutions: The Selected Writings of Dudley Randall” were recognized as Michigan Notable Books. In 2023, the Kresge Foundation honored her as the Kresge Eminent Artist.

“I’m humbled that the powers that be decided that I was worthy. And it’s exciting,” said Boyd.

As poet laureate, Boyd will engage with students, educators and community members through readings and workshops. She plans to incorporate interdisciplinary arts into her programming, collaborating with musicians and other artists.

“I want to encourage people to appreciate poetry, to read it more and to realize how much can be gained from it,” Boyd said. “Poetry is the most intense form of writing — it is like dancing, while prose is like walking.”

Boyd succeeds Nandi Comer, who served from 2023 to 2024.

Boyd will serve a two-year term. More information about the Michigan Poet Laureate program can be found at michigan.gov/poetlaureate.

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover new water rates, upcoming road closures and more.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Lower water rate hike approved

The Great Lakes Water Authority has voted to approve a water rate hike that is lower than it originally proposed. After listening to dozens of public comments, the authority lowered the proposed rate hike from nearly 8 percent down to 5.9 percent.

GLWA Board Member and Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown thanked the board for working with Detroit’s finance team to decrease the hike.

“We could recognize in our rates in Detroit, it is not as low as most people will want. Certainly, we feel this will fit the needs of affordability in the city of Detroit. So again, thank you for working closely with us to get these numbers down.”

The decision comes a week after an authority-owned water transmission main broke and affected 400 homes in Southwest Detroit.

Legislation proposed to better track students

A new bill that would improve the tracking of students from one school district to another is expected to be introduced in the Michigan legislature.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard helped draft the bill. He says the goal is to ensure that confirmation of a student’s transfer doesn’t end at the request for transcripts. The new legislation is a response to an abuse and neglect case in Pontiac.

“That one school doesn’t presume the other school now has the kids, because what happened was they never actually moved to the new school, and the prior school district just dropped them from their enrollment.”

In the Pontiac case, three children never attended school after allegedly being left alone in their home by their mother for several years.

WSU raises free tuition threshold

Wayne State University is raising the income threshold for a free tuition program. The university is now offering free tuition to Michigan families that make $80,000 or less. The offer is renewable for up to four years.

Incoming freshmen must be applying to the university for the first time and be Michigan residents. Residents must be eligible for the Pell grant in 2025. They must be enrolled full time and have submitted their FAFSA by April 1, 2025.

Dearborn air pollution lawsuit settled

Pro-V Enterprises, an industrial waste processing company in Dearborn, has settled a lawsuit against the city for air pollution. The company has agreed to invest up to $4 million in improvements to its operations to mitigate air pollution by June 30.

The city claimed “fugitive” dust that the company’s trucking vehicles carried was a danger to residents’ health. The company is required to make improvements including planting trees, replacing stormwater systems and annual inspections.

Dearborn to provide free iftar meals

For the first time ever, Dearborn Public Schools will provide free iftar meals for students to take home during Ramadan. Middle and high school students can pick up the to-go meal during school hours, but cannot eat the meal at school. Ramadan starts Friday night.

I-696 closure starts Saturday

As a reminder for drivers, eastbound I-696 will be closing between M-10 (The Lodge) and I-75 freeways for two years starting Saturday, March 1. It’s the final phase of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Restore the Reuther project.

Westbound traffic will be maintained while both sides of the freeway will be rebuilt between Lahser Road and I-75. The project work includes rebuilding the roadway, bridge work and drainage structures.

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

As WDET celebrated the end of its 75th year last Thursday, News Director Jerome Vaughn unveiled an audio history project that commemorates the station’s history and longstanding dedication to public news that serves Detroit.

“Having worked at WDET for more than half my life, I thought it was an amazing opportunity to dig into the history of the station and tell the rest of the world about how this amazing radio station got started,” said Vaughn, who narrates the audio history.

WDET was first created to share news and updates on the labor movement as one of several broadcasting stations managed by the United Auto Workers union. It aired its first broadcast on Feb. 13, 1949. The station strived to diversify its programming from the start, covering news relevant to working people, sharing music, and even broadcasting in other languages to better serve various populations in the area.

But running a nonprofit station demanded more resources than the UAW saw fit to spend. In 1952, the UAW transferred ownership of the station to Wayne State University, with the condition that the station would continue to use its broadcasting license to serve the public.

Watch the presentation below and take a journey through the first years of WDET’s existence, featuring historical photographs, logos, and newspaper clippings provided by Walter P. Reuther Library Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs.

Special thanks to the Walter and May Reuther Memorial Fund for funding this project.